A summer wedding in spring. Talk about choosing the perfect day. Katy and Ben's late March wedding was warm and sunny all day long. Here we go, starting to warm up our camera techniques with a few still lives.
Here's Katy with one of her bridesmaids in one of the 'getting ready' bedrooms. All calm so far.
Katy's daughter Sophie is an absolute gem to capture on photo. One of many charming shots taken with her mum on the day.
While I was doing Katy in the getting ready zone, Tom was doing one of his excellent set pieces with Ben, his best men brothers and his group of friends. I like the way Tom has caught them all relaxing before the big moment.
The magic moment - Ben and Katy are now Mr & Mrs Morris.
This is a good trick to get people looking away from the camera - instead get them to look up at a second camera, held by Tom who squeezed himself onto a balcony to take some overhead shots of the wedding party.
Capturing an off camera moment with two bridesmaids.
Cranage Hall provides a great backdrop for some really good country house shots with the bride and groom walking over some perfectly manicured sweeping lawns. For me, capturing the relaxed off camera moments of the bride and groom in a more relaxed setting is an important part of telling the whole wedding story.
We spotted this reed bed by a large pond in the grounds of the hall and persuaded Ben and Katy to join us on a mini walk across the grounds to experiment with a few shots against this unexpected backdrop. We're pleased with the results!
Ben and Katy walking back to the hotel - another chance to get some informal shots that show the newly married couple enjoying time together before the reception.
The angelic, photogenic Sophie - a photographer's dream.
Boys will be boys - so what better than to capture some male bonding moments with the suited and booted gents outside the main entrance to Cranage Hall.
Jump. And they jumped. Oh the joy and power of being a photographer! Katy wanted a shot of the boys leaping off the front steps - so we experimented with a few trial jumps before capturing the men in flight with this photo.
Just before the sun set we persuaded the hotel staff to switch on the front lights to capture an early evening shot of the newly married couple. Cranage Hall is a truly photogenic backdrop for a wedding with an informal sense of grandeur. Ben and Katy look relaxed after an amazing day surrounded by friends, family and bathed in unexpectedly generous amounts of early spring sunshine.
