Wedding season is go, and as a Hertfordshire wedding photographer, I am SO happy to be back meeting and shooting fabulous couples, and so excited for them that, finally, as lockdown restrictions ease, it seems safe enough to count the sleeps until their big day. 

As a documentary wedding photographer I shoot weddings in as unobtrusive a way as possible.  I specialise in putting couples at ease and helping them feel relaxed in front of the camera. Pre-wedding shoots, sometimes called engagement shoots, are the ideal way to show couples that the camera doesn’t need to be feared. It means that on their day, they can forget about me and focus on their day and each other.

First up for me this season was a fabulous pre-wedding photoshoot in the ancient cathedral city of St.Albans.

Harriet and Jonny will be getting married at St.Michael’s Manor Hotel – a fabulous venue nestled right in the heart of the historic Hertfordshire city. With gorgeous grounds including its own private lake, it was the ideal spot for us to get together, catch up on wedding day plans and capture some special photos before their big day.

We had the grounds virtually to ourselves and enjoyed a leisurely walk around the lake, stopping for photos here and there, before heading back indoors for a coffee and a run through of the day plan. These guys are so much fun and so relaxed and comfortable with each other. It was an absolute delight to capture them together.

I’m a firm believer that the value of pre-wedding shoots is not so much the photos, but the chance for my couples to get to know me a little before the big day (after all, I’ll be spending a lot of time with them on the day), and to shake off pre wedding day photo nerves. 

Pre-wed shoots are a chance for couples to confess their biggest photography fears, to tell me how self-conscious they feel in front of the camera (almost everyone says the same) and to ask me as many burning questions about their photography coverage as they need.

For me it’s a chance to help put them at ease and to reassure them that having photos taken is nothing to fear – it doesn’t need to feel cringey or awkward and can even be fun.

I love seeing how couples relax as the shoot goes on, and how much more confident and less apprehensive about their wedding day photos they are by the time the shoot’s done. It means they can go into their wedding day feeling positive about their photos, knowing they can trust me to just get on with it.  

And for me, that’s the most important thing.

Though of course, it’s also really rather lovely to get some gorgeous portraits like these. Harriet and Jonny – you absolutely rocked your shoot.

Chatting with and capturing Harriet and Jonny together was a joy and I can’t wait to capture their day later this summer.

Jo

x

See more Hertfordshire engagement shoots on the blog…

~ About St.Albans ~

St.Albans, which is just 25 miles north of London has a rich history dating back beyond Roman times into the Iron Age. A trip to the Verulamium Museum shows some of this Roman history, with moasiacs and Roman gold coins on display. There’s even the remains of the city’s ancient Roman wall. But it’s not just famous for history, it’s a vibrant commuter-belt city with fabulous restaurants, a buzzing nightlife and excellent shopping – from national chain stores to local independents, St. Albans has something for everyone.