Today The Wedding Room brings part two of our chat with photographer Kathryn Edwards. We talked about what to expect when you are approaching your big day.
It’s 1 week to go to the wedding day, how do you prepare?
I have questionnaires I send out to my couples when they book. I tend to look at these on the week of the wedding, to get my timings of the day and group shots down. Also names of important people at your wedding. Obviously making sure all my equipment is in order and checking travel arrangements.
How far are you willing to travel?
I will go anywhere for a good wedding!
Getting ready – how do you document the preparations on the big day?
I tend to arrive for bridal preparations around 2 hours before the bride is due to leave the house. I spend the first half an hour probably just having a natter, and a cup of tea and may take the odd hair and makeup shot. I will mill around chatting with bridesmaids and capturing moments as they happen, and then I make sure everyone starts to get in their dresses on time so that I have some time for bridal portraits and photographs with the girls! I am on hand to help with the dress, and always have a pair of nail scissors in my camera bag as there are always tags to cut out of dresses! And I can guarantee they will be needed! I will have found a good spot where I want to take bridal portraits. Normally by a window somewhere as I love window light for these portraits! (You will see from my website that I really enjoy window lit bridal portraits)
What details in particular do you like to capture?
Portraits over details. But I do like to get the dress hanging up and the shoes if I can find some good light to put them in. But other than that, it is all about the people. Oh, I do love flowers though!
How do you manage on the day nerves?
Mine or theirs? haha. I am a very relaxed presence in the morning, and I try to be as helpful as I can and just get my bride to feel more excited than nervous. I definitely recommend some champagne! Also, having been to so many weddings, I can reassure the bride that firstly nerves are completely natural. But also they will disappear as soon as you see your best friend (bride or groom) who you are about to marry at the end of the aisle!
What do you consider to be the most important bit to capture? The dress and flowers, the couple, the vows, the walk down the aisle, the knees up at the end of the day?
It’s hard to say as those important moments are different at every wedding. My favourite bit is the couple portrait session and I really love the bridal portraits. I love capturing some confetti faces! I also love getting on a crowded dance floor at the end of the night and having a boogie with my camera in hand! Oh gosh! I miss that!
OK let’s be honest, COVID has really interfered with weddings in 2020. Have you photographed any intimate weddings this year?
2020 was an interesting year. But I was lucky enough to photograph some really wonderful intimate weddings that have been so special. It has really brought home the importance of photography, no matter how many people are there. And in fact, in terms of the sorts of things I photograph, it is really no different photographing a small wedding to photographing a big one. I still capture bridal portraits, the ceremony, confetti, couple portraits, speeches, family relationships, details, and all the little moments in between that make up the good memories. I have enjoyed photographing one of my couples paddling in the sea in Norfolk, and another in a marquee in their parents garden, arranged at the last minute to cater for 30 guests before the restrictions came in to lower the numbers. Everyone pulls together in times like this. I enjoyed Nigerian home cooked food prepared in the kitchen by family and friends. And I even helped serve it up because they were one man down (luckily I have years of waitressing skills under my belt!). It is moments like this that really make these small weddings so wonderful and memorable.
If so describe how lovely they have been?
See above.
After the wedding day what follow up service do you offer?
I normally post a sneak peek of a few couple photos, perhaps a fun confetti photo or a particularly stunning bridal portrait on my FB business page the day after the wedding and send a link to the couple. I want to get my photos out there before they use one of their friend’s phone camera pictures as their profile picture. In fact I actively encourage the sharing of these photos as much as possible. Then a week later I will put a 10 photo blog of highlights on my website and in another couple of weeks, I will send an email to my couple with a link to the full highlights slide show and a link to their password protected gallery where friends and family can download images for free and/or order prints. Shortly after this I send a lovely little package with a USB and a handful of prints to my couple with full printing rights. Any albums are dealt with as a separate transaction. But I highly encourage the printing of photographs and offer high quality albums.
What is editing?
Editing is a really important part of the process for me and I take great pride in curating the final gallery of images and making sure every single image is edited in my signature style. I take thousands of pictures on the day, and I don’t want to overwhelm my couples with too many photographs. So a big part is going through all the images and selecting the very best to include. Then I use Lightroom to apply my colour grading preset and tweak the exposure and white balance on each image making certain colours pop, and giving some of that lovely contrast that I really love. I have an editing style that I have honed quite well over the years, and feel I have finally settled on a finish I really love. It will no doubt evolve but at the moment I really love it. I like slightly desaturated greens, lots of black in the shadows to give that dramatic feel, and to make the people pop, and I love the reds and pinks to pop. I like natural skin tones and rich colours. Every photographer out there will edit images slightly differently, as it is such a personal thing. I think you can just get a feel for the style you like. For example, I am not light and airy. I have a more rich and earthy edit.
The burning question, how long does it take you to ‘edit’ the images and present them to the couple?
Anything from 2-4 weeks. I try not to take longer than that. If for any reason it will take slightly longer (which has only happened once or twice when I have had a backlog or been on holiday) then I will tell the couple in advance. But definitely within 6 weeks!
Is there anything else you want to tell us about your business?
I suppose I have a fondness for vintage styles, laid back brides, wedding wellies and outdoor vibes. I definitely attract the more down to earth couples who aren’t too precious about getting their dress a bit muddy for a good photo! I’m sure that breaks your heart a little bit as the dress supplier! But it’s definitely worth it for a good shot! My couples are very important to me. I stay in touch with them all long after the wedding day is over and often revisit them for family photographs. We often become good friends on Facebook. The relationship with my couples is really important. I really love every single one I have worked with. I guess I am lucky as I get the good ones!
And now for a little bit of fun…
Favourite Season?
Autumn
Netflix recommendation?
Really enjoyed The Queen’s Gambit. And also any kind of crime series (true crime or fictional!) I love a good murder!
What are you having for tea tonight?
Boyfriend is currently cooking up some falafel burgers and chips.
If you were not a photographer what would you like to do?
Well I trained as an actress, and still love to tread the boards and do the odd low budget movie for friends so if the next Spielberg came calling, I wouldn’t say no! I also love flowers, so I wouldn’t mind being a florist (I know some great ones as you can imagine and they are all so lovely)
Favourite item of clothing and why?
I mean if you asked me this pre-lockdown I’d say skinny jeans and a stripy T. Or a pencil skirt and some red lippy. But lately it’s been my onesie! I lived in it for a week after Christmas, just so comfy! Also, I don’t go out without my red beret at the moment. I like to think I’m a bit French chic. But mostly at home I probably just look a bit mumsie!
City or Country?
Actually a really hard question. I might have to say city! As much as I love the countryside and all my favourite weddings are outside or in woods and barns and stuff, I actually love photographing in the city. I recently took a trip to London just before lockdown for a well needed change of scenery. I lived in London for 8 years before moving to Nottingham and becoming a wedding photographer and I like to go back as much as I can. It really is my happy place. But I also love getting outside in the great outdoors and going on long walks with my dog, taking photos of light through the trees. If you follow me on insta, this is pretty much the content of my stories! (Gosh that was a long answer to a simple question)