Natalie & Sam’s wedding at the Swan Hotel in Lavenham fell on a beautiful crisp January day. The ceremony wasn’t until 4:30, so I just knew any daylight shots I’d get would be early and the rest would be indoors or creatively lit outdoor shots. So I made sure to pack my remote lighting kit (It’s with me every day anyway!) and set it up in advance so it would be at hand when we needed it. 
Photographs of Natalie’s prep weren’t required, so I ensured I photographed all I could around the Swan, including Sam with his family.
Bridal portraits usually outnumber groom’s portraits but this time the girls didn’t want any, so I took photos of Sam in a couple of spots, my favourite though (as is often the way) was a completely candid photo.
The wedding bands are usually something I take a macro photo of, but wow! Natalie’s wedding band is like none I’ve seen before! Definitely worthy of a nice macro closeup!
These wedding ceremony photos came out beautifully! I try to work without a flash if possible, but if the photo will look great with a flash, and not come out too well without it, then I’ll opt to use flash. Afterall these are once in a lifetime important moments, so I’d rather capture it all great! Here I’m bouncing the flash straight off to the right hand side, the resulting light looks nice, diffused by the whole right hand side of the room. You’ll never catch me pointing my flash straight at the subject!
On our way back to the lounge I knew we passed the garden, so I’d already set my lighting up before the ceremony so it would be waiting for us. There was a light drizzle, so we didn’t stay long, but it was decided to get the confetti photos quick, then all get back to the lounge for drinks. Here I’ve got a remote speedlight nice and high on a stand to my left, and a second light on a low stand off to the right. This second light I always adds a certain something.
After a good while leaving everyone to enjoy the day and mingle (time I spend photographing everyone casually) I took Natalie & Sam for more photos in the grounds. Gone are the days I used to curse the nights creeping in. Nowadays I get excited that I’m going to get these sorts of results! Photos with this lighting usually have a lot more presence and depth, shapes, certainly fabrics have more texture, and the whole thing is far more 3D than a typical photo.
This next photo really shows the benefit of the second light I like to use behind the subject. It acts as a ‘rim-light’ or ‘hair-light’ and you can see here, against a dark background, it really brings the subject out from the background!
Any walking photo would be what I regard as the most unposed wedding photo possible, here using the remote lighting I think it has a unique look. Even on a bright daytime wedding, thefew nighttime shots I may manage to get would usually stand out as my favourites from the day. 
The Swan at Lavenham recommends Lavenham Photographic to couples looking to hold their weddings at their gorgeous venue. For more information, please visit www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk
Lavenham Photographic Wedding Photography at The Swan Hotel, Lavenham, Suffolk
