Rangefinder Magazine
April 2006

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Notes From the British Aileen L. C. Krzos
Wedding Scene

In February 2004 I attended my first WPPI convention in Las Vegas. I had been in business shooting weddings for a year, a freshman photographer trying to absorb as much as I could. Little did I know that at this convention my photographic education was going to expand beyond what I thought possible.

Before the convention I spent days studying the speaker line-up in my Rangefinder magazine trying to pack in as many speakers as I could. The goal was to come away with a varied education and a huge dose of inspiration.

I first heard Robert T. Williams discussing “Build Your Brand.” From him I gained clear vision of where I wanted to go with my business and an ability to draw my own personal map to get there. Greg Gorman was the next speaker; I couldn’t pass up an opportunity to see and hear him talk about his legendary work and clients.

On day two I heard Tony Florez describe weddings in the Los Angeles market. I vowed that before my next wedding an Armani outfit would be among my purchases.

Seattle-based photojournalist Scott Eklund was a necessary addition to my line-up of speakers. Although I was at the convention to immerse myself in the world of wedding and portrait photography, photojournalism is a large part of the stock and trade in covering weddings. I have always found valuable insight and inspiration from photographers outside of the wedding market. We share a lot of the same principles, but there are always some differences that give me additional ideas for my photographic arsenal.

I had fun learning from the Canadian Cava brothers how to incorporate what is at your disposal in a bride’s hotel room into your photography. They took us outside to shoot informal formals of models, a very entertaining duo and incredibly talented. Another photographer whose program I really wanted to see was Joe Buissink. What he has accomplished since he decided to become a photographer is nothing short of astounding. I sat breathless through the whole two-hour presentation.

The last lecture was the life-changing moment, but the moment wouldn’t happen for another year and four months. I made a mistake and showed up an hour early for the last presentation; I walked in and took my usual seat in the front row. This presentation by Dennis Orchard and Steve Tarling was called “The Brits Are Back.” I was interested in seeing the differences between the approaches of photographers in Britain and those in the U.S.

I asked Dennis whether it was OK for me to hang out while they set up their presentation. “No problem” was his reply. For the next hour we enjoyed the small talk that friendly strangers engage in. All the other lectures I went to were information-filled and inspirational. Dennis and Steve’s presentation was all that and downright entertaining as well. These two are consummate photographers producing images that are beautiful, creative and stunning, to say the least. Each has their own business in England, but as friends they call each other up when they need an extra hand, and then they shoot together.

I laughed through the whole two hours; I was having so much fun listening to them discuss their lives and businesses. Their passion comes from the joy they feel for their work and a love of people. They also have a way of not taking themselves too seriously.

When I arrived home after the convention, I sat down and wrote thank you letters to all the photographers. A month later I received a letter from England; the letter was from Dennis.

Over the next year or so we emailed each other occasionally. Dennis is downto- earth and approachable, and was fast becoming a friend. In November 2004 I had a crazy idea: I asked Dennis if I could come to England and watch him shoot a couple of weddings to see how he worked with the couples and his general flow during a typical wedding. His reply was, “Sure.”

I arrived on the June 9, 2005, tired but excited to see Dennis in action. He picked me up at my bed and breakfast, and we were off. The first wedding was of a fun-loving, middle class couple, typical of the majority of Dennis’ clients. The bride was getting ready in the front sitting room of her parents’ house in the company of her bridesmaids.

The room had a large front window, which gave a beautiful glow of light to the space, Dennis danced in and around this small area capturing fresh and natural moments between the girls as they giggled and put on their makeup.

Everything was in the moment and in real time. Even his detail shots of the dress were shot where he found them—only the flowers were moved to better light. Dennis took casual pre-wedding clothes pictures, as well as images of the bride and her parents in full wedding attire in their back garden. He explained that people spend a good deal of time working on their gardens in preparation for this particular shot. It is an historical record of the bride’s last moments at home as an unmarried daughter.

The more formal pictures were taken in the front room with the bride and her bridesmaids. Dennis is a master at reading the light and choosing the spot where shooting the image creates the most visual impact. He is also wonderful at gently choreographing people into pleasing positions for these shots.

Next we were off to check on the groom and his best man at the Bull Hotel, the site of the reception later that day. As we walked in, Dennis asked the men to continue doing what they were doing. His camera was immediately firing, not allowing the men to think about posing. The best man was coming out of the bathroom with shaving cream and a wide grin all over his face, what a great shot. Stuart, the groom, was sitting on the edge of the bed wrapped in a towel, laughing and hugging a plastic blowup sheep. All I thought was: “This must be a British thing; don’t ask.” We went back to the car and on to the church. British photographers are so lucky: Even the smallest churches are beautiful and imbued with more history than Americans can fathom. Dennis talked through the plan of action with the vicar—where he was going to stand and what were the rules of the church.

During the conversation, I learned that in Britain it is illegal for the photographer to take close shots of the bride and groom signing the register, although you may take long shots from farther away. In Europe this is an important piece of the ceremony, much more so than in the U.S.

Dennis took pictures of all the men entering the church in their morning coats. They looked so elegant and fresh to my eyes. The ceremony was similar to ours, but the crowd was definitely not American. Many women had on the beautiful hats that British women typically wear.

After the ceremony church bells started to ring as the couple came out of the church followed by all the guests. At the end of the pathway that leads to their car, on Dennis’ count of three, everyone threw paper confetti as he clicked away.

At the reception I witnessed two other British traditions. Pictures were taken of the bride and groom with the car that carried them to the reception site—usually beautiful vintage cars—Jaguars, Rolls or Bentleys. Another image was of the couple being greeted at the door with a congratulations and champagne. I enjoyed these traditions.

Before the guests arrive, Dennis got the detail shots, and once everyone arrived, the group shots were taken. He moved swiftly, interacting and directing the crowd into pleasing shapes and expressions. There was another wedding reception in this same garden. I watched those guests looking on with envy at the fun everyone on our side of the lawn was having.

The last item to capture was the giving of the speeches, which is done before the meal is served. At home the toasts can take place anywhere at the beginning, middle or end of the meal. In Britain the speeches are the signal that the last picture of the day is about to be taken: an image of the main table with the bride, groom and wedding party.

The next day we were at it again, but this time it was the wedding of an upper middle class couple. The flow was virtually the same, but Dennis definitely adjusted his approach to suit their emotional style. This crowd was nice but far more reserved than the previous group.

He covered less of the bride getting ready (she was shy), but he still got the shots he needed to tell her story, after which he covered the traditional “family garden shots.” We didn’t see the men until they arrived at the church. They were well worth waiting for because they all were donning Scottish Kilts. After the beautiful ceremony, Dennis followed them out, all the while shooting them framed in the church doorway against the light.

I was up in the balcony for the whole ceremony. On my way down I passed the door where the bells of the church were being rung. I opened the door and found eight bell ringers each with their own rope “hand” ringing the church bells. I had never seen this before—it was beautiful. After formals of the wedding party and throwing of the confetti, we were off to the reception site.

This site was a stunning, stately 18th century manor house. We were ready as the couple’s car entered through the archway. The couple was greeted at the door by the hotel manager, flutes of champagne, and Peter the toastmaster. The toastmaster was dressed in a red coat and tails; his role was that of master of ceremonies for the reception and dinner. He announced the arrival of the bride and groom to the guests out on the balcony.

Dennis coaxed the couple down into the garden for their couple shots, gently talking and suggesting different postures, with the Thames flowing below them.

We watched as the toastmaster announced the couple for their entrance into the dining hall, as another British wedding ended. I had a great experience in the U.K. watching Dennis Orchard do what he does best. There is no substitute for hands-on experience with a seasoned photographer doing his/her thing. It was also educational to compare British and American wedding traditions.

Dennis’ technical skills are second nature to him; he is a master at using available light and the location and knowing when to direct the action and when to just let things happen. He has a genuine love of people and is unbelievable at getting the best out of them. He tunes into each couples’ personalities during these fleeting lifechanging moments. Dennis’ love of life and, more importantly, love of people were undeniably the most important lessons of all. Dennis was recently voted the U.K. Wedding Photographer of the Year and the U.K. Pet Photographer of the Year by the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP).