A couple of weeks before I shot Rebecca and Nick’s wedding they requested a pre wedding shoot. So in late October 2015 we decided to meet on the beach at Dunraven Bay near the village of Southerndown, which is part of the Heritage Coastline in South Wales. I am reliably informed that the cliffs are a perfect example of sedimentary rock (Rebecca studied Geography at University before moving into the world of publishing) and provided an dramatic backdrop for this photography session. A passer-by also told us the cliffs are often used in the filming of the BBC series Doctor Who, though there was a distinct lack of darleks on the day so we had to suffice with the amazing view and the glorious but rather fortunate blue skies.
I approach these engagement or pre wedding shoots pretty much the same way as when I photograph the bride and groom portraits on the wedding day. Which is to say as naturally as possible, I will give direction if required but mostly that is just to point them in the right direction to walk or stand so as to make the most of the beautiful light or backdrop. Generally I will let the couple just be together and shoot around them, this way the image have a honesty that I believe can be lost with over posing. It also makes the session more comfortable for a lot of people who may have a little apprehension about being professionally photographed.
Rebecca and Nick were married a few weeks later and held their wedding reception at the National Museum in Cardiff, I look forward to posting some photographs from the wedding in due course.