Seventeen years ago today, on 26 October 2009, Professional Photographer magazine published its list of the UK’s top 10 winter wedding photographers. My name was on it.
I don’t chase awards, but that one has always meant a bit more to me than the others. Winter is the season most photographers would rather not shoot. The days are short, the weather is a gamble, and by four o’clock it’s dark. I’ve always liked it for exactly those reasons. So, to mark the date, here are some favourite winter weddings and pre-wedding shoots from the years since, and a few things the winters have taught me.
What winter does for wedding photographs
In summer the sun climbs high by late morning and stays there. The light comes straight down, and I spend half the day looking for shade. In winter the sun never gets very high at all. It stays low and soft from morning to mid-afternoon, which is kinder to faces and far easier to work with.
Then it gets dark, and the second half of the day starts. Candles on the tables, a tree in the hall, firelight, the windows of a country house glowing across the lawn. A summer wedding ends in daylight. A winter one gets better as the evening goes on.
What I do differently on a winter wedding
First, the portraits move earlier. In December the sun sets in London before four. I check the sunset time before every winter wedding and we find fifteen or twenty minutes for portraits while there’s still light in the sky. Often that’s straight after the ceremony. You’re back with your guests before anyone notices you’d gone.
Second, I bring my own light. After dark I use a small flash, off the camera, to light the two of you against whatever is behind you: a lit-up building, a Christmas tree, a street. That’s how the Westminster Bridge picture at the top was made. It takes a couple of minutes, not twenty.
Third, weather is not a reason to stay inside. Rain, wind, and once in a while snow. If you’re happy to step out for two minutes, it’s nearly always worth it. Andrea and Lee got snow at Wotton House in Surrey, and it’s still one of my favourite photographs.
Fourth, I find the indoor light early. When I arrive at a venue in winter I look for the best spots inside before I need them: the staircase by the tree, the window that still has light at three o’clock, the fireplace. If it’s pouring by the time we need portraits, I already know where we’re going.
Winter in London
Most of my weddings are in London now, and the city is very good at winter. It gets dark early, the streets light up, and a three o’clock register office wedding can finish with portraits under the street lamps. At Old Marylebone Town Hall the guests wait on the steps with sparklers and the couple walk out into it.
Pre-wedding shoots work well here in winter too. Quiet streets, low sun, a good coat. Sheela and Brandon had a cold, sunny day from St Paul’s down to Tower Bridge.
Winter pre-wedding shoots in Iceland
Some couples go looking for the cold on purpose. Christie and Greg came to Iceland with me for a five-day pre-wedding shoot in the winter of 2018, and I’ve photographed other couples there too.
The useful thing about Iceland in winter is the light. The days are short, but the sun barely gets up, so the soft early-morning light lasts for hours. Ice caves, glacier lagoons, the Blue Lagoon, Reykjavik’s church and empty roads with snow on the mountains behind.
Thinking about a winter wedding?
Winter dates are usually easier to get, at venues and with suppliers. The pictures don’t suffer for it. They’re just different: darker, warmer, and lit by candles rather than sunshine.
My prices are the same all year. For weddings up to five hours you’ll have your full gallery within 24 hours. Tell me your date and I’ll let you know straight away whether I’m free.
Seventeen winters on
Thank you to Professional Photographer for the mention, all those years ago, and to every couple who has trusted me with a winter date since. I still look forward to the dark afternoons.
Barrie
Planning a winter wedding in London?
Winter Wedding Photography in London: Luxury Venues & Tips covers which hotels and town halls are at their best in the dark months.
See also my wedding photography prices, pre-wedding photography in London and destination pre-wedding shoots.
More winter weddings and shoots
A few more from the cold months, at home and further afield.
