David's photography blog: Wedding at The Holiday Inn, Ashford

My website: David Fenwick Photography

Clicking on an image activates a slideshow mode with images resized for your screen.

I had the pleasure of photographing Linda and James' wedding last Wednesday at The Holiday Inn, Ashford. It was unbelievably cold and icy in the morning and so I gave myself an additional hour to make it to the venue. Thank goodness I did, as conditions on the road were awful and many roads were closed due to accidents. Fortunately, I made it to Ashford in one piece. It was a beautiful winter's day but the sun was strong and low in the sky - which presented a few challenges at times.

Below are a selection of images from Linda and James' wedding. For more, please view the gallery for their wedding at The Holiday Inn, Ashford.

HDR (-2, 0, +2), f/4, ISO 100, 16mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II

1/125, f/1.8, ISO 400, 0 EV, 85mm f/1.2L II

1/160, f/4, ISO 1250, ²⁄₃ EV, 35mm f/1.4L

1/160, f/2.8, ISO 1250, 1 EV, 35mm f/1.4L

1/125, f/2.8, ISO 200, 0 EV, 73mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

1/160, f/2.8, ISO 400, ‒ ²⁄₃ EV, 0 FEC, 35mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II

The sun was streaming in through the window just before the ceremony and the cut-off point between light and shadow from the window was at head level. No amount of post-production work would have saved images shot under these conditions so I had to find an immediate solution. With the help of the hotel staff I managed to track down an attractively decorated wooden board which I was able to use to block out most of the light. There was still some harsh light leaking through so I then underexposed for the ambient light and lit them with bounced flash. I was happy with the results.

1/125, f/2.8, ISO 500, ‒ ²⁄₃ EV, 150mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

Spotted doing a surreptitious 'up kilt' shot.

1/125, f/2.8, ISO 1250, ⅓ EV, 70mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

1/125, f/4, ISO 640, 0 EV, 30mm, 16-35mm f/2.8L II

1/160, f/2.8, ISO 125, 0 EV, 80mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

1/125, f/2.8, ISO 100, 0 EV, 140mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

1/160, f/2.8, ISO 125, ‒ ⅓ EV, 150mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

1/125, f/2.8, ISO 100, 0 EV, 115mm, 70-200mm f/2.8L IS

One of the challenges with shooting at modern hotel chains is that there's often little in the way of grounds - often it's just car park. I'd had a scout before the wedding and an adjacent field had caught my eye. It was full of lovely old dry thistles (which were a lot more attractive than I've made them sound!) - particularly appropriate since the couple were Scottish. However, it was damp, muddy and the thistles blocked the path in. Linda and James were up for a photoshoot in it though. Above, James performs his duties as a husband.