Turkey Mill in Maidstone, Kent, set as it is in the Garden of England and featuring 9 acres of beautifully landscaped grounds, made a perfect backdrop to my role as wedding photographer for Gemma and Paul.
The setting could not have been more perfect. The Turkey Mill Orangery has managed to eclipse the beauty and splendour of this part of England, situated alongside the River Len and encapsulating a boathouse and pond, gushing waterfalls and vast, sweeping lawns. Even though the weather was not on our side for Gemma and Paul’s wedding day, not even the lashing rain could detract from the magical location and if anything, the low light and clouds made for a more dramatic atmosphere.
For a large part of the wedding day (around 90%) I am pretty much everywhere, but hopefully observed by no-one as this is when I am taking the majority of those natural shots. This is called reportage or documentary wedding photography. The shots I try to capture are the natural ones which show spontaneous emotion and it’s something you just can’t get with traditional wedding photography for as soon as you point the camera at someone, they will automatically become self conscious and adopt a pose.
Many people who do spot me at the wedding will ask why I am carrying two cameras around instead of the usual one. Well this is my secret to successful reportage wedding photography. One camera has a zoom lens attached which allows me to take those stealth shots without the subjects noticing. The other camera has my 35mm lens which is perfect for taking those close-ups and scenery shots. Having this mixture of dramatic scene setting photographs and natural, reportage wedding photos works really well in relating the story of the wedding and certainly in Gemma and Paul’s wedding it allowed me to capture the atmosphere and excitement of the day.
When we plan and do the portrait shots, it’s important that the couple and I can have fun together in creating some contemporary and creative stylised portraits. Putting couples at ease and injecting some fun into the process really does show on the finished results. I do plan the portraits beforehand so that I’m fully prepared and you can get back to celebrating with your families and friends as quickly as possible. The whole thing takes around 20 minutes.
Wedding Photography at Turkey Mill in Kent
Below is just a small selection of my favourite photographs from Gemma and Paul’s Turkey Mill wedding. I think we managed to get quite a few good shots in spite of the traditional English Autumn weather!
If you are planning a Turkey Mill wedding and are looking for a wedding photographer, especially one that will give you a good mix of documentary photos and creative portraits, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch for an informal chat. Who knows, I may be enthusing about your wedding next!
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[tagline_box backgroundcolor=”#fff” shadow=”yes” border=”3px” bordercolor=”#cfced2″ highlightposition=”top” link=”http://themeforest.net/user/ThemeFusion” linktarget=”” button=”” title=”Gemma and Paul says…” description=”Hi Iain, They are absolutely amazing thank you so much!! We’re over the moon with how they have turned out!”][/tagline_box]
