Creative Candid Wedding Photographer

About Me

My name is Paul, and I am the founder and primary photographer for the Once-in-a-lifetime wedding photography. I am an award-winning photographer, originally from Birmingham but now living in Kidderminster, Worcestershire. I love weddings, and I love capturing the emotion and the deep feelings of a wedding day. My role as your wedding photographer is to document and tell the story of your wedding day in a relaxed and informal manner.

I am a keen member of my local photographic club and regularly enter digital and print competitions. As well as photographing weddings, I enjoy sports photography, for which I am licensed to the national football league. I like supporting local sports teams and photographing them as often as possible.

I am a keen martial artist and have been training in and teaching the Korean martial art of Tae Kwon Do for over 25 years. I have been fortunate enough to represent my country and train new beginners to world champions.

On a personal level, I am married, have two wonderful children and have a mad chocolate labrador called Millie. You may ask why she is mad. Aren’t all chocolate labradors? Have you ever seen a chocolate lab guide dog? There is a reason for that!

For my photography, although I am Worcestershire-based, I am happy to travel further afield to photograph your special day. So, if you would like a quote or just a chat to get some advice, please get in touch.

What do I do as a Wedding Photographer on the wedding day?

Arrive Early

Well, for me the wedding day still always starts nice and early. I leave the house approximately one hour earlier than I would typically need to for the designated arrival time.

Leaving early allows plenty of time should there be traffic and accidents or any other thing on the route that delays my arrival at the wedding venue.

Once I arrive at the wedding venue, I usually take a short walk around the grounds and take pictures of the building and the setting for the day ahead. Even if I've been to a wedding venue, I still like to take this short walk.

I always try to take different photos from different angles and positions that I have yet to capture.

Once I have done this, I slowly go to the bridal suite to meet the bride and the bridal party members. They usually get ready, have breakfast, drink prosecco and look forward to the day ahead.

Bridal Preparations

I am conversing with the bridal party, saying good morning, maybe having tea. I get out a few cameras and take candid pictures of the room, the setting and any activity.

It's all very relaxed and informal, letting the morning progress as it does and just capturing it and telling the story along the way.

Usually, by this morning, we have makeup artists and hair stylists with bridesmaids, moms and the bride herself getting ready.

I also take the time to photograph the wedding dress, shoes, jewellery, flowers, and other unique items. Sometimes, I do this in the room, the corridor, and somewhere else within the venue, I've seen that would make a good backdrop for these detailed photos.

As the morning progresses, I usually change places with my second shooter, who will stay with the bride in the bridal suite.

I will go off to photograph the groom, the groomsman, and the guests arriving.

I. will also photograph the wedding breakfast room, ceremony area, and ceremony area before returning to the bride just as she's due to get into her dress.

Once the bride dresses, I take a few more photos. I will take pictures of the bride on her own before Dad or whoever is giving the bride away comes in for that magical first look.

My second shooter is downstairs, taking pictures of guests arriving before the ceremony whilst I follow the bride from the bridal suite into the ceremony area.

Most of these photos are candid, taken from different angles, telling the day's story and not posed in any way, shape, or form.

The Wedding Ceremony

Once in the ceremony area, I usually stand at the front with my second assistant at the back as the bride enters so I can get pictures of the groom and the bride as she comes down the aisle. Sometimes the groom looks, and sometimes the groom doesn't.

I take wedding photographs of the ceremony and ensure I capture the exchange of rings, the importance of the first kiss, and guest reactions along the way.

I will photograph the signing of the register, pictures with witnesses, and then the walking back down the aisle as husband and wife.

Once we move out into the gardens or venue grounds, I like to give the bride and groom 10 or 15 minutes to meet their guests and be congratulated by family and friends,

Sometimes, you get the best reactions from people crying, sharing emotions, and congratulating the bride and groom on becoming newly married.

Once the bride and groom have had the chance to meet some of their guests and be congratulated, I organise the confetti-throwing shot.

Formal Wedding Photographs

Occasionally, I will do this in a group shot with everybody behind the bride and groom. Sometimes, I'll do this in two straight lines and have the happy couple walk through everybody, giving them all opportunities to throw confetti. I Follow this with the formal group shots.

As part of your booking, I will send you a wedding questionnaire. In that wedding questionnaire, you can specify the group combinations for the formal group shots.

At this time, I would like you to nominate a helper from each side of the family to help organise these groups. This speeds up the process and enables me to complete this formal part of the day as quickly as possible.

I then give the bride and groom more time to have drinks and canopies and spend time with their guests before I take them off for some lovely, relaxed wedding portraits.

It only usually takes about 10 minutes, and we capture lovely photographs of you alone.

The day's next task is photographing the wedding breakfast room and guests sitting down before the bride and groom make their grand entrance.

Photographing the Speeches

Once wedding breakfast is underway, I'll leave you to enjoy your wedding breakfast and then usually return to the room just before speeches.

I photograph the speeches from as many different angles as possible. I capture the speakers and, most importantly, the reaction of the bridal party and guests.

Sometimes, the best photographs come after the speech has finished. It is usually the bride and groom's reaction to the person who has just made a speech that makes the best photos, like when dad has just completed a lesson. Then the bride hugs him and kisses him afterwards.

I position myself close to the top table to capture those all-important reactions, emotions, glances, looks, and kisses, whilst my assistant usually shoots from the middle to the room's rear. Capturing those same images from a broader perspective and focusing on guest reactions to the speeches as they own.

Depending on the time of the year, usually after the wedding breakfast, I'll take the bride and groom out for a few more photos. The light often changed, and we could get lovely pictures in different locations.

After the wedding breakfast formalities, guests usually chill out as the venue turns the room around before your DJ, band or evening entertainment arrives.

As the band or the DJs set up, I usually set up some off-camera flashes in the room and prepare for the cake cutting and the first dance.

The Evening Wedding Reception

Once I've captured the first dance and some dance floor action, most wedding photographers finish now. I like to stay a little later because sometimes the best dance floor action happens later in the evening.

Depending on the time of the year and the light outside, I like to create some magic.

I'll find a location within the hotel or the grounds of the wedding venue where I can create something unique from what relatively can be nothing.

I use multiple off-camera flashes and colour gels to create these photos, which is often my favourite part of the day. I spend time with my second shooter setting them up, getting the settings and the flashes right. I have everything set up; the bride and groom are only away for a few minutes—a few quick photos and then back to the party.

Sometimes, I'll do this two or three times during the evening. When I walk away from that venue, I know I've got three amazing, unique, creative shots, which I love to do at the end of the day.