A Wedding on the shores of Lake Como.

As a wedding photographer in Italy the thing I love the most is the variety. From lake Como to Rome, Venice, Milan, Naples or the Amalfi Coast, not many countries can boast such unique locations. Lake Como is a great challenge, the ever changing light and the ever changing weather make it a place where you need one eye on your bridal couple and one eye on the sky!

This wedding was typical of such a day. Thick clouds at times, huge downpours and crashing storms but also some bright sun and and dry evening.

Forntuatly my couple on the day were perfect for such weather. Brave enough to pose on the back of the boat in the rain and adaptable enough to tinker with the day plan so we could still get lots of great shots outside, especially in the grounds of the beautiful Villa Lucia in Cadenabbia.

As the final preparations were made the rain held of and the couple got to the church without having to run for cover.

The service itself was an intimate and moving moment for the couple in the striking Church of the Ascension right on the lake shore.

Although the weather had turned decidedly stormy at this point the church interior still sparkled. And even the huge claps of thunder didn't put the couple off their wedding vows!

And as the rain continued to pour down the marriage was sealed with a kiss!

With a little bit of tinkering with the photography schedule we managed to get out and onto the lake as soon as the rain stopped and headed off for a tour of the lake.

Once back on dry land we headed back to Villa Lucia where the couple and guests enjoyed a fabulous evening of food and wine.

And right in the last light of the day the rain just managed to hold of enough to get a few more shots outside!

The wedding was designed and planned by Alexis Walker.

Black and White Rome.

 There's something about Rome and black and white that goes very nicely together. For me I think that the black and white photographs of Rome make you think back to those classical cinematography moments set in Rome.

 OK, so we couldn't get photographs IN the Trevi fountain like Anita Ekberg in La dolce Vita but it still makes for a great backdrop!

 

 And then the Spanish step take you back to the time of Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn in 

Roman Holiday.

 Aside from the Hollywood films though Rome has the backdrops to create beautiful movie sets in their own right. Even on a grey day I love the view below of the Via Condotti from the top of the Spanish Steps.

Of all of Rome's ancient sites my personal favorite is the Pantheon. An incredible structure that looks even more impressive in black and white.

And then there is the Colosseum and it doesn't matter what angle you choose there is a great picture to be had. All these photographs below were taken around the Colosseum.

Rome in the Rain!

Can you still photograph in the rain? Well just about! A recent portrait tour of Rome was hit by the beginnings of the recent extreme weather we have been having in Italy. This was the day that Rome had it's first significant snowfall in many years.

So what can you do? Well cover is what you need, whether under a tree, an umbrella or a building. The Pantheon for example gives you a great big space to shelter under!

 And the rain doesn't have to be a negative, an umbrella makes a great prop if you have a fun couple to work with!

 And of course the rain keeps away many of the tourists so you get some virtually empty piazza's all to yourself!

For some shots you just have to brave it.

 But even in the open spaces around the Colosseum there are plenty of trees that can give you some great shelter.

And anyway Rome is all about water, whether it's the Trevi or one of the other many fountains that are scattered around the city.

But ultimately it takes great models to be able to make the most out of working in the rain.

 And these two were like pro's, stepping out into the rain when everybody else was running for cover!

Top five questions when looking for a wedding photographer.

1. What do I like?

This may sound like an obvious question but for a lot of couples that I've worked for they haven't been too sure to start with. Normally because they've never really thought about it before. So how do you know what you like? Just look around you would be my first tip. Look at old pictures of yourself, which ones do you like? One's that have been posed really well? Spontaneous pictures? Have a look at photographers websites or do a Google Image Search and make a note of the photographs that catch your eye? Is there a common theme there? The important thing is have your eyes open and make mental notes of what you like.

2. What do I want?

Once you have a feel of what kind of wedding pictures you would like have a think about what you want done with them. This is a pretty important decision when it comes to choosing a photographer as you need to find a photographer that's going to give you what you want after the wedding. As a very broad rule of thumb there are the two options, one where you take most of the control after the wedding and the other where the photographer does. So how would you have control of the photographs,  normally by choosing a photographer who will supply you with a disc copy of all your images after the wedding. This means you choose what to do with them. Get prints, have a canvas made, share them on the Internet, normally its up to you. This may be very appealing to a lot of couple as it means they are not tied to what they can do with the photographs and once they've paid up for the photographers time there's nothing else to pay. The other option is to go for a photographer that provides all the prints after the wedding. This is great if don't have the time to do it yourself, the downside is every time you want another print you have to go back to the photographer to pay for one.
As I said, this is a very broad rule of thumb as many photographer's will offer a bit of both but the important thing is to have an idea of what you want beforehand.

3. How do I find a photographer on the Internet?

Well you may already be a part of the way down that route already if you've been looking at images on the Internet. It's most peoples starting point, if only for ideas. Now the hard thing wont be finding a photographer on the Internet, it will be deciding which would be a good one. What should you be looking for then? Essentially what you are looking for is credibility at this stage assuming you've seen a photographer's work that you like. Now that you have a little knowledge my first tip would be ask lots of questions, usually this is a good way to get a feel about how professional someone is. Do they reply promptly? Do they actually answer your questions? Do they encourage you to ask more? And what I would say is most important, do they sound interested? By that I mean, do they sound interested in finding out more about what you want, about whether their style would suit you, not are they just interested in getting your business? A good photographer will be just as keen as you to make sure this will work to every ones benefit. A bad photographer will just want the work, irrespective. It is easy to put up an impressive website, or even a bogus one, if you have the right knowledge, what's not so easy is to engage with a client.

4. How else would I find a photographer?

Ask! Where does most of a photographer's work come from, word of mouth. Wedding pictures are shared and that means lots of people see many, many wedding pictures. Ask your friends and plenty will either recommend their photographer or remember seeing some else's pictures that they liked. The benefit here is you can find out how the photographer worked with everyone, was he amiable when necessary, was he dynamic when he had to get a shot, was he discrete and not in peoples faces all day.

5. If I go with a package with a planner and they insist I have to have their photographer, should I go along with that?

Personally I'd say no. Certainly meet them and if you feel ok with it then fine, but if you don't think they are good enough or they don't offer the sort of package you want then I would say no. You don't get a second chance with your wedding photographs!

So five questions that I'm often asked, does that cover everything, no, not at all but I think its a good place to start.
My one most important tip would be though, know what you like and know what you want. If you have a good idea of that before you approach photographers then that will save you some wasted time approaching the wrong types of photographer. And if you don't know, no problem, but make sure your photographer helps you work it out for you. That's what he's there for, not just for what he or she does on the day but for the time they spend with you beforehand making sure it all goes smoothly and provides you afterwards with what you expected.

Italy Wedding Photographer

Portrait Tours of Rome

Proving ever more popular is the walking portrait tour of Rome. Whether it's for couples or groups celebrating a special occasion or whether you just want the ultimate holiday photographs it's a great way to spend some time in Rome.

These pictures were taken of a great couple that wanted something to remember their engagement, they got engaged at the Trevi fountain the night before.
The best thing about these portrait tours is they can be tailored to any location and can be as varied as you like.
This one is a perfect example. The couple wanted to take in some of the well known sites of Rome and find some quiet streets to do some more candid pictures. The plan we put together worked very well.
We started in the Piazza Del Popolo, an iconic place to start as this was historically the Northern entrance to Rome, usually the way travelling pilgrims would enter the city.

From there we wound our way up the steps to the view point above the Piazza where we got to enjoy one of the great views across Rome.

It was a gentle walk from here to reach the Spanish steps, 

and then onto the Trevi fountain.

Being quite a creative couple they had bought a couple of changes of clothes with them so at this point they changed into something more casual as we got off the beaten track.

It was a good point to have some fun trying some different poses.

We caught some beautiful light here as the sun began to set and then after another change we were off to take in the Forum and finish at the Colosseum.

By the time we reached the Colosseum we were into the evening which added another look to the photographs.

The nice thing was the heat had died off a bit by this point!

So from just over three hours work we ended up with just over 200 images, spanning six locations and managed to catch some afternoon sun, the sun set and some evening shots. Some good work all round!

Italy Wedding Photographer

Get lost in Rome with a camera; Part 2

Continuing on from Part one this is the second half of my blog about wandering in Rome with a camera. The first half covered my route from Circo Massimo into Trastevere, this part follows on until the Colosseum.....

From here I continued to wander north crossing Viale di Trastevere and of course I couldn't come home without a shot of a Fiat 500 or a Vespa(or both!)

Reaching lunchtime and a couple of hours in I made a turn east to start heading back across the Tiber via Piazza Di Santa Maria in Trastevere. The church of Santa Maria is one of the oldest in Rome and again I had to be a little creative in getting a good interior shot. With no helpful curator on hand I ended up taking this one with the camera on the floor.

Once back outside the piazza had quietened so I had the chance to get a few shots without the crowds and then it was time to reorientate and head for the metro.

 I decided to take a walk back though the Jewish Quarter and head for the Colluseum. The Jewish quarter is another great district for getting some varied shots and capturing some of roman life.

A short walk from here takes you to the Vittorio Emanuele II monument and along the edge of the Forum back to the Colusseum Metro stop.

I wasn't particulary clock watching or rushing around and I figure the route took around three hours. Just goes to show how much variety you can see in Rome even when you're not trying!