From the the Bush to the Stamford - A Wedding Photographer's Lot

Is it still called a "Busman's Holiday" when a photographer does it? As per a previous post, Jean and I have been living in a cabin in the State Forest 300 Kms north of Sydney. There isn't any TV coverage, no access to the Internet or e-mail, and no mobile phone carrier has penetrated into this region... So you will not be reading this "live" no matter how closely you follow the blog. What does work is our cameras. The cabins have electricity (though they are prone to blackouts), so keeping our camera batteries charged while we recharge our 'life batteries' is no hassle, which is a good thing given the rate at which we go through them; and the wildlife is a treat! Wallabies and roos abound (sorry about the pun) and the possums come up demanding a feed in the evening. Tiny forest birds tease us and challenge our reflexes and the speed of our autofocus lenses (manual focus wins out most of the time), and the lyre birds enchant us with their mimicry and song. Only a week, and then it's back to Sydney and the bridal scene, starting off with a ceremony and reception at the Stamford Grand in North Ryde, which should be beautiful. Locations like the Stamford offer advantages for wedding photography with their well designed function centres, but they present some challenges, too. With everything taking place in the same building, falling behind schedule is seldom a problem, but finding the principals can sometimes be tricky: the bride and groom will be getting ready in separate rooms, but it may not be their own rooms, and they aren't sure which ones they will be in yet - that is to say, they didn't know when I left Sydney two days ago. Kylie could be "getting done" in her own suite or in her mum's room. Peter might be in his room, but perhaps he'll be with the Best Man, or even in his Mum and Dad's room getting ready... Someone suggested I should check the bar first, but we'll take that with a grain of salt! Hopefully the Stamford's wedding organiser will have a handle on where to find them all, but in any case, I will have to be there pretty early to ensure things go smoothly! It is also the first wedding for my new assistant, Daniel. Daniel showed me a nice portfolio when he asked if he could assist, and he has been nothing short of professional leading up to the day ~ I'm sure he'll do well! Hotel rooms tend to be light with relatively low-ceilings, so bounced flash works a treat even if the window light isn't adequate for good photography- the room lights are always a disaster! The rather tight spaces bring wide-angle lenses into their own, too, and the busy melee of hairdressers, make-up artists, parents, bridesmaids and attendants can yield a rich harvest of memorable images for the photographer who can get the shot without getting underfoot. Sadly, lighting for the rest of the day will be more difficult: Wedding Venues like to mix their light sources: natural window light, candle-light, incandescent bulbs and even neon - often coloured for "effect". Flash here is not usually a suitable light source because it is distracting to the bridal couple and to the celebrant; using it is just bad manners. Establishing accurate white balance in advance of the ceremony is not always possible - the lights at other times may be quite different to those during the wedding- so working in RAW and dealing with the colour balance later is usually the best option. The Reception will present similar lighting problems, but this is more like a party, and flash is acceptable at a party. Anyway, odd casts from coloured lights and strobes, even lasers, can add to the party feel . Between the Ceremony and the Party, the more personal Couples Photographs will be taken in an area which the Stamford has designed for the purpose, with tired levels and an indoor/outdoor waterfall. With only about 80 guests, we should have space enough for the group photos in this area, but providing more individuality and intimacy for the Newlyweds will be a challenge: I don't want these photos to look like an advertisement for the hotel's waterfall to prospective wedding parties!