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As one half of the Devon and Cornwall’s Iconik photography team I have a very full workload, not just taking photographs but also in processing and editing the images to create the very best product for our wedding couples. During the shooting and processing of the images I call upon skills acquired over (far too many!!) years of experience. In the post production process I use industry standard digital image manipulation products like Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom to enhance and style the images. These paqckages have truly revolutionised the working practices of the professional photographer and given us back the control over the final image we present to our customers. At first glance it would seem that traditional photography skills are no longer required – the camera will do everything that only used to come about with years experience, and if it still isn’t perfect we can fix it in photoshop… point and shoot must surely rule the day…. hmmm

Wedding Photography - is it all just child's play?

I started my love affair with photography as a small child using very basic “toy” cameras which used roll film. Strangely enough in these high tech days, basic cameras like the Holga and Diana have been given a rebirth. These cameras leak light and create the now familiar high contrast, dark vignette and color casts, and so popular is this look that apps have been created for mobile phone cameras and even as presets and  actions for the like of Lightroom and Photoshop to create the effect.

St Michaels Mount taken on a Samsung Galaxy S2 using the Vignette app's Toy Camera Setting

From the toy camera I moved on to my brother’s old Praktica SLR which had the luxury of manual focus, interchangeable lenses, a very basic built in through the lens exposure meter, and the ability to set the speed and apeture settings. It was, by today’s standards, an extremely basic piece of kit, but I learnt a lot about the fundamentals of the art of photography.  I learned how film speed affected contrast and grain, speed and apeture affected the depth of field and how different lenses used on the same subject can vastly transform the look of the image. It was like flying by the seat of my pants, but it was a vital grounding that all photographers really should have if they want to move away from the comfort of camera presets and ito the world of truly creative image making.

I read loads of books about the history of photography and learned about the masters of the art as well of a lot about the theory of photography. It often quite daunting as there  seemed to be  more physics chemistry and alchemy involved than art at times. The mysteries of the darkroom was finally unveiled to me when I started art college. I got a thorough grounding in the use of chemicals and floundering around in a pitch black room loading rolls of film onto the spiral developing tank spool. Once the film was finally developed it we used enlargers that would have looked perfectly at home in a 1950 sci-fi B-movie, but it was here that the real magic happened under the red glow of a safe-light. The combination of exposure times, f-stops, paper grades , focussing, test strips, dodging and burning all finally culminated in the wonderful (and often not so wonderful) revelation of the masterpiece in the development tank. Timing and manipulation at the point was vital too, knowing when to drop the print into the stop tank and fixer… it was a time consuming proces a million miles away from the instant gratification afforded by the modern camera’s LCD screen.

When I went on to take my degree, I was privileged to attend a lecture given by Fred Gandolfi whose hand made plate cameras were the stuff of legend. The plate camera is as basic a looking camera that you can see with traditional the bellows and lens and focussed using a black cloth over the head as seen in many Victorian photographers studio’s. This really was training from ground up, but it was a rare and wonderful opportunity to use a truly classic piece of equipment, to meet a legend and to experience the purest form of photography.

Technology today has given us a myriad of devices with built in cameras, and the immediacy of the results is quite astounding compared to just 10 years ago. Cameras are everywhere and Digital SLR’s are getting cheaper by the day. It’s great to see how this evolution has given people the chance share their moments with others so freely. Computer software has moved photo processing out of the darkness and given the photographer the ability to take his images from the click of the shutter right through to the final print – no more waiting for the chemist or colour labs to hand you back the often badly processed pack of prints. There’s no doubt about it – there are a lot of really talented amateur photographers out there who can produce some stunning results. There is a danger though – it’s tempting to think that there is no longer the requirement for experience or the critical eye of expertise. Having good equipment doesn’t always equate with good results. Knowing how to get the equipment to produce good results consistently isn’t down to luck. It takes experience, practice as well as a creative eye.  A good photographers will be able to get a good shot with even the most basic of gear.

Organising the "Big" group shop can be a daunting proposition, but Natalie is fully experienced at tackling this sort of situation

Wedding photography can be extremely tricky and a potentially disastrous experience for the unprepared or inexperienced photographer. During a long event like a wedding, a photographer has to know how to deal with multiple, often extremely difficult, constantly changing lighting conditions. They have to move seamlessly from portraiture to group shots, to candid reportage and low light interior shots, including the challenging kaleidoscope of the disco where no camera presets dares to tread!! Add to this a hefty smattering of people skills which is definitely not something that comes packaged with the camera. Like any skilled professional, a photographer must know how to instantly adapt to challenges because, with a wedding, unlike dedicated portraiture or landscape photography, you don’t get the chance to do a retake. If you get it wrong it could prove extremely costly emotionally… and financially. The years of practice and experience suddenly become very useful tools that you don’t find built into a camera when, in order to get the shot in difficult conditions, you need to turn off all of the gimmicks and unleash the true potential that lurks in the often uncharted depths of manual controls. There’s a huge difference between a happy snapper and a pro!!

It’s not all about gear but the video below did  give me a knowing chuckle

View more of our wedding photography in Cornwall and Devon

Welcome to our new Wedding Photography in Devon & Cornwall website.

After a fair amount of midnight oil being burned, our new Iconik Devon and Cornwall Wedding Photography site is finally up and running . 

With our new site we aim to make the job of deciding whether we’re the right choice for you as your wedding photographers  much easier by giving you a clear and easy to navigate site.We understand that your wedding is one of the biggest occasions in your life and the choices you make are intensely personal ones.

The choosing of the wedding dress, suits, wedding cake, venue, the chair covers, menu, drinks and wedding car all take a lot of  attention and it’s important that you get it right. It’s also vital, if you’re spending money on these things, that you have some way of remembering the  day. Your wedding day will seem to be a blur of faces and events, and before you know it, it’l be time for the first dance. It’s our mission as wedding photographers to capture all of these precious moments. When the wedding car has gone back, the wedding cake has been eaten, the chairs have been sat on, drinks drunk, speeches spoken and the reception venue has been vacated, our wedding photographs will be there as a tangible link to everything you saw, and even didn’t see

Our style of wedding photography is designed to capture all of the day. We’ll be there from bridal prep right through to the first dance and disco if you want us to be . We make sure that we get all of the landmark pictures that matter to you during the day including the classic big group shots, but we go far beyond that. We capture the real essence of the day with a mixture of contemporary, reportage and classic photography – the little moments of magic that can so easily be missed in the whirlwind of the day. We look with trained eyes and know how to anticipate when something special is about to happen and capture it in a photograph.We love our job, but we also realise that it’s a serious and vital role.  Our work on the wedding photographs continues way beyond the wedding day with many hours of editing to ensure that our couples receive the finest quality images of their wedding,  so that the wonderful memories of an unforgettable day can be treasured for ever.

View more of our wedding photography in Cornwall and Devon

If you are getting married in and around Devon and Cornwall, we’ll have a  Wedding Photography packages to suit you.

Wedding Photography In Devon and Cornwall - A romantic moment on a bridge at Wembury, near Plymouth, Devon

View more of our wedding photography in Cornwall and Devon

• A pre-wedding meeting at your venue or another agreed location.
• A private, password protected online gallery for you, your friends and family to view your photographs and order prints.
• An unlimited number of photographs taken during our coverage.
• Digital enhancement of every picture we provide you with, ensuring the highest quality of image.

Wedding Photography Packages

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We have sourced our Wedding albums and storybooks from the world’s finest wedding album suppliers. Our luxurious hand crafted albums, designed and finished to the highest level of quality and detail, are truly stunning objects of beauty – the perfect showcase to impress your friends & family and to share your special wedding memories.

View more of our wedding photography in Cornwall and Devon

Use our on-line availability checker to check if we’re available on your chosen date, and contact us for a no obligation chat. There’ll be no “hard sell”… Guaranteed!

View more of our wedding photography in Cornwall and Devon

We use a stylish blend of contemporary, reportage and classic wedding photography to fully capture the magic and romance of your special day.