Greenwich Wedding at the Naval College
The Painted Hall at Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich is one of my absolute favourite wedding venues in London. It’s a majestic space, full of history and great light. It’s a real pleasure to photograph a Greenwich Wedding at the Naval College. So I was really looking forward to photographing Hilary and Richard’s celebrations there in January. Before we got there though, there was the wedding ceremony at St Michael and All Angels in Blackheath, London. Richard is a Church Warden at St Michaels, so there was a very full congregation with lots of participation from family and friends.
Second Shooter
I also had the pleasure of having fellow documentary wedding photographer Steven Hewson photographing this Old Royal Naval College wedding with me. Working alongside another documentary wedding photographer as talented as Steven is something I’m lucky enough to do a couple of times a year. My style does’t usually suit having more than one photographer. But when the dates and wedding allow, we occasionally try to work with another photographer. The purpose is really to allow one of us a totally free reign to document the day. That means not thinking about a portrait session, or group pictures, or any of the ‘must get’ images. What’s interesting is seeing how other photographers work. It’s not so much about the technical aspect of the job, more about the general approach and movements through the day. It’s also really good fun editing both sets of images. Seeing how Steven photographed the same moment from a totally different viewpoint.
A London Wedding Bus
After the ceremony, we joined the guests on a double decker bus for the short trip to ORNC where a drinks reception awaited. As it was the middle of Winter, I was conscious of the failing light. But one of the great things about this venue, as a photographer, is the wonderful light inside the Hall, given off by hundreds of candle bulbs. This kind of low level light is great for keeping some of the ambience in the pictures whilst remaining discreet. We were able to move in really close to the guests without altering the moment.
There was no meal or first dance, so after some portraits and a couple of group pictures, our coverage ended as Hilary and Richard were driven off into the evening. Here’s some of my favourite pictures from this Greenwich wedding at the Naval College.
Check out some more London weddings, or get in touch if you’d like me to photograph your wedding. And here’s some more information on other Winter Wedding Photography.