Group shots are what separate the keen amateurs from the experienced professionals.

Over the years, I’ve realised how very important good group shots are. A wedding is possibly the only time that so many family members and friends all come together in one place, at one time; a once in a lifetime opportunity to document the gathering of the clans, and a record of everyone in one place celebrating one of life’s most wonderful events.

What’s the secret to painless group shots? To be honest, there’s no great secret, just common sense and years of experience. I’m afraid that too many photographers have a fixed idea of how the groups should be done. I listen to what couples want on the day rather than telling them what they have to do. We spend a lot time before the wedding planning and organising the groups so that on the day it appears effortless and, dare I say, fun. Obviously, I’ll share my experiences of what I think might work best, but in the end, it’s your wedding and your decision about what you want.

Much to my surprise, I really enjoy doing group shots. I truly relish the challenge of organising so many people so that they look, and more importantly, feel relaxed and happy. At virtually every wedding, someone comes up to me and says, “How’d you get the groups done so quickly? I certainly didn’t expect it to be so much fun!”

THE GALLERY:

Flowers go a long way towards enhancing the elegance, vibrancy and understated beauty of your wedding day.

One could conceivably argue that flowers are not absolutely essential to the success of the day. But what a dull and drab day it would be without the flashes of colour and subtle fragrances that beautiful flowers provide!

Like the world of photography, there are a lot of well-intentioned, keen amateur florists out there. Why leave something as important as the flowers to anyone but a seasoned professional? I’ve had the great privilege of working with many talented florists, and one of the very best (and most fun!) I’ve worked with is Michele Hall. Michele runs Someflower in Hampshire and we’ve worked together at many weddings at the Manor Barn in Buriton, Hampshire.

Besides her exquisite yet understated taste in floral decoration, Michele and her team offer a personal, professional service every step of the way. She is that perfect combination of hard working professional who is always friendly. With over 20 years in the business, she has the experience, skill and empathy to create flower arrangements that are perfect for you.

But don’t just take my word for it – have a look at her website and see for yourself. http://www.someflower.co.uk

Someflower is located on the borders of Hampshire, Surrey and West Sussex, which means she’s perfectly suited for all the best venues in the South East.

THE GALLERY:

How Much?
I charge a flat fee of £1,200 for weddings within the Home Counties. The £1,200 fee covers everything: the day (up to ten hours); my travel; processing time; meeting up with you before; the VatMan. Everything.  I also offer clients a bespoke book of more than 60 images, each book created individually. The cost is £300. I’m happy to show you samples when we meet.

Is there any flexibility at all in your set price?
Occasionally, I do have special offers or seasonal deals. Please ask.

Do I get all the images?
You get all the good images from the day. Emphasis on GOOD. I’m sure you don’t want to see a lot of shots of people blinking, looking away or where someone has walked in front of the camera. Part of the professional service I provide is to go through all the images from the day, sorting out the ‘blinking’ photos and then give you the very best from every single situation and opportunity.

What about weddings outside the Home Counties?
I charge a mileage fee and ask you to arrange accommodation.

What if you’re ill on the day?
If, on the wedding day, I am unable to work due to extreme illness, I will arrange for another photographer I know and trust to do the shoot. Or, if you wish to make your own arrangements, I will refund your deposit in full. However, this is highly unlikely, as I have never missed a shoot due to illness in over 25+ years of photography.

Do you need to be fed on the day?
Yes, please. It’s a long day and some hot food after everyone else is served would be greatly appreciated.

Do you shoot film or digital?
The short answer is, Digital. Although I grew up shooting b/w film and love the luminous quality of a silver print, I have totally embraced digital technology. I am amazed at all it can do and the creative freedom it gives me.

Can our family and guests view the photos?
Yes, of course. I create a gallery of low-res images on MobileMe, which you and all your family and friends can have access to.

Who chooses the images for the album/book?
You do. After viewing the images on MobileMe (or the CD I’ll send you), you choose the images you want.

How do we book you?
Please see the Get in touch with John Cole page of the website. And if I haven’t answered your questions, please don’t hesitate to call me for a chat about your wedding plans.

One of the greatest compliments that can be paid to a wedding photographer is to be asked to photograph the wedding of another member of a family. It means that the family trusts you implicitly to do the same fine job you did for their daughter/son and that they have complete faith in your ability to capture again all the romance of the day in its sparkling glory.

Several years ago, I photographed the wedding of Amy and Aziz in Marrakech (see “Amy and Aziz’s Marrakech Wedding” story). A few years later, Amy’s mum Penny asked if I would photograph her son Ben’s marriage to New Zealander, Claire. I was of course delighted and said “Yes”.

The wedding was held at the family house in Hampshire, where Amy and Ben grew up.  Across several acres of rich green lawn two tents were set up, one for the ceremony and one for the dinner and dancing in the evening. It was a classically beautiful English wedding – understated, yet elegant and tasteful. But what really made the day truly unique from any wedding I’ve ever shot, was the surprise appearance of a troupe of traditionally-costumed Maori dancers doing their famous Haka dance, such as done by the NZ rugby team before a match.

After the dancers finished their routine, they invited family and guests to join in, which they did with uninhibited delight! What a sight to see Maori men and women in traditional outfits alongside men in tuxedos and women in their finest party dresses.  It was a wonderful moment of exuberance and joyful madness that set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and into the evening.

I’ve seen a lot of wonderful and at times strange things at weddings, but I have to admit that the sight of these Haka dancers at Claire and Ben’s wedding is a sight I’ll never forget!

THE GALLERY:

After I finished university, I worked as a Peace Corps Volunteer in a tiny Punjabi village in northern India. It was truly a life changing experience for the sheltered middle class boy from suburban America. I continue to feel very connected to India and can still speak a smattering of Punjabi – though very badly.

It was this knowledge of the language that inadvertently led to me shooting a Punjabi wedding. I had taken my photojournalism students to document the lavender harvest in Kent, and as many of the harvesters were Punjabi, we began chatting and before I knew it, I had agreed to photograph the wedding of Raj, the daughter of one of lavender harvesters. Strange how these things sometimes happen.

Raj and Ajay’s wedding day was absolutely wonderful, truly one of my most memorable wedding shoots. It was exuberant, colourful, noisy, crowded and at times chaotic – really, a bit like India itself. It seemed to go on forever, but I was told that the day of the marriage was only part of various days’ ceremonies and celebrations before and after the actual wedding day.

Much of the day was like theatre, with very specific ceremonies and rituals that had to be observed, with family members having very specific ‘roles’ to play. There were lots of crying and tears, some orchestrated, some very genuine. There was the departure of the Barat (the groom’s side of the family); the Milnea (the introductions); Anand Karaj (the actual ceremony); Kirtan (the singing of the Holy Hymns; and so on during a very long day.

Food was served throughout, and it was as good as anything I had eaten in India. The reception was joyfully raucous, with a DJ playing Hindi pop music at industrial strength volume. And what a lot of dancing! After the formality of the ceremony, it was a chance for everyone to blow off some steam and have a good old bop. Men and women, young and some very old, got out on the dance floor.

I charged Raj’s family a lot less than I normally do because I knew they were itinerant harvesters and not rich by any means. When I delivered the album to the parents, the mother broke into tears and kept hugging me. The father, a handsome elderly Sikh with a flowing white beard and starched blue turban, paid me cash – and then gave me a £50 tip.

THE GALLERY:

If I wasn’t a photographer, I think I’d like to be a musician, specifically a pianist. But I’m tone deaf and can’t even play Chopsticks, so it will be several reincarnations before this even begins to happen.

One of the many joys of photographing weddings is the music throughout the day, from Nessun Dorma and Mendelssohn’s Wedding March to a bit of Aretha Franklin for the dancing.

So what a joy it was to be asked to photograph the wedding of Natasha and Sam, who are both accomplished musicians. Sam is a jazz pianist, as well as a conductor and composer, whose music has featured in Angelina Jolie’s film A Mighty Heart. And Natasha is a former member of the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge and now sings with various chamber ensembles in Cologne. We’re talking serious classical music pedigree here, which was reflected in the music that was performed throughout the day by Sam, Natasha and so many of their very musical friends.

Add to that all the wonderful rituals of a Jewish wedding on a bright summer’s day and I was never short of a photo opportunity. I madly dashed from one musical event or ceremony to another, some programmed, some improvised. And whenever I felt myself flagging, there was always another piece of inspirational music to lift my body and soul.

There was Brahms, Bach, along with the Klezmer band that led the ceremony of lifting the couple on chairs and then everyone dancing joyously. And in the evening, instead of the usual disco standards, there was Glenn Miller, Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett. For days after, I found myself humming all the great music I had heard on Natasha and Sam’s wedding day.

Besides being a most beautiful couple to photograph, Natasha and Sam were generous with their gracious praise. Here are a few excerpts from emails:

Hi John,
We got back from honeymoon today to find your link to the online gallery and we can’t believe what a fantastic job you’ve done and how many wonderful moments you’ve captured. We knew it would be good, but we are really bowled over! We are so pleased we asked you - you were completely professional, discreet and somehow always seemed to be in the right place. You can quote me!

Hi John,
We received the album today and it’s absolutely wonderful, as we knew it would be. Thank you so much! Thanks for going to so much trouble to create such a beautiful album for us – you captured the spirit of the day better than we could have hoped, and we will of course treasure it forever.
All the best,
Natasha and Sam

THE GALLERY:

They say that the rush of first love always holds a special place in one’s heart. Well, this is certainly true when I fell in love with Morocco after shooting my first wedding in Marrakech. Although I’ve done numerous other weddings in Marrakech since – all of which have been wonderfully spectacular in their own way – Amy and Aziz’s wedding at Kasbah Agafay has a special place in my heart.

I love working in Marrakech, where I shoot weddings with good friend and business partner Alan Keohane, owner of Still Images (www.still-images.net). Alan has lived and worked in Morocco for over 15 years and has produced two stunning books, “Berbers of Morocco” and “Bedouin, Nomads of the Desert”.  Alan is Morocco’s leading fashion and architectural photographer and has photographed just about every one of Morocco’s top hotels and riads.

Amy and Aziz were an absolutely wonderful couple to work with (as well as being very photogenic) and to have an old fortress in the desert as the wedding venue was a photographer’s dream. Kasbah Agafay, about 20 miles outside of Marrakech, was once a mighty fortress, but it fell into disrepair, until it was bought up by the very entrepreneurial Abel Daomoussi, who spared no expense in restoring this wonderful building. It is now listed in travel guides as one of the 50 Best Small Hotels in the world.

As a first taste of a Moroccan wedding, I couldn’t have asked for more. There were beautiful young ladies showering us with rose petals; men balancing huge pewter urns on their heads; Berber singers and dancers joyously performing throughout the day; men on camelback shooting their thundering loud ancient rifles; and my favourite, white doves released into the air at the close of the wedding ceremony.

Every Moroccan wedding has a unique flavour and character, but I have to admit that Amy and Aziz’s will always have a special place in my heart.

Dearest John
Az and I do not know how to thank you for doing such a fantastic job at our Marrakech wedding! We knew when we first met up that you would be able to take the unobtrusive and creative kind of shots that we wanted and you have far exceeded our expectations! You really did feel like one of the family.
Lots of Love,
Amy and Az
xxx

THE GALLERY:

Because of his Passion and Experience

Passion – after 25 years in the business, I still get a kick out of every assignment I do, whether it’s a big wedding in Hampshire, a corporate assignment in Lagos or documenting the building of the Jerwood Museum in Hastings. As I say to my students, there’s no point in trying to be a freelance photographer if you don’t love – really love – taking photographs. I really can’t imagine wedding photography as just a day job. When I no longer love taking photos, I’ll stop working as a photographer.

Shooting a wedding is a HUGE responsibility, and to be honest, I still get the slightest bit of stage fright before every shoot — which is certainly not a bad thing, as it helps to keep me alert and sharp. But I really do enjoy the responsibility (maybe it’s the Leo in me?). Interestingly, when I talk with other photographers about weddings, they say, “John, how do you do it? I can’t imagine taking the responsibility for shooting something so important, a one-off event with no chance of a re-shoot if something goes wrong. I just couldn’t bear the responsibility …”

Which leads to Experience. With years of experience taking photographs of everything from boxers in gritty Manhattan gyms to Princess Diana, from Romanian coal miners to a wedding in a Marrakech fortress with traditional warriors riding camels, I bring a huge bag of skills and knowledge to every wedding. Along with the technical and lighting skills I’ve acquired over the years, I’m continually honing my creative skills, never satisfied with the ‘easy’ shot, forever looking for fresh ways to capture something so traditional.

But perhaps equally valuable are the intangible, non-photography skills I bring to every wedding I do. As a part-time lecturer in photojournalism at LCC and a qualified Life Coach (Distinction, Life Coaching Academy, 2001), I have an understanding and empathy for the emotional needs of my clients. Make no mistake; a wedding is a very emotional occasion. At times certain situations need to be handled with the greatest understanding, patience and empathy.

Your wedding is a very special day and you need a very special photographer to cover it. There are a lot of fledging professionals and very keen amateurs out there with fancy digi cameras who will offer to shoot your wedding for very little money. But do you really want to trust the photography of this most important day to someone who might not have the experience and the dedication to the job?

Please don’t be beguiled by all the techno bells and whistles of digital photography. These are never a substitute for years of experience, married to the ability to work under pressure with quiet joy and endless patience, while capturing the natural, relaxed and spontaneous photographs on your most wonderful wedding day.

I fell in love with photography over 25 years ago and although we’ve sometimes had our ups and downs, photography and I are still truly, madly, deeply in love.

I started out in New York City shooting news, reportage and public relations for a huge variety of clients, ranging from trade union newspapers to Newsweek magazine, the Daily News to Women’s Wear Daily.

When I moved to the UK in 1985, I shot feature stories for the Sunday Times, Observer and Independent magazines, along with corporate annual reports for the likes of Barclays Bank, British Telecom and Glaxo Wellcome.

And then one day someone asked me to photograph their wedding and, much to my surprise, I really enjoyed it! No one was throwing rocks at me; no grumpy Men in Grey in dingy offices were arguing with me; just lots of happy people having a wonderful time celebrating one of life’s most important ceremonies. The couple — as well as all the family and so many guests — said they loved the photos, which made me very happy. I’ve never looked back.

I’m still passionate about photography and I bring this love of the craft to every wedding I do. When I shoot your wedding, I use my photojournalist’s instincts, combined with an unobtrusive, relaxed style, to create an intimate, personal and unique record of your most important day.

Dear John
Thank you so much for having been so wonderful on the day. So many people remarked how nice you were and how they liked the fact that you weren’t at all bossy, but still managed to pop up everywhere and get great photos. Thank You! ”
Ilona and Gareth

Dear John
Thank you so much for the fantastic wedding photos. Not only did you create so many fantastic images and capture all the guests naturally, but you also blended into the day so well that you felt like a guest, NOT the photographer. Everyone commented on your friendly approach and the children loved helping you – so thanks also for the free child minding!
Cheryl and Steve

Dear John
Thank you for taking so many great shots and being so great on the day. You were a calming influence and stopped me from racing down the aisle. Thanks for keeping everything on time with your great sense of humor.
Ellie and Alan

Dear John
We knew that someone who came highly recommended by Janet and Tim at Manor Barn would be good, but we can honestly say you exceeded our expectations. We really appreciate the way you dealt with our guests and made them feel so at ease.  Thank you again for everything.
Zoe and Richard

Dear John
I’m writing to thank you for the wonderful photos of our wedding which beautifully capture the essence of the day. We found you to be very professional and organized and a pleasure to have around. I was particularly pleased with your photos of me: I am not at all photogenic and yet you have produced some wonderful shots, which I am very happy to display. We would happily recommend you.
Aileen and Chris