Kerry Morgan Photography

New Zealand based couple Jenny & Iain flew half way around the world to tie the knot in Jenny’s local family church.  It was a beautiful day, cold but sunny.  I arrived at Jenny’s house to find her having her make up done.  Poor Jenny was not at all well and sported a rather husky voice.  Despite not feeling A+ nothing dampened her spirits and there was an excitement running through the whole house. 

The church was gorgeous and the vicar was really helpful.  I thought I had the best place in the house – right by the heater!  The ceremony was lovely and never had the vows “In sickness and in health” been more appropriate.

We decided to stop off on the way to the Barn for some pictures.  I kept this brief, as we didn’t want to make poor Jenny any worse.  The light was typical of the time of year, low and directional.

It was my first visit to The Redhouse Barn.   A newly refurbished red brick barn with floor to ceiling views and gorgeous flagstone flooring, it’s a great mix of old and new.  It had some beautiful grounds but on a bitterly cold day in January, we were more happy staying inside for pictures.  The venue had a little snug area with a log burning stove and comfy sofas and chairs, perfect for snuggling  up with a coffee post dinner.  There was a beautiful bar area and an impressive dinning room, the main part of the barn, which transformed in the evening with cool disco flooring and lights that changed from pink to blue.  Normally such a big space in winter would have been cold but the underfloor heating kept the room at a great temperature.  I can see it being a very popular venue all year round.

I had a long journey back to Kent and got home at about 1.30am.  Tired but very happy with what I’d done that day.

Here are some favourites!

Jenny’s shoes were by Mi Paci.

Jenny’s mum gave her these antique handkerchiefs on the morning of the wedding.

Jenny designed her own dress and it was made in New Zealand by Anna Schimmel

Married!

I love this picture.  The warm light, the reflections and the moment.

My new years resolution is to make my group pictures less boring.  Just because something is posed, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t reflect different characters or be stiff and formal!

What a cool room!

Congratulations Jenny & Iain!

If you were a guest at their wedding you can register to see the pictures once the bride and groom have seen them by clicking HERE.

Things have been non-stop since I came back from the Christmas break.  It seems all the 2010 brides have woken up and suddenly want to book their photographer!  I’ve been replying to so many emails, chatting on the phone and dashing in and out of London meeting new clients.

I spent three days with the amazing David Williams on his “Almost Alone”  photography workshop and I also spoke to a group of around 30 fellow wedding photographers at a little conference that was organised in York.  It was an inspirational way to start the year.  It’s been fun but left no time to catch up on my blog!

I thought I’d share with you my 10 favourite images from 2009.  It’s been an amazing year for me – not only did I shoot some beautiful brides and incredible weddings but I made a few friends along the way.  Thanks to all those who sent me thank you gifts, little notes and cards.  I keep each and every one of them and whenever I have a day where I feel down, I read them and they make me smile!

Onto the pictures.  It’s been tough editing these pictures!  There were so many I wanted to include.

If you read wedding magazines as often as I do, you’ll probably already know this image.  I used it in my last advertising campaign.  I love this picture because it wasn’t something we could have planned, it was a chance we all took.  Sarah & Mark were fantastic clients – they could have opted to go straight from the church to the warmth of their beautiful Cotswold wedding venue but they took a chance, a chance we’d get some amazing pictures – and we did.

I had about 10 minutes to capture as many images as possible before Sarah turned into an ice cube.

Oh and I’ve lost count of the amount of people who have asked me if the footprints in the snow where made by me.  No is the answer – they were already there.

This image was taken at the stunning St Brides Church (behind Fleet Street) London.  I love the relationship between the cold angular architecture and the subjects, it frames them perfectly and is a stark contrast to the wedding party in all their finery.

Penny, the bride,  is clearly gathering her thoughts and preparing for her entrance into the church, whilst her attendants make those last minute adjustments to her dress and veil.  The two small flower girls in the front are exchanging a few words – maybe comparing their rose baskets, whilst Penny’s father looks on in nervous anticipation.  I also love the contrast in tone between him and the girls.

Shooting winter weddings brings its own challenges; low light, the cold and not forgetting it gets dark early. However this image is a perfect example of why I love shooting weddings in winter.  You need to look for beauty in a different way.  This image of Katherine & Joe was shot at the beautiful Crewe Hall, it would have been a different image had trees had been green and it had been sunny.  I love the starkness of it.

This image reminds me of being a child.  This might be the boys first ever wedding, or the first time he’s worn a suit.  He stands really close to his father and looks at other guests arriving at the church.  I love the blues of the door and suits and his perfect pale skin and big blue eyes.

One of the emotions that I love to capture at a wedding is Joy.  Charlotte was one of my favourite clients of last year – I don’t think I have a single picture of her where she’s wasn’t smiling!
This is the only image that I’d ever entered into an online competition, so I was very happy to be included in the top 20 images Worldwide with this picture in the ‘reception’ category of the Wedding Photojournalist Association Awards.

I love the composition and the moment that’s been captured here.  Zoe, the bride is on the right sitting crossed legged on the floor with her sister-in-law who’s helping with her make up.  Zoe’s sister is the girl rushing past the doorway on the left hand side.  I wanted to stand in a positon where I illustrate more than just the right hand story of the girls on the floor.

This photograph was shot in the bride’s garden, her Dad was a really keen gardener and the grounds were stunning.  This area was filled with fruit trees, scrubs and grasses and the bride (Zoe) told me it was her favourite area of the garden.  As soon as I saw this place it reminded me of a Monet painting called ‘Printemps‘ which I love. See below…

I waited until the light was low and golden and asked Zoe and her new husband Jonathan just to sit and talk on the bench while I shot a few pictures.  I have visited Monet’s garden – and Zoe’s father could definitely give him a run for his money!

I love the simplicity of this moment.  You don’t need to see the person reading the speech to know its more than likely the best man!

Clare and Geoff had just finished their main course when I asked them for 3 minutes of their time to shoot this picture.  The sun was setting and although we’d already taken some posed pictures earlier in the day, I could not let them miss this amazing light.  There were more attractive areas of the venue grounds to shoot it but in this wasteland behind the trees, full of weeds, there was a magic.  I love that they trusted me, they must have actually thought I was crazy to ask them to go and have a chat in amongst the brambles!  It’s the kind of image I adore – soft, romantic and magical!

To me this images sums up all I love about weddings.  Excitement, expectation, joy and beauty.  I tend to shoot in a soft, delicate way and this image is a perfect example of it.  I’m not fond of gritty, dark  wedding pictures . Weddings to me are full of hope – a new beginning, a new family – something to celebrate!  This image shouts “I’m a Bride!!!”

Please let me know if you have a favourite by commenting below…

and don’t forget to tell me why!

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