High On Love
May 21, 2014
Kirstie & Ben's Wedding at Farbridge, West Sussex
I had the pleasure of meeting up with Ben and Kirstie in 2013 soon after their engagement, and was honoured to photograph them in the early weeks of the new year to celebrate the occasion. Having spent a fun few hours together at the shoot, it was a real privilege to be invited to then capture their beautiful wedding day just a couple of months on.
This couple struck me immediately, not only for their obvious style and taste but also due to their difference in height! This unavoidable yet fantastic visual feature of them as a pair added a fun and amusing slant to the photography in both shoots. With Ben standing tall and Kirstie being so petite by his side, I must admit I really enjoyed the challenge of using the height differences creatively to work to their credit whilst bringing dynamic shaping and interest to the pictures.
In March 2014, set in the beautiful rural landscape of the Sussex Downs, Farbridge was the wedding venue of choice. Sitting in the heart of the West Dean Estate the restored rustic barns set the idyllic spring scene for Kirstie and Ben's English country wedding.
I had learnt of the couple's appreciation of the graphic industrial design in my photography, that over the years has become a bit of a signature style of mine. They requested that their wedding album contain some funky and modern images. From working with them on their engagement shoot and getting to know their personalities, I knew they would be up to receiving some instruction from me that would land them doing some off-the-wall poses and compositions!
On the morning of the wedding before heading to the ceremony I thought we'd capture Ben at his tallest against this incredible lime green corrugated iron backdrop!
In contrast to the strong, bold and powerful industrial images in which Ben and the groomsmen were captured, I wanted to provide a contrasting mood by creating a soft and romantic feel to Kirstie's pictures. Every bride wants to feel like a princess, and Kirstie certainly fitted the part.
The ceremony was to be held in the Meadow Barn which had been beautifully decorated with twinkly fairy lights and blooms of a colour palette in keeping with Kirstie's fresh spring theme of peaches and greens. With the wedding service imminent, standing in that empty room I felt a quiet sense of anticipation of the excitement and buzz that would soon be filling the air with the arrival of expectant clusters of friends and family.
Just as I'd seen in my mind's eye with that previous thought, the room was soon bustling and animated as Kirstie and Ben had exchanged vows and had their first wedded kiss. The following image provides a lovely 'after' shot of the Meadow Barn room, this time captured with the life and movement I had envisaged. I enjoyed grabbing this moment of the couple from this unusual aspect, to be able to include all their guests and their reactions in the background was something really special.
It was time to whisk away the new Mr and Mrs for some 'just married' pictures. In keeping with the slightly comic theme of the couple's height differentiation we thought we'd have a giggle and try some unusual and quirky compositions! Playing a bit with perspectives has made Ben look almost giant next to the tiny Kirstie in this shot below. Adding to the unconventionality of this image is Ben's lack of head, further contributing to the impression of his extreme height!
One of my favourite shots below uses just Ben's legs to frame Kirstie in her entirety! Playing with heights, shapes, angles and perspectives can often result in something unique and personal to the subjects involved and this is something I really enjoyed creating on this particular day.
It is always exciting to find new ways of photographing a number of people without necessarily resorting to pointing the camera at a grouped composition and clicking. In the image below it can be seen that two out of the three bridesmaids and the groom are actually only seen reflected in the mirror, whilst the bride and third bridesmaid are really the main subjects in the shot. In this image, Ben actually appears quite dinky for a change!
The colour scheme Kirstie had chosen for this wedding had been beautifully and consistently represented in the bouquets, table arrangements and fine details that she had selected for the day. The subtle shades of peaches and greens were perfectly coordinated, and looking back through the pictures even Ben's lime green industrial backdrop actually worked in line with the colour themes on the day!
It was a privilege and honour to be let loose to capture some classic and timeless shots of Ben and Kirstie, but also to be able to create some amazingly fun (yet perhaps unorthodox) wedding pictures by which to remember the most special day of their lives. I hope that they had as much fun as I did! Congratulations Kirstie and Ben!
Kelly Hearn A.B.I.P.P - A.M.P.A