katy and sean - craig y nos castle, wales
The day finally came that I shot my first wedding!
As you’d expect, I was incredibly nervous. I was in unknown territory, but only photography-wise, as the wedding was taking place at the beautiful Craig Y Nos Castle in Wales, which is my home country!
Every time I come back to Wales it fills me with joy. I currently live in London and every now and again, I need to embrace the fresh air of Wales and of course, see my wonderful family that is still in Wales.
Being from Wales, landscapes is actually where my photography began. I loved taking photos of grand Welsh mountains and waterfalls. Unfortunately, 9 times out of 10 it would be raining, thankfully, however, today was a beautiful autumnal day.
It was good to be back in the stunning countryside of Wales. The venue could not be located in a more picturesque location, with surrounding hills, waterfalls, rivers…it was so good to be back! Craig Y Nos Castle is such an interesting venue for a wedding. The wedding hall itself is an old theatre, so it had some unusual features, such as a huge mural of a horse and carriage and the floor was sloped and the ceremony took place on a stage! The bridal suite was a little on the small side, so trying to photograph in a room with around 10 other people was a challenge!
I haven’t even mentioned the happy couple yet, Katy and Sean. I am extremely thankful for them to take the chance on me to photograph their special day. They could have played it safe and got a well known and experienced photographer, however, they were happy with me and I am very glad they did! They are a genuinely lovely couple and made the whole experience so easy for me, so Sean and Katy, if you are reading, thank you again!
I had a brilliant day shooting the wedding and I enjoyed it even more than I thought. Of course, there were challenges on the way. Group shots were more difficult than I thought! It isn’t so much the taking of the photo, it is the organising of people. This is why I enjoy the documentary “fly on the wall” sort of photography with weddings, I don’t have to direct anyone and at the end of the day, nobody wants to be directed at a wedding, they want to have fun!
The decoration was stunning thanks to the Add a Little Sparkle company. The attention to detail was wonderful and the best part… the disco floor with lights! 😃
I was in my element once the disco started. I could sneak around the edges and get the shots and nobody even noticed. This is where natural shots are best!
I learned a lot from this first shoot. First, is the number of batteries required! Luckily I had enough but used more than I thought. Secondly, weddings are exhausting! As fun as it is, it is a very long hard day! Finally, is simply having an even better idea of how to shoot weddings. Experience is everything and I cannot wait to gain more!
If you are interested in my services for your wedding, just contact me via colin@colinjones.photography or go to the Contact page.
Thank you!