For Andy and Dan's wedding at Wookey Hole, there were Cybermen, Stormtroopers, Drag Queens and Dancing.
I've known Andy and Dan through my work as an event photographer in London for Fantom Events so, when they asked me to be their wedding photographer at Wookey Hole - the location for Doctor Who's Revenge of the Cybermen and The End of Time - I sort of knew what to expect. Kind of.
We started six months beforehand, with a visit to the caves as part of a wedding fayre. I'm not going to lie - I normally take light and airy wedding photographs in London, so the thought of taking photos in a cave was pretty nerve-racking. What would the light be like? Would it be impossible to see? Would my kit survive me tripping over in the dark? The recce answered a lot of these questions, as did the fabulous team at Wookey Hole, who couldn't have been more helpful. It also focused some immediate investment decisions - having been undecided as whether to invest in prime or zoom lenses, my choice was now clear. I'm a Prime Boy all the way. I'll have all the light I can, please.
When the time came to leave for the wedding, I left nothing to chance. I armed myself with my on camera flash, but also my trusty Rotolight Aeos and Neo2s just in case the cave lighting needed a bit of extra oomph. In my bag were two Sony A7iiis, my favourite Sigma 85mm 1.4, a 35mm 1.4, and back up macro and wide lenses just in case.
The wedding weekend started with Friday Night Bingo courtesy of Andy's fabulous alter-ego Izzy Harjett. A favourite with locals in Andy and Dan's home town of Norwich, this was the first time many of their family had met Izzy, so I was asked to be there to capture the giggles.
Andy and Dan were getting married the following day in The Witch's Kitchen - rumoured home of the Witch of Wookey Hole. Andy's been wanting to get married here since he was a child. In 1975 it was the location of the Tom Baker Doctor Who story, Revenge of the Cybermen and it's said the Witch's Curse plagued the production with ghost sightings, accidents, and actress Elizabeth Sladen having to be rescued from the freezing River Axe. Would such a curse blight the wedding - already delayed twice because of Coronavirus.
No chance. The day ran smoothly from start to end. My research and equipment choices proved invaluable, with fast primes flooding the camera with light, highlighted by one Rotolight Aeos at the back of the caves for fill. Once again, the Sony A7iii proved a joy for wedding photography with its low light capabilities indispensable. A regular at Fantom Events, the incredibly talented James Burgess was there to scare the guests in 1970s sci-fi style, with a screen-featured Stormtrooper also present to make sure everyone behaved.
With a penny arcade and paper-making demonstration entertaining the guests before the meal, this was a wedding unlike anything I'd captured before. What a wonderful day.
Hope you enjoy the sneak peek, gents, and can't wait to show you the full gallery soon.
For geeky, laid back wedding photography in London - or even more wedding photography at Wookey Hole - drop me a line over at www.paulpwphotography.com.
Laid back photography, taken with a smile.
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