Rachel + Ben — Malmaison hotel, Liverpool wedding photography

My introduction to Liverpool wedding photography was a bit like a complex yet rewarding puzzle. Rachel and Ben – a couple of fantastic people with a great sense of humour asked me if I wanted to be the photographer on their big day on New Year’s Eve. After a tour at the venue of their choice – the gorgeous Malmaison hotel on the very bank of River Mersey – and an exchange of some of the most memorable quotes from Anchorman, I knew I was in for a photographer’s treat. There was one slight problem though…

From a photographer’s point of view, it’s all about light. If it’s a day, and you’re shooting outside, there is plenty of it. Inside, you use artificial light. To create a natural look, you often “bounce” it off flat, neutral surfaces such as walls or, most commonly, white ceilings. Much to my dismay, the ceiling at the hotel bar, where a (small yet important) part of the wedding reception would take place, was a lovely shade of… dark burgundy.

This meant any photo taken with a flash would come out with a heavy crimson tint to it. I could have cranked that sensitivity dial on my camera, but that would produce unwanted noise on the final photos. Also, given the time of the year (December), sunlight was not an option. Attaching remotely-triggered flashes all around wasn’t an option either, due to the geometry of the rooms. It all boiled down to this: I needed something small yet powerful that would give plenty of natural light, yet at the same time be portable and unobtrusive. What a mind-bender, huh?

It took me a fair amount of time and plans involving drones and helium-filled white balloons (sic!) attached to a flash to finally conceive a contraption that would save the day: a white photographic umbrella attached to a telescopic pole harnessed to my back, with a remote flash attached to it.

To cut a long story short, it worked flawlessly, and an umbrella hovering close to two feet above my head was a great conversation starter. The wedding was an absolute blast, full to the brim with love and happiness, and I loved every second of being a part of their life-changing moments.

My introduction to Liverpool wedding photography: veni, vidi, vici.