Kate and Daniel were married at Laines Barn in Oxfordshire in 2014. This beautiful venue had spectacular natural light, which I loved. It meant I could get really creative with my kit, opening up my aperture nice and wide to get those lovely blurry backgrounds that lend themselves brilliantly to portrait wedding photography.

Working with prime lenses, (lenses that are fixed with no zoom) allow the maximum amount of light to enter the camera. This creates crisp, bright photographs that are naturally lit. The barn itself, although quite light at the front, was rather dark at the back. With clever use of highlights and shadows, I was able to create a balanced picture that is neither too dark nor too bright.

Part of the fun of the occasion of a wedding is capturing shots of guests arriving and the groomsmen, (often) struggling to master their buttonholes. There is always a great atmosphere and a relaxed mood. This was particularly the case with this couple, whose guests mingled outside on the lawn.

The wedding ceremony and the wedding breakfast were held in the same room, so both benefitted from the gorgeous natural light. There was very little post production work to do to these photos, such was the nature of the venue.

After the ceremony, the wedding party congregated outside, enjoying games and drinks on the lawn, while staff busily turned the room around.

The day had a very relaxed feel to it, with the bride and groom happy to simply ‘go with the flow’. As such, the group shots were done after the wedding breakfast, which meant more time for candid shots of everyone enjoying themselves.

This wedding took place during the height of Summer. The lovely, light evening meant I was able to photograph the final dance without a flash. A really wide aperture, (F2) enabled me to get a well lit photograph, despite the low lighting conditions. It gives a lovely, natural feel.