Oldcastle in Colwall is a relatively new venue, having only recently properly opened it's doors as a wedding venue. Oldcastle itself used to be Old Castle Farm - a private residence built right in the heart of the Malvern Hills. We're not talking of your two-up-two-down family residence here, instead we're talking of a house of epic proportions. A house big enough to fit you and your entire wedding party, with acres to spare - if you had 265 wedding guests, each one could have their own ACRE to play in!
Being a new venue, I hadn't worked there before but was excited by the opportunity. I love being able to take a fresh run at things, being able to put my own spin on the photos without having any pre-conceived notions as to what wedding photos there should be like. I arranged to meet the couple (Amy and Jacko) at the venue a few weeks before their wedding to have a look around, and I was really impressed with the set up. Oldcastle has 4 cottages (each one the size of my house) for your nearest and dearest to stay in for the weekend of the wedding. If you'd like to read the article I wrote for Amy & Jacko's wedding, you can do so by following this link.
When it came to the couple's photos after their wedding ceremony, I was thankful that I had recently visited the venue and knew exactly where I wanted to take each photo - with so much space on offer, it would otherwise have been difficult to have known where to begin. The photo immediately above this text was taken between two of the cottages that were used by the bride and groom to get ready in. The area isn't anything special - it's really just a lawn, but I really wanted to frame the bride and groom between some greenery and this location proved perfect for that. After a couple of photos here, we moved onto the the main drive, the photos from which you can see as the main image for this article, and the photo directly below.
The long, sweeping drive, flanked in parts by thick bushes was an ideal location for photos of the bride and groom. I used those hedges to great effect, framing the couple in the middle of the image, with the driveway bending off to the right and seemingly out of the photo. The weather, being bright and overcast gave the perfect lighting for these pictures, and the lush green tones came out really well in the photos and gave a lovely backdrop to contrast the groom's suit and bride's wedding gown against.
The image below is one of the final ones I took before letting the bride and groom get back to their party (I took hundreds at this wedding in many different locations, but don't want to spam this write-up with all of them!) I asked Amy to stand in direct sunlight, and turn so her body was at a glancing angle away from the camera. The sunlight was used to light the outermost edges of the bride (something called rim-lighting) which really helps her stand out against the dark background. The pose here is beautiful and elegant, and the photo also allows you to appreciate the gorgeous back of that dress!
Location: Old Castle Farm, Evendine Lane, Colwall WR13 6DT.
Keywords: Photographer-directed image (149).