Parker-Woolway Photography

Being an experienced wedding photographer and knowing what to look for, most of the shots below occur naturally and need little orchestration.

Each wedding i shoot is individual so prior consultation and planning with the Bride and Groom is what confirms which photographs are an absolute must have or must not! Also an exhaustive list can make for exhausted looking guests which is a no-no!

I plan well for the day, making sure i know what is happening when, and then what happens next so i don’t miss anything.

Before The Wedding
1. Bride arriving at church
2. Groom and Best Man arriving at church
3. Bride alone in mirror
4. Mother adjusting Bride’s veil
5. Bride pinning boutonniere on Dads lapel
6. Bride pinning corsage on Mother
7. Bride alone looking out window
8. Groom alone (full length)
9. Groom alone (3/4 length)
10. Groom alone (head & shoulders)
11. Groom profile
12. Groom profile with hand to chin
13. Bride looking at Groom’s ring
14. Groom looking at Bride’s ring
15. Bride and Mother
16. Bride in foreground with Father (or Father & Mother) looking at her from
background.
17. Groom and Mother
18. Groom in foreground with Mother (or Mother & Father) looking at him from
background.
19. Father kissing Bride on forehead (or cheek)
20. Father dropping penny in Bride’s shoe
21. Bride and Father
22. Groom and Father
23. Groom pinning boutonniere on Dads lapel
24. Groom pinning corsage on Mother
25. Mother pinning boutonniere on Groom
26. Bride, Mother and Father
27. Groom, Mother and Father
28. Bride and Flower girl (looking at each other)
29. Bride and Flower girl (looking at camera)
30. Flower girl admiring Bride’s gown
31. Groom and Ring bearer
32. Bride giving bouquets to Bridesmaids
33. Bride and Maid (or Matron) of Honor full length
34. Bride and Maid (or Matron) of Honor head & shoulders
35. Groom and Best Man
36. Best Man showing Groom watch
37. Best Man wiping Groom’s forehead with handkerchief
38. Bride and Bridesmaids
39. Groom and Groomsmen
40. Groomsmen dragging Groom into church
41. Bride and Groomsmen
42. Groom and Bridesmaids
43. Individual portrait of each Bridesmaid
44. Individual portrait of each Groomsman
45. Mother putting Garter on Bride
46. Maid of Honor putting Garter on Bride
47. Guest book & Attendant
48. Guest signing guest book
The Ceremony
49. Ushers seating Groom’s Grandparents
50. Ushers seating Bride’s Grandparents
51. Usher seating Mother of Bride
52. Usher seating Mother and Father of Groom
53. Soloist and musician(s)
54. Bride, Father, and attendants lined up ready to enter Sanctuary
55. Groom and Family (Mom, Dad, Bro., Sis.)
56. Bride and Family (Mom, Dad, Bro., Sis.)
57. Groom with Brothers & Sisters
58. Flower girl & Ring bearer coming down aisle
59. Individual Bridesmaids coming down aisle
60. Bride with Brothers & Sisters
61. Bride & Father coming down aisle (front view)
62. Bride & Father coming down aisle (back view showing full train)
63. Time exposure from back of church during ceremony
64. Bride & Groom lighting unity candle
65. First Kiss as Husband and Wife!
66. Bride & Groom with flower girl and ring bearer
67. Bride & Groom taking Communion
68. Bride and Groom returning from Altar
69. Reception (receiving) line (with
70. Exterior view of Church
Formal Poses
71. Bride posed alone (front view‐full length)
72. Bride posed alone (back view‐full length)
73. Bride posed alone (front view‐3/4 length)
74. Bride posed alone (back view‐3/4 length)
75. Bride posed alone (head & shoulders)
76. Bridal profile
77. Bride with Grandparents
78. Bride and Groom together looking at camera (full length)
79. Bride and Groom together looking off camera (full length)
80. Bride and Groom facing each other, holding hands (full length)
81. Bride and Groom together (3/4 length)
82. Bride and Groom together looking at camera (head & shoulders)
83. Bride and Groom together looking off camera (head & shoulders)
84. Bride (w/back to camera) facing Groom (both looking off camera ‐ head &
shoulders)
85. Groom with Grandparents
86. Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents
87. Bride and Groom with Bride’s Grandparents
88. Bride’s Grandparents (together)
89. Bride’s Grandmother
90. Bride’s Grandfather
91. Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents
92. Bride and Groom with Groom’s Grandparents
93. Groom’s Grandparents (together)
94. Groom’s Grandmother
95. Groom’s Grandfather
96. Bride and Groom silhouetted against stained glass window
97. Bride and Groom with preacher
98. Candid of Clergymen congratulating couple
99. Bride with attendants looking at ring
100. Time exposure of Bride and Groom looking at rings with candles in
foreground
101. Time exposure of Bride and Groom kissing with candles in foreground
102. Bride and Groom kissing with wedding party peeking from background
103. Bride and Groom with wedding party
104. Bride and Groom leaving church (running through rice, etc.)
Reception and Other Photographs
105. Bride’s Cake alone
106. Bride and Groom cutting Bride’s cake
107. Photograph(s) of Bridal table setting
108. Bride feeding Bride’s cake to Groom
109. Groom feeding Bride’s cake to Bride
110. Groom’s Cake alone
111. Bride and Groom posed on front steps of Church
112. Entire wedding party posed on front steps of Church
113. Bride and Groom cutting Groom’s cake
114. Bride feeding Groom’s cake to Groom
115. Witnesses (Best man, Maid of Honor) signing Marriage license.
116. Groom feeding Groom’s cake to Bride
117. Bride and Groom at dinner table
118. Wedding party at dinner table
119. Punch and cake servers
120. Bride and Father dancing
121. Bride and Groom with wine glasses
122. Best man toasting Bride and Groom
123. Close‐up of hands, rings
124. Close‐up of hands, rings, napkin
125. Close‐up of hands, rings, flowers
126. Gift table alone
127. Gift table with couple
128. Bride and Groom opening gifts
129. Groom removing garter
130. Groom throwing garter (posed, looking at camera)
131. Groomsmen & other men catching garter
132. Bride throwing bouquet (posed, looking at camera)
133. Girls catching bouquet
134. Spotlight of the invitation and bouquet
135. Bride and Groom dancing together
136. Groom dancing with his Mother
137. Groom dancing with Brides Mother
138. Bride dancing with her Father
139. Bride dancing with Grooms Father
140. Photograph of the Disk Jockey or Band
141. Candid photos of any special friends of Bride & Groom
142. Candid photos of certain (or all) tables at reception
143. Outdoor, romantic poses of Bride and Groom
144. Wedding Party/Friends Decorating Bride & Grooms Car
145. Decorated car ready to leave
146. Bride with Groom looking on from background
147. Groom with Bride looking on from background
148. Candid of soloist
149. Candid of organist
150. Bride with friends
151. Groom with friends
152. Parents hugging/kissing couple good‐bye
153. Bride and Groom with car decorated (exterior view)
154. Groom carrying Bride in arms (with decorated car in background)
155. Groom holding car door open for Bride
156. Bride and Groom in car ready to leave
157. Bride and Groom in car leaving Church or Reception
158. Bride and Groom looking out rear window of car
159. Any Large Family Groups
 

A photograph won’t steal your soul, but a bad one can certainly kill your ego. Especially once it’s tagged, posted online and emailed round the office before you can say “cheese”.

Unflattering photos are no trivial matter in the digital age. You use the internet to organise your social life, stay in touch, meet new people and even look for love, so your pixellated portrait holds a lot of power. Here are our tips for looking picture perfect.

1. Stand up straight

When someone whips out a camera and yells “smile,” you’ll feel immediately self-conscious and start exhibiting defensive body language such as slouching and shrinking. Which is a shame, because that’s exactly the kind of thing that makes you look bad in photos.

If you want more flattering pics, take control of your posture. Ditch the slouch and stand tall. Pulling your shoulders back doesn’t just make you look sleeker and slimmer, it also  makes you feel more confident. But do remember that this is a photo, not a military exercise. Don’t stand so tall that you can’t breathe.

2. Stop gurning

Self-consciousness also has an unflattering effect on your face, as you’ll know from those pics where you look like a contorted bulldog. It’s a vicious circle: you gurn when a camera appears because you hate photos of yourself, and you hate photos of yourself because you gurn when a camera appears.

Break the cycle by getting a grip on your gurn. When you see a camera pointing your way, close your eyes. Breathe. Relax your facial muscles. Open your eyes in time for the click, and you will look fresh, confident and at ease. (Worst case scenario, you will have your eyes shut, but at least you won’t be gurning.)

3. Ask for a countdown

Timing is all. Half a second can make all the difference between a winning smile and a total face fail, so make sure you know when the click is coming. Don’t be afraid to ask the snapper for a “3, 2, 1” when they’re taking the photo. If you’re nervous, keep your eyes closed and your mouth relaxed until after the snapper says “2,” then break out the smile and open your eyes. You’ll look a lot more relaxed than you feel.

4. Know your best face

Everyone has a best side and a best smile. Don’t think you do? Then you haven’t paid enough attention to old photos of yourself. Go and look through some right now. Why are the bad ones so bad, and why are the good ones not so bad? Don’t get fixated on things you can’t change (eg “the good ones were taken before 1988”). Instead, look for angles and expressions that flatter you.

Warning: the “best side forward” habit can be hard to break. Mariah Carey allegedly insists on being photographed only from the right, while Barbra Streisand reportedly likes it from the left, as did 1930s Hollywood actress Claudette Colbert, who had entire sets rebuilt to flatter her. Claudette passed away in 1996, a year before the cameraphone was born. Probably just as well.

5. Put away your double chin

Even the skinniest necks can grow a little flesh pillow when there’s a camera in the room, so banish the wobble with this old modelling trick: touch the roof of your mouth with your tongue when you smile. Practice in front of the mirror a few times to make sure that you’re getting the intended effect (taught chin, long neck, winning smile) rather than the unintended effect (lunatic with fat tongue).

6. Do the red carpet pose

Here’s another trick from women* who get paid to be photogenic. When a camera threatens to photograph your entire body, don’t face it head-on. The resulting photo will make you look broader than you are. It’ll be like Gok Wan in reverse.

Avoid this by standing side-on and turning your upper body towards the camera. This posture slims your body and emphasises your waist. True devotees of the pose tend to stick one leg out the front and put their hand on their hip – voila, thinner-looking pins and an elongated upper arm. For more details, see Victoria Beckham.(* Men who try this pose will just look like they’re running away. Fellas should face the camera squarely and avoid making silly hand gestures.)

7. Have a laugh

Fake smiles rarely look real and are almost never flattering, but laughs are much easier to manipulate. This is partly because a laugh is a great tension-reliever, and a forced laugh often leads to a real one. Occasionally ridiculous; always effective.

8. Smile with your eyes

If fake laughs and toothy smiles are too cheesy for you (or you just don’t like your teeth), don’t worry: say it with your eyes instead. Body language can be extremely powerful in photos, and your eyes are the strongest weapon in your body language armoury. Smiling eyes beguile people for all the right reasons.

9. Beware glinty glasses

In person, your specs make you look gorgeous and smart. In a flash photo, your specs make you look like you’re wearing mirror shades. Unless this is the look you were going for, we’d recommend removing the bins and showing off your eyes.

10. Direct light bad, indirect light good

Specs wearers and vampires aren’t the only ones who should be wary of light shining right at their faces. A faceful of bright sunshine makes you squint, frown, sneer and screw up your features in a kind of double-chinned grimace. So remember, kids: don’t look into the sun, especially if someone’s got a camera.

This article was published by Match.com the online dating website – August 2010

Its a new year and new start so here is my new blog, the old one became a little outdated and I like the way this one fits with exactly with the design of my website, as well as its simplicity.

I'll be adding more content, new shoots, news of exhibitions and shows, promotions as they happen. Please keep posted, thanks for visiting and do come back, share and tweet!

Oh my gosh!  These are amazing!!  I had no idea that they’d turn out so beautifully. Thank you so much!

Thanks again!

Emily (FYEO Boudoir Portrait Session – Oxford)

Hi David,

I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to get back to you! I have a long half term to do list and sending you a message is at the top!!

The photos are absolutely perfect! We both love them! 6 of them will be in the Oxfordshire magazine of the Oxford Times on Friday. We’ve put your name in too! You were brilliant on the day. When we were looking through the pics we had some lovely surprises as we didn’t even see you take them!!

Best wishes, Liz (Wedding – Bampton and Witney, Oxon)

Hi David

Yes thanks!  We have the album and we love it.  Thanks for being so accomodating and helping us with the changes they’ve made all the difference.

Enjoy this year’s wedding season and best wishes for the future!!!

Nicola and Mario (Wedding – Great Forsters, Egham, Surrey)

David,

We’ve had a good look at the photographs and we are both so happy with them, some of the shots are just fantastic!  Thank you so much for everything, we really do appreciate you being our photographer at such short notice.

I’ve also just done a name and praise for you on Hitched.co.uk saying how pleased we are.

Thanks again David, I’ll keep your website and details in my favourites as a couple of our guests asked where I found you and now we’ve seen the pictures, we will recommend you to everyone!

Kindest regards and best wishes.

Sarah & Gary (Wedding – Hylands House, Chelmsford, Essex)

Hi David, Love the pics – they are amazing, I’m flattered to be featured

(even as a dot on the horizon)…

Best Regards, Emma (Fine Art Commission – Battersea, London)

Hi, David.

Looking at the photos now. Lots to get through! And totally enjoying it!

Best,

Calyn (Wedding – The Orangery, Holland Park, London)

Above is a selection of reviews and comments from people whom i have worked for. I get great pleasure from the reaction people have when they see their photographs for the first time, knowing that they will enjoy looking at them over and over again.

Reaching Lake Geneva

Holiday makers waiting for the ferry

Breakfast on lake Geneva

Espresso break

Hairpin stop

Beginning the climb up to the foothills of the alps outside Montreux

Foothills of the Alps

From the top of St Bernard Pass - crazy hairpins

St Bernard Pass

Making the journey down into Italy

Into Italy

Agri-tourismo Stop for the night

Racing through tunnels

Farmhouse stop in the mountains near to Porto-san-Georgio and Pedaso Beach

Motorway sun and speed

On the way home

Frejus tunnel taking us home under the Alps

Crossing the French border

Back into France

Returning on the ferry

Another tunnel