Many of my photos that I have included in this My Favourite Wedding Photos series are all pure documentary photos, which have hopefully shown off my skills as a documentary photography and my ability to capture a fleeting moment that would have otherwise been lost. Whilst the photo of Kai on the staircase is definitely not a documentary photo, it does show off another skill as a photographer that I find just as important, which is preparation.

This photo was no accident, and is a result of pre-wedding meeting at Great Fosters with Kai & Ken. We walked around the building and the grounds and talked through the day, and as soon as a saw this staircase i visualised this shot and how I wanted it to look. Their is a lovely juxtaposition of the crisp white of Kai's beautiful dress against the vibrant red carpet, and the central staircase leads the viewer's eye through the photograph. All I had to do on the day is to make sure that Kai walked down the staircase on her own (having her bridesmaids in this shot would have cluttered it somewhat), but I didn't provide any direction as I still wanted the photo to feel natural although it was planned.

The result is a beautiful photo for Kai and Ken to treasure. Importantly also, this photo didn't have any time impact on the day as I had planned ahead. I have seen other photographers and videographers have Bride or Grooms repeat the same thing over and over again until they get the result they wanted, which can be a huge time drain on the day and can all be avoided by a little bit of preparation on the part of the professional.

Hope you enjoy the photo, please feel to comment below.