Kemi & Damien’s Wedding at The Old Library in Lichfield

There’s something lovely about a wedding in the centre of Lichfield. Everything is close enough to explore on foot, but within a relatively small area there are some completely different settings for wedding photographs.

For Kemi and Damien, their ceremony took place at The Old Library in Lichfield after we headed outside for photographs around the city, including the Memorial Gardens by the lake and the beautiful surroundings of Lichfield Cathedral.

Kemi & Damien’s Wedding Ceremony at The Old Library

The day began at The Old Library for Kemi and Damien’s civil ceremony.

I photographed the important moments throughout the ceremony, from their arrival and the anticipation beforehand through to the vows, exchange of rings, first kiss and signing of the register.

These are the moments where I tend to work as unobtrusively as possible. I want my couples to enjoy their ceremony rather than feel as though they are constantly being directed for photographs.

Once Kemi and Damien were officially married, it was time to head outside and make the most of Lichfield for their wedding portraits.

Wedding Photographs in Lichfield Memorial Gardens

Just across the road from The Old Library are the Memorial Gardens, giving us a completely different backdrop without having to travel anywhere.

We headed towards the lake and used the gardens for a selection of relaxed photographs together.

It was a very bright day and the sun was particularly strong. Although blue skies can look wonderful on a wedding day, harsh midday sunlight can actually be one of the more challenging conditions for a photographer.

Direct overhead light creates strong shadows across faces and can naturally cause people to squint. It means I have to think carefully about where I position a couple, the direction of the light and the backgrounds I want to use.

Around the gardens I used positioning, direction and areas of softer light to work with the conditions rather than fight against them. Sometimes moving just a short distance or changing the angle of a photograph can make a significant difference.

Wedding Portraits Around Lichfield Cathedral

From the Memorial Gardens, we continued through Lichfield for more photographs around the cathedral.

Lichfield Cathedral provides a fantastic backdrop for wedding portraits. The historic architecture, pathways and surrounding areas gave us plenty of opportunities to create a completely different feel from the photographs we had taken beside the lake.

We captured a mixture of romantic portraits of Kemi and Damien together alongside more relaxed photographs of them walking and simply enjoying some time together after their ceremony.

The strong sunlight continued to influence where and how I photographed them. Rather than forcing a particular photograph because a location looks attractive, I’m always looking at the light first and then deciding how best to use the surroundings.

It’s one of the reasons I like to keep couple portraits relaxed. We can walk, explore and respond to the conditions on the day rather than trying to recreate a rigid list of predetermined photographs.

A Lichfield City Centre Wedding

One of the things I particularly enjoyed about Kemi and Damien’s wedding was the variety of photographs we could create within such a small area.

The Old Library provided the setting for their ceremony, the Memorial Gardens and lake gave us greenery and a softer natural backdrop, while the magnificent Lichfield Cathedral brought something completely different to their wedding portraits.

Despite having some challenging bright light to work with, we were able to use the different locations around Lichfield to create a varied collection of photographs while allowing Kemi and Damien to enjoy those first moments together as a newly married couple.