Becca and Ben`s Engagement shoot at Leeds Castle
On the afternoon of Friday 15th May I met Ben and Becca at Leeds Castle in Kent. An engagement photo shoot like this one is really useful – it helps me to learn more about the couple and enables them, over a period of time become more natural in front of me and my camera. I am also able to offer some very basic posing tips that help get great photos on the wedding day…
The overcast sky gave a nice soft even light, ideal for photography. It is often assumed that bright sunny days create the best photographs but squinting eyes and lots of unwanted shadows are the usual rather undesirable result. Usually on bright sunny days I will be looking for locations where there is shade avoid those problems.
Leeds Castle is a stunning venue just outside Maidstone. Access is easy – just a short drive from the M20. The castle with its splendid moat offers a superb backdrop to any photo session, and there are many other interesting areas to use for photographs around the stunning grounds.
I knew from our preliminary discussions that Becca wanted some shots of the couple in a woodland setting with Bluebells, so that was a “must have” shot. Other than that it was pretty much down to walking around and selecting locations which, as a backdrop, gave a sense of the beautiful grounds at Leeds Castle without letting the location dominate the shot.
It was a pleasure to spend time with Ben and Becca chatting about their life together and their future dreams. As always, the best shots resulted from me taking a step back and letting the couple be themselves. Normally using this approach with very restrained posing ideas creates some lovely images as the couple relax and start to forget about the camera.
I know Ben and Becca are over the moon with the resulting 200 or so images. I thank them for allowing me to share a few on my website and wish them all the best for the future. (I look forward to photographing them again, at what sounds like a great wedding in 2017)
If you would like more information about a free engagement shoot then please click here.
