The Ned London WeddingsA wedding photographer's guide

The Ned, centered right at the heart of the busy city of London, is a venue that oozes sophistication in every corner and corridor. It’s a venue suited to the stylish wedding, the cultured connoisseur, the bride and groom of impeccable taste. It’s a venue that demands a style of photography to match – sophisticated, understated, timeless – not just a wedding photograph but a piece of art worthy of hanging on its walls.

Those street photography influences have long shaped our approach to photographing weddings. It’s why we don’t interfere with the action in front of us but instead use inventive compositional framing to capture the story with a more creative aesthetic. It’s why we layer multiple stories into a single frame and discard any images that don’t meet our exacting demands of clean composition and beautiful aesthetic.

Perhaps it's the influences of fashion photography and those stunning Vogue and Vanity Fair covers that have built such an association between stylish elegance and the posed image.

So often there's an instinct to heighten the image with bold poses and "perfect" graceful, polished tonality. For many that instinct is exactly right - if fashion mags are your influence then seeing yourself in that kind of setting is naturally going to excite and appeal to your sensibility. But if you've already styled your wedding to perfection; if you've matched your venue to the mood and ambience you want to create then is there necessarily a need to heighten it further in the photographs?

Venues like The Ned set their own tone and feel the moment you walk through the door. That vintage art deco styling and all those luxurious finishes scream elegance at every turn. If you pair the right venue with the right dresscode and subtle finishes then there's no need to go further. We don't need to go looking for great backgrounds when tone exudes from every corner of the room. Elegance can be staged but true style can only be felt. And if it's a feeling that you're looking to capture then there's no better way to experience those memories than through an unposed, documentary style of photography.

Great documentary photography is not about taking rapid snaps; every bit as much thought must go into the composition, the lighting, the positioning of hands and facial expressions for the documentary photographer as for their posed fashion / editorial style counterparts. The moment might be spontaneous, but the process of capturing it must be considered and in-keeping with the overall style of the wedding. Unflattering expressions (unless perhaps part of a joke) would probably not be in keeping with a stylish soirée. Inelegant body movements would again conflict with the tone of the day. The art of documentary is capturing the mood, the way it felt to be there, and so we, the photographers, must adapt to the needs of this unique wedding and the people we find around us.

But your wedding is not just about style, there is more to the story than just elegance. The feel of the day will be reflected in the images but the stories of the people who attended will live longer in the memory and enrich the heart more than beautiful decor ever can.

So if you're looking to create a particular tone, let your environment do the work. Couple relaxed and rustic with barns, tweed and informality. Match the elegant chic corridors of The Ned with champagne and style. But when it comes to the photographs, let the real story do the talking.