Photography tips for the Bride and Groom

Hi there, we are Zest Photography based in West Sussex and we have been photographing weddings throughout, Sussex, Suffolk, Surrey, Hampshire and London since 2007.  During this time we have seen many things that do and many things that don't work from behind the lens!

We thought that we would put a few of these 'tips' down for you to ponder over before your big day, so here goes:

Firstly, and most importantly, LINGER ON THE MOMENT.  

Linger on the moment

When you are holding hands, kissing, looking at each other, saying your vows – take your time and linger long enough for everyone, and of course thecamera, to see and capture the moment.  When we are putting our albums together what looks like astunning shot sometimes doesn't work as the couple just dont seem to be enjoying the moment!

Secondly, DON'T LOOK AT THE CAMERA UNLESS YOUR TOLD TO.  A posed, cheesy photgraph can often be avoided in this way.

Thirdly, PLAN YOUR GUEST SHOOTLIST.  Nobody likes standing around for group shots so make sure that you give youyr photographer a comprehemsive but suyccinct list that has been planned in a logical order.  Avoid 'breaking down' a group only to ask members of the same group to come back 5 minutes later.

Finally, TALK  with your photographer, let them know what you like.  As photographers we like to get creative and look for the next 'big' shot.  However, our wants come second to yours so let us know what is on your mind. You may have seen ashot in a magazine that you want to recreate – then tell us and we'll tell you if it will work for you or suggest a stylish alternative.

We hope that these help a bit – there are lots more tips and ideas.  Just hit us up atwww.weddingsbyzest.co.uk and ask away!

Rod and Julie Davies

Zest Photography

Another successful wedding fayre

The White Swan - location of this Sundays wedding fayre and a great venue

We attended our penultimate wedding fayre of the year at the White Swan, Arundel on Sunday and met with some lovely couples who were all keen to chat about their big day and to view our sample wedding albums and portfolios.




Not only were we receiving interest for 2013 but we had huge demand for 2014 and even a couple of 2015!

Interesting stands included a brilliant magician, Matt Parro - although we were next to him throughout the day and saw most of his magic - we didn't have a clue how he did it!

Gayles beautiful wedding bouquet provided by Amanda Refoy - wedding photographs by Zest Photography

 Other stands of note were Amanda Refoy flowers who did a beautiful job with Gayle and Chris Sloggetts wedding at Highdown Hotel whom we did the wedding photography for in July and who's wedding album we are currently producing!  FinalTouch were also there with their usual array of fantastic props and wedding ideas.  

Matt Parro amazing guests at a wedding with his close up magic

Gayle and Chris enjoying their wedding breakfast at Highdown Hotel - wedding photography by Zest Photography

The whole day was held in the White Swans 'Sussex Suite' which is a brilliant venue for a wedding and perfectly located.

A wedding table centrepiece produced by Final Touch

A great idea for your speeches

We photographed a wedding recently on Thorney Island for Martin and Kerry.  The whole day was absolutely magical and the couple were the perfect subjects for our lenses with a comical, yet romantic Groom and a beautiful Bride who was constantly full of smiles.

Kerry and Martin sharing a quiet moment after their Wedding Breakfast

The beautiful church on Thorney Island was the perfect setting for a wedding

Shhhh, don't tell the Wife!

When it came to the Grooms speeches they had a simple and yet really useful idea for organising the gifts for the Bridal party.  Rather than the usual array of carrier bags, they had decorated an old wooden box with some wedding paper and placed all of the gifts inside - away from prying eyes and providing a 'treasure chest' that everyone was dying to see inside.

The Treasure Box - stuffed with lovely gifts for the Ushers, Best Man and Bridesmaids

Have you seen any great and ideas at a wedding or maybe have something up your sleeve for your own day?  Tell us about it!

Trash the Dress winners shoot

Its been a while since we updated our blog - apologies to those that have been wondering where we are! As well as visiting new couples, attending wedding fayres, photographing lots of lovely weddings and spending hours retouching and editing to get the best from every shot, we have been doing a few 'Trash' and 'Cherish' the dress shoots.

Included in these was a shoot for competition winner - Sarah Whitehouse (see prev. post) who opted to have her shoot in her tattooists chair! Here are just a few of her images including the 'green eyed monster - B movie style' shot (my fav).

Thanks to the lovely Amanda J for hair and make-up and to Chris at Buzz Tattoo in East Worthing

Winners of the Trash The Dress photo competition

Congratulations to Sarah and to Michelle on winning the 'Cherish the Dress' competition. Sarah will be wearing hers in the tatooists chair and Michelle in a garage workshop whilst her hubby carries out a service. 

Should get some cook 'grafitti' feel wedding dress shots to share with you all!


As well as winning the shoot along with a lovely framed print - the girls will winn a case of fabulous cupcakes courtesy of the Divine Cupcake!

The ground was iced with snow

We were delighted to be asked to photograph Christina and Scotts wedding day a couple of weeks ago after a friend of the family that was going to act as official photographer had to let them down at the last minute.

 This was the third time that we have stepped in after a family member/friend was unable to carry out the task for reasons ranging from a dodgy knee to a broken camera.  In these times of trying to reduce cost, it is getting more usual for couples to go down this route.

But beware:
Are they experienced at handling weddings - do they know what shots work and what don't?

Are they discreet enough to be able to capture those special moments without interruption and yet strong enough to be able to organise a crowd of 100+ people into organised groups?

Will the Vicar/Registrar/Priest allow them as 'non-professionals' to take pictures during the service (many don't)?


Do they have a back up camera in case theirs doesn't work on the day?


Do they have a second shooter to professionally cover different angles?


Can their camera and photographic skills cope with shooting in low light and on a high shutter speed in order to capture the ceremony, the speeches and the first dance without the need for distracting flash?




If they are using flash, is it of a professional enough quality to be able to light a large area?

Are they insured in case of cancellation, interruption or the images being lost?
After the wedding will they be able to provide a secure website that guests will be able to log into to view the shots?


Will they have time, expertise and professional software to enable them to carry out artistic editing effects and to remove unwanted objects from a shot such as gravestones, telegraph poles and cars?


Will they not want to be in the photographs themselves?


These are just a few of the problems and solutions encountered by today's professional wedding photographer.  Yes, it can be expensive but is it really less important than, for example, the cake or the flowers.  After all these will be long gone by the time that the reception ends whereas the photographs will be there as a lasting memory for many years to come.

Propose to your man and get a double surprise

In case you didn't know, it's Leap Year - yes 29 days in February and, traditionally, the only time that a woman should propose to her man!

So here's a novel idea - propose to your man this year and book your wedding with Zest to win a generous 25% discount (worth up to £475) across our usual range of packages.

You will need to book with us before the end of June 2012 but you will not have to choose a package until the month before your big day.  As long as it's in our diary and the deposit received then the pressure is off :@)

We will also ask for your proposal story so that we can share it with our Bloggers and the local media!



So come on then girls, grab your knee pads, serve him up his favourite pint and get down on one knee.