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Sussex Wedding Photographer Jon Silver

Welcome to my wedding photography blog.

I've been photographing weddings since 2002, and during that time I've loved every wedding equally. Each one is different, a reflection of the couple's personalities. There's such a wealth of material to photograph, everything looks wonderful, everyone's happy, and above all I get to document photographically a unique piece of social history at every wedding.

Here you'll find some of my photographs from many of the weddings I've photographed, along with a little of the story from each one. You'll also be able to read a bit about my philosophy and approach to capturing wedding images. Please get in touch if you like what you see.

Emma & Russell – Wedding photography at Stanmer House, Brighton

Friday, May 15, 2009 Posted in Sample Weddings

Emma & Russell had a lovely wedding at Stanmer House, which always provides an elegant and charming environment in which to tie the knot. During just two hours of photography I managed to capture just over 515 super photos of Emma’s arrival, Russell nervously waiting, the ceremony, drinks reception, guests’ departure, a little walk around the park & church with Russell & Emma, and their departure to their reception. All in all, an excellent example of what can be done within the realms of even my budget package. But I’ll let the pictures do the talking.

by Jon Silver

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Wedding photography costs less than the cake?

Tuesday, February 3, 2009 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

Choccy-Woccy Doodah CakeYes, everything to do with weddings is expensive. That’s generally because someone puts a huge amount of work and their time into each service provided. The hand-made wedding dress, the beautifully crafted wedding cake… these are all understandably expensive. So it grates quite a lot when someone comes along, asks me to do their wedding photography, and then quibbles over the price, which is frequently less than the cost of the cake, and usually a lot less than the price of the dress. There are some myths that should be kicked out before you begin…

Myth: “Of course it’s all easy nowadays, you just get anyone to turn up with a digital camera, snap away, and you’ll be sure of getting a few good shots”. This is a myth that doesn’t stand up to close scrutiny, and is constantly proved wrong by the calls I get from people who have taken this route, and then want me to work some sort of magic on someone else’s photos to make them worth having. Basically I can’t. The only thing that makes a photograph a good photograph is what happens at the moment it’s taken; once that moment has passed, it’s too late – the moment has gone forever.

Myth: “My brother/friend is coming – he can do the photography”. If you’ve ever been put in this position as a keen amateur photographer, you’ll know the pressure it places on you. It’s enormous & relentless, and you won’t enjoy the wedding; you won’t be able to drink; and worst of all, the photographic skills that cause so many “oohs” and “aahs” when you show off your holiday snaps, will vapourise under all that pressure.

Trust a professional wedding photographer who can show a clear track record which consists of hundreds of good photos from wedding after wedding. Choose your photographer because you like him or her as a person; after all they’ll be interacting with your guests, and you don’t want anyone who’ll be abrasive, abrupt or rude. Above all choose your photographer because you love his/her photos; because long after the cake is all eaten by your guests, and your wedding dress is all eaten by moths, your wedding photographs will be the best way to remember the day, the people both living and passed on, and above all relive the emotions of your wedding day. A small price to pay? Yup.

Jon Silver is a wedding photographer in Brighton & Sussex, Kent & Surrey.

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Caroline & Robin – wedding photos at St Theresa’s, Southwick

Monday, December 29, 2008 Posted in Sample Weddings

Caroline and Robin couldn’t stand the thought of having to stop and be photographed in cheesy poses, so they wanted a wedding photographer who could just capture events as they happened, unobtrusively and without interference. This is, of course, exactly what I do. So, on one of the last days of 2008, mid-afternoon with the sun already low in the clear blue sky, I came to St Theresa’s Catholic Church in Southwick to capture Caroline and Robin tying the knot. Here was Robin, an Anglican priest, getting married in a Catholic church, which was unusual in itself. However the very impressive space inside the church was lit by the most beautiful light from the setting sun which caught the incense smoke and gave everything an incredibly romantic feel. I was rather proud of the results.

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by Jon Silver

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Jo & Mike – Wedding Photos at Stanmer House, Brighton

Friday, October 10, 2008 Posted in Sample Weddings

Jo & Mike’s wedding was incredibly colourful & characterful. With so many guests being children, a special children’s party and entertainment was booked, and they were all running around like mad things and thoroughly enjoying themselves – adults included! There was an incredible tower of a cake, a stretch VW Beetle limo, and fantastic weather on a perfect October day in Stanmer Park. Loads of laughter and emotion, including a funny and yet poignant ceremony conducted by the lovely Rebecca Roach, rounded off a brilliant and utterly memorable wedding which yielded a bumper crop of photos that I made into an album and cinematic DVD slideshow for Jo and Mike to treasure for the rest of their lives together.

“What fantastic pictures! How on earth are we going to choose!? Can’t wait to come and see you and you can help us make our fantastic album!”

“Jon delivered way beyond our expectations. He took what was a loose brief for our wedding and applied his creative ability to produce a fantastic portfolio of photographs that captured the very essence of our special day. The end result was a wedding album that completely blew us away. Jon, as an individual is fantastic to work with, in no way intrusive, with a eye for detail and artistic talent second to none. It is our pleasure to recommend Jon. With warm regards Jo and Mike Foster”

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by Jon Silver

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Penny & Kevin – Surrey wedding photography by Jon Silver

Saturday, September 27, 2008 Posted in Sample Weddings

Penny originally wanted only after the ceremony covered but changed her plans a few times and was grateful for my flexibility. I even managed to talk her vicar into letting me take photos during the ceremony. I’m glad I was able to accommodate her requirements because it was an incredibly beautiful wedding to photograph. The setting alone, a little church with a unique medieval frieze in a little woodland glade in Surrey, would have been enough to make it special. But when you add a beautiful bride who laughs and smiles all the time, a gorgeous car, a stunning clear Autumn day with sparkling light, and simply lovely family & friends, the entire event becomes magical. All I know is that I’ve printed more photos from Penny & Kevin’s wedding than any other, so they must have been appreciated. I’ve included a small selection here to enable you to share in the emotion of the event.

“THANK YOU so much for being so unobtrusive at our wedding. We are still puzzled as to when you even took some of the shots. The photos look fantastic and really capture the mood of the day. We had no idea there was so much laughter. Thanks for being so flexible and easy to work with. You even spent more time than you had said. We hope you enjoyed the day too!”

“The only company we could find who were flexible enough to meet our requirements on timings on the day. Jon went above and beyond on the day being there for longer than requested and being very unobtrusive – we didn’t even realise he had taken half of the photos!”

Church: St Peter & St Paul’s, Chaldon, Surrey
Reception: Nutfield Priory Hotel and Spa

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Warning: Church Weddings May Seriously Damage Your (Photographic) Memories

Tuesday, September 16, 2008 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

If your wedding photography matters to you enough to hire a professional wedding photographer, and if you’re planning to get married in a church, you may want to think carefully when choosing your church. It’s been happening increasingly of late. I arrive at a church wedding, go and politely introduce myself to the vicar, only to be told “There’s no photography at all during the ceremony so you’ll have to stand at the back and not take photos. I’ll call you forward when they’re signing the register.” Some aren’t actually that polite. Some are quite rude.

It happened several times recently. On one occasion I was attending a wedding at St Stephens Church, Tonbridge where the vicar was brusque, and dismissive. He told me to stand at the back of his dimly lit church and not take any photos during the ceremony. I politely protested and he conceded slightly, allowing me to take some photos but without any flash. So with the camera at as high an ISO setting as I could muster without sacrificing all the picture quality, with my shutter speed stuck at around 1/20th of a second and my best paparazzi lens image-stabilised and at full zoom, I decided to go for quantity to ensure I got at least a few good shots. But it was worth it to hear the vicar going on and on about sex in his address; not a sentence could pass by without at least three mentions of the word. My how the congregation squirmed, especially those with children present.

I was also invited to be photographer at a friend’s wedding at the Parish Church of St Cosmas and St Damian in Keymer, West Sussex. At the rehearsal the guest vicar said I wasn’t allowed at the front and that I’d have to manage from the back; and possibly I could come down the left-hand aisle and get some beautiful images of the back of the bride’s head. The church warden then intervened and pronounced chapter and verse of parish policy, stating that no photos were to be taken at all during the ceremony. Apart from this the rehearsal was a shambles, with the vicar totally unfamiliar with the very standard order of service. So on the day of course I took photos, this time electing to go light and using just my trusty Canon 5D and my lovely 50mm f1.4 lens. The church warden’s glares didn’t phase me at all. I wasn’t being paid so I was there in the capacity of friend and private individual, not as professional photographer. If there had been any complaint I would have pointed out that the little envelopes the couple had been asked to supply with cash payments for all involved would have provided much interest to the local branch of HM Revenue & Customs. Perhaps if more of the money made it into the church’s accounts, they’d be able to afford a new sign to replace the tatty, weathered one in place currently.

Of course, on both occasions I was able to get some good shots, but not without some cost. Unless the couple turn away from the vicar, they mostly present a rear-view to the camera. Standing at the back I’m forced snap away almost continuously, and the shutter on the 5D isn’t the quietest thing in Christendom. Were I standing near the front and using carefully bounced flash, I would be able to approach the job surgically, taking only a few shots at strategically chosen moments. I’d be able to get close-ups of the exchange of rings. Above all I could capture the emotion of two people declaring their love and commitment before all their family & friends.

All is not lost, however. The Catholic church appears to be generally much more welcoming to photographers. I’m not entirely sure whether it’s policy or luck of the draw, but all my Catholic weddings have started with a priest who meets and greets me with a broad smile and an invitation to do what I like, stand where I like, move around at will, take as many photos as I like when I like, with or without flash.

But even in the Anglican world, just as it’s the people you deal with in companies who make the difference, the right clergyman can work wonders. Take Father Martin Morgan at St Mary’s Church in Rottingdean, for example – not only is his church lovely, ancient and characterful, Father Martin is a treasure in his own right. With his vaguely Hancock-esque glibly humorous outlook on life (legend has it he was once a script writer for Frankie Howerd), and his genuinely warm attitude to his congregants, happy couples and even photographers, Father Martin Morgan will do everything he can to help your photographer to get the best possible photographs . He even tells fabulously funny jokes at appropriate moments, such as when the bride is having a little wobble.

Of course this is my personal experience with him, but I think he’d be the same with any well-mannered photographer who knows his job and introduces himself properly. I may however be in a small minority of photographers who do this. Unfortunately Father Martin is also in a minority. Hopefully when he retires he’ll run some sort of priest training college where he can teach clergy to serve their customers in the same way he does. Lord knows the Church of England needs it.

The moral of the story is this: if you’re planning on a church wedding, and if the photographic record matters to you, make sure you choose a clergyman and church who will share your cares instead of stamping all over them. You’re their customers – so demand a service.

Jon Silver is a wedding photographer in Brighton & Sussex.

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New Wedding Photo Albums Page

Saturday, March 29, 2008 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

If you’ve considered having an album for your wedding photos, take a look at my new wedding albums page. I’ve included a flash video slideshow of the page layouts from a real album created for Lee and Jill whose wedding I attended in Summer 2007 at three Sussex venues: Cisswood House Hotel; All Saints Church, Roffey; and Mannings Heath Golf Club. It’s all set to the Frankhams’ first-dance music, “Hero” by Enrique Iglesias. I hope you enjoy watching it as I think it perfectly encapsulates what their wedding day was all about. I’ll be producing more slideshows like this very soon, so watch this space…

Read about my wedding photo albums.

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Wedding Photography – Humility, Empathy and Confidence

Tuesday, June 19, 2007 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

As a weddingAn photograph of an intimate moment during a wedding ceremony captured despite restrictive and difficult conditions photographer, I consider it a privilege to be present on a couple’s wedding day. There they are getting married in front of everyone special to them – parents, family, friends – and then there’s me, hired because I can take photographs with the right look to suit the couple’s tastes. But hopefully it goes deeper than that.

From the first contact, usually with just one half of the couple, a rapport is established. In the first few exchanges, as people do, I start to get a feel for this person, and they for me. Hopefully we like each other, because this isn’t just cold hard business. Sometimes they become friends, but even if they don’t, I’m going to be there recording every detail of a very intimate moment in their lives, a special moment which can and possibly should change their lives for ever.

I photograph weddings because I love weddings. If I enjoy something, engage emotionally with it, I photograph it better. People find it strange that I occasionally shed a tear, or grin inanely whilst taking photos of people I haven’t known for long getting married. I would argue that I couldn’t possibly do a good job on a wedding if I didn’t feel it.

Occasionally I get a parent of either bride or groom who would very much like to tell me how I should do my job. I don’t really like doing posed group shots, where the action stops for me. I like to observe the proceedings without affecting them too much, recording the story of the event, not stopping the action for sterile staged shots. That’s for the chav photographers. However, some people think that the record simply isn’t complete without the group shots, so I go along with it.

But is it real and genuine recording of a wedding? Perhaps it is, given that the photographer has, since photography first emerged, been an integral and ubiquitous part of the wedding day. Maybe I am part of the action, not merely an observer. I certainly do interact with the guests as I love people and enjoy talking to them and having a laugh with them. It’s been said by many a wedding guest that I blend in very well. Some people say I’m invisible, which is impressive given that I am of a stature which seems to dominate most group photos I’ve found myself part of. But perhaps that’s just advanced blending.

Relaxed shots like this are only possible when the wedding photographer not only gets on with the guests, but also lets them take as many photos as they want.Many wedding photographers seem to be compelled to control everything. Some are rude and grumpy. Either way, they’re going to be photographing guests who have been pushed around, kept waiting, shouted at or possibly insulted, and that’s never going to result in good photographs. Just think about it – how would you look in a photograph taken by someone who’s brought a dark cloud hanging over everything, or even worse just prevented you from getting a really good photo of your own?

I know why they’re like that. They feel the need to control things because they’re gripped by a fear of failure. Only by controlling every detail of a wedding day can they possibly guarantee that they’ll be able to photograph it adequately. And me? Well I’ve been taking photos since I was five years old; and I’m considerably older now. I started before the era of autofocus and autoexposure and all that, in the era of film. I take photos like I walk or breathe. I can’t remember how not to do it. So failure is a non-issue. Consequently I’m relaxed at weddings, and confident that no matter what happens, I’ll be able to take good photos.

Moments like this make a wedding photographer’s day - give me a great couple with loads of character rather than supermodel looks every time!Of course, it helps if it also makes me a good living. Part of that includes the sale of extras to guests, such as prints and so on. So why on earth would I encourage amateur photographers? Of course guests bring their own cameras. Sure, they’re rarely up to the standard of my equipment, but I’ve taken great photos on the kind of cameras they use, and I’ve seen some damn good amateur photographers in my time – I used to be one! So don’t they reduce my income?

Firstly I can’t stop people taking photos, so I don’t. In fact as I said, I encourage them. I give them hints about using fill flash for backlit shots, and choosing a better background by changing their position. When they can’t get their camera working, I’ll try to help. Why? Well, isn’t it better to have 50-odd assistants working for me than 50-odd adversaries? Remember I’ll be photographing these people too, and I’d much rather they were throwing me genuine smiles on a personal level because I’ve helped them out.

But there’s more to it once again. People often ask if the rise of cheap, affordable digital photography for the masses has reduced my business, because people can now do their own photography for portraits or weddings. Actually it’s done quite the opposite. People appreciate good photography more now than ever before, because they’ve tried it themselves, and they know how difficult it is getting a good shot. If someone has stood near me and taken a shot of a wedding scene, they might think it’s a good shot. Often they’ll see my shots on the back of the camera, or later on the web gallery (which is usually available within a few days) and they’ll have something to compare with. Often they’ll buy my shot because “it’s a lot better” than theirs. Other times they’ll love my shots because there they are, photographed whilst taking a photograph, and isn’t that a lovely shot! Relaxed, candid, off the cuff, unposed and essentially just people doing what people do at weddings. Happy, joyful, and together.

It all comes down to your approach, I suppose. I am passionate about photography, but equally I’m passionate about people and life. I think I was born to travel the world, enjoy different cultures, and photograph all you amazing, brilliant, individual people wherever you are. Hence…

people · places · light · beauty · emotion · your life in pictures

Jon Silver is a wedding photographer in Brighton & Sussex, Surrey & Kent.

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New Wedding Photography Season

Sunday, April 15, 2007 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

The Wedding Season is upon us. From May to September is when most people who are getting married actually choose to do the deed. But why? Is it just the thought of more reliable weather? Here we are in April basking in the sort of weather we would normally expect in June – so what on earth can we look forward to in June? Weather people (meteorologists) say it’s going to be the hottest Summer on record. So what does that mean for all the happy couples getting hitched this year?

Let’s just think about that for a moment. Layered, fully structured wedding dresses aren’t exactly chilly garments. Nor are wool suits. Or top hat and tails. Or indeed anything most people are likely to wear on their wedding day. This in turn means that the happy couple may be less than happy as temperatures soar into the high 30s. Their guests won’t fare much better in their suits and posh frocks.

When I got married it was on the 5th August, and all the antiperspirant in Christendom wasn’t going to prevent my lovely pure new wool suit from Next becoming a sodden rag by the end of the day drenched in fluids that had hitherto represented at least a stone of my body weight. My bride was in turn melting into her own little pool in the overcrowded registry office in Elm Street. Yes. Elm Street. Bit of a nightmare. Haha.

Outside it wasn’t much better. Most marriage ceremonies take place in the middle of the day, and that, as any good geography student knows, is when the Sun reaches its highest point. Everyone was being boiled alive in the bag. Or grilled by the radiant heat from the sticky black tarmac pavement. If I had been the photographer, it would have been ten minutes of torture at the very most. But this was my wedding, and the photographer, chosen by my mother-in-law of course, was going to make sure that his job of work was executed at speeds only measurable on a geological timescale. And with extreme violence.

Yes, this man couldn’t possibly allow anyone else with a camera to take a photo. No, no, no, this was simply too much. He leapt into the fray, pushing guests aside, often with the aid of elbows cracking ribs. Needless to say, they were bloody awful photos too, but then more on that subject at some point later. When it came to lining up the hot, sweaty, injured people attending our wedding, each photo took around ten minutes to arrange and frame before he finally opened the shutter on the scene of carnage. Not a natural smile to be had. Just lots and lots of shine and too much redness. And squinting – lots and lots of squinting. Horrible.

When we split up we didn’t even notice what happened to the wedding album. Who knows where it languishes now.

The moral of the story is don’t let your mother-in-law organise the photographer. Or anything if you can possibly help it. And don’t necessarily think that a Summer wedding is going to be better… for anyone.

What’s my favourite time of year for weddings? I like Autumn. It’s a lovely time of year. You still get lovely sunny days, but the light is more oblique, the shadows longer, the colours more golden. It’s cooler, and so are the bride and groom, and indeed their guests. But even weddings around Christmas are lovely too. Your guests will treat it as a welcome diversion from their retail festivities, and there’s lots of nice decorations and lights around to brighten the day. But best of all, nobody will be melting, overheating, sweltering or squinting. Just glowing nicely in the firelight around the Christmas tree.

Jon Silver is a wedding photographer in Brighton & Sussex, Kent & Surrey.

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A blog? On a wedding photography site?

Sunday, April 15, 2007 Posted in Articles on Wedding Photography

We’ve all been to weddings. We’ve all seen the guy with the huge camera and tripod shouting at people to line up, pushing guests with cameras out of the way so he can get his shots. But take a more modern, enlightened approach to wedding photography… what makes the contemporary wedding photographer different? Why does he do it? How hard can it be?

I’ve decided to start writing about my experiences in the wedding photography because of several things:

  1. I used to write professionally
  2. I think the job of a wedding photographer is interesting, underestimated and misunderstood
  3. I think my approach to the job is different
  4. I have so much spare time on my hands
  5. I lie about the amount of spare time I have
  6. Please disregard everything after point 3

I have no idea what specifically I’ll write about. I daresay sometimes it’ll get very profound, intellectual and philosophical, because that’s partly me. But other times I expect it’ll be completely frivolous and even silly, because that’s also partly me. And ranting; expect that too.

So… there you have it. Don’t expect anything in particular. But then if you did, you probably wouldn’t bother to read this blog anyway. If you’re not reading this, then you smell bad, and I hate you. If you are reading it, then many thanks from the bottom of my heart, and I shall love you for ever more.

Jon Silver is a wedding photographer in Brighton & Sussex, Kent & Surrey.

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