Today's Image of the Day comes from a wedding I photographed near Okehampton in Devon - and a short couples' portrait shoot in a truly stunning bluebell wood, just after the church wedding ceremony and on the way back to the wedding reception.
This location was particularly special to the bride and groom, for it just so happened to be the spot where they got engaged - so the shoot was exceptionally meaningful!
I love photographing woodland weddings and woodland portrait shoots - but if you want to include one in your wedding day, then there are a few things to be aware of before you decide to go ahead. Firstly, whilst this image looks idyllic, getting into position was somewhat perilous for a bride in a beautiful dress and shoes! Woodland floors tend to be full of twigs and thorns, which will be doing their best to catch on your dress and skin.... so we took the bride into the spot very carefully, and once there, made sure she didn't have to move about too much.
Secondly, the light in a woodland when it's in leaf is either very dark, or dappling with bright spots, depending on whether the sun is out or not. Either way, neither of these are going to give you the beautiful light you want... so it's generally necessary to use additional off camera lighting, such as I did in this shot, to get a wonderful portrait.
I love love LOVE woodlands - to me, they are romantic, mysterious, endlessly beautiful. So if you can incorporate them into your wedding day, do so! With a little forethought and planning, you'll have wonderful woodland wedding portraits, too.