After 4 years of development the Canon 5D Mark III digital SLR was released to the relief of many a wedding photographer only a few weeks ago. Surprisingly the camera was available to buy also immediately and I decided to take the plunge.

As a busy London Wedding Photographer I didn’t want to test the camera at a real wedding so decided to put the camera through its paces before and see how much of the new or improved functionality I will actually use. There’s lots of talk on the web of a two stop ISO improvement over the 5DMark II which in my opinion is exaggerated however still a considerable improvement, perhaps one stop.

One thing that is a remarkable difference is the new autofocus which is fantastically quick. This use to be the thing I really struggled with on the Mark II. I missed many a shot during the reception whilst the camera hunted for focus. Not any more.

I decided to use two churches in Central London today for my tests as I knew they would be a challenge due to very low light levels. As a wedding photographer in the London and Kent area I often have to deal with low light situations. So I was particularly interested in testing the higher ISO and the also the new HDR function. Normally I never go above 3200 ISO at a wedding so was hoping to see an improvement in noise at this level.

Most of these images you will see  I have applied Lightroom 4 Noise Reduction as this is my normal workflow. Later on in the blog I will show two images one straight out of camera versus the same image with Lightroom 4 Noise Reduction applied.  (n.b. Lightroom 4.1 is currently only a release candidate so this also reviews the RAW processing and noise reduction in Lightroom.)

Image 1, taken at ISO3200 on my 16-35mm Canon lens at 18mm, F2.8 and 1/60Sec. I wanted to see how the camera dealt with a high contrast scene that many of us wedding photographers will face. The dynamic range looks a considerable improvement over the Mark II:

 

Image 2, this shot was taken at ISO12800, 16mm F2.8 1/100sec:

 

Image 3, is the same image as number 2 however using the new inbuilt HDR, set at +/-3 stops and effect set to Art Vivid

 

 

Image 4, again ISO 12800:

 

Image 5 is another example of in camera HDR at ISO12800

 

 

Image 6, dropping the ISO to 2000:

 

Image 7… back to ISO12800

Image 8, HDR of Image 7

 

 

Image 9&10 are more examples of in-camera HDR at ISO12800

 

 

Image 11 is at ISO 3200 HDR

 

 

Image 12 is a normal image at ISO3200, F2.8 and 1/80 sec

 

 

So the following images you will see are taken at the following ISO settings

 

ISO1000

ISO 2500

ISO 3200

ISO 4000

ISO 5000

ISO 6400

ISO 8000

ISO 10000

ISO12800

ISO 16000

ISO 20000

ISO 25600

ISO 51200

ISO 102400

I have given you the straight out of camera images followed by the same image after noise reduction, as I imagine most of us wedding photographers will apply noise reduction. Click on the images for larger versions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In summary what we have with the Canon 5D Mark III is fantastic wedding photography camera. It feels much more solid than the Mark II and the new improved autofocus alone is worthy of the upgrade IMHO. At a wedding I would be prepared to use ISO25600 for shots of the interior of the church but not of people. I will be happy to go to ISO 6400 include people and perhaps ISO12800, which is two stops more than the Mark II… this is a combination of the camera and noise reduction in LR4. I think ISO25600 is the limit for the Canon 5D Mark III, anything beyond this becomes unusable.

I am excited about the HDR functionality as I often like to do slide-shows at the end of a wedding and normally I would have to do the HDR conversion in software so this will save me time.

I love the fact that I can now set the minimum shutter speed, hopefully Canon will update the software so the functionality allows us to set the minimum shutter speed by 1/3 stops rather than whole stops. But for now this is great.

The new controls do take a bit of getting use to… for example the on/off switch has moved and there is a now a lock on the controller.. this is great as before I have, by accident, knocked the camera into a custom mode or TV…. I would highly recommend getting use to the camera before a real wedding.

So that’s it really for me, I hope the test/review has been useful.

 

Iain

Well, it’s the retro look and the vintage inspired wedding dresses they wore on their special day!

So, why a sudden craze for vintage inspired wedding dresses? Just because the celebrities are wearing them, right! Wrong! Admitted, celebrities do inspire, but there’s something about vintage wedding dresses that do not need celebrities for publicity. In fact, they are the celebrities in their own right.

Right from the time they start visualising their wedding, girls have this notion of getting decked up like a princess in one of those retro looks and walk the aisle with their prince charming. Blame it on television, Internet, and other media, but little girls do fantasise about their wedding day and how they’ll look in one of those chic wedding dresses. It’s here that Lily Allens and Kate Middletons capture the imagination of young minds and take them on a fantasy trip where the retro look is given a new meaning in the shape of vintage wedding dresses.

Another inspiration for the girls is the wedding album of their mum, who looked her resplendent best in the vintage look. If you have the leisure of family heirloom, then try out what your mum wore, but chances are that the dress will either not fit you or somehow it won’t suit you the way you want it to. Perhaps, it’s time to browse through those perfect vintage wedding dresses designed and collected by a reliable designer company, like London-based The Vintage Wedding Dress Company.

The most important feature of an impressing vintage wedding dress is the choice and use of colour in the dress. White, though universal, often gives out a monotonous look. The modern designers have the advantage of hindsight. They have the leisure of having seen the works of retro designers as well as the modern wedding dress designers. In other words, they know the expectations of modern girls. So, don’t be surprised by the choice of neo, yet complementary, colours in the vintage inspired wedding dresses housed by The Vintage Wedding Dress Company. Beige, romantic ivory, peach, and the like colours are the ones that define your wedding dress and differentiate it from the usual.

It’s not that your vintage wedding dress is sufficient to create that retro look. You still need to embellish it with the complementary accessories in order to compete with the likes of Kate Middleton and Lily Allen. The good thing about a vintage inspired wedding dress shop, like the one established by The Vintage Wedding Dress Company, is their collection of original Victorian-era and through to the 1970′s gowns and accessories that have been cleaned with a special cleaner, which restores them to their original beauty. These accessories can be customised and tailored to suit your requirements.

Once you have selected your vintage wedding dress, don’t forget to hire a professional and qualified London wedding photographer who can make you look even more gorgeous with his special expertise with the camera.

If you live in the UK or planning to get married here, there are no shortages of unique wedding ideas to make your day historic. While you may be inclined to celebrate your wedding with the usual pomp and gay abandon – much like most of the weddings happening around UK, yet you must ponder over the thought of making your wedding a unique affair by doing something that is unusual and surprisingly pleasant for everyone present. Not for a moment am I suggesting that the wedding should be a dull affair. However, the effort should be to make it an unforgettable event for the guests as well as yourself.

The time spent on searching for and implementing unique UK wedding ideas is worth its weight in gold. It will continuously ring in happy memories when you are in a flashback mode or gripped by nostalgia. In the subsequent paragraphs, I will discuss some unique UK wedding ideas in the subsequent paragraphs that can turn you into an object of envy for every married couple you know, who had a ‘usual’ marriage.

However, to eternalise your unique wedding, a professional wedding photographer is a must. A wedding photographer in London should be given preference over others simply because London wedding photography is known to be the most competitive in the country.

Due to its metropolitan character, London is home to some of the finest wedding photographers in the world. The city gives them an opportunity to explore different cultures. For instance, an Asian marriage is quite different from a typical Christian wedding. This cultural potpourri gives London wedding photography ample opportunities to excel and show its vibrant hues in myriad forms.

The first unique wedding idea is to select a venue that represents culture and heritage of UK. The country is replete with castles, manors, and old mansions that are well-preserved by their caretakers. Instead of usual resorts and wedding halls, you can opt for such royal venues to give a pleasant surprise to the guests

Another out-of-the-box UK wedding idea is to pick unique timing of your marriage. For instance, 4:10 PM on October 4 (4/10) could etch in the memories of all the guests present so that they never forget to wish you on your anniversary.

The guests could be given a thank you gift in the form of a finely embroidered handkerchief with the names of bride and groom along with date of marriage etched on it. Alternatively, a coffee mug with the names of bride and groom along with date of marriage printed on it could also be given as a token of gratitude.

Why not hire a wedding photojournalist who is trained to capture the wedding as it happens without disturbing the normal flow of things? This could be a welcome relief from the monotonous wedding photographers who insist on posed photography resulting in disrupting the natural flow of events.

Put your thinking cap on and you’ll find hundreds of creative and unique UK wedding ideas floating around. After finalising your wedding idea, don’t forget to hire a professional and qualified wedding photographer in London who will give life to your plans of having a dream wedding.

The website belongs to Glasgow, Scotland based wedding and event planning business, Plans and Presents, owned and managed by Alison Tinlin. In just two years of its existence, Alison has led the business to the finals of Best Wedding Planner Category in The Wedding Ideas Awards 2011. The website is nicely categorised with easy navigation to its different pages. The services offered include wedding planning, event planning, and related bespoke services.

Important events in life carry a special significance. These events are celebrated not because the people involved are looking for a get-together to party. On the contrary, occasions, such as weddings, civil partnership, anniversaries, birthdays, christening, baby showers, bridal showers, retirements, family reunions, communions, etc. have important significance in their lives and they want to celebrate such occasions with their loved ones.

Wanting to celebrate an occasion is fine, but planning, managing and executing the event successfully is a challenge that is better left to the experts lest you run the risk of ruining your special occasion. This is where Alison’s Plans and Presents wedding and event planning business can help you by taking your worries and delivering perfectly planned event.

The services and the charges are clearly demarcated so that the users may know the exact bifurcation of the amount they’ll be spending on planning their event. The flexible packages ensure there is something on offer for everyone. For instance, you can hire Plans and Presents for simple research (of suppliers and venues) to complete wedding and event planning and coordination from the scratch.

Generally, the event planners do not offer bespoke services, like guest management, personal shopping, or wedding gown sourcing day, etc. All these may seem trivial, but can take lots of your limited time. The legwork involved, contacting the reputed suppliers, negotiating, etc., can exhaust you to the point where you may start looking for a postponement of the event, which is not an option. Alison does all this and much more to ensure that your day brings lots of joy and happiness on the faces of those gracing the occasion.

While planning for an event, you must’ve felt a sense of loneliness – a suggestion crosses your mind: “Why am I slogging it out when the world is enjoying out there?” Basically, you need emotional support and constant encouragement, which may or may not be forthcoming from your partner, to pull off the event. During such depressive times, hiring a friendly, supportive, encouraging, helpful, and understanding wedding and event planning expert makes a lot of sense.

Not all event managers possess the appropriate qualities required to transform the worries and fears of the host into a copybook-style planned event, which is not just impressive for the guests, but also becomes a template for organising similar events. By being a finalist in the Best Wedding Planner Category in The Wedding Ideas Awards 2011 within just two years of their existence, Plans and Presents has certainly struck all the right chords.

www.plansandpresents.co.uk

I see today that night time weddings will be allowed in the future… about time too…

Night time wedding photography will certainly be fun and challenging for wedding photographers as many who are scared of the thought of creative flash photography will need to learn fast, if to compete in this new market.

As a wedding photographer in London I have no doubt there will be some amazing opportunities to creating unique wedding photos. I am already thinking of photos of the sun setting in the background on Summers evening. Or dramatic night skys like the one featured here.

I can’t wait….

I was spending a little bit of time browsing the internet for wedding dresses, not because I want one just because they are so beautiful and it’s quite cleansing for the soul to look at beautiful things whether you intend to buy them or like just like looking at outrageously priced diamonds, you will probably never own them but it doesn’t hurt to window shop.

Well I found what I can only be described as my ultimate soul cleanser, it is the beauty of a wedding dress by Marchesa that is not a meringue but beautifully fitted in all the right places and  that has just enough of crystals on display, it is 100% silk which means it moves like a dream, I have never seen such a perfect wedding dress, I’m thinking about arranging a wedding just so that I can buy and wear this dress, of course such a dress does not and should not come cheap so I may have to do some saving but wouldn’t it be worth it.

I’m hoping I’m not alone in thinking this wedding dress is absolutely amazing so I thought I would share it with everyone and if any of you lucky brides chose this dress for their wedding then I would love to see your photos or better still Iain could photograph your wedding, the images would be nothing less than stunning.   

To find out what has made me this excited visit this website and see for yourself, be sure to play the video as this dress really does move beautifully 

Keep watching this blog because I indeed to update on all little treasures I can find on weddings to give brides and grooms some ideas.