Fred and Claire’s Aston Hall Wedding | Sheffield Wedding Photographer
There are some wedding days where you arrive at a venue for the first time and immediately start looking around, spotting photographs everywhere. Fred and Claire’s wedding at Aston Hall in Sheffield was definitely one of those days.
This was my first time photographing a wedding at Aston Hall, and with beautiful summer sunshine, plenty of outdoor space and a couple who clearly knew how to enjoy themselves, it turned into a cracking day to photograph.
A Summer Wedding at Aston Hall
Fred and Claire’s wedding had such a lovely relaxed feel to it from the start. There was no shortage of laughter, and that is always something I love to see through the camera. You can create beautiful portraits and find amazing locations, but for me, the photographs that really tell the story of a wedding are often the ones where people simply forget that I’m there.
That was very much the case with these two.
One of my favourite photographs from the day is actually one of the simplest. Fred and Claire are walking together through the long grass, holding hands and looking at each other with huge smiles on their faces. There is nothing forced about it. They are just enjoying a few minutes together away from everything else happening around them.
That is exactly what I want from my wedding photography. Natural moments, genuine expressions and photographs that actually feel like the people in them.
Making the Most of the Aston Hall Grounds
As a wedding photographer, working at a venue for the first time is always exciting. I don’t arrive with a list of photographs that I want to recreate. I prefer to explore, look at the light and see what the day gives me.
The grounds at Aston Hall gave us plenty to work with.
We used the long summer grass to create some really soft, natural photographs of Fred and Claire together, but I also wanted to show the scale of the surroundings. One of the wider photographs of them standing beneath the huge tree is a perfect example of that.
Sometimes the couple don’t need to fill the frame. By stepping back and allowing the landscape to become part of the photograph, you create something completely different. Fred and Claire are relatively small within the image, but that is exactly what makes it work.
Then, of course, there was the sunshine.
When you get strong summer sun, you can either fight against it or use it. I decided to use it.
Getting down low and photographing directly towards the sun created one of my favourite portraits from the day, with Fred and Claire almost in silhouette and the sunlight bursting through between them. It is a completely different feel from the bright, natural photographs in the long grass, and that variety is something I always try to give my couples.
A Wedding Day Full of Personality
What really comes through in Fred and Claire’s wedding photographs, though, is their personalities.
There are beautiful portraits, of course, but there is also Fred celebrating with both arms in the air during the ceremony and the two of them walking back down the aisle surrounded by their family and friends.
Those moments matter just as much to me.
Wedding photography should never just be about taking couples away for photographs. It is about everything happening around them too. The reactions, the laughter, the people they have chosen to share the day with and all those little moments that can easily disappear in the excitement of a wedding.
My job is to notice them.
I have always described myself as a storyteller with a camera, and every wedding has its own story. Fred and Claire’s was full of smiles, sunshine, laughter and a lot of genuine happiness.
My First Wedding at Aston Hall in Sheffield
Being my first time working as a wedding photographer at Aston Hall, I also have to mention the team behind the day.
A huge thank you to Jade, Fred and Claire’s wedding coordinator, and all of the staff at Aston Hall. Everyone worked incredibly hard behind the scenes to keep everything running smoothly, and from a photographer’s point of view, that makes such a difference.
A good wedding coordinator is often doing a hundred things that most people never even notice, and Jade and the team were brilliant throughout the day.
I always enjoy photographing weddings at new venues because it keeps me creatively on my toes. Rather than falling into familiar habits, I am looking at everything with fresh eyes — finding the light, exploring the grounds and working out how I can use a location to create something that feels individual to the couple.
Aston Hall certainly gave me plenty to work with, and I would happily return to photograph another wedding there.
Relaxed and Natural Wedding Photography in Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Fred and Claire’s wedding is a great example of the way I approach a wedding day.
I don’t want couples to spend hours posing for the camera. I want them to enjoy their wedding.
Yes, we will disappear for a little while and create some beautiful portraits, but even then I want things to feel relaxed. Walk together. Talk to each other. Have a laugh. Forget about me whenever possible.
The rest of the time, I am looking for the real moments.
That might be a huge smile during the ceremony, a reaction from a family member, someone laughing during a speech or something completely unexpected happening in the corner of the room.
Those are the photographs that bring a wedding gallery to life.
Fred and Claire made that part of my job particularly easy. They were completely natural together, and their wedding at Aston Hall was a fantastic day to be part of.
Congratulations again, Fred and Claire, and thank you for trusting me to tell the story of your day.
Call | Text | WhatsApp - 07739121743 | Email
