Crossbasket Castle Wedding Photographer
Crossbasket Castle Wedding Photographer
CrossBasket Castle
Crossbasket Castle is one of my favourite places to photograph a wedding.
There’s the castle, obviously. The gardens, the woodland, the river, the old stone, the darker interiors and all the little pockets of light you start noticing once you’ve spent a full day there.
But that’s not really why I love photographing weddings at Crossbasket.
It’s because you can make a gallery there that actually has some variety.
Some photographs can feel considered and editorial.
Others can be completely unplanned.
You can disappear for twenty minutes and make some portraits, then spend the rest of the afternoon drinking champagne with your friends while I get on with photographing what’s actually happening.
That’s my kind of wedding.
And this is one of my favourite Crossbasket Castle weddings I’ve photographed.
A Crossbasket Castle wedding
A Crossbasket Castle wedding
There are some venues that look incredible in photographs but don’t necessarily give you much to work with once the wedding actually starts.
Crossbasket isn’t like that.
The day moves through different spaces naturally, and each one gives you something different.
The castle has all the character you’d expect.
The grounds give you space to get away for a few minutes.
The river and woodland bring something darker and more atmospheric.
Then everything comes back together for dinner, speeches and eventually the dance floor.
That means the photographs can change with the day too.
And I think they should.
I don’t want your entire gallery to look like I took every photograph in the same five-minute period.
I want it to feel like a record of the whole thing.
The nerves.
The people.
The ridiculous bits.
The quiet bits.
The photographs you knew I was taking.
And the ones you didn’t.
Why I love photographing at Crossbasket Castle
The Castle
It’s hard to ignore the castle.
But I don’t really want to photograph it in the obvious way every time.
I’ll use the architecture when it works, but I’m more interested in finding the good light and waiting for something to happen inside it.
Sometimes that means a proper portrait.
Sometimes it’s someone walking through a doorway.
Sometimes it’s a completely accidental moment that happens to have an incredible background.
The castle gives us the setting.
We don’t need to force the photograph.
The Grounds
The grounds are where I like to slow things down a little.
Not for an hour.
Not for a massive production.
Just enough time to get you away from everyone for a minute.
You might walk around the grounds together.
We might stop somewhere because the light is ridiculous.
I’ll give you a bit of direction if you need it.
Then we’ll make a few photographs and head back.
That’s pretty much my approach to portraits everywhere.
I want them to feel like you, just photographed really fucking well.
The portraits
I think portraits matter.
I just don’t think they should take over your wedding.
If you want to spend an hour being photographed, there are photographers who will happily do that.
That’s not really my thing.
I’d rather have twenty minutes.
Enough time to get away from everyone.
Have a breather.
Maybe grab a drink.
Then make some photographs together.
I’ll direct you.
I’ll find the light.
I’ll tell you what to do when you need me to.
But I’m not going to turn your wedding into a fashion shoot.
The goal is to get photographs that feel elevated without making the experience feel overly produced.
90% candid. 10% badass portraits.
That’s basically it.
The
The moments in between
This is the part of a wedding day that I probably care about most.
The photographs that weren’t on the timeline.
Someone laughing during the speeches.
Your friends catching up at the bar.
A parent watching from across the room.
The five minutes before everyone sits down for dinner.
Someone sneaking outside.
The dance floor when everyone has completely forgotten about the photographer.
Those moments are impossible to plan.
Which is exactly why I like them.
I’m not looking for a wedding day full of perfect moments.
I’m looking for your moments.
The stuff that happened once.
The stuff you didn’t see.
The stuff you’ll probably be glad someone photographed.
From the castle to the dance floor
At some point, the elegant bit of the day disappears.
The speeches are over.
The drinks have been flowing.
Someone has requested a questionable song.
And suddenly the dance floor is completely packed.
That’s when I want to be right in the middle of it.
I’m not interested in standing at the edge taking the same photograph of everyone dancing.
I’ll get involved.
I’ll use flash.
I’ll move around.
I’ll look for reactions rather than just faces.
Because the party photographs should feel like the party felt.
A little chaotic.
A little ridiculous.
And hopefully a lot of fun.
What I want your Crossbasket Castle wedding photographs to feel like
I don’t want you to look through your gallery and just think:
“These are nice photographs.”
I want you to remember things.
A particular person.
A particular song.
Something someone said.
How nervous you were before the ceremony.
How much your face hurt from laughing.
How your friend somehow ended up dancing on a chair.
How good you felt when you walked back down the aisle.
That’s what photographs are for.
Not just proving that the flowers looked good.
Although I’ll photograph those too.
I want the gallery to feel like your wedding.
Beautiful where it deserves to be beautiful.
Messy where it was messy.
Funny where it was funny.
Quiet where it was quiet.
And full of the people who made the day what it was.
Getting Married At Crossbasket Castle
If you’re planning a wedding at Crossbasket Castle and want photographs that are relaxed, honest and a little more editorial when it matters, I’d love to hear from you.
You don’t need to spend your whole wedding being photographed.
You don’t need to know how to pose.
And you definitely don’t need to be good in front of a camera.
I’ll take care of that bit.
You just need to have a really good day.
I’ll photograph the rest.
