Discreet documentary wedding photography is how I always describe my style. I’m not there to control the events of the day, I’d much rather document what I see happening before me. Now, it’s not always possible to completely disappear on a wedding day (I’m no wedding ninja per se) but I do work hard to make sure my presence is never felt to be intrusive. Intrusion goes against my whole ethos towards wedding photography and the feedback I always get from couples (and their guests) is that they were never really aware of me taking pictures throughout the day.

Being discreet doesn’t have to mean hiding behind tress or popping out of bushes with a long lens. By simply behaving like the guests do, and not running around photographing everything that moves, I’m able to adopt a calm and subtle persona and the other guests pay me little or no attention at all.

At this recent wedding at Wokefield Park in Berkshire, the brother of the bride and his little girl took a few minutes away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the wedding party. I took a slow, considered stroll to join them and discreetly framed my image to include a backdrop of Wokefield Park and all the other guests milling around outside. Symmetry is often important to me so I kept the father and daughter centrally in shot and positioned them lower down in frame to balance them and Wokefield Park with the wonderful dramatic sky overhead. It’s a sort of split composition which I feel balances really well.

My discreet approach to wedding photography allowed me to capture a few different pictures from this moment and this image was my favourite; dad clearly happy to sit and relax, daughter willing him to stand and play.

For photographers: Taken using a Canon 5D Mark III (silent shutter mode) with the new Canon 24mm-70mm f/2.8L Mark II @ 24mm.

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this image.