The seasons are reflected in the different settings and light that surround us. I try to catch the spirit of the environment because it gives the day a special look and feel that no other day has, when you add the light and surroundings and people together.

Spring weddings
I always feel that this time of year is a wake up call - after the long dark nights of winter and the cold air surrounding us, there is change and we embrace it. I use this feeling and notion of newness and freshness in my photographs and what better time to photograph a new beginning than at a wedding. You still get great sunrises and sunsets as the sun still sits low, but the sky is clearing now, becoming bluer and giving more light - which every photographer likes. The new light means you see new things and creates new ideas; perfect for the spontaneity of wedding photography.

Photographing weddings at the height of their 'season' is always excellent for any photographer. The combination of light and freshness created by the timing of the sun and early summer is great for any photographer to play with. The days are warmer and longer now and the light reflects those qualities.

Summer weddings
I find that summer weddings usually lend themselves to quite punchy vibrant images. Lots of energy and fun. The romantic light is found in the shade, where twinkles or droplets of light are used to highlight subjects, while keeping away the harshness of the strong light out in the open. The days are longer, and so more light is available, meaning that more natural light can be used for a summer wedding, along with more time at the end of the day.  

Autumn weddings
At first I’m reminded that it’s getting darker, and on a personal note I say good-bye to the light that surrounds me.  Then I remember that a new light is born at this time of year, only seen at the crack of dawn and as the suns goes to bed.  The skies get more dramatic too. I completely get into the leaf-kicking mood, colourful and playful. I also get the realisation that the holidays are coming, like the advert for cola, it hits me, and I get excitement deep down. My birthday is in October you see - and from then on it's festive right up until January, all the bonfires, fireworks and twinkling lights affect me. I use available light as much as possible in my photography, but more importantly I like to mix available light with tungsten-created light. So imagine a garden wreathed in fairy lights: I would use them as a backdrop and photograph my subject under some natural light.  Maybe blurring the background so the lights look more like stars in the sky. 

Winter weddings
A completely new approach to photography, instead of many hours of strong natural light, you are now limited to a few hours of daytime light, of much less strength. I now use flash to help fill the daylight, when the natural light intensity is not enough.

What is awesome about winter is the really long sunset you get, and earlier on too, usually just in time for photos after ceremonies. They are a different kind of sunset to summer ones, warmer and gentle in terms of their appearance in photos.  Other effects occur during winter weddings that I am sure to take advantage of: a soft light that is sometimes diffused by mist; hard raindrops; and umbrellas as a scene setter. 

Light and weather
I use light and props and even the weather around me to create a mood of beauty and romance.  The key is to establish a scene, a feeling, such as the mood when you're on a beach wiggling your toes in the sand, your eyes are closed, you can hear the sea, and children playing, fine voices carried by the mild breeze, and life feels pretty good. Or when you are walking through town and you see the Christmas lights twinkle, and your local Santa on his sleigh with real deer... And you think for one moment it's all true, and he can fly - and just for a second things are perfect.

That level of excitement and content I compare to romance. And I use those feelings to create photographs that I feel reflect what I am seeing and therefore feeling. A wedding photographer has an important and vital task, the critical one of capturing one day for ever, and it needs to be done with feeling.