Rushton Hall, Northamptonshire
Dating back as far as 1438 Rushton Hall is a graceful testament to craftsmanship and design and owned originally by Sir John Tresham and his family. Everything here is on a grand scale! Enter through the huge timber doors; be astounded by gorgeous stained glass windows in the Great Hall and humbled by the feeling of space and history that surrounds you.
Its history is certainly no less grand or interesting than the building itself, with Sir John Tresham risking everything to harbour Catholic priests in what were very dangerous times, whilst his son Francis Tresham was implicated in the Gunpowder Plot of 1604. Of course no historical wedding venue should be without a ‘legend’ and whilst this story is bitter sweet it’s a ‘must know’ that apparently the idea for the Great Hall in Statis House, where Miss Haversham had her wedding breakfast laid out in Charles Dickens ‘Great Expectations’, was conceived whilst staying here. No doubt the celebrations held here now are more joyful!
This gorgeous venue is certainly high on my list of places where I would most love to photograph a wedding
The opportunities to capture great images are often at their best in unusual or historic locations, so I thought I would share with you the top three questions that are typically asked by my couples when they have booked their day and are looking for a photographer, particularly when it is such a historic venue. So, here goes:
- Have you photographed at this venue before?
- Flash photography isn’t allowed in the room where we are having the ceremony, will this be a problem?
- How will you know the best locations to take romantic photographs on our day?
I have worked at many venues worldwide and sometimes it may be that I haven’t photographed at your venue. That isn’t a problem though as I will, whenever possible, either visit the venue beforehand with you or visit by myself to have a walk round and explore. It’s really exciting to discover the ‘secrets’ that a new venue reveals and which enable me to capture the beautiful images on your day that tell your story.
I work predominantly with available light so rarely have to or want to use flash. Many rooms in historic venues don’t allow flash photography so as to protect the often priceless art and furniture in the rooms. Both historic and contemporary venues can appear quite dark at different times of day, particularly in winter or if the room is facing North. To compensate for what can be quite varying light conditions, I use very advanced Nikon camera bodies and lenses with which I use my expertise to adjust, to be able to capture your ceremony without resorting to flash photography.
The way in which I work is very documentary, in the sense that I capture your day as it unfolds, focusing on the wonderful interactions that occur between you both and between you and your guests, so location isn’t always important. Of course I do a ‘walkabout’ with couples if they want to and for that I will have already explored the best locations at the venue to do this and to enable me to capture some amazing shots.
Looking for a photographer for your wedding at Rushton Hall?