The Money Shot is like the all-important one – which if we get it right, could help the client make a lot of money over the years to come.
Well today I’m going to show one of the first images which made me realise, that what we do, is often more than just turn-up and take some pictures – which then made me realise that charging for just one’s time to take pictures, was all wrong – as that part, is often only a small part of the work involved. Especially when it comes to producing the Money Shots.
Because creating such images can often start days or even weeks before the shoot – in one’s head – as you plan ahead to ensure you get it right on the day.
Anyway, in this case, since I’d already been out to this hotel a few months before to recce it and talk to the marketing people – then that’s really when I started to create the image.
Which in this case was to be a picture of a bridal couple standing out on the balcony at the Redcastle Hotel – which as you can see here…
.. overlooks Lough Foyle on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal.
We do occasionally get some sunshine in Ireland between the rain showers – and so, in this case the image that I had in my head was of the couple standing on the balcony with the sun setting behind them – which I reckoned would look very romantic – or should I say: that would be the ideal image to help them sell the dream to any young couple who would be thinking of getting married here.
Anyway, as chance would have it on the morning of our first day, I woke to see this beautiful sunrise…
.. so I took a few quick handheld shots of it from my bedroom window.
And then later on, just after breakfast, I took a few more which looked like this…
.. which I also thought may work as a background – IF when we came to the actual shoot, it just wasn’t what I had been hoping for.
So I was starting to piece the image together hours beforehand – and I’m sure glad I did – because as you can see here…
.. by the time we were ready to shoot, it wasn’t looking so good.
Still, I had this picture in my head – even if it wasn’t in front of me – and so with all the lights set-up and the camera in place, the final touches were added to the bride & groom…
.. by Kathleen & her assistant.
Wasn’t quite as I had imagine…
.. but by adding a touch of warmth…
.. I reckoned this was as good as it was going to get.
Not exactly a Money Shot I hear you say – but then came the part that nobody sees, which was the image in my head from weeks ago.
Which in this case I did two versions of – this ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’ one…
.. which I personally loved the look of; however, knew it may not be right for them – and this one…
.. which was very close to how I’d pictured it beforehand.
The Money Shot – which I reckoned was worth a lot more to them, than all the other shots we did that week put together – as seen here in this magazine…
(Double page spread ad in the Spring 2006 issue of the Wedding Journal magazine)
.. as well as in almost every other media too, even to this every day…
.. as seen here on their current website.
So for all those brides who have asked their photographers to recreate this image over the years – now you know why they struggled to do so – because although it is real, it was only ever real in my head, which was then later created 
From Marie, Bradley & me at the Redcastle Hotel, on the Inishowen Peninsula of County Donegal, creating images… just for you.
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