A Freezing Bridal Session :: Lessons Learned the Hard Way

Who decided that the end of a Scottish January would be ideal timing for an outdoor bridal shoot? Yes, me and no, it definitely wasn't ideal. We did hair and make up in Costa and ran out for the fastest freezing bridal session ever! I literally feel chilly when I look through the images from that session. My super sweet model, Louise, had goosebumps, chattering teeth (=stiff jaw muscles) and frozen limbs (=stiff poses) and numb fingers which turned red almost the instant we walked outside. 


To celebrate the May sunshine that is currently gracing my windowsill I've decided to share three images from that January shoot that don't make me shiver too much. 

In retrospect, this shoot gave me a few little tricks for my back pocket that I can pull out for my future winter weddings. 

1. If possible, bring a hot water bottle for my bride to cuddle in between shots. 
2. Bring hand/toe warmers that can be slipped into her shoes/pockets or held between her hands and the stem of the bouquet.
3. Avoid alleyways and the beach where the windchill is worst. 
4. If only shooting half of the body, keep the other half covered with blankets/jackets. 
5. Shoot indoors! That makes life simple!

Despite the difficult conditions, Louise was amazing! As we were walking to West Sands we passed by this awesome blue door that looks through to the grassy quad outside of the St. Andrews University library. When I saw it, I had that niggly little poke of inspiration that told me I could stick the bouquet through the grate. It's so easy to ignore that gut creative instinct but I always regret it when I do so...I hollered to Louise to wait up while I followed a creative whim and here we go.... It's not the best bouquet photo in the world but I think it's kinda cool and if nothing else, it's a testament to that dedication to let inspiration lead the way (always a useful reminder for me).

xoxo