For a Worcestershire wedding photographer, the chance to shoot in such an extraordinary location as Witley Court was to good turn down. The tale of Witley Court is a sad, but a captivating one. The magnificent and palatial 19th century mansion was once famous for entertaining the English aristocracy in its grand and lavishly decorated ballroom. Unfortunately, in 1937, there was a terrible fire which caused, significant, but repairable damage to the house. Due to the insurance company failing to pay out for the damages, Witley Court had to be sold. The buyers happened to be scrap dealers, who then proceeded to strip out any valuable materials, leaving Witley Court in ruins. However, 77 years on, I selfishly used this old ruin a fascinating venue for an engagement shoot with the lovely Gemma & Sam. Who, even though they were a little apprehensive to begin with, were fantastic and warmed up to where I was going immediately. This is exactly what the engagement shoot is for, as it leave no surprises on the wedding day…and it shows people, actually, this isn’t that difficult!
Firstly, apologies to any non-photographers, as the next bit might be a little boring. This shoot was also the perfect opportunity from me to test drive the long anticipated, new XF 16-55mm f2.8 WR lens from Fuji. It was delivered to me last week and as I preordered it (sorry credit card), I have been fortunate enough to be among the first to have the chance to play with a production copy of this lens. With that in mind, I thought I would do my service as a good citizen of the world and share my experience of it so far.
At a wedding, I would normally carry lenses with me ranging from wide (10-24mm & 23mm), standard (35mm) through to short telephoto (56mm). With the news that the Fuji was releasing a 16-55mm f2.8 lens with the quality of a prime focal length lens, I was rubbing my hand together with the prospect of getting hold of this little beauty. This lens pretty much covers the entire range I work with during a wedding day and almost does a way with the need of having any other lenses. This lens is extremely versatile and does the lot! I might even be able to work the daytime part of a wedding with one camera, rather than my usual three. Gone will be the days of puzzling which camera I will pull from my Spider Holster. I found this lens to be very well put together, with a real emphasis on quality. The Fuji engineers seem to have put a lot of time into making this lens a very tactile experience, from the way it zooms, to the way each click of the aperture ring gives just the right amount of resistance. You always very aware you are holding a high end product. I have been shooting with only prime lenses (apart from the odd outing of the 10-24mm) for about a year now and I was slightly concerned how easily I would take to it. However, this lens was very intuitive and it felt very natural to work with. The focusing was fast and accurate and while I am not entirely convinced it is as sharp as my prime lenses, it was pretty bloomin’ close and as you can see below, it produces lovely results with fantastic image quality.

Worcestershire Wedding Photographer

Enjoy photography provided by Duncan Cox Photography.
Duncan Cox Photography is anything but your run of the mill Worcestershire wedding photographer. Every wedding is given the utmost care, attention, creativity and style which you will struggle to find elsewhere in the county of Worcestershire and surrounding areas.

Service Information

Duncan Cox Photography offers Worcestershire wedding photography coverage in the Worcestershire area, but will travel out to Warwickshire, West Midlands, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Herefordshire and indeed the entire UK and beyond. Call for more information.

Location Information

We are located conveniently in Pershore in Worcestershire and would happily take your call on 07774341610. If you prefer to email, it’s: duncan@dcphotographic.co.uk

---

Previous Post

A year in the life of a Worcestershire Wedding Photographer

Next Post

West Midlands wedding photography bathed in gorgeous winter sun