A florist friend of mine – JR Flowers – asked me to photograph arrangements she made for a wedding at Birkby House.

“I like the way you capture the true colors of flowers,” Shirley – the owner of JR Flowers – said. “This wedding is unique as the bride wants all fuchsia flowers for her reception arrangements.” And boy were these arrangements unique and a stark contrast to the white orchid bouquet Shirley made for the bride and the arch with its blush and white and greenery vibes.

For my photographer friends reading this, you know how extremely tricky it is to photograph anything in the red/hot pink category which is why I opted to use a flash set up to photograph these floral arrangements. White tents are great for bouncing flash, and there was a lot of natural light, but I wanted to preserve as much detail as possible with the flowers, which is why I added in an off-camera flash to the mix.

Not only was I able to photograph the colors properly, but the added brightness also allowed these images to be very on-brand as well. I could have gone the natural light method for photographing, but preserving the contrast of the flowers was deeply important to my client. Reds and pinks – when overexposed (AKA light and airy) can wash out the detail. Whites are hard to photograph as well for this reason.

After delivering the photos, Shirley messaged me immediately to let me know how happy she was with the way the photos turned out. A huge win for me as I will not lie, I was worried I didn’t do the flowers justice.

Below are a few photos of the arrangements and of Shirley! Shirley is a great soul and incredibly talented. Be sure to check out JR Flowers if you are looking for a wedding florist.