Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer
Wedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographerWedding photograph by Martin Hemsley, wedding photographer

Photographs you will treasure, from a day like no other

Photographic Memory - 'Houston We Have A Problem'

See older blogs in my
Blog Archive>

Friday
,
21
November 2014

There are some lucky people who have photographic memories, but many don't, including this wedding photographer. A classic case of this was recently. At the end of last month my wife and I went away on holiday. We were celebrating one of her big number birthdays (ending in a zero), and also our tenth wedding anniversary. So it had been planned for a long time and in a very meticulous manner. We were going to visit one of her sisters and family in Houston Texas, and then have a weekend in New York on the way home to the UK. The day of our departure came, and the office was locked before leaving Warwickshire behind us.

Wedding-Photographer-3

This was going to be one epic trip. One reason being that we had never been on a long haul flight together as a couple. Another reason was that we had plenty organised, including a tour of downtown Houston on a Segway. If you've never seen one of these before, they are basically a motorised scooter type thing that you balance on. It's such a fun way of moving around, and much faster - and uses less effort - than walking. If you ever get the chance, I'd highly recommend it. We hired a guide for the morning and went whizzing around in the hot (29C in October!) Texan sunshine.

Wedding-Photographer-1
Wedding-Photographer-2

The world seemed to flash past us due to the speed. I did my best to take some photos whilst 'balancing' on the Segway, and really glad I did. This was because when backing up the images later that evening, I had a quick look through and reminded myself what a great day it had been.

Also planned was a visit to the incredible NASA Johnson Space Centre. We went on a tour and saw a few rockets, a space shuttle and even inside the Apollo Mission Control Room. It was an amazing visit due to all things space related.

Wedding-Photographer-4
Wedding-Photographer-5
Wedding-Photographer-6
Wedding-Photographer-7

Whilst away in Texas I didn't have a chance to edit the images, just back them up, often not necessarily looking through them. So a few days after returning from the USA I went through them. I was quite surprised at how many there were; I had forgotten what had been taken, and also certain details from many of the images. How come only a week later could my memory fail me? Had my brain turned to mush after experiencing an American Halloween evening?

Wedding-Photographer-8
Wedding-Photographer-9
Wedding-Photographer-10
Wedding-Photographer-11

In hindsight, and after talking to my wife, we reckoned it was because so much was going on in such a short amount of time. This was also confirmed in New York. We had only two nights booked into a hotel, yet there was plenty we wanted to see. The list included a ride in a few yellow cabs, a helicopter flight, a visit to Times Square and then a trip to the top of the Empire State Building at sunset. The list continued: a walk up and down Wall Street, a subway ride, shopping on 5th Avenue, a visit to Ground Zero and a walk around Central Park. That was one heck of a lot to do over two days.

Wedding-Photographer-12

(Harriet with a warming cup of tea on the top of our hotel before breakfast)

Wedding-Photographer-13

It was all a very interesting experience, and a bit of a noisy blur some of the time. And again when we got home and started looking through the images, it was clear neither of us had photographic memories. "Ok Martin, what on earth has this blog post got to do with Wedding Photography" I hear you ask. Absolutely everything.

Wedding-Photographer-14
Wedding-Photographer-15
Wedding-Photographer-16

We soon realised it was because our feet hardly touched the ground. So much was happening over such a short time. One of the things couples say to me when we all meet up after their wedding day, is that how quickly the day went for them; it was non-stop. There is so much going on, and so many people for them to try and talk to. When going through their photos it is not uncommon to hear the words 'Oh, I'd forgotten about that'.

Wedding-Photographer-17
Wedding-Photographer-18

(Image above - This was taken at Ground Zero, a very sobering experience)

Wedding-Photographer-19

There are so many things about photography that I love. However essentially and most importantly, it is a very effective way of recording events such as holidays and weddings. Having a wedding photographed is a way of recording the day for the rest of your life. 'Memories fade, photographs last forever' is a well used phrase.

Wedding-Photographer-20
Wedding-Photographer-21

(How's that for a view at the 86th and 102nd floor from the Empire State Building?)

Harriet and I went through the photos together at the weekend and have made a shortlist of images from our holiday that we plan to get printed, framed and hung in our little house here in Leamington Spa. Not sure we'll choose any of these street performers in Central Park though. However they were very entertaining in their loud, strong American accents !?!

Wedding-Photographer-22
Wedding-Photographer-23
Wedding-Photographer-24
Wedding-Photographer-25
Wedding-Photographer-26

Apologies that this article is about our indulgent holiday, and you were expecting a blog post about a wedding. Click here for a link to the blog archive page where you can find plenty of weddings to browse. If you enjoyed this article, you might like another from last year on a similar subject with a slight twist, click here for the link. Feel free to share away on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google+ using the social media icons below. Or leave a comment below, it would be great to hear from you. Have a great week everyone, and don't forget, 'Live With Passion'. Martin.

Read previous/next blog article: