Helis, Wellies and Jellies - A day in the life of a West Midlands Wedding Photographer

"May 4th 2.37pm - Looking up into the sky I can see the helicopter descending. Beads of sweat form on my bald patch as I sprint along a quiet West Midlands country lane. Camera kit bouncing all around my body, heart beating fast. A police car drives past me. The helicopter is getting closer to landing in the field. I check my watch and then notice that the Police car turns around and pulls up to the side of me with them looking curious. 'Everything OK Sir?'. I reply 'Hello Officer........."

"One week earlier April 26th 1.30pm - Driving away from the eurotunnel train my iPhone bursts into life with a number of emails squirting into my inbox. One reads 'Hi Martin I am the Mother of the Bride for the wedding you are covering next weekend, I need to talk to you ASAP.' I pull over in the car and make the call. 'Hi Martin, I've booked a surprise wedding present for Jenny and Will, it's a helicopter flight taking them from our Farm to their wedding reception at their Farm after the Church service. I would like you to capture their reactions when they see the helicopter. Oh, and you get to fly as well.' I punch the air with excitement and start mentally planning straight away."

How's that for a little snapshot into the life of a Wedding Photographer? And how cool was that to receive such a request? And whilst I'm asking questions, how cool is that as a wedding present? Everyone had to keep the helicopter flight a secret from Jenny and Will, otherwise the surprise was blown. And logistics had to be worked out regarding tractors and trailers, champagne on the journey, my car and all sorts of other things. But as ever, there are no problems in life, only solutions.

After the service and formal photos at the Church, I had to leave everybody five minutes before Jenny and Will left on their tractor and trailer. Then I had to get into position at a field where the helicopter would land, hence looking a little sweaty and odd in front of the Police Officers. All went according to plan, and I met up with Pippa the helicopter pilot just before the couple arrived.

It didn't take long before a number of friends and family arrived. Then suddenly we all saw the tractor and trailer appear down the country lane. The surprise worked a treat.

After a few photos, we were all helped into the helicopter by Pippa, taking special care of Jenny and her wedding dress. We clunked and clicked our belts and then found our headphones with microphone.

Whilst Pippa fired up the engine, and the rotor speed gradually increased, she explained that she was also a helicopter pilot trainer and examiner. You could say we were in very safe hands. We took off and hovered for a while waiting for permission from air traffic control to start the flight. After all we were only a few miles away from a rather busy Birmingham International Airport. Once permission was given, we banked and flew away, waving to the watching crowd below.

Jenny and Will couldn't stop smiling, it was amazing. I swear Pippa grinned the whole flight as well. What was really interesting was how many landmarks Jenny and Will recognised from the unusual viewpoint of being up in the helicopter. You wouldn't believe how many of their friends' farms they recognised. Will asked me to capture some of them on camera, and to be honest I struggled to pick out where they were. So with the 'No problems in life, only solutions' mantra, I handed Will my camera with the zoom lens on. I think he looks really professional, what do you reckon?

The flight was about 15 minutes in when we first spotted their Farm, and the field where we were going to land. Pippa gave us a quick tour of the grounds high above, and then performed a sharp banking turn on request from Will. Thanks for that Will !?!

The landing was perfect, fortunately not a Gooney Bird landing (search Youtube!). If I had a pound every time Jenny and Will said the word 'wow', I could retire happily. It was such a shame the flight was over, but it was time to move onto the next part of their day.

It was an amazing experience, and I'm sure one that Jenny and Will won't ever forget. And what a great surprise wedding present from Jenny's parents. Next week I'll blog another report about their wedding. Please feel free to leave a comment below, it's always lovely to hear from people and easy to do. You can also follow Martin Hemsley Photography on Facebook and Twitter by clicking on the icons at the top of this page.If you enjoyed reading this article, you might also like the blog post titled Vicar Of Dibley, which is another fun episode within a different wedding. Live With Passion everyone, and have a great weekend.