Courtyard by Marriott Oxford South

The Courtyard by Marriott Oxford South is a modern hotel, and the thing that makes it worth photographing is the glass down one side of the event rooms. It puts soft daylight straight across the ceremony and the top table, so the light on people is flattering wherever they happen to be standing, and we can turn and catch a reaction the second it happens instead of hunting for a spot that lights them well. There’s a foliage wall inside that takes the family groups cleanly, which saves you lining everyone up outside in the weather. For couple portraits we went out to a lake with reeds and an archway of trees, a short drive away, and got the soft outdoor frames this couple wanted. In the evening the room changes completely: the lights go down, the coloured lighting comes up over the dance floor, and the first dance pictures look nothing like the daylight ones from earlier in the day.