ART FROM ADVERSITY

When lockdown struck, photographers Chris Guthrie Scott and Gary Ferguson got extra creative.

Inspired by their mutual appreciation of chiaroscuro – the use of strong contrasts between light and dark – and the work of Australian photographer, Oli Sansom and Scotland’s very own Sean Bell, they planned an elopement shoot on the Ayrshire coastline.

The eagle-eyed among you may recognise model couple, Susie and Nonie. They’ve featured in WFIL a few times over the years – sharing their incredible love story, wedding planning journey and reflections on marriage. And Susie is now a wedding photographer herself!

Chris, can you tell us more about the inspiration behind the shoot?

Gary and I spoke about doing something for our own portfolios during lockdown (the first one I think – lost track!).

In spring 2021, I visited Wellington House on the Square and the venue very much fit that early vision – it’s a treasure trove of light and dark, and full of vintage items like the reading room with legal texts that are 200 years old!

We also wanted to do an outdoor shoot that could show off the coastline at Ayr as a possible elopement location.

How did you go about styling it?

Our styling was very much driven by a few elements – the venue and its colouring (dark and rich navy, greens and rich mahogany wood), the autumn season, and our model couple, Susie and Nonie’s style.

It was very much a collaboration between the four of us, the venue owner, Sharon and our wonderful florist, Annika.

We wanted to use the venue, the rugged coastline and Susie and Nonie’s personality to pull together the style of the shoot.

You look like you had a lot of fun Susie!

Doing the styled shoot was weird but brilliant! I think it’s good for photographers to be on the other side of the camera and feel how it feels for couples. But Gary and Chris made it feel like just a day out with pals, so we relaxed into it in no time and spent the day laughing.

They asked us to write down reasons why we love each other, which we read out during the ‘ceremony’ and it was actually really beautiful! Both of us cried!

I hadn’t expected to be transported back to our wedding day, so it was a lovely surprise.

So much to love. Christina x