Leicester Wedding Photographer Ian Bursill

Friday 3rd October – Prestwold Hall, Leicestershire. Two days before, I never thought that I would actually make it to this wedding! I was carrying a laser printer from one room to another and twisted to get through the door when all of a sudden my back went. The most amazing surge of sharp pain shot right up my spine and I ended up on the floor – luckily I somehow managed to save the printer from smashing into pieces.

For the next 15 minutes I experienced the most excrutiating pain when moving just millimetres in an effort to get up. No good. The paramedics were called and treated me to a good ol’ dose of laughing gas. Amazing stuff, I want some of this at home! This relaxed my muscles enough to enable me to get up and climb into the waiting ambulance where I was administered with a Morphine injection and whizzed off to Leicester Royal Infirmary. The only thing that I could think of was not being able to shoot the wedding of Chris & Lisa at one of my favourite venues. After a check-up on a side ward, a doctor discharged me with the diagnosis of a “bad muscle spasm” and nothing worse. He handed me a prescription for some industrial strength painkillers and off I hobbled.

Luckily, I have a network of photographer contacts and – by the end of the day – had managed to line up four emergency replacements who were all willing to shoot for me. I made the decision the following day that I would work through the pain barrier and shoot the wedding myself. As it turns out, the painkillers were so strong I hardly felt a twinge all day – and boy, what a glorious day!

The “Indian Summer” showed its kind face and provided some really dramatic light towards the end of the day.