What is your most memorable wedding?
My own wedding to Jan - obviously! Apart from that, Nicky and Arran's wedding back in 2007 at Great Fosters, Egham is one we always refer back to as we still have some of their classic photographs in our portfolio. Just before Nicky came up the aisle, Arran looked up to the heavens and that image makes everyone smile. Their first dance switched from Van Morrison to MC Hammer, in the days before surprise dances became commonplace. We've had their growing family in the studio for baby and family portrait sessions and seen them many times at friends and families weddings based on our photographs and their glowing recommendations.
Describe your style in 5 adjectives.
Natural, contemporary, stylish, friendly & fun.
What about your business are you most proud of?
Every week we get to show a bride and groom their wedding photographs and see the looks on their faces when they see how fantastic they look, and how fabulous their wedding photographs are. Before the wedding many brides are nervous about how they will look and we love seeing their reactions to the final results.
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
Don't try and fit too much into the day, allow time to relax, stand back and take it all in. Enjoy your day - it will go so quickly! And remember that if at the end of the day you have married the love of your life, in front of your family and friends, then the day has been perfect!
What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?
Montage boards showing home photos of the bride and groom growing up from children are always nice. The bride presenting the groom with a new electric guitar just after their first dance and telling him he was then to play with the band for the next set (he loved it!). The look on the groom's face when he opened his present from his bride as he got dressed and saw it was a Rolex - you could see he had been completely over spent and was trying to work out how he could get another present for her before the wedding! :-)
Describe your typical process with a couple.
We meet or chat on the phone to discuss your plans for the day, how we work and what we will aim to achieve together. This is to ensure we have a good common understanding and we are a good fit for each other so we will get on well on the day. The pre-wedding shoot builds up our relationship so that on the day you are relaxed about your wedding photography and not worried about how you will look in the photographs.
What is the No. 1 photo that you think every couple should take?
A discreetly taken shot during the wedding ceremony when you are both looking deeply into each other's eyes, or laughing at each other, either way the result will be an emotional image you will always treasure.
What is the most original photo you’ve been asked to take at a wedding?
The bride's brother had been teaching children in Japan and wanted a specific photo based on a Dragonball Z cartoon. The bride pretended to hold a powerful orb in her hands and direct the power beam towards him. He jumped backwards in the air and the resulting image taken from low ground level is eye catching and it made his day when we printed it out for him during the wedding breakfast.
What do you recommend for a rainy day wedding?
Well... we have a set of big white golfing umbrellas! These work well for the occasional shower but we do bring a set of studio lights with us so that if you have to take the group photos indoors then we can. Our advice to you is that if you keeping smiling then people will smile back at you and the photographs will look great. It also helps if you have a venue with a bit of character, nice fire places and staircases rather than plain magnolia walls.
Describe how you got into photography.
It was always a hobby from a young age but I had a career in IT and never planned to become a full time wedding photographer. Fate intervened when our next door neighbours asked if I would take their daughter's wedding photographs (they had seen various photos I had taken so it wasn't a completely mad request!) The wedding went very well, the photographs were fantastic, and with some word of mouth and Adwords advertising, I had 30 weddings booked within a year. I didn't have time for a day job so I gave it up and did this instead.