Neale James Wedding Photographer

“I'm fascinated by a documentary approach during the weddings I photograph. I see myself as a witness, if you like; the couples’ eyes. I don’t dictate the day or take hours away from a couple for formulaic posed photographs, I prefer to document what I see in real time. Emotionally, a wedding day is a truly special event and though it could be argued they all follow some kind of structure, it's the people that make these 'never to be repeated' occasions so unique. That's what drives me to work the way I do and photograph weddings in the fashion I do. During the few moments I’m called upon to photograph family or bridal portraits, I still choose to subtly record these legacy pictures so as not to impose. Six years ago I also began to record the sound from a day to play back within a stylised slideshow called the Wedding Photofilm. It's been an incredible privilege to pioneer this style of film, where stills and sound combine to create a kind of digital album by way of short movies and it's led to clients around the World commissioning me to make a documentary of their day. Our albums also champion a unique approach, where the speeches, readings, and ceremony are recounted as text within the display of pictures on each page. A documentary or reportage approach has and will continue to be a strong characteristic of how I work and I look forward to talking with more couples as they plan their own big day!