Libby & Ricky's Wedding Albrighton Hall
“And in the middle of my chaos, there was you.”
After a hectic summer I finally have some down time to reminisce over some of the beautiful wedding's and shoots I was able to be a part of over the past couple of months. This summer has been an exciting one for us, seeing the business launch into its first full wedding season, we have been lucky enough to capture some of the most lovely weddings, allowing us to meet some of the most amazing people along the way. Libby and Ricky's beautiful Shrewsbury wedding at the amazing Albrighton Hall Hotel was no exception. Libby was adorned in a beautiful gown by the incredible Georgina Scott Bridal for their beautiful blush and gold themed day as they wed surrounded by family and friends in the hotel's stunning reception room. I fell completely in love with both the wedding itself and Libby and Ricky, who's love shone through the tears as Libby walked down the isle, and who's strength was made visible as Ricky broke down in his speech about the ways Libby had supported him through hardship. It was, as always, a true honour to be a part of their special day, here are a few of my favourite shots.
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Lara and Chris's Farmhouse Engagement Session
A few weeks back I had the pleasure of heading over to Lara's family home, (where her wedding is happening tomorrow, eek!) to meet up with her and Chris for their pre-wedding shoot! We had so much fun photographing them, which included recreating 'American Gothic', getting the chickens and the dogs in on the action, and a few other completely off the cuff ideas from Chris, which made for some of the most beautiful moments I have ever captured, filled with so much laughter and fun. We were then welcomed into their home by their incredible family for Pims and a chat, it is always amazing to meet and connect with likeminded people and we are honestly thrilled to be a part of their story, we just can't wait to capture their beautiful wedding day!
Wales Wedding Photographer Olivia & Lewis Pilling
“What is done in love, is done well”
Olivia and Lewis were married on the 4th of June at the stunning Evriat Hall Hotel in the rolling welsh valleys. When I first met with them for their engagement shoot in August last year, I was struck by how much love this couple had for each other, their support for each other, and the way that kindness seemed to emit from Olivia in a way I hadn't experienced before. Olivia is the kind of girl who giggles when you tell her how beautiful she looks in the sweetest way, and it is so clear in the way that Lewis looks at her that he is completely and utterly besotted. Here are a few of my favourite images from their special day.
4 Lies Professional Photographers Want Beginners To Believe
When you get started, the photography industry can be a pretty mean place. There will be opinions coming from all angles, and some of the harshest or most confusing can often come from the professionals in the industry. I’m here to help you cut through all the rubbish, and give you a little taste of good old-fashioned honesty, so you can focus on what really matters: getting your butt in gear and becoming an amazing photographer!
1. You can take amazing photos with any camera.
Although this is true in part, what professional photographers want you to think is that you can take photographs as amazing as theirs, with your entry level DSLR instead of their thousands of pounds worth of professional gear. Why? Because they know that the only thing standing between a hobby and a career for budding photographers with heaps of talent is the gear. This is a harsh truth, professional equipment is necessary, that is why it is called professional equipment, and not entry level or semi-pro. The reason I tell you this, is that you shouldn't be frustrated with your photography because your best photo isn't as good as the photographer’s best photo, who told you that the camera doesn't make the photo, when he is using equipment with a combined value of £10,000. He didn't buy it for no reason. There is of, course, some truth in the photographer making the photo, but more on that here.
2. Professional Photographers Shouldn't need to Edit their photos.
Again, although some photographers do achieve this incredibly well, for the best part this just isn't true. The majority of professional photographers who shoot digital are shooting in RAW format, which means they are absolutely processing their photos to some extent, no matter what they tell you. Editing is not a crime, I personally think editing is an art form in itself, you can add your own ‘je ne sais quoi’ to your photos through colour correction and effects, and it is totally up to your personal taste how you choose to edit your images. Don’t be put off that you need to edit your photos a little before putting them out to the world, that does not mean you are a bad photographer!
3. Every Other Photographer Is Your Competitor.
When sending out emails to other photographers asking to second shoot weddings, you may find people to be pretty apathetic. I remember one particular email response when I first started out, from a photographer who told me that any photographer who allowed me to use photos from second shooting in my portfolio would be stupid to do so, as I would eventually be their competition. This is really not at all true. Around 250,000 people get married in the UK every year, and I only want about 20 of those max, thanks. Imagine if every photographer was your competition? What a lonely industry that would be! You will have your own style of photography, and therefore your very own pool of clients, so you can apply be best friends with other photographers without stepping on each others toes. In fact, it can do you the world of good, as your photographer friends will often refer you for weddings, or whatever other industry you are in, that they cant shoot, and vice versa, as well as learning new techniques from each other. For more information of finding your own style, click here.
4. You Have To Have Qualifications In Photography To Be A Professional.
I’m planning on doing an entire separate post on this one, so I won’t go into it too much. Here is my honest, upfront rundown of my official qualifications: I did one year at college on a photography A level course, and then quit because I wasn't getting what I wanted out of it. The rest of my education? Self taught. I am still a professional photographer. Photography is my profession. Other big shot photographers, the photography super stars, like Jasmine Star, did not get ‘qualified’. Other industry professionals may be quick to point out your lack of qualifications if you don't go to college, but if you are booking work and getting happy clients, that is the only qualification you need. You need to put in a hell of a lot of work to learn the art of photography at home, but you absolutely can do it on your own. Photography, like any other creative industry, should be run by passion, not education, so don't sweat it that your mum’s professional photographer friend turned his nose up when you told him you were starting up a photography business without (GASP) going to college or uni.
So there it is, in black and white, do with it what you will but please remember that whatever opinions come your way, what really matters is passion and creativity. Let me know if you agree, or disagree with any of these points here or on Instagram, I’d love to hear your opinions! If you think this could help any of your friends out, share it by hitting the button at the top left corner of this page!
Bosworth Hotel Wedding Photographer: Luke and Amber Best
“Unless you love someone, nothing else makes any sense.”
Shooting friend's weddings can be a complicated science, at times. Being there as guests and working as photographers can be incredibly tiring, but, as this wedding in particular has proven, incredibly rewarding. Luke and Amber got married at the beautiful Bosworth Hotel on the 27th of May, and shooting with them was honestly a complete dream. Luke is Jamie's childhood friend, and somebody who I have grown to love over the years I have known him - I remember one time in particular I was ditched for a weekend because the two of them needed to spend the time making music, and I didn't even mind because there's some friendships you just don't interrupt. And then, just a couple of months before Jamie and I tied the knot, along came amber. All green eyes and beautiful smiles, and the most perfect compliment to Luke I could possibly imagine. We invited her along as Luke's plus one to our wedding without a second thought, because we just knew that this one was forever. And here I am, two years later, blogging the photographs from their beautiful wedding day.
The wedding itself was a beautiful combination between country luxury and rustic accents, with every detail catered to by Amber and her amazing vision for the day. Amber was an absolute vision in a gorgeous tea-length gown, fresh flowers adorning her Pinterest worthy braid, and a stunning bridal glow to boot, while Luke styled it out in his tweed jacket, waistcoat and mismatched trousers, with stag details on his cufflinks. Here are a few of my favourite shots from the day:
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How to find your photography style
“Fashion is a trend. Style lives within a person.”
Developing your own unique photography style can be a bit of a journey, it can be really difficult to know where to start when the industry is so saturated with different styles already. Don’t worry, though, I’ve got your back. Finding your own style isn't going to happen overnight, and it is process that really needs to be nurtured. You need to start somewhere. Here are a few steps I have tried and tested that have helped me to develop and refine my own clear style.
1. Collect inspiration from everywhere.
You may think that by this I mean to look at other photographers work, this is true in part. For the main part, though, the most important thing is to just be inspired. What makes your heart beat that little bit faster? What music do you listen to when you want to feel inspired? Where do you go when you are in a rut about what to photograph? What is your fail safe? Focusing on all of the things that you know inspire you can really help you to get in tune with your inner creative, which, in turn, will help you to inspire others. It sounds airy and fanciful, but trust me on this one. If you want to succeed as an artist and find your own style, you need to know what makes you tick.
Action step: write a list of all of the things that you find inspirational, outside of photography. Once you have done this, write down why they inspire you, how they make you feel and what they motivate you to do.
2. Collect inspiration from other artists.
Once you understand your personal inspiration a little better, it is time to start looking to other photographers or artists that inspire you. You aren't looking to copy others, imitation is pointless as you can never stand out as an artist, but it is good to have a starting point, a goal to aim for, and often, while you are on the way to achieving these goals, you will find yourself tweaking the way you look at something. The main thing to keep in mind here is that you are absolutely NOT trying tomake your work the same as the photographers you are inspired by, but understanding the ways that other photographers achieve their style can really help you on the path to finding your own.
Action step : Take three of your favourite photographs from your favourite photographers and analyse them. What is it about their work that you love? How would you describe their style? How do you think they achieved it? What could you take away from it without copying or stealing their ideas?
3. Collect inspiration from your own work.
After every photography session, look at your work and decide what you love and what you don't love. Knowing which photographs make you feel proud, and which ones make you cringe a little is so beneficial in the early stages of finding your photography style. Never view a failure as a negative, never look at an old session and wonder what you were thinking, these mistakes will really help you to learn more than any of the other above steps.
Action step : grab your least favourite and favourite photograph from your last session and analyse it as much as possible. Evaluate what you love and don't love about both images, and compare your notes. The more you do this, the more you will refine your photographic style, and you will go into the next session feeling much more prepared when it comes to techniques you want to use, and techniques you want to scrap.
4. Consistency is key.
When finding your style, one thing that us absolutely necessary is consistency. What do I mean by consistency? There should be a clear correlation between the styles of all of your photographs. You should be able to look at photos from every single session you do, and be able to lay photos side by side without any clash. By doing this, people will recognise a photograph as your own. One thing I get told a lot is that when people see my photographs, they know they are mine before they even see my name. This is because everything I post is consistent. This isn't to say that you can only ever shoot in one style, I shoot in various styles depending on my mood, but what everyone sees are the images that consistently represent my overall portfolio, and therefore my images, in turn, become my brand.
Action step : If you have Instagram (which as a photographer you absolutely should!), take a look at your feed. Do all of your photographs flow nicely together? Can you spot a theme? If not, what could you do to improve this, and how?
All in all, finding your style is a process. The best thing you can do to tackle any photography related problem, is practice. You should be practicing your photography on a daily basis, regardless of your skill level, in order to spot the best techniques and weed out the bad ones. Let me know if you have tried any of the above tips or action steps, I’d love to hear about your progress!
Two Years In
““I would love to say that you make me weak in the knees. but to be quite upfront and completely truthful, you make my body forget it has knees at all.” ”
Ive started writing this about twenty time, highlighted the whole thing, and then deleted it. I want to write one of these every year. For Jamie. For me. I want to look back at every year and see how things have changed and stayed the same. But how do I sum up the best year of my life in one post? How do I put all of that into words? Its a hard task, but one I feel is important enough to try.
In the last year, I feel like we have had a real kickstart on the life we had always dreamed of. We have had spontaneous weekends away, looking for waterfalls, chasing the sunset, climbing sand dunes to discover ruins and lighthouses. We have travelled to the far east and lived in Thailand for a month. We rode mopeds up mountains that were far too big for the engines and watched the sun set behind the mountains of Burma, then felt the air turn freezing cold as we rode back down to the city in the dark. We played with baby tigers and elephants, fought of moneys and traveled the length and breadth of an island with our best friends, it's beautiful beaches and national parks untouched. We rode out into the night at 3am and raced each other along the sea's edge. We saw scenery we could have never have dreamed up or imagined. We drank cheap whiskey and orchid topped cocktails by the ocean. We got to spend time falling in love with each other all over again, and learning the importance of sharing these experience with the ones we love and the friends we cherish. We spent almost an entire week with the flu, moving from our bed to the sofa bed, and helping each other complete an insane puzzle game on the playstation. We binge watched Suits, danced in the Kitchen and cooked for each other on the days we needed looking after. We faced the hard times, hand in hand, and pulled each other up, sometimes having to drag each other along, but came out standing. We named our future puppy and reread our favourite book series together. We shot weddings together and realised their is nothing we love more than being each other's professional support system, as well as emotional. We returned to Paris. The place where it all began, the place where we started to fall in love, and just fell deeper. We woke up to Parisian buildings and shared a jug of thick hot chocolate. We kissed under the twinkling lights of the Eiffel tower. We laughed more than I ever remember laughing. We found new places and rediscovered old ones. This year, we loved like crazy.
I have a husband who has adored me unconditionally for two years, no matter how difficult I get, how many cakes or food experiments I mess up, I have had someone who still looks at me like the stars shine from my eyes. I will never know what I did to deserve this life, but I know that I will cherish and record every moment that I am able to. I can't wait to see what year three brings for us.
