How I booked my first WeddingI'd like to share a little story about how I booked my first Wedding and the passion that lays behind my camera when shooting such a grand day; Over the years I've had the pleasure of attending many Weddings as a guest, an an Usher and even a Toastmaster which was a real delight. I have always enjoyed a good Wedding and the atmosphere they generate. In 2014, I attended four weddings as a guest and my desire to capture their day in my own way went on camera. Shooting my own pics made a truly authentic wedding gift and I had some phenomenal feedback. I made social media albums, short videos and hardback books. I simply fell in love with the creative process. As my skills and experience increased with the camera I considered myself an 'Un-offical Photographer' and had plenty of banter with it. I loved capturing the shots the official photographers couldn't. This is because no photographer can be in two places at once & secondly because I have my own imagination and style to innovate. In March 2014 I shot pics at Tim and Alaine's big day after buying my first Nikon camera & lens. The Lyle's & then Mckrells Weddings we're great fun and in the most recent Wedding for Ric & Julia I hardly put my camera down. I'd developed ideas from previous weddings and with such a stunning venue at Aynehoe Park it made for a great photographic album. Below is snap shot slide show of 2014 where I attended and shot pics as a guest for Tim & Alaine Standing, Stu & Tammy Lyle, John & Lucy Mckrell and most Recently Ric & Julia Boullemier;
I've had an interest in photography for well over a decade but 2014 was the year of true progression for me. I went from social media albums to my own website. I had shots published in newspapers including The London Metro (3 million readers per day) and people are now commissioning me to shoot personal or corporate events. I said yes to new opportunities and then learned fast how to shoot and deliver for them. It's been a fantastic few months and rewarding for me in many ways. Just last weekend I was on the Catwalk at London Fashion week. Shooting in a range of environments is so important in terms of shaping my skills set. Photographing models is great practice for shooting a stunning bride on her Wedding Day. So How did I book my first Wedding? 1 - Go to a Wedding Fair: In October my good friend Ric Devine invited me up to the Midlands. 'Tricky' is a GM at a Golf Club which plays host to many Weddings throughout the year. They had a Wedding fair and he said I should go and meet their Wedding photographer and network with any relevant contacts. I took some good ideas away and made a couple of useful contacts which quickly opened new doors for me and my photography. So thanks Tricky for 'telling' me I need to come and visit your wedding fair. 2 - Be asked to be the official photographer - In December an old football mate of mine dropped me a message to find out if I was shooting Weddings professionally. My response was essentially to explain that I haven't been an official photographer at a Wedding but if you like my style then I'd love to have yours as my first booking. Once someone approached me to shoot their Wedding I knew I was now at a point where I could take this passion from an enthusiastic guest to more official duties. Before I knew it I was on Youtube, Pinterest & reading books to get inspiration for cool ideas and a well thought out strategy to shoot an awesome Wedding. This is a day that will be looked back on for years to come and now I am tasked with ensuring I capture the memories in the best possible way. I hadn't met Jamie's fiancee before so as the New Year turned I invited them to London to talk through ideas and have a few shots in my #LunndonEye territory. We got on well and my style sits well with how they want their Wedding shot. I think it's cool to capture an 'Engagement' type album so we had a bit of fun as we walked around Westminster
Learning from the best: In January 2015 I spent a day in Aylesbury with good friend Ross Holkham who is a fantastic and highly experienced Wedding Photographer. Ross and I were born 2 weeks apart so I've known him my whole life and trust his advice highly. There's so much that goes into the detail of shooting a Wedding and I love to learn from the best and if you check out Ross's albums and reviews you'll see that his quality is right up there. Ross - Thanks very much for the tips and given how competitive you know I am I'll be sure to rival your high standards ASAP.
My Second Wedding booking
I was delighted to get my first Wedding booked and around the time of meeting Ross for a day, a second friend asked if I would shoot their Wedding. Jenny & Declan are a fab couple and I've got to know them well in recent years. We only meet up occasionally but when we do it's a blast. So based on my 'Un-offical Duties' that they saw at Ric & Julia's Wedding, Jenny said they'd love to have me shoot their day. I can't wait to shoot for them and add to this pic I took at the Boullemier's.
Closing thoughts: I love the sentiment of a Wedding day. I've kept the invitations and 'Thank you' cards in a little black box over the years..... I may need a bigger box soon but I do like to keep a collection. They each hold their own memories and in decades to come I'll be looking back on them with fondness. The Wedding photographs in this blog were shot last year and as a guest. I have since invested in a high end Nikon camera & various lenses (and everything else I need to get the shot right). I expect my official Wedding Photography to improve upon everything you have seen so far from me. No Wedding will be 'just a job' for me...... It's a day to cherish that I will capture in the best way I know how. Please do share this blog post with friends and if you would like to discuss my Wedding Photography packages, please click here to enquire or drop me an email to arrange a call [email protected] Thank You ps. Please feel free to visit my Testimonials Page.
Keywords:
Wedding Photography
Comments
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