ITS HERE! At last, my look back at 2015. Wow, it’s taken a while. This isn’t a ‘best of’ as such, it’s more a selection of photographs from the weddings I shot last year. The images that make me smile, laugh, bring back a lovely memory or have a special meaning. An emotional connection that just grabs me and makes me remember that moment on that day with that couple.
The year started at The House of Commons and ended at The East India Club, with weddings all over England, one in Ireland and one in Italy in between. From February to December…it was one hell of a year.
Even though we are two months into 2016, it still feels wonderful to be able to revisit 2015. It was my fifth year photographing weddings (time really does fly) and a year filled with amazing couples who welcomed me with open arms to tell their wedding day stories and capture photos that will bring back memories for years to come. 2015 saw me going to Norfolk, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Sussex, Kent, Suffolk, Buckinghamshire and London for weddings as well as travelling to County Mayo on the west coast of Ireland and to Tuscany in Italy for a show stopping two day wedding. I was thrilled to have weddings at venues I know and love, like Leeds Castle, Coworth Park, Nonsuch Mansion, Oaks Farm and Pembroke Lodge. It was also wonderful to go to so many new venues, like Gaynes Park, Rivervale Barn, Woburn Abbey Sculpture Gallery, Hatfield House, The Barn at Bury Court, Elvey Farm, Addington Palace, Heron Farm, Ferry House Inn, Lyde Court, Offley Place and The Houses of Parliament! 2015 was also the year same sex weddings became legal, and it was so great to have 3 of them to photograph.
It was a full on year, albeit a very fun one. Weddings are all consuming. They are hectic, emotional, fun packed, crazy days that are a thrill to photograph. At every wedding I throw myself fully into what’s going on, to the events around me, so I can give my all to each and every one and capture the story of the day from the big moments to the smallest detail. From the start to the end there is an adrenalin buzz that keeps me going (along with a few energy bars) until the camera is packed away at the end of the day and I collapse into my car with my body aching and my mind whirling! This is why it’s so important for me to work with couples who I connect with. Which was just what I had last year! I don’t want to be just ‘the photographer’, it’s so much more than that for me. I am there to support and to help when needed. To give some words of encouragement and be a bit silly when required. To step back and watch and be quiet when that’s the best thing to do. My wonderful couples this year have brought me into their lives, trusted me, laughed with me, opened up to me and allowed me to capture some really special and amazing moments. Beautiful, natural, candid, fun and heartfelt photographs.
2015 was not just a year of great weddings. It was a year when I realised a few changes I wanted to make in how I worked and some dreams I had for my business. There is something about hitting the 5-6 year mark in a business that makes you stop to think about how far you have come and what you have achieved. It’s also time to look at where you want to go and how to get there.
For the last 2-3 years I have photographed 40+ weddings each year. I know for some this is not that much and for others it’s loads. It was right for me at that point, however at the end of those years I was fairly exhausted! Not to mention not having had as much time as I would have liked with my family. To be able to keep offering the level of service I want to offer each and every couple (as well as having a bit of a balance in my life and time with my own special people) I have made the decision to limit the number of weddings I will photograph each year to about 30 (give or take!). This will also mean I have time to do other things. I really want to start offering lifestyle and family photography again and would love to do more commercial work with other businesses (I have been doing a little of this over the last month or two and look forward to sharing this work). I have discovered a passion for helping other photographers on their business journey. I know how much work is involved and think it’s wonderful to be able to give support and share experiences, skills and knowledge. I am doing one to one mentoring with photographers and also running beginners photography workshops (which I am loving). I have a dream to do more and have plans and ideas that I hope to develop this year. Watch this space!
The year ahead is already an exciting prospect. Lots of fab weddings booked in and some other great work, projects and plans to look forward to.
The last word really does need to be a thanks to all the couples who trusted me to capture their day. 2015 was a blast!
I couldn’t finish this post without saying a little thank you to the wonderful photographers who second shot for me in 2015. Jesse Toksvig-Stewart (who is now working as an associate photographer for me as well as being my ace second photographer), Cristina Rossi, Krishanthi Williams, Lex Fleming, Alice Boagey, Emmie Scott and Clare Tam-Im.
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