Are your branding photos static?
Do they own movement? And I don’t mean motion blur!
Sorry, but this story is a bit about ME… but hang in there, you will know more about what I can do for you and how I came to this place.
I have shot weddings for over 16 years…
I have photographed weddings alongside business photoshoots, branding and other commercial photography projects.
In the world of photography, Wedding photography ranks ‘low’. It sits down there in the ‘dog basket of photography’ kudos. This is because the market is saturated with unprofessionals who bring bad press and practice. And so photographers generally never own up to shooting weddings unless they are totally encapsulated in this photography sector alone. However I owe my business to Wedding Photography. Without it I would not be here for you now. It has taught me so much about people, light, location, shooting and most of all branding documentary style photography.
This high-fuelled emotional roller coaster of romantic theatre and technical brain f*** in all seasons means I can now shoot your branding photography in the most natural way, ever!
Shooting more than 16 years of weddings. Literally standing around for '000's and '000's of hours to get ‘that shot’:-
In rain, fighting to keep the lens dry; a big hood over my face and occasionally someone holding a brolley over me, but not often. A brolley is for the bride.
Being soaked for hours in waist-high festival grass, to capture someone's special day. Not mine.
Shooting in snow, -45 degrees of Artic Circle, no-light; where the sun doesn't leave the horizon line (in January). You literally can't bear more than 5 minutes outside before your hands go numb, your fingers literally turn off, one by one, and so you can't find the shutter release (so you can barely take the shot), waiting for the bride to arrive..
Brilliant raging sun on a June day when you are wearing a white shirt, tightly buttoned up, and a black jacket on top ; feeling the sweat run down your back and a 5kg camera bag on your shoulder, for 9 hours, all in anticipation for that 'decisive photographic moment'..
There have been some brilliant but painful moments which have taught me some incredible intuitive skills, such that have transferred into authentic beautiful shots that only come to those who wait and try much harder…
'Oh, a lovely snow wedding!'.... yes for them, but not for you.
'Oh, a lovely sunny day wedding' ..... yes for them, but not for you.
'Oh, a lovely festival midsummer wedding'... yes for them…
And so it should be, they have paid for it!
You are either frozen, wet, saturated in sweat or ok.
You wait and wait and wait.
Some of it is total joy.
A lot is excruciating boredom.
Tenacity to get to the other side.
Oh and did I mention the stress?
When someone is arriving on a sleigh and you have seconds before she's inside? You can’t feel your frozen fingers and you've nearly missed her entrance? Oh and the 'rings on fingers', seconds to capture and it’s so dark in that beautiful chapel and you have to get a tiny speck of gold band, that you can barely see, in focus??
Or, the Mother of the bride is breathing down you neck panicking about something ( in your ear) and you are in the middle of trying to organise a group photograph containing 200 people who would rather be at the bar.
Times this by 16years.
Agendas that go off grid as people are not predictable, super fuelled by emotion, booze and family politics.
I've trodden my boards.
I've done my time.
I’ve honed how I look at things.
My eyes are sharper to detail.
I nativagate around a camera intuitively. I never know the settings, I just find them and know they work, automatically and second nature. And the light is changing constantly inside and out.
Then add in your customer facing skills, and high octane emotions that you have to deal with a smile whilst hugely concentrating on your own sh** when perhaps you prefer to slap someone (who has said something arrogant to you) instead....and us female photographers, boy, do we get patronised at weddings!
But instead you smile sweetly and say something nice or nothing at all.
All in the name of photography.
Like anything in life, endurance brings GIFTS! Weddings have taught me absolutely EVERYTHING I know but at a hells pace.
And so what does this mean for you, my branding photography client??
It means you get:-
Much more natural and gorgeous brand photos to use.
That make you look more like the real you.
I can capture tiny glimmers of a personality you would only see IRL (in real life),
You have an abundance of different branding expressions that you could not pose for, made natural.
Are taught how to recognise them and use them
You just SHINE brighter in your socials.
You will have branding photos with motion not static posed shot.
I can work easily with your team (people skills) to get the best from them, to help them relax.
Just great branding photos for you to use all year on your socials and website.