My Approach

I find most people describe me as being a friendly, warm and easy-going kinda guy.

It’s super important to me that you and your guests feel 100% happy, comfortable and confident around me (and my camera).

With this in mind I shoot with a fluid, discreet and spontaneous documentary approach. This allows me to blend in and work in a way that is relaxed and informal. Artistically capturing the atmosphere, emotions, narrative and details of your day in a beautiful yet authentic way.

I think of each individual image as a sentence from the story of your day. A line of poetry that stirs something inside and takes you back to the greatest day of your life.

//

“Everyone at the wedding couldn’t stop raving about how he (Ben) managed to capture every moment. We’ve no idea how he did it but he was everywhere at once but not invasive in any way.”
~ F & D

//

As much as possible, I want to leave you and your guests to fully immerse yourselves in each beautiful moment together, to be fully present.

It’s about distilling real interactions, raw emotions and the finer details that make your day yours.

After all, your wedding day is the biggest celebration of your life and the only thing you should be focussed on is having the absolute time of your life.

//

“He is one of the friendliest and most personable people I’ve ever met. Ben got on so well with all our friends and family, that it felt like I had another friend there. I’m not joking when I say at least 40 people have since mentioned how lovely he was, and asked after him!”
~ K & M

//

I’ve always been a creative type and have a deep love for the arts.

I love to write and am a big reader. Though music was my first love and I still practise guitar most days.

A quiet, inquisitive and sensitive soul by nature, I’m a natural observer who loves people and people-watching.

In fact photography came naturally to me at a very young age. A bride recently told me, “You were born to do this!”

I think she is probably right.

//

“To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye, and the heart.”
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

//

I think of myself not so much as an image-maker, but as a visual storyteller.

I’m not particularly interested in creating “magazine cover” type images. Rather, I am thinking of the entire collection of images as a whole and how they work together to convey the narrative of your day.

What I am most definitely not is the sort of photographer to bark orders at you and your guests or try and control every moment of your day.

I may make small suggestions, such as standing closer to a window if the light is better. Or heading off for some portraits before tucking into dessert because the golden light of sunset is looking insane. But ultimately you call the shots.

I’m there with you to artistically document your day, not to “direct” it.

//

“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
~ Peter Adams

//

What about group shots and couple portraits, you ask?

Though I’m mainly focussed on artistic candid shooting, we will of course still make time for group shots as well, with family members, bridesmaids, groomsmen and friends etc.

But as I like to say, your group shots don’t need to be “formal” – and they can actually be quite good fun!

It’s always fun to sneak off for 10 minutes or so to capture some gorgeous couple shots of you and your new husband/wife on your big day. I suggest a mini couple’s shoot before you sit down for your wedding breakfast, and then another during the golden hours before sunset.

But again, I will work with you on this.

//

My Aesthetic

Natural documentary storytelling paired with an artistic editorial aesthetic.

I’m old enough and fortunate enough to have learned photography in the film days. And although I now shoot with modern digital cameras, I still aim for that timeless 35mm film look and feel (whether I’m shooting photo or video).

You just can’t beat those timeless warm hues and muted tones, those aesthetically pleasing imperfections. It never gets old or dated – the grit and grain, the feeling…

And I just adore black and white imagery. In fact my obsession with photography began with 35mm Ilford film and developing it in the darkroom at college.

Monochrome is just one of those magical things that gets better and better with age. Just think of all those iconic Golden-age Hollywood images – that’s the look I’m chasing every time!

//

Oh, and by the way, I also have a first-class BA in Photography from Falmouth University, which is nice.

And I like to think my professional background in travel, documentary and street photography adds depth to my work, an artistic flare that makes my wedding imagery less… weddingy.