There are times when I can sit here before writing a blog post, and it’s like a stream of consciousness onto the screen, where the words flow easily, and I’m all done by the time I’ve taken my last sip of coffee. It’s safe to say today is not one of those days.
I must have written, and re-written this blog post an innumerable amount of times, and whilst a part of it can be attributed to the post-Christmas mind lull I’m in, a huge factor is certainly because 2017 was unlike any year I’ve had before. I like to think we all have a defining time in our lives (or hopefully a number of them), and photographically speaking, this year has definitely felt like the one where so much has come together.
For the past few years a pre-wedding season ritual of mine has been to travel somewhere exotic for a couple of weeks so I can photograph something completely different for a decent period of time. It’s my opportunity to try new things out, explore, and to see what I create away from the constricted bounds of a wedding. This year it was Colombia, and the reception to the images took me massively by surprise, with a number of them being shortlisted and exhibited at high-profile street photography festivals around the world, as well as being shortlisted in the Travel Photographer of the Year award.
It’s also the year I changed camera system for the first time since I started photography, a change I never could have imagined would have such a positive effect. Being able to manoeuvre the camera in ways I couldn’t with the bulky, heavy Nikon, meant I was able to compose dramatically different images, which brought back a lot of the fun and excitement for me. As a result I was asked by Fuji to guest blog a post on 10 Tips to Capture Natural Wedding Photographs.
And it’s been amazing to get recognition from within the wedding industry, in a photographic style that I appreciate is quite unconventional. The highlight was without question being named Best Wedding Photographer in London and the South East by The Wedding Industry Awards, and I’ll remember that night of celebrations with my fellow wedding photographer mates for a very long time.
Finally many thanks to Matthew Long and Lucy Turnbull for second shooting with me this year, and a big thank you to all the awesome couples who invited me along for the day - I think we got some great photos together, a very small handful of which are shown below…
Outstanding as always. Love your eye for capturing a moment. Too many faves to mention but the “Lady in Red” shot had me lol. All the best for 2018!