What is your most memorable wedding?
The one that immediately springs to mind is a wedding that took place at the Oulton Park motor racing circuit in Cheshire. It's not often that you get the chance to pose your couple in the pit lane or on the winners' podium - or capture them waving from the course car as they hurtle past at 100mph!
Describe your style in 5 adjectives.
Relaxed; adaptable; natural; colourful; candid
What about your business are you most proud of?
I believe that I always act with integrity and professionalism, treating people as I would like to be treated, in every situation. I hate hard-sell tactics and refuse to employ them - I'd rather risk losing the occasional sale than annoy lots of potential customers by bombarding them constantly with calls and e-mails chasing their booking.
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
Accept that planning a wedding is a complex undertaking with many parts and that it's very unlikely every single aspect of the day will go 100% to plan or to time. Some things you can control, many you can't.
What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?
At one wedding, the groom was a Northern Soul DJ in his spare time, and his new wife met him through the scene, so their wedding cake was in the shape of an old-fashioned Dansette record player that had little models of the couple siting on the top, holding hands and dangling their legs over the edge. It really summed up their love for the music and for one another.
Describe your typical process with a couple.
When people book me, I like to meet them in person and spend time chatting about their day and the photos they want. About a month before the wedding, I like to briefly meet up again to check nothing significant has changed and to firm up on timings as, by that time, all aspects of the day should have been finalised.
After the wedding - usually about 2-3 weeks - I deliver a set of images to the couple on a temporary USB stick. They then choose what pictures they want on the cover of the case for their proper USB stick. The pictures on the first USB are sized to fill an HD (or 4K on request) TV screen, while the final USB also contains a set of pictures in full resolution that the couple can use to print from. I supply a release form with the final images that the couple can show to photo labs to prove they have the printing rights.
What is the No. 1 photo that you think every couple should take?
Whatever the pose, whatever the location, there should be a photo of just the two of you together. Weddings can turn into big occasions with lots of family and friends, but at its heart, the day is about the couple getting married.
What is the most original photo you’ve been asked to take at a wedding?
There was the best man and groom who, having climbed on a couple of quite tall tree-stumps (their own idea) decided that them making a human bridge would make for a good picture. It didn't end well. They may have had a drink or two by this point.
What do you recommend for a rainy day wedding?
My main recommendation is that the bride needs to decide whether she is happy for herself and her dress to get wet.
Rain doesn't necessarily stop us going outside, and I always carry umbrellas just in case, but if the bride chooses to stay inside I always carry studio lighting so we can make best use of the venue's interior.
Describe how you got into photography.
Like many people in this business, photography started as my hobby and I got into shooting weddings from a friend of a friend asking if I'd photograph their big day. After a long time doing the occasional wedding as a sideline to a proper job, I took the plunge in 2013 to make it my career and I'm very glad I did.