Wedding Photographer Of The Year

This has been a big year and a very busy one with lots of seven day weeks, time spent on motorways, some frustrating times but also some amazing times. As well as Amy and Clare shooting weddings with me and working on post production and album design, new girl Jayne is also proving to be just our cup of tea (from a vintage tea-pot!!!) ......

At the start of this year, I set some goals. Number one was to get a feature on the gorgeous wedding blog Rock n Roll Bride. Kat had just been named the most influential person in the industry and the photography on her site is incredibly inspirational. To my amazement she picked up a great civil partnership that I had shot even though it had no bride! Since then I have been lucky to have had several more weddings featured on there including my current favourite Sophie & Barney’s recent North London vintage wedding. This has also led to my work being picked up by other great UK wedding blogs and now some US ones. It has also sent me some fabulous clients. Number two has yet to happen but fingers crossed and I will keep you posted. Three was to be Wedding Photographer of the Year, somewhere! Having been a wedding photographer for ten years, I wanted some recognition. That week, a fellow photographer showed me the current issue of the much revered British Journal of Photography which for the first time ever was doing a Wedding Photographer of the Year Award along with Wedding magazine. Perfect.
When it came to submitting an entry, we all agreed that Lauri and Stuart’s DIY vintage wedding was the one. Its a set of images that reflect a day filled with love, warmth and romance.
On Monday, I was on my own in the office. I was having an email conversation with a bride who was considering moving the date of her French Chateau wedding just so I could shoot it. Wow! Then another potential client phoned to book for his wedding at a very beautiful venue. Happy days! Then a very lovely lady from the BJP called to check through my entry. ‘Great’ I thought, ‘I must have made it quite far’ So far, a great morning. ‘Well’ the very lovely lady said ‘Everything seems to be in order so in that case I’m delighted to tell you that you are our winner’ For all of about 20 seconds I was actually silent. Wowzers! Then I screamed so loudly the cat ran for cover and proceeded to babble at the very lovely lady who must now be thinking ‘What a lunatic!’ When I eventually let her get off the phone, I screamed some more and then rang my Mum and then had a little cry. There are so many brilliant photographers shooting weddings in the UK now, at a time that seems to be more creative that ever for us and the clients. I am completely blown away to have achieved this award and I owe a lot to the other girls who shoot with me as they are also a constant source of inspiration to me and just great company. I am off to plan a little celebration for the four of us and then we can talk about what our ambitions are for next year