I went to school with Kristy many many moons ago…well it definitely feels like it and obviously in our day, the wasn’t the social media we have nowadays. If you didn’t have a land line in them days, we had to find as many coins as possible to use the public telephone to keep in touch, as it happens, Kristy and I never kept in touch.
Now this wedding was arranged by a chance meeting with Ambers dad, Andy, which was the first time I had met him, on Christmas Day night in his local pub, which I had gone into with my own dad for a festive drink.
We chatted about Ambers wedding & that she hadn’t organised a photographer for the big day, I gave him a card & he passed it onto his daughter. We met, Amber was quite quiet, but knew what she wanted, we chatted somewhat & it seemed we both liked & wanted the same thing from the day. Dave arrived slightly later from work & seemed to like the fact that Amber had nearly already made her mind up, the ladies usually do. I shown Amber & Dave some of my previous work & that was it, I was booked. Once again I was delighted to be part of someones big day.
My year was slowly filling up with weddings, events, parties, even some of my own celebrations to attend when I got a call from Lou who had been given my number by a mutual friend. This was a request for me to shoot her wedding day, she had seen my previous work before & was excited (as I was too) to get me to be there on her special day. This particular date may have clashed with a weekend away I had booked previously & this is where I felt really wanted…..”cancel it she says”… I really want you to be at my wedding..
Michael and Leanne were happy with me just turning up at the church to capture their big day, but after some persuasion, Michael had convinced Leanne to let me join them at the house where she and the girls and Dad of course would be, whilst she got ready for the wedding.
It was a damp rainy day but walking into the house you wouldn’t think it. The Bridesmaids were giddy, Dad was a tad nervous but nothing a wee dram of whiskey couldn’t sort, but in good spirits in more ways than one.
Steve and Kay booked me after seeing the work I did at on of their friends wedding late in October last year. They took my card and didn’t even have a follow up meeting saying they were happy with the way I worked and how well I get on with people, which, you can imagine I was over the moon with.
I arrived to Kay’s parent’s home where everybody was doing something and the children were well, being children… excitable for the day ahead. Kay was super chilled and was just soaking up the atmosphere whilst bridesmaids did each others hair, children played, babies being fed and I found a corner to set myself up amongst all the bodies moving from room to room.
A few years ago I used to do nightclub photography to gain experience in the field and it was a great networking tool. This took me all over, Manchester, Liverpool, and Leeds where I met many other photographers doing what I do, all striving to learn the trade from the ground up.
I met another photographer called James from Leeds and he knew that I did wedding photography at the time. He asked me if I minded seeing a couple he knew with view to me shooting their wedding, which I saw as a great honour. The couple, Nick and Laura, were keen to meet me and see my work. After a quick drive to Leeds, portfolio in hand, I was booked within the week.
This wedding was some years ago in my early days of being a wedding photographer and was my first paid shoot. Having done only five or six weddings for friends, I was naturally nervous but still confident in my ability and knew I could deliver exactly what Nick and Laura wanted from me.