Cheers, Tears, Dance Floors & Beers
Cheers, Tears, Dance Floors & Beers
Highlights from an action-packed, emotion-filled extravaganza of a year – 2024, you were EPIC!
Here we are again, 2024 flew by and it was a BIG one! Not only have I visited some amazing places, but I’ve also explored creative storytelling, won awards, and reflected on and honed my signature style of documentary wedding photography. It’s been emotional, in every way possible. As always, I am hugely grateful to everyone I’ve worked with, photographed, and met along the way – after all, it’s the people who make life what it is… Chaotic, beautiful, unpredictable, and ultimately awesome.
From my home town of Manchester to the Lake District, weddings in Italy and everything in between, across thousands of miles, surrounded by happy people, and telling stories in new and creative ways - I have loved every second.
What’s a wedding without tonnes of love and heaps of emotion? Being trusted to capture that is something I will never take for granted. Each wedding is unique, and the people, the stories, and the emotions are the stars of the show. Some hugs are so tight they leave a handprint on a bride’s back!
I’ve also focused more on creating artistic compositions, which has led to some of my favourite images of the year. A guest wearing bright pink, photographing a pink flower, whilst wearing a pink hat shaped like a petal, that was one of those moments that I saw and HAD to capture! I like to try and find new angles and explore how to create something unique in a familiar environment.
I can’t mention colour without sharing this image of the incredible yellow-haired bride, Charlie. We’d really hit it off, with our shared love of video games and awesome entertainment. The whole day was unique and edgy, and her vibrant hair colour was something I was keen to celebrate in their gallery. In this image, I spotted her yellow hair, drink, and chip all together in one frame – irresistible!
It’s not just colours, I also look for shapes, like this image of all the guests’ hats hung up next to the wedding cake. The shape of the hats mirrors the shape of the cake. It’s part of how I approach capturing details, bringing something creative and interesting to the image, rather than just snapping a shot of something like a cake on a table as a record (although I do get those too) I like to give it a little bit of thought to elevate the image.
I look out for every emotion – newlywed joy, tears of happiness, cheers of celebration, shocked and excited faces of delighted guests. There are opportunities to document these moments throughout a wedding day. A great example of that is this image I captured during bridal prep - the chap in the photo is the bride’s nephew, and he’d unfortunately missed all of her dress fittings so hadn’t seen the dress until that moment - I was only told this later! I know the whole family were really pleased I captured his reaction as the dress came into view.
Experiencing an adventure and doing what I love – the combo makes me feel SO lucky to do the job I do! Adventures aren’t just abroad though; we have some amazing scenery right here in the UK too. Weddings in the Lake District have a special place in my heart, and the area never fails to leave me gobsmacked with its rugged and wild beauty (wouldn’t we all love to be described as that?!). This year has taken me to Cragwood Hotel on Lake Windermere and Holesfoot in Penrith for unique and exclusive weddings surrounded by the most awesome landscapes.
Visiting new venues all over the country, as well as returning to places I’ve photographed many times means I’m always kept on my toes creatively. I’ve travelled to some unbelievably beautiful destinations, including capturing Laura and Connor’s Italian wedding photography at Casa Cornacchi. This was a whole weekend of celebrations, including a pizza night, an outdoor wedding, and a post-wedding pool party.
“The way he managed to document our special day was nothing short of amazing - every photo tells a story, and we are absolutely thrilled with the results.”
One of my fave shots from their wedding was taken from behind their guests at their ceremony as they did a dramatic dip and kiss. With their welcome sign also in the frame it creates a whole story in one photo. This shot actually won me an award from This is Reportage, they also named me in their Top 100 wedding photographers of 2024!
2025 has been another year of epic energy and immense entertainment. Whether that’s the vibe created by unusual venues like a super cool art gallery or outdoor wedding, or the vibe brought to the party by an awesome band or performer.
My entertainment highlight of this year has to be the incomparable Mr Wilson’s Second Liners. They describe themselves as a ‘rabble of mischievous northerners’ and they bring their brass band 90s rave to dancefloors across the country. They’re colourful, loud, ballsy, and totally MAD for the vibe! Think 24-hour party people, playing live music in vibrant uniforms, busting out moves and tunes at the same time. EPIC!
Every year is a chance to explore, meet new people, and take my photography to the next level. I have some massive plans for 2025 (and beyond) so watch this space for updates! I’ll keep sharing stories of the weddings I capture, with inspiration for couples planning weddings, and top tips from my experience at venues across the UK and the rest of the world. I cannot wait for the next adventure, and to see what awesome creative opportunities come my way! Let’s do this!
I wouldn’t be here without the absolute legends who chose me as their photographer and invited me to capture their uniquely brilliant weddings. The adventurers, the party fiends, and the down-right awesome humans. Building relationships with couples and ensuring they feel relaxed, confident, and comfortable on their wedding day is one of the most important parts of capturing unposed documentary photos, and it’s so rewarding and fun for everyone involved.
Every couple should feel like they can be themselves, and capturing that in their wedding photos is where the magic happens for me. People want to look back and relive their wedding day, feel the feelings, see the emotions, laugh and cry at the things they didn’t even realise were happening – to capture all of that and preserve those memories is the greatest job around! So thank you, everyone, for just being you – never stop!
The diary is filling up, but I’ve still got a few spaces available in 2025 and 2026 – so get in touch if you’d like me to capture your day in my signature style, and we can start planning!
