What is your most memorable wedding?
They are all memorable for different reasons. The wedding that we flew to Rwanda to cover, the wedding where the bride could not stop crying, the wedding where the nan was the noisiest heckler during the speeches, the wedding where the dad made a speech that I cried to! And of course my own wedding in dreamy Lake Como, which finally helped me to understand how important this day, and the images that are created from it are some fo the most important images of a couples life.
Describe your style in 5 adjectives.
Modern, editorial, epic, stylish, memorable
What about your business are you most proud of?
covering a range of different types of photography to the highest levels.
What is your No. 1 wedding planning tip for couples?
Do what will make YOU happy, you will never be able to please everyone else, so put your needs first and it is your day! The happiest couples I work with have planned their wedding exactly how they like, invited who they wanted etc. The unhappiest couples on their day have planned their wedding how their mom, aunt, nan or whoever wanted it.
What is your favourite personal touch you have seen at a wedding?
a personalised Wedding Magazine, which all guests got a copy of, detailing the journey to and planning of the wedding, how each guest is known to the bride or groom, why certain decisions were made and so on. The Wedding Magazine Co Uk.
Describe your typical process with a couple.
The couple get in contact (mostly the bride TBF), I send details over email, if we seem like a good fit for each other, we speak a little on the phone/zoom, I send some further info through, we organise and in person consultation, Skype if they live abroad, then they are wowed and book!
What is the No. 1 photo that you think every couple should take?
Again I don't think there is a number one photo, each couple and wedding is individual. If it is a picturesque venue and epic building a shot of the couple with the venue in the shot is one that we cover. A shot that shows them looking their very best, the highlights the emotion between them, and something they will be proud to display on the living room wall and becomes a display picture not heir social media!
What is the most original photo you’ve been asked to take at a wedding?
Generally, as the creator I see it as my job to create images. This is what I am hired for, I find couples will know about the general shots they have seen very many times, but very rarely have come across individual work. I do not do "gimmick" type photos, so each couple has their own original photos but I aim to make them all look like 'magazine' shots.
What do you recommend for a rainy day wedding?
Shots around the venue, a possible reshoot, or some fun in the rain after the first dance. We have a range of shots that show our before and after shots of an area and then what we have been able to create. The difference surprises many people! Rain is no problem, I have taken amazing images in a city centre road, rain is the least of wedding day worries.
Describe how you got into photography.
I have always been a photographer. Even before I owned my own business or became a photographer. By that I mean I have always had a camera in my hand. You know every group of friends has that one friend who is always the irritating one with a camera? That was always me. After a great career in the NHS I decided to take voluntary redundancy to pursue what i enjoyed doing a bit more seriously, took a two year course to perfect my skills (gained 8 distinctions - a distinction is every single subject over the two years of my course) and set up Lensi (from the eye of a lens) at the same time.
I have now elevated my work to the point where I am a London Fashion Week Photographer, have covered weddings all over the world, cover some of the major sporting events such as The London Marathon and the Diamond League, have covered the Brit Awards, Soap Awards and many other prestigious events.
But overall I got into photography because I enjoyed it. I have been fortunate enough to always have jobs I have enjoyed, this is another aspect of that good fortune.