I’ve no idea if you want to know anything much about me, but in case you do?

The short version, is that I’m a former news photojournalist. For years, on the side, when asked I photographed weddings, in a very ‘hands off’ documentary style. Having left the world of news I now continue to make long picture stories of wedding days, alongside doing marketing and portrait photography for a wide variety of clients. I’ve only recently started advertising for weddings, you might have found me from a postcard, a flyer or from Instagram. I was happy being booked for a good number of ‘I do’s’ just on recommendation, but I’d now like to be photographing as many weddings as possible. They’re all so different, full of pictures, and so much fun.

…and the longer version..

I’ve loved photography and messed around with cameras since I was a kid. I made darkrooms in bathrooms, dismantled (and wrecked) cameras, then begged my parents for replacements. I’ve always thought photographs were magical with a power to transport us back to a given moment, a kind of time travel? I realised early that the challenge was to make pictures that for some reason ‘sang’; that grabbed the eye, captured attention, made you stop, look, think and feel, and left unanswered questions leading to more looking. It can happen in so many ways, but that’s always the aim. Photojournalism and documentary photography grabbed me, I started travelling, ‘practising’ photojournalism, making pictures that told stories, and enjoying the responsibility and possibilities of picture making. At University I spent more time away with cameras than studying and left having won picture awards from The Guardian and The Independent which helped me get work for papers. Through the years snapping for all sorts of news organisations and clients, on the side, when asked, I also photographed weddings. It took me ages to work out I didn’t need to copy a set wedding photography style but could photograph a wedding in my own way as a wonderful long day’s picture story. I’ll always love photojournalism and documentary photography and I hope this passion informs the way I photograph weddings.

I've always loved an event, an occasion where something important to people is happening. Particularly when it's drawn out for long enough for me to get immersed in a story. And weddings are just that - important story days, full of people, emotions, fun and colour. And because actually we're all human, and so thankfully we can only control our expressions and reactions so far, wedding days are made up of people being themselves. I don't believe in perfection, or that weddings are a fashion shoot. They're so much more human, interesting, joyful and important than that. And posing throughout your wedding day doesn't sound like fun to me. I want you to get married and enjoy everything knowing that your pictures are just being made. I hope you'd like your wedding photographer to not be a bother to anyone and just get on with framing the atmosphere, charm and character that your families and friends will bring to the places where your wedding will take place. My experience is that beautiful pictures come from reality. Whatever the weather, whatever goes on, it’ll be your wonderful day, and my aim is for your pictures to make you smile about it for years to come. 

I travel a lot but home is on the island of Portsmouth - I think Venice is the only other European Island city - no disrespect to my adopted home but that’s certainly where the similarities end. I’m in Southsea, the old seaside resort bit, and now here 20yrs I can't imagine living away from the sea and beach. I’ve daughters (21 and 17) who’ve mused about their potential weddings, so I know for just how long brides have been planning when they contact me. As a photojournalist I learnt that being accepted as a picture maker is all about the care with which you interact with people. I've discreetly worked within so many situations that I’m pretty good at just fitting in, chatting, and unobtrusively making pictures. I can often pass for a guest. When making pictures, people see I care, and also seem to know what I’m doing, so just let me get on with it. This means I can float around all day without getting in the way. I hope this might suit you.

Lastly, this page was meant to have just one small picture of me. But my eldest daughter produced this set of portraits which she thought helped show me more honestly than if we'd just used the one. x.