Small Intimate Wedding Photography
Small Intimate Wedding Photography
With the UK being in lockdown for the past 3 months one of the Associations I belong to, the WPJA, decided that as there were no weddings taking place then there could be no contests. Instead they asked all of their members to submit no more than 12 photographs from small intimate weddings they had photographed, or any elopement weddings.
One of the biggest misconceptions of my work is that I only photograph large weddings in London, which is wrong. The bread and butter of my work has and will always be smaller weddings, normally with around 60 guests. However I have also photographed a large number of weddings with far less than that. Most of those have around 20-30 guests, but quite a few have been with less than 10 in total.
The rules for this latest competition was to submit no more than 12 photographs that told the whole story of the wedding. No more than 2 detail shots and no more than 2 portraits. This is one of the reasons I love the WPJA. To tell the story of a wedding in 12 images is difficult, not impossible though. It means the photographer has to be immersed in the wedding. It also requires the photographer to have a connection with the clients so they they allow you to take the best wedding photographs in the most intimate of situations. When I look around at most wedding photographs today I see a mass of detail shots and posed images, with very little attention paid to the story behind the couple. There is always a story, the photographer just has to find it and then document it.
This competition literally shouted at me to enter and so I did. To my complete surprise all of the stories I entered ( 4 in total ) are now featured on the Elopement section of the WPJA website. All have gained recognition from the judges for not only being a high enough standard , but also because they tell a story.
For me, wedding photography is an art form that quite honestly feels like it has been abused recently. Gaining access to a website and sub standard photography equipment is all too easy. Calling yourself a professional wedding photographer requires no qualifications, or exams, but it does require the necessary insurances which many do not have. These awards showcase the art of wedding photography and an ability to produce outstanding wedding photography and tell the most important story of a couples life.
Below are just some of the images that received this recognition.
David has recently been voted one of the best wedding photographers in the UK for 2020
