It feels like only five minutes ago that I was kicking off 2018 thinking “this year is looking like it’s going to be pretty special”. Little did I know that 2018 would be my best year yet! I was blessed with some truly magnificent couples last year and I owe each and every one of them a massive thank you!
Let’s not muck about here; picking someone to document one of the biggest days of your lives is a big deal. The fact that every couple I worked with in 2018 put their absolute trust in me to ‘do my thing’ and were overjoyed with the results still blows my mind. Some of the comments and emails I received after delivering photos still get me all teary now! To all my 2018 couples, thank you so much!
Documentary Wedding Photographer
2018 wasn’t just about my couples. I learned a lot last year and loved the process of putting it all into practice and pushing myself to develop and improve in all areas of my business. It was also the year that saw me move away from my beloved Canon gear and throw my hat into the Fujifilm ring and, after 5 minutes playing with my first X-T2, I knew I’d made the right decision.
Confession time; I’m a bit of a ‘gear head’. I love having new stuff to try and the camera isn’t simply just a tool for me. It’s so much more than that. The move to Fuji reignited something that I’d not had for a little while and made me want to just pick it up and shoot something. Not only that, it opened up a whole new way of shooting and enabled me to create angles and compositions I’d never have even thought about, let alone seen, with the Canon’s.
My new gear was also coupled with a much greater appreciation for what it means to be a documentary wedding photographer. I spent more time learning about compositional techniques, lighting and how other genres of photography and film can heavily influence the way you see the world. What was the single best piece of advice I received? Stop looking at other wedding photographers! Find inspiration away from the ‘wedding bubble’ and use that to carve your own path. To the various people who gave me that nugget of gold – thank you!
Summary
Right, that’s enough rambling from me. Here are my top 100 frames from 2018. Narrowing down a year’s worth of wedding photos to 100 was a tough job, but I feel these photos best reflect who I am and where I’m at as a photographer. Moments galore, full of emotion and a truck-load of fun! Thanks again 2018, you were mega!
2019, we’ve got some fun coming…