I often get asked how I got into photography – or specifically wedding photography. I honestly never knew what I wanted to do growing up – I wished I had the burning desire for that one thing, but I didn’t. I studied performing arts at 6th form, but never carried on with it to University. Part of me knew the financial burden was huge, and I wasn’t 100% that was where I wanted to be. So I started working for a Travel Company at their HQ, where I stayed for 4 years and met some incredible people.
My passion for photography I think was just like most. I loved taking them, getting them printed and keeping them. I was in love with my parents pictures, not just the ones of them but the ones they had taken. The one’s of Dad when he toured the world in the army, of when they first met, grandparents, family and their life at that time. My absolute favourites – and they still are – are Polaroids. But, I digress – how did I get into wedding photography…
When I went to Australia for a couple of months with my friend, I had a little Kodak that I had got as a gift. I loved this camera. Not because it was a pretty red or that it helped me create some very amazing memories, but,it was easy to use and it had nifty little gadgets, like panoramic, macro etc, etc. After that trip I landed another job, but I wasn’t happy. I wanted to learn more about photography. I bought an Olympus E-450 and felt like a rock star! I now had a proper camera!! Through reading blogs, practicing and making LOTS of mistakes I started to learn. At first I just learned the basics how to make everything fit. I started seeing more of how I wanted my pictures to be and tried to imitate what I saw. I booked on a course with 3B media – and learnt about back grounds, where my obsession for images was fuelled.A friend of my parents was getting married,the budget was low, it was the second time round for them both, but they offered me the chance to work it if I wanted. The budget was £0. Yes, I worked for free. I worked my camera so hard that battery died fast, but, I worked with what I had, documented how I thought I should and at the end of the day had images that the couple liked. To me,it felt amazing. From that wedding a friend of the brides asked if I was free for her wedding, the budget this time covered enough for them to get an album, and I think I walked away with £10.00 – I should have framed it – it was my first payment for my work. I then second shot for a friend and documented a further 3 weddings, attending a wedding workshop again with 3B media, before the penny started to drop that maybe I could do this. Maybe people liked the way I worked. In 2010 I put an offer out online – my first real package. I offered it until the last day of that year, and received great feedback. That set me up for my first year in business in 2011 where I worked for myself and really fell head over heels for this crazy industry. I didn’t have a university degree to get me there. I worked from passion, teaching myself, practicing, failing and trying some more.
I enjoy seeing how far I have come. After teaching my first mentoring session today, I realised I have learned a few things along the way, and that I’m still learning. Happy monday and keep going for whatever it is your reaching for xx
