My kind of wedding photography

August 13, 2025 in wedding photography

I love photographing weddings, but I neither pretend nor aspire to be a specialist wedding photographer.

The specialists usually photograph only weddings. Shoots at the agreed locations are planned to the last detail, often based on a portfolio of previous photos, or of ones that their clients have found online – the sunset kiss, the dress, the rings, the bouquet toss, and so on. They may bring stylists and lighting assistants. In case of doubt, they will get the couple and their guests to ‘do another take’, replaying the moment until they’re sure they have the perfect, Instagram-worthy image. They charge a lot.

If that’s what they are into, good luck to them. Some make a very good living, I’m told. And good luck to their clients, if that’s the kind of wedding photos they want.

AI-generated wedding photos, anyone?

But sorry, it isn’t my thing at all. And if a couple comes to me and I sense that’s what they are looking for, I politely suggest they find someone else. For me, living a wedding ought to take priority over photographing it. And I really believe that the only wedding photographs of true, lasting value are ones that capture fleeting moments of spontaneous emotion, rather than those that conform to a preconceived idea. I mean, why not go all the way, and get AI to produce the wedding album without the bother of having an actual ceremony at all?

Three weddings, no funeral

This summer, I photographed three absolutely lovely weddings. All three couples assured me that what they really wanted was images that caught the feelings of the event, produced by the unpredictable chemistry between the friends and family members present. Two of them, in fact, told me that my street photography was a key factor in their decision to work with me. Of course, in each case, we did make some posed group photos. And of course I took care to get nice shots during the exchange of vows, and the exchange of rings.

But if I look back at the images from those three wonderful wedding days, the ones that best meet the clients’ briefs were unplanned – could not have been planned, as a matter of fact.

I, too, lived those days intensely. I took a lot of photos, as I always do. And from time to time what I saw through my viewfinder was genuine, no-kidding magic.

Using headshots to present a corporate personality

January 15, 2025 in corporate photography

Most organisations need portraits of their personnel. They use them on public web sites (‘Meet our team’) and on intranets, for LinkedIn profile pictures and Teams avatars, for speakers’ bios, press articles and a host of other comms applications.

What do your current headshots say about the organisation?

However, my sense is that few organisations really think about the purpose of these portraits – what message do we actually want them to send? It’s true that simply showing the face of each individual to clients or colleagues can support better one-to-one communication. But beyond that, what should the entire collection of portraits say about the organisation?

We can start by thinking about the negative messages conveyed by some ‘Our team’ pages. A mix of selfies, passport photos, colour and black and white, close-up and half-body portraits, some shot inside and some outside, could lead a visitor to think that the organisation has rapid staff turnover, lacks coherent policies, and doesn't pay attention to detail.

A coherent look

In fact, ‘coherence’ is something that clients often mention to me as a key requirement. I’m asked either to make portraits that match a previous series or, more often, to shoot a completely new series of the entire staff. Ensuring consistency of framing, lighting and background is certainly important. But how far should consistency go? Should each person be shown facing the same way? Should they all be dressed alike? Do you want to show the uniformity of your team, or its diversity?

These are tricky questions, and there are no right or wrong answers. It all depends on the ‘personality’ of the organisation – its sector, its market niche, its clients, how it positions itself in relation to its competitors, and so on.

Some dimensions you might want to consider are:

brilliant individuals –– team players
professional –– approachable
dynamic –– qualified
reliable –– innovative
powerful –– meticulous
listening –– directing

Trying to position an organisation on any of these spectrums is hard. ‘We want to be seen as professional and approachable, as reliable and innovative’, and so on. But it’s worth doing the exercise. If you’ve really thought about these questions, you’ll be well placed to give your photographer a detailed briefing that will help him or her to optimise the shoot. Instead of ending up with just a series of likenesses, you’ll have a collection of team portraits that reflects the organisation’s ethos and values – and, hopefully, one that helps it to stand out from the crowd.

Sample headshot series

I’ve put together a gallery with examples of headshots I’ve made for nearly 20 different organisations, to illustrate the wide range of styles possible. I’ve included three portraits from each series to show how a coherent look can be achieved even when each subject is allowed to dress and pose differently. Each client organisation is credited, and I’m immensely grateful to each of them for allowing me to use their photos in this way.