DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY AT ITS BEST
MEET THE PHOTOGRAPHER
As part of my supplier spotlight series, I would like to introduce you to an industry friend Daniel Hughes of Daniel Hughes Photography I first met Daniel at a wedding industry networking event, and what struck me instantly about him was his sense of warmth and genuine interest in people, he has this ability to make people feel greatly at ease with his smiley and playful persona and his stand out documentary style wedding photography is a shining example of this.
“Awesome wedding photography should be fun, it should be relaxed and it should be about capturing the real moments between you, your family & your friends.” says Daniel and I couldn’t agree more, so I caught up with him to ask him a little more about his fabulous photography style and exactly how he works with wedding couples like yourselves.
WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO BECOME A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER?
I studied photography at university and I always wanted to photograph landscapes when I graduated. I had an opportunity to second shoot with a wedding photographer in the mid 2006 and I was instantly hooked. Turns out I’m a massive sucker for love! What’s been really great to find out is that the small intimate weddings that have happened during 2020 have been just as magical and just down right lovely!
HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?
This is a great question! I’m a documentary wedding photographer at heart, I love to capture the genuine story of the day without interfering too much. On top of capturing the couples’, their family and friends and what they get up to, I work hard on making sure that couples have timeless and relaxed portraits from their big day. My style is reflected also in warm & bright images that have a cinematic film feel.
HOW DO YOU WORK WITH COUPLES TO GET THE BEST IMAGES ON THEIR WEDDING DAY? WHAT IS YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
So this is key for me. Practically all the couples who I work with are after a relaxed and chilled out experience. To help with this, I offer a connection shoot that helps the couple get used to how I work. It also helps me understand how they react in front of a camera. This really helps with any nerves there might be on the day. Having your photograph taken isn’t natural. Some couples don’t need this but it does help for those who are anxious and there is nothing wrong with that at all. I’m always looking to capture the genuine connection between my couples and there is a method that I run through to get to this point. It’s an exciting day, so being understanding about how people are feeling through it all is really helpful too.
WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT BEING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER?
Honestly, it’s being invited to share people’s big day. I love capturing these moments for couples to look back at forever. The best thing for me is being present around that joy. It’s infectious!
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU GIVE TO COUPLES WHEN CHOOSING THEIR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER?
I actually wrote a blog post on this! How to choose the right wedding photographer for you! The key factors to take away from the post is to meet any potential photographers. Who they are is really key to how your day is going to go. Choose the style that suits you: Do you want a relaxed, documentary approach, or do you want a more traditional set up with an emphasis on posing? Neither are wrong, but it does help having an idea of what you want and how your day will be. Have a sit down and write down what parts of the day you want capturing. This should help you decide if you need two photographers or one, and for how long. Most good photographers will offer packages that reflect your needs. Have a think also about extra such as albums and prints. Does the photographer offer those? Can you see some examples of their past work this way? The more information you have before making the decision, the better.
If you would like to find out more about Daniel’s photography, you can get in touch with him here: https://www.danielhughesphotography.com/wedding-photography/
