The UK’s top Wedding Photojournalist of 2016 – WPJA
WEDDING PORTRAITS |
WEDDING MOMENTS |
“I am not dead; I am in Herne Bay” so wrote the artist Marcel Duchamp on a postcard to his friend in 1913. This corner of the east Kent coast does hold a certain appeal, and after living in London since the mid-nineties, I relocated here. I now live a stone’s throw from the beach with the two men in my life – my husband Steve, another photographer, and Ozzy the French bulldog. It’s a beautiful and inspiring place to live, particularly in winter when the beaches are empty and you can get a fireside seat in the pub.
Alongside photography, I love nothing more than a rummage through a junk shop (especially the ones in Ghent), have a (slight) obsession with ankle boots, Art Deco, and West German pottery and I’m at my happiest on the beach at sunset with hot pizza, cold wine and good company: J.M.W Turner said the skies here are the best in the world, and I would have to agree.
I studied Fine Art but have always been drawn to photography as a medium of visual communication. I’d photograph school friends on a little Olympus OM-10 film camera, then develop the films during my lunch break. I photographed my first wedding way back in 2003 (it was a disaster. Buy me a drink and I’ll tell you about it), then over the next few years I shot album covers, dabbled in birth photography, and was on the team that covered the 2005 Cannes Film Festival for French newspaper Le Monde. The transition from doing the odd commercial job to being a full-time wedding photographer wasn’t a great epiphany: I photographed a few friends’ weddings in 2007, they loved the pictures and recommended me to their friends and it snowballed from there. By 2009, I was photographing weddings full time.
You’ll see from looking around my site that my approach to wedding photography is very natural and “hands off”. Whether you want to call it documentary wedding photography, reportage wedding photography or even wedding photojournalism, it all amounts to the same thing; I won’t stop any of the proceedings, set shots up, boss you around or ask anyone to pose for the camera. In short, you’ll barely know I’m there, which means you can enjoy the day fully knowing every precious moment is being captured. Read more about my approach to wedding photography here.
In 2016 I shot my 250th wedding, so you can be assured that I have the experience to handle anything your wedding day throws at me! I’m proud to have won numerous awards from the world-renowned Wedding Photojournalist Association, and in 2016 was ranked as their top UK Wedding Photographer, coming 11th worldwide. In late 2016, I won the awards for ”London and South East Best Wedding Photographer”, and ”Best Wedding Photographer in England” in the national finals of The 2017 Wedding Industry Awards. The TWIA recognises and awards excellence in the wedding industry and is the only UK competition where you are judged not only on your photographs but by what your previous wedding couples have to say about you. You can read some comments from my lovely couples here.
Mihir Garh Wedding // Kish & Kush It’s quite difficult to put into words just how special this Mihir Garh wedding was....
DIY Garden Party Wedding – Charley & Ian Charley and I have been friends for just shy of (whisper it) 30 years....
Asylum Wedding // Anna & Sam An Asylum wedding is always going to be a treat, purely because it’s such an incredible v...
Burgh House Wedding Photography // Jen & Carter I’m a sucker for a romantic ‘how we met’ story, and Jen...
The Peasant Wedding // Bianca & Matthew A classic London pub wedding; a ceremony at Islington Town Hall followed by a party ...
Rustic Outdoor Wedding // Esther & Toby When you plan a rustic outdoor wedding, the last thing you want is torrential rain. ...
Hi Lyndsey We just wanted to drop you a note to thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We couldn't have wished for a more involved, ninja-like photographer at our wedding. Our guests commented on how invoked and up-for-it you were and, not only did you capture all the really exciting, important bits, you made us feel like total rock stars. The photos are amazing! You've somehow managed to be everywhere at once and capture everything. You've really got the best out of people who hate having to stand for organised photos. I’m really pleased that we chose you to be our photographer. You went above and beyond the call of duty and it was such a pleasure sharing the day with you, and we are thrilled you were a part of it. Thank you, thank you, thank you- you are truly excellent and awesome.
” wow wow wow”…. That’s all that could be heard in 3 Dewar Street last night, after we arrived home to find your photos had arrived! Absolutely fantastic – we love them! You’ve managed to capture both the majesty and the quirkiness of the venue, and the mood of the day perfectly. Love the pics in the pub, love the pics of our (slightly terrifying!) journey, and the speeches, and the shots with the magician are just brilliant. I think you managed to snap every person there – all those smiling faces and all those special little moments that would have otherwise gone unnoticed. We’re really pleased that we have these wonderful photos to remind us of what a beautiful, fun day it was. Thank you so much!
Oh my god. That is incredible..... You just made us both cry! So many bits of the day just in that slide show that we hadn't been able to see for ourselves and just what a magical day it was.... There was never a doubt in my mind that I wanted you as our photographer and this just proves why. How you capture pure emotion is absolute gold. Thank you so much! We love them so much! You've actually killed Rory. Ha ha! xxx
I am so naughty as the parcel just arrived and rather than be the good wife and wait for Ol, I ripped open the box, shoved the kids in front of the TV and just spent the most delicious half an hour reliving it all through your clever eyes. I am absolutely thrilled with them, it was such an intimate day and you were so discreet and considerate, it's just blown me away to see it all again. You captured the spirit of the day so effortlessly and with such subtle artistry, you really are a talented story teller. Thank you thank you thank you. On a personal note you were so easy to have around, like we'd known each other for years, and that's so important. Our wedding had been such a long time coming and we've had two kids in two years so it was incredibly emotional having such a focus on us and the way we feel about each other, and to have it all documented so beautifully is something that we will treasure forever. We had the most amazing time in Thailand and are suffering the post wedding, post honeymoon come down, so needless to say the photos are a good way of clinging on to the buzz for that little bit longer! S xxx
Hi Lyndsey Your memory stick has arrived - even the packaging is beautifully stylish! I don't know what to say - unusual for me! We are all completely overwhelmed by them. You captured moments that were so precious and, the whole day has come alive again. We've had tears of joy and, much, much laughter! You have captured the essence of the whole wedding day in a way that is beyond anything we could have hoped for. I knew it was a great day but, to see so many people so obviously enjoying themselves is gratifying indeed! Even better, I actually like myself on them!! You were so right, I needn't have worried. Thank you! Georgie will no doubt be in touch again very very soon but, we're off on holiday tomorrow and I couldn't go without saying a huge thank you for all that you did, your easy manner and, the beautiful fruits of your labour! Vikki xxx (Georgie’s mum)
Hi Lyndsey, Just wanted to send you a very quick message having looked through the pictures for the first time. We are absolutely delighted with them! They are perfect and way beyond anything we could have hoped for. I appreciate that it takes a great deal of work to get them looking so good so thank you so much for the care and attention. Also thank you for how great you were on the day. You made everything extremely easy for us and it was a real pleasure to have you there. Thanks again.
Lyndsey... THANK YOU SO MUCH. I've just sneakily watched this at work. Absolutely fallen in love with the photos you have taken. You could not have captured the day any more beautifully and perfectly! The photos are just amazing and I can't wait to watch that slide show all over again and show it off to everyone. I honestly can not thank you enough. I will be writing a review to detail just how amazing you were on the day and how incredibly special our photos are. Stu and I have looked through them and laughed, cried and said ‘’Awww’’ as we went through. Having a curry tonight with our family, to sit and go through them together. So glad we chose you to be our photographer. Your service has been beyond amazing and we are totally in love with the photos. We will recommend you to everyone we know! Thank you Lyndsey
Dear Lyndsey Thank you SO much, they are gorgeous photos. I haven't been able to stop looking at them - it just brings the whole day back to life . We cannot thank you enough for your work, to be able to capture things the way you do is a true gift . Planning the wedding from New Zealand was not without it’s challenges, but you made the whole process super easy and a joy, and although you were working we hope you had a good time at the wedding. We could do nothing but whole heartedly recommend you to others and we will definitely be doing so! Thanks again. Ian and Debbie
