Wedding photography has come a long way from the days of propping up Auntie Edith as you all line up on the church steps and mug “cheese” at a man in a horrifically colourful waistcoat. Reportage, contemporary, vintage, alternative, documentary… Where do you even begin to find the right style of wedding photography for your big day? Or the right photographer for the job?
At GoHen we’ve gone beyond the lens to take a look at the world of wedding photography and present Britain’s 50 Best Wedding Photographers.
Chris Giles
Style: Reportage, traditional and contemporary
Where: UK and destination
With a ‘no stress, no fuss, no worry’ ethos Chris Giles is a photographic Swiss army knife and can adapt to all occasions whose also “not afraid to dance with your Nan” apparently (mind, he hasn’t met our Nans yet). What we love most about Chris is the fact he brings the couples personality and humour into so many of his truly unique shots.
Kevin Mullins
Style: Documentary
Where: UK and abroad
Certainly not a traditional wedding photographer, Kevin doesn’t go in for ‘prompting, posing… or anything annoying’ but will simply capture your day as it happens and tell the story of your wedding through his photos. Incredibly moving work yet everyone photo is delivered with a smile and sense of fun.
Paul Johnson
Style: Contemporary
Where: London, UK and Europe
Paul Johnson is well known for his London wedding photography, creating timeless portraits and capturing those special moments that you really don’t want forgotten. Often sneaking around behind the wedding scenes like a photographic ninja he delights in catching those one off wedding moments in time that you’ll be able to enjoy for years to come.
Jonny Draper
Style: Contemporary
Where: Manchester, UK and Destination
Jonny Draper takes the time to get to know his couples with a pre-wedding shoot (with shots that are equally as good as any wedding photo!) which helps him build a great rapport with the couple. He really does believe in going the extra mile to capture those memories and once even let himself get photographed wearing Lycra all in order to get the perfect shot (we mean the shot he took, not the one of him in Lycra). Casual, informal, unobtrusive – mixed with something awesome.
Luis Holden
Style: Contemporary
Where: East Anglia and beyond
In a previous life, this award winning photographer was in the Royal Navy, but he swapped hunting for pirates and going into warzones for something much more risky, wedding receptions. He is now one of the most sought after photographers in his native East Anglia (although he does travel further afield) and his contemporary style really makes every shoot look like the pages of a great lifestyle magazine.
Duncan Kerridge
Style: Contemporary
Where: UK and Europe
Duncan Kerridge has a gift for putting his subjects at ease, this is possibly partly due to the fact that he is quick with a smile himself and refuses to take the rest of life too seriously (apart from his photography). His documentary style will capture all those great smiles throughout the day while his artistic mind will make sure he manages to harness those most fleeting looks and intimate moments as well.
Neale James
Style: Documentary
Where: UK
Neale James has a sideboard full of rather impressive awards (World’s Best Wedding Photographers, Best of the Best List 2012, Best Wedding Photographer 2014 London and the South East, etc) and with good reason. His photos are riveting. He will capture the full story of your big day from beginning to end in the most heart warming way. All the laughs, all the tears and those special looks that say so much.
Steve Gerrard
Style: Contemporary
Where: UK and destination
Together with wife Evelyne, Steve has photographed U2, Beyonce, Metallica and, er, Justin Bieber (no-one’s perfect). He likes: Daddies brown sauce. She likes: Baked beans in maple syrup. ‘Yes we love our job. Yes we can make you look like rock stars. Yes we’ll stay for the party.’
Ross Harvey
Style: Journalistic
Where: UK, Europe and destination
Wedding Industry Awards Best Wedding Photographer in England 2013 & 2014 and considered as one of the best in the world. If you’re lucky enough to bag him for your big day then you get total dedication “I average 14 hours per wedding and often hit 16. Why leave when you love what you do?” but you will need to book him 18 months in advance as his reportage wedding photography style means he is in high demand.
Alan Hutchison
Style: Journalistic and contemporary
Where: UK and destination
If you’ve always wanted that fairy tale wedding then you need a fairy tale wedding photographer. No, we’re not saying that Alan Hutchison is a fairy godmother (sorry Alan) but along with his wife Morag he does capture truly magical images and his documentary wedding photography makes him one of the best wedding photographers around right now.
Mark Seymour
Style: Reportage
Where: UK and destination
Don’t expect three times Wedding Photographer of the Year Mark Seymour to be shouting and trying to be heard by your Auntie Ethel while asking guests to line up. His reportage style subtly steps away from the wedding as if he wasn’t even there while capturing the very essence of every moment of the day. Reportage wedding photography at it’s very best.
Crash Taylor
Style: Documentary
Where: Nottingham, Derby and East Midlands
In 2009, Crash Taylor was voted one of the top 10 wedding photographers in the UK by Professional Photographer magazine. Unfortunately, Crash Taylor only documents 20 wedding adventures a year due to the extent of work that he puts into each wedding. For the lucky few to acquire his services, you do get the true story of your big day told in a loving and timeless manner. Top tip, if you’re going to hunt him down for your wedding apparently he can “never say no to Haagen Dazs ice cream”.
Chris Hanley
Style: Varied.
Where: South Manchester – UK and destination
One of the UK’s top 10 wedding photographers (and that’s official!), Chris Hanley has an unusual take on wedding photography really capturing the essence of the happy couple. He confesses he is “seldom serious for more than 10 minutes and his accents change like the wind” and being charmingly disarming he makes couples feel totally at ease, allowing him to truly capture the smallest details of the biggest day.
Chris Chambers
Style: Contemporary
Where: Leeds, York, Wakefield, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Selby and Doncaster
Chris Chambers’ wedding portfolio is filled with stunning pictures of beautiful brides, their veils caught in the wind, creating an ethereal, mystical quality to his photographs. Chris uses different angles and lighting to make his wedding photographs truly exceptional and unlike any other photographer. Chris has also recently been awarded The Guild Of Photographers “Wedding Photographer of the Year”.
Alex Beckett
Style: Contemporary
Where: London, UK, Europe and destination
Alex Beckett really is anything but ordinary – he’s got a phobia of apples (malusdomesticaphobia – try saying that 3 times fast!), experienced sitting in a 10 seater minibus with a variety of farm animals (maybe we don’t want to know the details…), and a zombie escape plan for every house he’s lived in. If you’re planning a quirky, unusual and somewhat crazy wedding, then you may have just found your wedding photographer.
Matt Tyler
Style: Contemporary
Where: UK, Europe and destination
Weddings are fun and Matt Tyler captures that in his really natural style. You’ll get a real representation of the day itself, from those more formal moments and cleverly posed groups shots to those natural moments when you won’t even have noticed the photographer in the room. While he will record those intimate moments you’ll look back on for years he’ll also make sure you get a memory of the laughs and smiles of the happiest day.
Janis Ratnieks
Style: Contemporary
Where: London, UK and destination
“Some might think I’m crazy, but I’m climbing that tree to get the angle right.” We don’t think Janis is crazy, we’ve seen his work and we think he’s fantastic! Ultra modern, highly stylised shot that are hauntingly touching and something really quite different.
Ryan Browne
Style: Documentary
Where: Yorkshire
Award-winning photographer Ryan Browne blends in with the day allowing him to “Capture the real moment forever…” as seen through the eyes of your own guests. He’ll draw upon the theme and style of your wedding to lead the way to those picture perfect moments you’ll treasure for a lifetime.
Shoot Lifestyle Wedding Photography
Style: Lifestyle
Where: Yorkshire, UK and destination
Husband and wife team, Jo and Simon, believe in “Telling your story through beautiful pictures”. Seeing their albums is like viewing your wedding and its story on the pages of the most glamorous of lifestyle magazines capturing the real moments of the day in a style to suit the occasion. Photos with real heart and soul.
Guy Collier
Style: Documentary
Where: North Hampshire, UK and destination
According to Guy Collier “Moments happen. They’re real, they’re fleeting.” That means being there to capture those brief instances in time so you can treasure them for a lifetime. Not afraid to shoot the tears as well as the laughs you’ll get a real reflection of your most precious event, shot in real time from a photographer who cares deeply about the outcome.
Charley Smith
Style: Reportage
Where: UK and destination
Charley is without doubt one of Britain’s top wedding and fashion photographers and has shot for the likes of Glamour, Wallpaper, Smirnoff, Henleys, Harper Bazaar, Cosmo Bride, Rock My Wedding… We could go on but that would give us less time to look at his simply stunning portfolio. Hugely in demand, he brings the world of journalism to your wedding to capture a jaw-droppingly stunning reflection of your day.
Fiona Kelly
Style: Reportage
Where: UK and destination
Fiona Kelly is quite simply uber-cool and her photos reflect a strong sense of fashion and design. If you’ve ever flicked through images of Rock My Wedding and slick contemporary wedding mags and wondered how people get weddings to look like that then Fiona and her lens is the answer to record your own wedding story.
Jon Dennis
Style: Reportage
Where: UK and destination
You remember the 2014 wedding that was hit by a storm and made all the headlines? Yes, Jon is the photographer behind THAT wedding and blog. An amazing reportage, story teller who really does capture the day through his lens in a way that not even the guests will notice. Now if you’ll excuse us we’re going to spend more time drooling over his simply stunning images.
Adam Johnson
Style: Contemporary
Where: Chester, UK and destination
OMG! OK, let’s not tell ‘em indoors but a few minutes flicking through Adam Johnson’s wedding images online and it’s enough to make me want to get married just for the photos alone! It’s easy to see how he has won a hatful of awards and is so hugely in demand. Now all I need to do is talk the fella into getting a ring…
Claire Penn
Style: Natural
Where: Cheshire, UK and destination
Why Claire? “Polaroids, Prosecco and puppies” – that’s why. Okay, put her love of things cute, old and alcoholic (that reminds me, I must ring Nan) aside for a moment and you’ll find a photographer with real heart who loves finding the story amidst the wedding chaos and perfectly capturing those special and most intimate moments, “no formal line ups… just your day, captured as it unfolds”. Claire fittingly appears in Rangefinder Magazine’s annual ’30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography’ of 2014.
Weddings Vintage
Style: Vintage wedding photography
Where: UK
If you’re planning a retro theme to your big day Harriet and Hayley (a.k.a H&H) are vintage wedding photography specialists. All those stunning vintage blogs you’ve been pouring over to get a feel your wedding photographer, well with a little help from the vintage team you really can have your own special day captured in simply stunning style. A pair of “easy going northerners who love a good power ballad” they will help bring a sense of style and importantly, fun, to your wedding photos.
Lina and Tom.com
Style: Documentary
Where: Cambridgeshire, UK and destination
Some of the most natural and fun wedding photography we have seen (and in researching this blog we’ve seen thousands of wedding pics!). Lina and Tom’s work has featured in Time Out, The Guardian, The Times, Style and enough wedding magazines to stock a newsagents. Weddings are happy occasions and no wedding photographers reflect that better.
