Best of Wedding Photography 2013

Well that was harder than I thought it would be – picking the images for this ‘best of’ post is one of the toughest gigs of the year! That’s not meant to be flippant and suggest that 2013 has been a walk in the park, it certainly hasn’t. Starting up a business in a new country with no local network wasn’t exactly stress free, and at times it was terrifying on many different levels, levels I didn’t think existed. It’s just that I enjoyed every second of 2013, I really did, even the crappy moments. Anyway, the upshot is that deciding what to include below has left me cross-eyed and in need of a large glass of wine.

Casting aside the personal highlight of moving to a new country to live, and all the new experiences that has afforded us, in 2013 I met incredible couples who trusted me to capture the most important days in their lives. That fact continues to humble and make me smile daily. I got to photograph weddings in places I’d never been to before, whilst slowly building a strong reputation as a photographer and a successful (with a small s) business. I managed to get two weddings and an engagement shoot featured in external blogs and booked more weddings in my first year here than I could ever had hoped for. 2014 is shaping up nicely and includes a few exciting Destination Weddings. Most importantly than all that though, my clients are happy and many of them I now count as friends.

I must be absolutely clear about who made this year possible though. My wife Clare is the reason I found myself doing what I love for a living. Her work ethic and incredible talent brought us to LA and it is her position that provided that safety net should the business have struggled, and it was her encouraging me to just “go and make it happen” that was the catalyst. I am not a risk taker, that’s not who I am, so without Clare my 2013 would have been much different. For a start, I wouldn’t have taken any of the pictures you see below which is a depressing thought.

I’d like to thank anyone who’s helped me out this year with personal, business and life advice. I’m particularly grateful to Kirsten, Jason and Inku who gave me some great 2nd photographer gigs during the year and a special thanks to Adam Johnson back in the UK for his flawless ongoing advice and support. I am honoured to be working with you next year Adam.

I’ll sign off 2013 inviting you to view a selection of this years best moments and leaving you with some wise words from Ferris Bueller, and I hope to see you all on the other side..

“I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”