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Wedding photographer: Chris Barber wedding photographer London
Photo Title: Fire-mans lift during fireworks
Photo details: Aisha + Mart during the fireworks at their wedding reception at Redhouse Barns, West Midlands. These guys were originally facing with their backs to me as they watched the fireworks. I set up a light just out of shot on the right-hand side to grab a photo of them cuddling. Then...out of totally nowhere, Mart just grabbed Aisha + threw her over his shoulder, spinning her around. He totally rocked it out with the finger point, too.
About the photographer: Hello, I’m Chris! I am a London wedding photographer creating fun images that are filled with character, energy + genuine laughter. My approach is simple: I work with my couples as actual human beings to create images that reflect their personalities – not just an artificial ‘version’ of what you both look like when you’re forced to look a certain way. That means that my work avoids ‘posing’ + instead focuses creating a ‘space’ where you, your friends + families feel that they can continue being themselves in front of the camera.
It's the end of the line for professional wedding photographers
So that’s it, after 20 years as a professional wedding photographer and having covered countless weddings across the North West and the UK, I’ve decided this will be my last summer shooting weddings. Bookings for next year are looking a bit thin, to say the least, and to tell you the truth the business has changed so much in the last three years that I just can’t be bothered anymore. The increasingly demanding clients, the exponential growth in the number of photographers competing for bookings and the subsequent rapid decrease in fees means it’s just not worth it to me anymore. I just don’t like weddings that much that I’m prepared to bend over backwards to stay in the game. Maybe I’m just getting too old for it!
Twenty years ago, pre-digital and pre-internet, photography was so different to today. I got my work mainly through reputation and a bit of advertising. I had a small high street shop in the local town, and pretty much anyone who was getting married would pop in to have a look at some albums. There were probably about 4 or 5 of us nearby with similar setups, and we all knew each other, and if we were already booked, we’d recommend each other. Wedding photography was the best-kept secret in the industry. Not as glamorous and exciting as some other areas of photography - but we all earned a great living and had a nice lifestyle. Other photographers wouldn’t touch a wedding with a barge pole. It was either seen as too dull or too complicated. We had assistants in those days, not ‘second shooters’, tripods, Hasselblads, film and light meters. Photographers spent their time taking photographs rather than blogging about how lovely weddings are!
Wedding venue: Manchester Art Gallery is Manchester's most famous gallery space and is available for hire for weddings and other events. The gallery can accommodate up to 500 guests for drinks receptions, and the dedicated wedding events staff can organise seated dinners for up to 120 guests. The catering team is lead by award-winning chef Mary-Ellen McTague, best known for her restaurant, Aumbry. . . Venue Website
Photographer: Shane Webber is a professional wedding photographer based in Manchester. Over the past nine years, Shane has photographed hundreds of weddings while developing his unique approach that combines natural wedding photography with contemporary processing. His work attracts couples who desire exceptional fine-art photography on their wedding day.
