Interview: Dale Weeks Photography
Each week we feature a different Wedding Photographer and find out a little bit more about them and what makes them tick. This week we catch up with Dale Weeks Photography an Alternative Wedding Photographer covering London, Kent, Sussex as well as Destination Weddings.
First off Dale, how long have you been photographing weddings for and how did you get into it
I shot my first wedding in May 2012 for a friend. I’d seen a lot of the American photographers like Carl Zoch and Feather Love and was blown away by their work. They shot weddings in such a creative and cool way. At the time I had a Holga camera and was just experimenting with lomography on the sunny beaches of Portugal and taking my Grandads old Chinon SLR out to shoot fishermen and cats. The film was getting expensive so I decided to go digital and got into weddings last year!
What do you particularly like about photographing weddings?
Seeing so many happy faces. My couples are smiling from ear to ear the whole day. They put their complete faith and trust in me to be creative and document how awesome and pretty they look. I am so lucky that I get paid to hang out all day with such awesome people and I love the photographs that I come away with.
How would you describe your style and approach?
I shoot weddings from the inside out. I use a fairly wide lens (the awesome Canon 35mm) and could probably shoot a whole wedding with that one lens! I nearly did that at the last wedding I shot.
The wide lens means I have to get fairly close and stuck in, I’m documenting the moments between my couples and their friends and family as it happens. It challenges me to get right into the thick of the action without interruption. I don’t ask anyone to say cheese or look at the camera.
I want to capture natural, relaxed and emotive images in a quiet and creative way.
What advice would you give to couples looking for a wedding photographer?
Go with your gut. If you like the photographs on their website then get in touch. If you open yourselves up to your photographer and share your thoughts and ideas then you will get so much back in your wedding photos.
What tips would you share with couples to help their day go more smoothly?
I have a little guide I send out to my couples when they book me. It explains how to get the most out of your photos on your wedding day and how to prepare.
After weeks or months of planning, on the day you have nothing left to do, so just sit back and enjoy the ride!
Whats the best moment you’ve had as a wedding photographer?
Sitting down at the end of the year and putting together this blog post http://www.daleweeksphotography.co.uk/2013/12/2013-2.html
It brought it home how many amazing people I had met and had let me in to their lives to photograph such intimate moments. I have been incredibly lucky to get such awesome couples and can’t wait to meet everyone in 2014!
Thanks to Dale for taking time out to talk to us, you can find out more about him on his profile page here, or website at www.daleweeksphotography.co.uk