How I work on a wedding day.

I always describe myself as your wedding wingman. Yes, I’m there to take photos, obviously, but the camera is only one part of what I actually do all day. My real job is helping you have the best bloody wedding day possible while quietly documenting the chaos as it unfolds around us.

I am there calming nerves while you’re getting ready. I’m turning music up when the room needs energy and turning it down when everyone’s overwhelmed and stressed. I’m helping pin buttonholes on because apparently nobody in the history of weddings has ever known how those things work. I’m drying flowers so they don’t drip down outfits. I’ve fixed veils, sewn broken bits back together, handed out chewing gum, found blister plasters, passed people tissues, hairspray, safety pins, snacks, deodorant, and all sorts of random emergency supplies that somehow end up saving the day.

At this point, my camera bag is basically half photography gear and half travelling pharmacy.

A massive part of my job is reading the room and understanding what you need from me moment to moment. Sometimes you need hyping up. Sometimes you need calming down. Sometimes you need somebody to step in and take charge for ten minutes because the timeline’s drifting and nobody’s listening. Sometimes you just need someone to quietly tell you to breathe and remind you that the day is actually going really well.

I also spend a huge amount of the wedding helping things flow naturally without you even really noticing. I’ll round people up for photos so you don’t have to. I’ll get your wedding party involved. I’ll help coordinate the chaos. If you need rescuing from a conversation, I can do that. If the dancefloor needs lifting a bit, I can help with that too. I get to know what matters to you as a couple before the wedding, and then on the day itself I spend my time gently steering things in that direction while you two actually enjoy yourselves.

One of my favourite things guests say to me is, “How long have you known them?” because most of the time the answer is honestly not very long at all. I just don’t believe wedding photography works best when the photographer stands silently in a corner with a massive lens pretending not to exist for twelve hours straight. Equally, I’m not some loud, bossy bloke screaming orders all day either. I sit somewhere in the middle. I chat to people, have a laugh, throw a bit of banter around, get involved, and become part of the atmosphere of the day instead of hovering around the edges of it.

That changes everything when the camera comes up. People stop reacting like they’re being photographed by a stranger and start reacting like, “Oh, it’s just Chris.” That’s where the good stuff lives. The natural moments. The proper laughs. The photos where people actually look comfortable because they genuinely are comfortable.

The biggest thing I want couples to feel around me is safe. Safe to relax. Safe to be awkward. Safe to not know what they’re doing. Safe to be loud, emotional, goofy, quiet, weird, chaotic, affectionate, or completely overwhelmed. You do not need to perform around me. You do not need to become a polished wedding-version of yourselves. I would much rather photograph the real version of you than some stiff Pinterest copy of what you think weddings are supposed to look like.

That’s why I direct rather than pose. You’ll never find me micro-managing the angle of your chin or telling you to tilt your head 3 degrees to the left.. That’s not how I work. I’ll find good light, a cool backdrop, or a moment that feels interesting, then I’ll get you moving and interacting naturally within it. Walking. Talking. Dancing. Twirling. Piggybacks. Secret handshakes. Champagne sprays. Smoke flares. Running through fields. Whatever feels fun and fits your personalities. The whole point is to get you focused on each other instead of the camera.

There are definitely moments where I step up and become more directional. Confetti is one of them because if nobody takes charge, confetti shots become absolute carnage in about four seconds flat. Family photos as well. I keep them fast, organised, and moving because nobody wants to stand around for an hour while Uncle Dave disappears to the toilet for the third time.

The big fun group shots later in the day usually need a bit more volume from me too because once alcohol kicks in, you’re essentially trying to organise a bunch of very excited toddlers in formalwear.

And honestly, if I need to advocate for you, I will. If guests are interrupting your couple session constantly, I’ll step in. If people are trying to drag you away when you need five minutes to yourselves, I’ll handle it. If the timeline starts drifting and important stuff is getting missed, I’m more than happy to take charge and help get things back on track.

But knowing when to step back is just as important. There are moments that don’t need a camera shoved in somebody’s face. If someone is genuinely devastated during a speech about a loved one who’s passed away, I’m not climbing on tables trying to get a dramatic crying photo. If you’re having a quiet emotional moment with somebody important, I might grab one discreet frame and then leave you alone to actually experience it. Even on the dancefloor, I read the room constantly. I’ll jump in, get involved, grab the chaos and the energy, then back off again so people don’t feel like they’re being watched all night.

I think one of the biggest misunderstandings about wedding photography is that couples think photographers are just there to document what happens. The reality is, good wedding photographers shape the atmosphere around them more than people realise. If I can help you feel relaxed, comfortable, confident, and fully present in your day, the photos naturally become better because the experience itself becomes better.

The best wedding photographers aren’t just people with cameras. They’re people who understand humans. People who know how to calm nerves, read energy, bring people together, and help couples actually enjoy the day they’ve spent so long planning.

The best photos have never come from fancy cameras alone. They come from people feeling comfortable enough to forget the camera is even there.