So… Who’s This Bloke With The Camera?

Hi, I’m Ben — wedding photographer, former magician, full-time children’s home worker and part-time professional button pusher.

My journey into photography wasn’t exactly planned. I originally started out as a magician, performing shows in pubs and convincing people that I genuinely knew what I was doing. After a while, I discovered photography and, rather annoyingly for my bank account, I absolutely fell in love with it.

So I bought some cameras, lenses and enough photography equipment to make my bank manager question whether I’d developed a serious problem.

I’m not going to pretend I’m some world-famous photographer who’s been personally requested by the Royal Family. I’m an amateur photographer — but I’m an amateur who really, really wants to get bloody good at this.

I spend a lot of time learning, experimenting and trying to squeeze every last bit of awesomeness out of my equipment. I’m the sort of person who will happily spend ages looking for the right light, the right angle and the perfect moment… while everyone else is wondering why I’m crouched behind a bush.

When I’m not photographing weddings, I work full-time in a children’s home. It’s a job I genuinely care about, but my long-term goal is to take the leap and turn photography into my full-time career.

And that’s where you come in.

Every wedding I photograph is another opportunity to learn, improve and create something I’m genuinely proud of. I don’t turn up, take a few snaps and disappear into the sunset. I want to capture the stuff you’ll actually want to look back on — the laughs, the tears, the chaos, the questionable dance moves and that one relative who inevitably has had slightly too much to drink by 8pm.

My background in magic has also taught me something pretty useful: people don't always notice the little things happening right in front of them.

That’s exactly what I’m looking for with a camera.

The glance between you when nobody else is looking. The reaction of your mum during the vows. Your mates losing their minds on the dance floor. The tiny moments that might last two seconds but mean everything when you look back at them years later.

So, yes, I’m still building my photography career.

But I’ve got the enthusiasm, the obsession with getting the best shot possible and absolutely no intention of settling for “that’ll do.”

I might have swapped the magic tricks for a camera, but I’m still in the business of making a bit of magic happen.

Just with considerably less card shuffling.

And considerably more crouching in bushes.