My Most Awarded Photograph

Why I Love this Wedding Photograph

Emma & Darren Share a First Dance at Botley’s Mansion

From Emma & Darren’s Wedding at Botley’s Mansion

This post is part of my Why I Love this Wedding Picture series, where I describe why I, as the photographer, love a particular image or series of photographs. 

We are returning to 2011 for today's instalment of my ongoing series, where I discuss some of my favourite Wedding Photographs over my career to date.

This particular photograph holds many fond memories for me. Not only was Emma and Darren's Wedding at Botley's Mansion, but this specific photograph also became my best award-winning image.

It's a long time ago, of course, 2011. Since I started photographing Weddings in my unique documentary style in 2008, I've photographed almost 700 couples saying "I Do".

However, this photograph picked up several awards and, at the last time of looking, had been shared on Pinterest over a million times.

Competitions and awards are not important to me, as clients choose their wedding photographer based on their understanding and liking of the photography - not how many badges are on their website.

So, this image is lovely in its beauty but also its rawness. Despite the years, I still remember getting down low to shoot this. It was dark, and Botley's Mansion had a wonderfully reflective dance floor which I wanted to make the most of.

The cameras I use now are far superior to the ones I used in 2011. However, my core Documentary Wedding Photographer principles of looking for emotion and creating filmic, dynamic images have stayed the same.

You may have seen this image in other parts of my website (or on Pinterest!). However, I hope you are okay with indulging me one more time as I show it here.

I love this Wedding Photograph, and I hope you do too.

Want to see another from this series?

Look at Just a Little Pull from a Wedding at Ace Hotel Shoreditch.