Me
As well as being a professional Sussex wedding photographer I'm also a proud father and husband and with three children and working as a wedding photographer around the country my free time is limited and precious, especially as two of my children are under 2! When I’m at home, I love spending time with my family and taking lots of pictures (although my wife regularly tells me to put the camera away - apparently its poor form to take photos of your wife without make up and no warning!.
Having a world renowned, multi award winning photojournalist for a father ( www.davidashdownphotography.co.uk ), I grew up being inspired by his images ( no pressure ), throughout school I knew that I wanted to be a photographer and as soon as I left I was thrown into the deep end, working as a junior photographer for a world renowned photographic press agency. I learned the ropes from some of the most respected photographers in their fields. I went on to work as a photographer specialising in photojournalism for high profile national picture agencies and national newspapers. As a result of this I quickly become adept at documenting a story, which of course has become invaluable in my approach to photographing weddings. There is nothing better than be able to capture a fleeting moment and record it making it timeless.
Got a question?
Have a look at my ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ page and you find the answer you are looking for or you can contact me directly.
My approach
Documentary, Reportage, Photojournalism, they all really mean the same, capturing the day without too much intrusion and direction from the photographer. Some documentary wedding photographers will not shoot family group shots or intimate portraits of the happy couple, I am not one of those. The majority of the day is shot candidly using my eye and experience of being in the right place at the right time but I'm also happy to photograph the family groups , If required these are best kept to a minimum. No glossy wedding magazine set ups, no arranging the dress for 15 minutes, just capturing happy people with family and friends. If desired, I take the bride and groom off for just 10 - 15 minutes to capture a few 'posed' portraits but even these are not too contrived or cheesy. "No continuous look at me, look at me" Take a look at my portfolio for examples.
How do we get the best out of you?...
The simple answer is to let me roam, seek out and capture your day without restricting me by giving two sides of A4 paper with 'required' pictures. I will record your day using my experience giving you a timeless reminder of your special day. I think it's best to capture moments rather than endless staged photographs
Publications, Press & Blogs
Weddings that I have photographed have been featured on the front covers of magazines and featured in national and regional wedding magazines such as Your Sussex Wedding, Wedding Ideas Magazine, Ideal Bride Magazine as well as prestigious international and UK wedding blogs such as Whimsical Wonderful Weddings, English Wedding Blog, Your perfect wedding photographer and Love Sussex Weddings. Wedding venues and suppliers also use my images to help publicise their business. I am a recommend photographer at many prestigious weddings venues among Pangdean Barn, Wadhurst Castle and Wiston House to name just a few.
A couple of magazine features
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A wonderful letter I received from Jennifer & James's (pictured below) wedding at Wiston House in Sussex
"We just wanted to say a massive thank you for all your time and help both in the run up to our wedding, on the day itself, and over the last few weeks. You were absolutely great Mike, we couldn't have asked for a better photographer. We were completely at ease knowing that you'd covered off all the little details in the run up to the big day and on the actual day of the wedding we couldn't have asked for more from you, in fact you gave us a lot more of your time and attention than we'd ever imagined you would! You were with us for over 10 hours and captured our special day perfectly, from the preparations right through to our evening reception. You really do have a talent of being in the right place at the right time but in no way ever being obtrusive. So many of our guests commented on this...
And the end product, your beautiful photos, all 750+ of them, are absolutely stunning. We can't stop showing them off ! When we look at your photos we're right back there in the moment and for that we thank you. We were always going to have amazing memories from our special day but now we also have the pictures to match. So please allow us to pass on our thanks once again, you were amazing Mike. We'll definitely be recommending you to friends and family"
Kindest regards
Jennifer and James
P.S I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT ME ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WEDDING MAGAZINE !!!
Kindest regards
Jennifer and James
P.S I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU GOT ME ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE WEDDING MAGAZINE !!!
Non wedding photography stuff...
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I've often been asked "whats the best thing you have ever photographed?" to be honest Ive been lucky enough to have quite a varied career but without a doubt the best thing that Ive ever photographed is the birth of my son last year. It was so emotional and very very stressful as he was born by emergency Caesarian. What ever I photograph I always approach it the same way. To show emotion, humour and capture that moment in time. The image below is of my son at 2 seconds old with the Umbilical cord still attached. |
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A few images from my photographic past of photojournalistic, editorial and PR photographs for various clients including national newspapers, national agencies as well as PR companies.
View of St Pauls Cathedral from The London Millennium Bridge
TV Chef John Christophe Novelli
Newsreader Jeremy Vine at a conference
The Manchester United team celebrating winning the F.A Cup by beating Newcastle United
P.R shot of a war veteran collecting for a charity
Muhammed Ali, George Foreman and Joe Frazier promoting their DVD 'The Greatest of all time'
PR shot from a company international conference
Car magazine shoot
Comedian Dara O'Brien at a Charity fundraising event
Sports photography assignment of the Super cup with Wigan vs Widness
One of my favorite shots of my youngest daughter at the beach !
One of my favorite images of my oldest daughter at the beach !
