Every photographer has a certain style which we like to think sets our work apart from others. There are lots of words that people like to band around like ‘reportage’, ‘candid’, ‘photo-journalism’, ‘contemporary’, ‘fine-art’; and the list goes on. It’s nice to use words that describe your work, but at the end of the day they’re just words, and anyone can use them! Nothing truly describes one’s work better than the images themselves. As the saying goes, a picture speaks a thousand words, so as a prospective client, you’re really best off having a good look through the body of work and forgetting about the fancy chat!
What you’ll see in my work is much more ‘hands-off’ than many other reportage photographers. Other than in the group shots, I don’t get involved. I’m not going to ask you to pose putting your shoes on, or to stand in a certain way when you’re cutting the cake. I don’t try to create moments that aren’t real because I feel this goes against the whole principle of reportage photography. The day should flow as it would if you didn’t have a photographer there at all. I’m just there to capture the day with a creative eye, and to shape memories for you that will recreate the day perfectly whenever you flick through the pictures.
You’ll not get cheesy posing, dinosaurs in the background, or any other gimmicky effects that will not stand the test of time. My editing is subtle, and will be something that you can enjoy in years to come without fear that the images will seem like relics from the past. I use tools like Photoshop sparingly to improve upon a beautiful image, not to try to create something flashy that will quickly lose its impact.
I’m a photographer first, a wedding photographer second. Why is this a good thing? Well, in this digital age it has become increasingly easy for anyone to pick up a half decent camera, take a few shots at a friend’s wedding and then sell themselves as a wedding photographer, as from an outside perspective, it can be seen as an easy way to make some money. I wish it were, but this is not the case if you do the job properly! I learned my trade back in the days of celluloid film and darkrooms; you had to take a good photograph to begin with as darkroom processing could only hide a fairly small degree of incompetence!
I love the way a good photograph can present the subject in a way that is so much more then what the naked eye can see. Effective usage and understanding of depth of field and image compression can create photographs where the subject matter really jumps out of the screen, presenting itself in a way that you will only ever see through the lens of a camera. Perhaps that’s why I enjoy my time with my cameras at work, or play, so much!
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER SURREY | CHARLIE CAMPEY PHOTOGRAPHY
