Award winning Documentary Wedding Photograph. Bride waves to her guests from the back of the wedding car. Reportage, wedding photojournalism

Wedding Photography Mentoring

How to stand out in a sea of sameness.

The wedding photography market has never been more crowded. Or more similar.

Same presets. Same poses. Same captions. Same “natural, relaxed, fun” copy on every website you visit.

You’ve been shooting for a while. The work is solid. But the enquiries aren’t where you want them to be. And when you look at what you’re putting out there, you’re not sure what makes it yours.

You don’t feel like you have a “thing”

You might have tried shooting more. Posting more. Chasing wedding blogs, Instagram, awards. Wondering what the market wants from you.

But that’s usually not the issue.

It’s not about what everyone else is doing. It’s not about winning loads of awards. It’s about finding your own voice. It’s about being you, better. And then knowing how to say it.

I’ve spent fifteen years figuring that out for myself. I’m now going offering wedding photography mentoring to help other photographers do the same.

Ceilidh Dancing at The Whitworth Centre Wedding Reception
Same Sex Couple at Wedding Breakfast - Documentary Wedding Photographer Simon Dewey. LGBT wedding photographer.
Bride laughing in wedding bus. Champagne and flowers in her hand. Documentary, reportage, street style, wedding photojournalism.

How it works.

An audit of your work and how you’re presenting yourself. A session to work out where you go from there. Time to implement — with work you already have or work you go and make. A second session to review, refine, and push further.

Depending on where you are, we might work on storytelling, composition, sequencing, communication of emotion, or finding the recurring themes in your work. Or spend the whole time figuring out what makes your images uniquely yours.

£300. Small number of places.

This isn’t a course. There’s no curriculum. It’s a conversation about your work, your voice, and what you’re trying to say.

If that sounds like what you need, get in touch.

 

I’ve been shooting weddings for fifteen years, based in Derby, working across the UK.

It took me a long time to figure out what made my work mine. I spent years wondering whether I needed to shoot differently, present differently, appeal to different publications. Whether I needed a cleaner style, more portraits, a more commercial edge.

I didn’t. I needed to lean into what I already was — and then get better at saying it.

My work is documentary, cinematic, and deliberately imperfect. It’s been featured in Love My Dress, Rock & Roll Bride, and Boho Weddings, and recognised by the WPJA, This Is Reportage, and Fearless Photographers. But none of that came from chasing what the market wanted. It came from getting clearer about what I was actually trying to do.

That’s what this is about.

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F.A.Q.

Where does this take place?

Online via Google Meet, unless you live local to Derby, in which case we can discuss logistics.

What’s the structure?

One to one mentoring. Beginning with an audit of your work and how you’re presenting yourself. A first session to work out where you go from there. Time to implement — with work you already have or new work you go and make. A second session to review, refine, and push further.

Who is this for?

Wedding photographers who feel like their work isn’t connecting the way it should. You don’t need to be a beginner — in fact this probably works better if you’ve been shooting for a while and know something feels off but can’t quite name it.

Will this make me a better photographer?

Probably not instantly. But if you follow the threads, sit with the questions, and do the work – yes. We’ll also look at your portfolio and how you’re presenting yourself, with a view to attracting clients that actually align with the work you want to be making.

What if I’m not a wedding photographer?

I may be able to help. Try me.  I mainly work with people, emotions & documentary storytelling. I’m not the person to talk to about shooting interiors, landscapes or fashion.

What do I need to prepare?

You’ll be doing an entry audit to help identify your voice, your strengths, your passions etc… from there we’ll work out where to go next.

 

Blurry, artistic black and white, grainy image of children playing at a wedding. Documentary reportage photojournalism
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