The Wedding Industry Awards Regional Winner
It’s October. We’re closer to 2019 than 2017 so now is possible a strange time to choose to publish my Best Wedding Photography of 2017. But there is logic behind my madness, promise. You see this time last year I’d just entered The Wedding Industry Awards (TWIA) for the first time. To my great surprise, I ended up winning Best Wedding Photographer in the East of England, becoming a National Finalist at the same time. That put me amongst the best wedding photographers in the country, many of whom I have looked up to since I started and is something I’m immensely proud of. I didn’t win that one, it was a step too far. But I did have a good night out at the finals with some industry friends. I may have also drank a little too much rum! I blame the nerves.
Anyway, as my year as a TWIA Regional Winner comes to an end I’d like to share some favourites from the weddings and couples that got me there. It’s thanks to their votes and comments that I won as unlike many wedding photography awards, you can’t win without excellent feedback from your couples. That’s what makes The Wedding Industry Awards so unique and special.
Story Telling Wedding Photography
From the thousands of photos I delivered to my clients in 2017, choosing which make my Best of 2017 selection is always a difficult task. In all of them I’m looking for something special. An amazing moment, some raw emotion, humour, beautiful light, great composition, all of these can make for a special photo. Overall though, I’m looking for story. Photos that you look at and can tell something about what was happening. Where it was happening, what people were feeling. Because that’s what documentary photography needs to do. It needs to tell a story. As a documentary wedding photographer that’s what I’m always looking for.
So here they are, my favourite 150 wedding photos of 2017. There’s a slideshow set to music at the top or if you’re prefer enjoy at your own pace by scrolling. Throughout the post you’ll also find some quotes from some of my couples. These quotes were taken from the feedback given as part of the Wedding Industry Awards voting process. These quotes and the feedback I receive from all my couples mean the absolute world to be. It’s so rewarding to be able to give people something so special, so I hope they will be able to treasure forever. A huge thank you to every single one of my couples, couldn’t have done it without you.
“Matt exceeded all our expectations, we were spellbound when we received the photos and love looking back at them to relive the most amazing day. Matt also helped the day to run smoothly by organising everyone when group shots were needed and by his flexible approach to both our day and night portrait shots, which even included setting the equipment up in a tree house on a spontaneous whim. Cannot recommend Matt enough and he would be a worthy winner!”
Natalie and Chris
“We were over the moon with our wedding photos. Matt managed to capture magical moments from the day perfectly. He managed to be everywhere but without you even realising!”
Emma and Tom
“From the beginning of our initial meeting we knew we wanted to book Matt. The quality of his previous work was outstanding but more than that he made us feel comfortable, was very easy to talk to and ‘got’ straight away what we wanted from our pictures. On our wedding day Matt was professional, gave good direction, consulted us when needed but most of the time he was snapping away without us even realising! The results were amazing, we are beyond happy with our pictures.”
Joanne & Brad
“We chose Matt based on the strength of his portfolio. We loved his style and how he captures weddings. During the day itself he was unobtrusive and a delight to have there. We are so very pleased with the photos, the speed of turnaround and the interactions we have had with Matt both before, during and after the big day. We recommend Matt to anyone getting married.”
Catherine and Rob
“Matt was outstanding as our photographer, he captured our day effortlessly. He not only concentrated on getting the ‘wow’ photos of us but the smaller details of our loved ones enjoying themselves or throwing a strop if you’re our 7 year old niece who hates having her hair done! The photos blew us away, the sheer detail in every frame means that every photo tells a story and either brought us to tears or left us smiling. We have looked so many times and are still being surprised.”
Megan and Gary
“Matt was perfect for our wedding. He fit into the day without really knowing of his presence. When we received the photos and we were so happy, we still are! He captured the day beautifully.”
Nicola and Steve
“Matt photographed our wedding in July 2017 and we would not hesitate to recommend him. His documentary shots were awesome. They really captured the happiness and fun we experienced on the day. The dance floor shots were hilarious, so funny to look at with family and friends. Matt was brilliant on the day, he captured lovely moments of us and our guests. His style and relaxed attitude were exactly what we were looking for and we could not be happier.”
Ruby and Liam
I loved looking through these!! Stunning work my man 🙂
A cracking collection Matt!!! A top year for sure!!
Incredibly strong set Matt!! Love the composition and the humour! Hard to believe that’s all from a single year
Such amazing photos.
He seems to capture every moment.
A truly awesome set of images Matt – you should be well proud of those, I know I would be.
Wow! Absolutely mega set. You’re like a moment-magnet! Transatlantic hi-five!
EVERY.SINGLE.FRAME.IS.BRILLIANT
Lots of cool captures! Tidy darts 👍
Such a fantastic set of images. You have a great eye for humour and a unique perspective on many of the ‘traditional’ shots; for example, I love the bride and groom entering their wedding breakfast with their ‘Mr & Mrs’ cake topper in the foreground. So many favourites in here, particularly love the policeman with his ice cream and the little boy eating his cake whilst the couple kiss. All stellar, and well deserving of your best wedding photographer in the East of England title!
What a set mate! Really love your documentary work here. The policeman having an ice cream and the waiter spilling the drinks both made me laugh out loud! Top work 🙂
I love this set dude, your documentary work is just ace! Love the ice cream policeman and the waiter dropping the drinks….both made me laugh out loud!