Featured Supplier

Fabulous Photographer: Chris Milner Photography

Julia Smith

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I have featured a Real Wedding from this great photographer just the other day on the blog, and there are plenty more exciting things from him waiting in my inbox! But patience is a virtue Brides Up North! In the meantime though, lets find out a little bit about the man himself, Chris Milner Photography.

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There are some stunning shots here!

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Chris Milner Photography

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How did you get into wedding photography?

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For as long as I can remember I’ve always been a creative person. Back in my school years I loved to draw and paint, and this gradually led me to down the path of graphic design. It was at college where I turned to the digital side of things and began to use Photoshop during my studies. I took a HND in Multimedia Design at Leeds College of Art and Design, and a lot of the modules focused on photography, and enhancing photos in Adobe Photoshop. After leaving college, photography became a big passion and would take my camera literally everywhere! Whilst working in a marketing role for a few years I built upon my skills learnt at college, and found myself improving as time went on, adding to my collection of camera gear and lenses along the way! For many years I Just considered photography to be a hobby, and never thought that I would be good enough to be able to make a career out of it. My first experience of wedding photography came when I took my (fairly basic SLR) camera with me to a friends wedding, and I was hooked from that point on! I loved capturing the vibe and emotion of everyone on the day and the spontaneous moments. For the next couple of years I took many a training course up and down the country, learning from some of the biggest names in the wedding photography industry before starting up my own business, Chris Milner Photography.

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Chris Milner Photography

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Why wedding photography specifically?

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I love the sheer variety of a wedding. It’s practically every photography genre (portrait, landscape, product, documentary, fashion) all rolled into one day. I get a massive buzz from each wedding that I photograph, it’s a huge uplifting feeling to share the day with so many happy people! For someone that is addicted to taking photos, it doesn’t feel like work at all, there is so much going on at each wedding I’m like a kid in a sweetshop!

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Chris Milner Photography

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What is your favourite thing about being a wedding photographer?

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I would say it would be meeting fun and interesting couples and sharing the happiest day of their lives, and as mentioned before, the sheer variety of weddings, every day is different! Oh, and I often end up laughing my head off during the speeches!

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Chris Milner Photography

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How do you get couples to relax on the day?

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Before each wedding I will meet the couples at least twice beforehand. About a month before the big day arrives I will arrange a pre-wedding meeting and portrait session, often at the wedding venue. This is a great way for me to get to know the couple better, and for them both to get used to being in front of the lens. I try to get to know them as much as possible, what are their hobbies, what makes them tick, and to get an idea of their sense of humour. I then tailor my shooting style to their personalities, whether they are the shy types or more outgoing. Whilst I am taking photos during the wedding day portrait session, I will talk to them as much as possible to take their mind off the fact that they are having their photographs taken, using information that I have already learned about them at the pre-wedding meeting to strike up conversation topics. I find that most of the time though that the couples are so wrapped up in the moment and with each other, so I give them as much space as possible and work from a distance with a longer lens to be less intrusive.

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Chris Milner Photography

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Any advice to any brides who don’t like to have their picture taken?

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It’s a fact that the vast majority of people don’t like having their photograph taken (and I’m one of them, that’s why I keep behind the camera!). But then again, most people haven’t had their photograph taken by a professional photographer using a professional camera and lens. These days people are used to seeing themselves in photos taken by compact cameras and on mobile phones. These cameras are rarely flattering, with direct flash light and poor optical quality, resulting in photos that would struggle to make a supermodel look good! A professional wedding photographer will use high quality cameras and lenses that cost many thousands of pounds, and will have the skills to create beautiful photos of a far higher quality to what Uncle Bob has taken on his compact camera! The photos that the couple get from their pre-wedding portrait session give them a bit of extra confidence that they are going to look great in their wedding photos which really helps them to feel at ease.

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Chris Milner Photography

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What sort of makeup should a bride wear to look great in her pictures?

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I would really recommend having a professional make up artist for the wedding day. They will know just how much to apply to make you look amazing. It is often a bit of an art to get a blend of makeup that makes you look great in the photos as well as to everyone else, and a make up artist will know just how much to apply. If you are doing your own make up or a friend is lending a hand, don’t overdo it. Use a matt foundation and lightly apply mascara. Don’t worry too much if you have some blemishes on the day, contrary to what some photographers might tell you, the odd spot or two is very easy for a good photographer to fix in seconds!

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Anything to avoid which might look bad in the wedding pictures?

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One thing would be to go easy on the spray tan! Very often brides will get spray tans a few days before the wedding, but the grooms rarely follow suit. This can sometimes make for quite an obvious difference in skin tone in the photos of the wedding day. Again, this is something that a photographer can fix, but only to a certain extent. Every bride wants to look her best on the wedding day but a camera is not as advanced as a human eye, and can make colour differences quite obvious in a still image. I’d recommend having a spray tan at least 3-4 days before the wedding day to let the colour settle a little without looking too false. I’m now wondering why I sound so much like an expert in spray tanning!

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Chris Milner Photography

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Which celebrity wedding would you most like to photograph and why?

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Out of the ones that I can think of I’d go for Russell Brand and Katy Perry (too late I know!). I know nothing about their actual wedding day but I can imagine that being the big characters that they both are that their wedding day would be the most entertaining ever!

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Are you married?

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No I’m not married myself, but have been with my girlfriend Sarah (who assists me on some weddings) for 4 years now.

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What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?

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I’m somewhat of a perfectionist (so I am told!), who strives to take the best photographs possible in every scenario come rain or shine. My background in art and design has given me an eye for composition and use of colour that some photographers might lack.

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Chris Milner Photography

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What can a couple who book you expect on the day?

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A fun, friendly and relaxed photographer, that is going to make you both look and feel fantastic.

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Chris Milner Photography

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What is included in your "package"?

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All of my packages include a full day’s wedding photography, I don’t believe in working by the hour, when you book me I will be with you for as long as you need me to capture all the moments of your day, from the preparations right through to the end of the night. I always include a disc of high resolution photos, each one carefully edited to bring out the very best in the image. There are no hidden extras! As mentioned earlier, I also include a pre-wedding photo session and the photos on disc too. I have a range of high quality hand finished leather bound albums to display your wedding photographs in the best way possible, just drop me a line to arrange a get together if you want to take a nosey through some samples.

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Chris Milner Photography

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Can you give Brides Up North an idea on price?

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My wedding photography coverage including an album begins at £1150 with upgrades available.

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Chris Milner Photography

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Can you do a discount for Brides Up North readers?

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Sure thing, how about £100 off any of my packages if you mention Brides Up North?!

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How can Brides Up North get in touch with you/ see more examples of your work?

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Head over to my main site at www.chris-milner.com, or to follow my latest work click through to my blog site at www.chris-milner-blog.com.

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Chris Milner Photography

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