As well as showing off the talents of our amazing wedding industry in the North, one added bonus of our Featured Supplier showcases here on the blog is the insight it gives into the fabulous personalities behind their professional personas. One such lovely lady is Brides Up North Featured Supplier Ally of Photography By Ally Byrom, who is here to day to introduce herself and her work. Oh, and give away a day’s wedding photography COMPLETELY FREE! Read on, or if your head’s been turned by that revelation, click here for more details and to enter.
How did you get into wedding photography?
I have been a photographer for many years in the tiny Channel Island of Guernsey where I photographed around 25 weddings a year. I moved to East Yorkshire 18 months ago and have been astounded by the number of spectacular wedding venues and the warmth of the Yorkshire people.
I studied art at University where I first picked up a film camera. Photography didn’t really float my boat until the advent of digital cameras and Photoshop – it was like being able to paint pictures without chucking away a ton of canvasses!
I first established myself as a children’s portrait photographer until one day a client asked the fateful question “Do you photograph weddings?”. So I said yes, and I was hooked.
I hold the Licentiateship of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers and have won multiple gold awards with the SWPP. My work has been published in Digital Camera Magazine, Professional Imagemaker and will shortly be published in My Perfect Wedding magazine.
Why wedding photography specifically?
Weddings are emotional, fun and full of personality and little details! For a photographer who loves portraiture it’s a positive feast!
I have lost count of the number of weddings I have photographed but all of them without doubt are different. It is hard work but I can honestly say I never ever notice the time on a wedding day. It seems like you start photographing the preparations and before you can blink the bride and groom are being called to the dance floor for their first dance! By the end of the day I am tired but buzzing!
What is your favourite thing about being a wedding photographer?
I love the fact that I meet my clients at least a year in advance of their wedding day and I know nothing at all about them. By the time the wedding day arrives we have built a rapport and I am just as excited as they are to see how they have set the scene for their very special day.
I love designing wedding albums, for me the album is a bride and groom’s story and a wedding feels naked without one. Whilst I am photographing a wedding I do so with the album in mind and as a result every page tells the story of each scene. I am so passionate about albums I wrote a whole blog post on why everyone should have one! I haven’t shown an album to many newlyweds without them shedding a tear or two!
We hear you have a VERY exciting competition in the pipeline?
Indeed I do, I am offering one lucky couple the chance to WIN their wedding photography. Anyone who has planned or is currently planning a wedding knows just how much of your budget is set aside for professional photography, and I feel lucky to be able to save a couple a considerable portion of their budget!
To enter, couples should head over to my Facebook page for the terms and conditions – it’s very easy to enter, and well worth it! The winner will be announced just before Christmas on 22nd December – what a lovely gift for one lucky couple.
How do you get couples to relax on the day?
My style is around 95% unstaged. I describe myself as an honest, sincere and inspirational photographer. I am most interested in capturing the emotion of the day, which is more often than not when people don’t know they are being photographed. I like to make my images look as though I was looking through a keyhole. There is a saying “nothing changes behaviour like being observed” which is absolutely true, if you don’t believe me just stand in front of a camera …
The greatest compliment clients can pay me is that they didn’t know I was there.
When it comes to the all important time alone with the couple I choose a location that says something about where they were that day then ask them to take a walk and focus on each other. I use a very long lens which helps me keep my distance and they then tend to act more naturally. Once they become comfortable only then will I add a tiny bit of direction.
Any advice to any brides who don’t like to have their picture taken?
If I had £1 for every time people say to me “I hate having my photograph taken” I would be one very rich lady! But in reality on a wedding day when everyone is looking their very best and there’s a bit of champagne involved there is usually a queue for the camera!
We all have the same goal – great pictures – and my advice to a bride who really doesn’t like to have her picture taken would be to look at her husband, she’ll forget the camera is even there, the same advice I will give her on the day.
Which celebrity wedding would you most like to photograph and why?
Alan Rickman’s wedding – preferably with me as the bride!
Any really memorable weddings that you have captured?
Far too many to mention, all of my weddings to date have been at least one if not all of these.
If I must choose one then it would be the wedding of two opera singers, I had goose bumps in the church, the singing was incredible.
Any funny stories to share?
Being a photographer in the Channel Island of Guernsey for several years, most wedding venues have swimming pools and there’s rarely a wedding without someone ending up in it!
Scottish weddings featuring kilts are always reliable for a slice of humour; for some reason they are always keen to share the “secrets” beneath the kilt. The culprits rarely consider that I am sober, have a camera and will definitely take the shot!
Not exactly funny but I did have to stop a waiter half way through distributing the wedding cake and explain that the bride and groom hadn’t cut it yet! Poor guy was mortified.
What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?
My style is unobtrusive, I do not interfere in a wedding day and as a result my images are natural, full of emotion and a reflection of the bride and groom’s personalities.
There is a wealth of photographic talent out there and I think in the end it comes down to your style and personality. Stunning images will not get you by on their own, you also need an engaging personality because wedding photography is great imagery and great people management in equal parts. I pride myself in having both.
I also offer wedding films. We make amazing wedding films and have a real passion for telling stories. We make high emotion wedding films that will stand the test of time and be as enjoyable now as they will be for years to come. You can see a trailer by clicking here.
What can a couple who book you expect on the day?
A big smile. My undivided attention. An organised, calm and punctual photographer (actually that’s a fib, I’m always early). A gentle people manager (you’ll love this when it’s time to gather 200 guests for a group shot). A pair of helpful hands – I carry a crochet hook for silk buttons on wedding dresses and I am well practiced in lacing up too!
But most importantly of all you can expect a beautiful set of images recorded sensitively to remember that special time in your lives.
What is included in your "package"?
I don’t have set packages, I provide clients with a tailor made service and provide what they feel they need. From disks, to beautifully bound wedding albums, high quality frames and thank you cards.
Can you give us an idea on price?
My base price is £1,500, this includes my time from preparation to first dance and a disk of high resolution, post-processed images from which you can print. Beautifully crafted professional quality albums are available at an additional cost.
How can Brides Up North get in touch with you/ see more examples of your work?
You can see my wedding photography and film at www.allybyrom.com
Call me on 07704 171118
E-mail me at allybyrom@gmail.com
Anything else we should know?
I love a good gin & tonic. I love weddings. I read all the time. I am constantly watching my weight. I love shoes. I guess I am your average woman, except I don’t have an obsession with handbags!
Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Photography By Ally Byrom
Photography By Ally Byrom is a Brides Up North Featured Supplier, and this is a sponsored post
Contact Brides Up North to submit your business as a Featured Supplier
