2023 in Review
A Retrospective
We’re on our way to the final wedding photography gig of the year, and as I’m sitting here in the passenger seat of our leaky MX5 I’m thinking back over a successful 2023, and looking forward to an incredible 2024. This isn’t a ‘best of’ post - We’ve been shooting right up until the 30th of December, so I haven’t had time to go back through and really digest all our shots from last year, but I will do at some point in the next month or so. Instead, I thought it would be nice to do a general ‘retrospective’ and think about our plans for next year.
We’ve been working out of our new office near Loughborough for almost exactly a year now, and loving the escape from working inside the house. Separating work and play is something I would recommend to anyone who works from home. We’re fortunate enough to have a full building, but even a separate desk area or device is so worthwhile for mental health.
After a travel filled 2022, we had a slight reduction in destination venues this year, and we’ve been enjoying shooting across the length and breadth of the UK instead - from the East Midlands to St Pauls Cathedral, and from Manchester to the Cotswolds. We’ve racked up the miles and shot some incredible events all across this awesome country.
We did escape England a couple of times though, and we also shot our first engagement out in the Loire Valley (featuring a hot air balloon), a wedding in a fairytale castle in Switzerland, and a wicked beach wedding out in Cyprus.
2024
Going forward into 2024 we have an incredible start to the year with our own wedding in Tenerife at the end of April, before we honeymoon in Peru at the start of May. When we get back we jump back into the season super hard with about 4 big weddings in 2 weeks. We’ve got some stunning destinations to look forward to in 2024 and I can’t wait to share those days with you when the time comes!
I’m also looking forward to providing wedding videos for a number of our couples next year. Final details to be announced shortly (I know I’ve been saying that for a while… but Jan is the first month we’ve had in a while to get the page over the line 😭)
Extracurricular
On an extracurricular front - it’s been a funny year. After winning a number of the Climbing Station winter league rounds, at the start of the year, I picked up a very persistent elbow tendonitis around March and I’ve barely been able to climb at all this year. Instead, I decided to commit to my Fives club a little more seriously, and ended up winning the Midlands tournament and starting a channel on YouTube (don’t forget to like and subscribe!).
For the coming year, I’m hoping to get back on the climbing train, and enjoy a couple of destination trips later in the year either in the US or Africa.
Selfies with Couples!
When I shoot with Abigail, we always (when we remember) take a shot with each of our couples at the end of the day - usually when we’re on the dancefloor, covered in sweat, with all semblance of smartness discarded. It’s always taken on our phone, at arms length - full selfie mode. What I love about these pictures is the big smiles on everyone’s faces. We’re smiling because we love our jobs, and the couples because we’re holding them hostage.
Stay Tuned
That’s about it for 2023, but stay tuned for a best of blog when we get there - and if you’re planning a wedding that you would love to have us at then please get in touch ASAP! We’ve only got a few dates left in 2024 (plenty of weekends in October though), so let us know and let’s sort out a time to chat!