Photographers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia attend

I was invited by Nikon in Estonia to give a talk on professional wedding photography to photographers from Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia.  I gave a background on my photography business and explained how wedding photography works for me in Cambridge where I am based.  The seminar was sponsored by Nikon as well as some other local businesses.  The talk went down really well and 1 hour wasn't really enough!  Had it have been up to the delegates, I think they would have let me talk all afternoon.... but I was also there to judge their "Wedding Photographer of the Year" award.


Mark talks about wedding and portrait photography




Wedding and portrait photographer, Mark, talks to photographers from Baltic countries

This prestigious competition is run by Jana Sarglep and celebrates its 10th year anniversary this year, and attracts professional wedding photographers from all of these three countries.  Even though they have fairly small populations, they do their fair share of wedding photography and I was delighted to have been asked to be one of the UK judges.  I was accompanied by two other UK photographers, Steve Tarling and Denis Orchard, both who specialise in wedding photography, and also three other more local professional photographers with a range of disciplines, from fashion to PR and commercial.


An intense day of judging over 300 professional wedding images


Judges from the UK, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia

With the top prize from Nikon being the amazing Nikon D3S professional digital camera, there were around 300 images to judge, which appeared in various categories.  Reportage Wedding Photography, Bride and Groom Wedding Photography, Bride or Groom only photography, and Detail Wedding Photography.  Whilst we had a great system for judging, unfortunately we were let down by technology and ended up having to turn to a manual voting system.  With 6 independent judges, there were often different views and opinions and the whole process took a lot longer than we anticipated.  We ran through non stop and after much deliberation came to a decision and picked a winner.  More information on the competition, including the winners, can be found here ...


Picking a winner

Tags: Tallinn, Estonia

Exciting News! I have recently been asked to present my wedding photography and business skills to photographers based in and around Tallinn, Estonia at the end of May. Nikon Europe are sponsoring the event, which will also involve a print competition that will be judged by myself, Steve Tarling and Denis Orchard, who are also very talented and respected wedding photographers from the UK. The prize fund for the competition is said to include a Nikon D3S. It is expected that over 100 talented wedding and portrait photographers will be attending from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

More to come after the event!

Tags: Estonia, Tallinn

I have just returned from a very successful few days at Europe’s largest social photography convention in Hammersmith, London. I was once again asked to share my experience and knowledge, training new and experienced photographers alike about running their portrait and wedding businesses. Giving two seminars gave me the opportunity to discuss both the wedding and portrait side of the industry and each one attracted many delegates.

I am now able to offer one to one training and consultations to people just starting out as well as more experienced photographers. Please contact me if you would like some further information.

It is very likely that I will be giving various seminars throughout this year, so just keep an eye on the blog for more info.

I look forward to meeting some of you in the future!

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Industry trade association Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers (SWPP) feature an article I wrote on wedding and portrait photography this month. The association is the biggest in the country with many members both here in the UK and internationally. I often speak at their huge convention in every January and next year is no exception. This year my talks will be about Family portraiture and Weddings. If you are a photographer and will be at the convention - make sure you come along to my seminars!

Click below to download the full article

Hi Everyone

I have just come back from an amazing four days at the SWPP convention in London - the largest of its kind in Europe. I gave two talks to many photographers across the UK, Europe and the US. I was sharing 15 years of my experience in the industry of wedding and portrait photography. We were packed out with people standing and sitting on the floor - we even had to turn people away!

Our talks were all about how we ensure the best customer service, offer consistent high quality photography, and receive testimonials from most of our clients. Thanks to all those who attended, and thanks to those who have already sent us positive feedback.

I hope to be doing some more talks this year - please let me know if you are interested...

This week I have been really busy preparing a couple of talks to give at one of the biggest photographic conventions in Europe. Set to take place next week, the conference runs for 6 days in the heart of the London. I will be passing on my knowledge and experience to fellow photographers in the industry both new and established. I will talk about what we offer our clients and how we ensure that they are delighted with our photography.

I will post some more info and pictures after the event...watch this space!

Kirsty and I have just returned back from our annual training week. This year we went to Porto in Portugal. There were about 18 in the group who are all full time professional wedding and portrait photographers. We take the opportunity to shoot some images for ourselves that we don't normally have time for at home, and also share business ideas that range from photographic technique, marketing and digital post production. It is also an opportunity for us to recharge the batteries ready for another busy wedding season.

Check out some of the images here

Last year, I was asked to give a talk at the biggest annual photographers convention in Europe. The five day event in January 2007 was in Hammersmith, London. Obviously I was delighted to have been asked, and am very proud to be associated with such a major event on the industry’s calendar.

My seminar was a great success and we had a packed room, with lots of positive feedback....

“I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your seminar at the SWPP convention.  You clearly have a talent as a speaker as well as a photographer; informative, entertaining and knowledgeable. As I am just starting out much of what you talked about resonated with me and I find myself inspired by your experiences and success.” Martin, Weybridge

“Just wanted to tell you how much enjoyed your talk last Friday at the convention. After all you have achieved it was refreshing to hear that you were 10 times more nervous than you are before a wedding! I left your class inspired and with useful tips. Your presentation was AWESOME. Wishing you and yours all the best and continued success.” Anja