Why I Became a Wedding Photographer in France
Château de Nieuil - Charente
I live in Bordeaux and photograph weddings across southwest France for couples planning destination weddings or getting married here from abroad. That's not a sentence I thought I'd be writing six months ago.
When we moved to France, the goal wasn't business, it was starting a new life somewhere steady for the family. After years in consulting and corporate work, I didn't want to rebuild the same life in a new location. I'd spent long enough in boardrooms and workshops already.
What I did know was that I wanted to work for myself, doing something creative and sustainable. I've been photographing people for over twenty years, through fashion work, travel, portraits, and street photography, and whatever else I was doing, the camera usually came with me somewhere along the way. Weddings were part of that too, but only occasionally, since my other work never really left space to give them the energy they demand.
It wasn't until a conversation with my brother and his fiancée, whilst they were planning their own wedding, that the idea actually clicked. They asked me, quite directly, why I wasn't photographing weddings properly. I didn't have a good answer, but the question stuck with me.
I started paying closer attention to what was already around me, the weddings happening in this part of France, the venues, the light, the way the day tends to move. Moving here gave me the time and space to actually follow through on that, rather than squeezing it around everything else. I'm also doing it for my twin boys, since I want them to see their dad building something of his own.
That's the work I've chosen now, and I'm building it from the ground up, here in France.
Women in Chittorgarh Fort, India
What drew me to weddings
Weddings are intense. They unfold in real time with no retakes, so there's a lot to think about all at once, how the light is shifting, where to stand, what actually matters as it's happening. I've never been drawn to orchestrating things or asking people to perform, I'd rather observe, read the room, and stay close to what's really going on. When it lines up, the photos end up carrying something more than just a record of the day, a gesture or a glance someone might have otherwise missed.
A wedding pulls together almost every kind of photography I've done over the years, from detail shots and editorial portraits through to the kind of unposed coverage you'd normally associate with travel photography. That's part of what makes it demanding, since you're wearing all of those hats at once, usually with very little warning.
Why France
We didn't move here for weddings, we moved for family. But once we were here, it made sense to start something new. The venues and the landscape genuinely offer a lot for a photographer, not in a dreamy sense, more in a practical one, there's real variety and good backdrops, and enough room to make proper images without forcing anything.
Weddings themselves aren't that different from the ones I've photographed in the UK. What's different is the planning, since most of my couples are organising everything from abroad, often without speaking the language or knowing the local customs. I understand what that feels like from my own move here, and I know how to help without making it harder than it needs to be.
I'm not really the type to blend into the background and disappear. I like to have a chat with people but always aware and paying attention to whats going on. I've been told I bring a calm energy to the day, though that doesn't mean I'm passive about it.
Editorial Portrait of Violet from my fashion days
Who I work with
Most of the couples I work with are coming to France for something special, and they've invested a lot into the experience, the venue, the setting, the people around them, so they want photographs that genuinely do it justice. What matters most to me is how well we get on. They don't need to know how to pose or turn up with a long shot list, what they usually want is someone who understands what's important and knows how to move through the day without it ever feeling stressful.
A good wedding photographer does more than take pictures, and that became clear to me quickly, especially with destination weddings. If you're getting married somewhere unfamiliar, having someone nearby who feels calm and capable is a real asset.
I do carry cameras, but I also carry a sewing kit, and over the years I've handed out umbrellas, fixed boutonnières, found lost shoes, and stepped in more than once when something didn't quite go to plan. I've also dropped a wedding cake, just the once, and like to think I learned something from that particular mistake.
Sometimes I'll suggest taking portraits not because we need more photos, but because I can see the couple needs a moment to themselves. The role isn't purely technical, a good chunk of it is just being useful to have around.
If you’re planning a wedding in France and aren’t quite sure where to start, or just want someone steady and straightforward in your corner, feel free to get in touch. I’m always happy to talk things through, even if you’re not ready to book.