.

.

.

Consider this little introduction to a guy that I consider to one of the best and most exciting wedding photographers in the business my Easter egg to you.  And yes, it’s the first of April, but this is no April fool!

.

When you book Brides Up North Featured Supplier Jonny Draper Photography for your wedding day, you know you’ll get a set of clever (yes clever!) and stunning images: full of beauty, emotion and also some humour – and therefore the best possible record of your big day.  High accolades, true, but I am wholly confident that Jonny’s work speaks for itself. 

.

Plus, I’ve had the pleasure of meeting him in real life – at my North West Tweet Up – and anyone who likes a glass of wine as much as I do (previously unheard of) can’t be bad in my book.

.

Let’s meet Mr Draper…

.

.

.

.

How did you get into wedding photography?

.

I think like every other wedding photographer I know, I kind of fell into it!  To cut a very long story short, my ‘proper job’ used to be filming and editing viral films, corporate videos and adverts for a creative ad agency and one day somebody who I worked with asked me to film their wedding because "I filmed and edited stuff"!!!  I’d never even been to a wedding never mind filmed one, but I instantly fell in love with capturing the story of the day, being around people who were all there to have a great time and the adrenaline rush of knowing that you only got one chance at every part of the day.  That was over 10 years ago and I flipped over to stills around 5 years ago.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

What is your favourite thing about being a wedding photographer?

.

Even now, having been involved in weddings for over 10 years, I still get nervous the day before each wedding.  Then in the morning as I’m getting ready to leave the house the excitement and anticipation starts to build and as soon as I arrive at the bride’s house the adrenaline rush starts that doesn’t let up until well after I get home – what an awesome feeling!  That, coupled with being given the opportunity to ‘do my thing’ week in, week out for brides and grooms who fall in love with weddings they’ve seen I’ve shot – what’s not to love?!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

What is your biggest professional achievement to date?

.

I’m honoured to have won The Wedding Industry Awards – North West Wedding Photographer of the Year this year.  This finally feels like an awards body has arrived that is truly credible which made me even more delighted to have won.  The voting process begins by your brides and grooms who’s weddings you have photographed in the previous 12 months voting for you.  If you achieve above the average points total for your category you then get shortlisted.  I was stunned to even get shortlisted as I was up against some of the best wedding photographers in the UK in my opinion.  I was even more stunned when I found out I’d won!  The shortlist is judged by a panel of industry experts (again, this is where I felt the credibility really became obvious as these judges were all hugely well known and respected in the industry, so it was an honour to know that they were even discussing my work, never mind deciding that mine was the best!) and I’m still trying to get my head round receiving such an amazing accolade. 

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

How do you get couples to relax on the day?

.

I do a pre-wedding shoot for all my brides and grooms and this is where getting them to relax starts.  Giving them the opportunity to experience what it’s like to have their photograph taken professionally ahead of the day, so that they have a real understanding of what actually happens when the camera comes out the bag on the wedding day morning.  And it’s a great reassurance for them that I’m not going to have them doing anything daft or anything they’re uncomfortable with.  I also get to understand how they want to be photographed so that I’m approaching things in the right way for them on the day of their wedding.  And it’s brilliant just being able to spend a couple more hours with them ahead of their day so that I really get to know what they’re like, not just as a couple, but as individuals too.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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

.

Again, one of the reason’s I do the pre-wedding shoot is to help brides and grooms get over that kind of feeling.  I honestly think that most people don’t like having their picture taking – in fact, I think I’d be worried if I met with couples and they said "We LOVE having our picture taken"!

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Any really memorable weddings that you have captured?

.

There’s too many to list!  From weddings in New York, Tuscany, Santorini and France, through to weddings right on my door step in Manchester and Cheshire, every single one is special and different.  I’m so lucky to work with the kind of brides and grooms who I work with – everything is important to them, from the photography to the flowers, to the entertainment to the food, they’re never just ‘ticking things off a list’.  Every decision they make is a carefully considered one, which means they genuinely care about every single detail of their day.  Which includes the photography.  They book me because they love how I shoot and how I approach a wedding and that is a wonderful feeling to know that a couple have chosen you to capture their wedding because they want you to capture it your way.

.

.

.

.

Are you married? Tell us about your day.

.

I am married, to my amazing wife Emma (who is also a Brides up North sponsor with our other wedding business, LOVE Bridal Boutique – shameless plug!)  We were married at The Inn at Whitewell in Lancashire in December 2007.  It was an amazing day and trying to keep focused on things photography related, it was one of the most amazing learning curves I’ve been on as a wedding photographer.  The rain was RELENTLESS all day.  In a torrential manner.  I learned two massive lessons.  Number One:  As the groom – did I care about the weather?  Did it ruin anything for me?  (And I can speak for Emma here too)  The answer is no.  We were surrounded by our friends and family in an amazing venue and we didn’t care about the weather.    Number Two:  As a photographer – did the weather ruin our pictures?  No.  We had an awesome husband and wife photographer team (Jonathan Harris Photography) who were calm, who helped us with umbrellas, who looked after our guests and who shot amazing photographs.  I learned more about how to handle bad weather in one day by being right in the middle of it myself and it’s really shaped the way I approach weddings.  Jonathan and Christine are my original photography mentors and Emma and I are very lucky to be able to call them our friends now too.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Go on then Jonny, tell us about LOVE Bridal Boutique…

.

Emma and I also own Cheshire’s most exclusive bridal experience – LOVE Bridal Boutique.  We opened the doors in August 2012 and it’s been an amazing experience so far – Emma and I already have a growing number of mutual brides, they love that they’re getting a service from a family owned and run business and we’re loving working with them!  

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?

.

I’d like to think the overall approach to how I work with my brides and grooms is unique.  From where I meet them to chat about their day, to how we work together through the pre-wedding shoot and in the overall build up to the day onto the wedding day itself.  I don’t worry about what other photographers offer, I only want to know about what my brides and grooms want from me and how best I can fit into their day.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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

.

They can expect to spend lots of time with their friends and family.  I hate the idea of dragging a bride and groom away from the party for hours on end and if I let them get stuck into their drinks reception and give them the chance to actually spend time with people, then I get the opportunity to shoot all those wonderful moments between people.  Excited faces, hugs and kisses, tears and laughter – this is what my brides and grooms want to see photographs of.  Of course, we’ll shoot the all important family group photographs that they require, but I like to fit these into the day when it feels right to do so, rather than worry about doing them all at a certain time.  This helps us avoid a formal feeling to the proceedings (I hate the idea of being that photographer who stands on a chair and shouts names off of a list!  There’s ways of approaching group shots without having to be interruptive and invasive and I work really hard at ensuring everything feels relaxed, not just for the bride and groom, but for all their guests too.

.

.

.

.

What is included in your "package"?

.

My attendance starts at whatever time in the morning the bride wants me to arrive and I shoot right through until after the first dance.  This enables me to really tell the story of the day with no compromises.

.
The attendance fee includes a disc of hi-res images with permission to print/distribute.  I also include lo-res versions to make it easy to email/Facebook etc!  I also supply all of the shots from the day on a DVD slideshow set to music of the bride and grooms choosing – this is a great way to show friends/family the story of your day without always having to carry an album around!  The attendance fee including all of the above is £1,995.

.
I also include a pre-wedding shoot for all my wedding clients which is so useful for so many reasons.  It’s great for my brides and grooms to spend a bit more time with me ahead of their big day and vice versa – it really gives us all a chance to get to know each other better which is so helpful on the wedding day – I know what they’re comfortable with, they’ve gone through the nerves of having their photograph taken before their day so those kinds of worries aren’t there – and it’s a good excuse to go for a beer afterwards! (have a look at this link to get a feel for the sort of thing people go for: http://blog.jonnydraper.co.uk/category/pre-wedding/)

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

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

.

There are lots of ways…

.

WEB: 
www.jonnydraper.co.uk/

.
EMAIL: 
info@jonnydraper.co.uk

.
BLOG: 
www.jonnydraper.co.uk/blog

.
FACEBOOK:
www.facebook.com/JonnyDraperPhotography

.
TWITTER: 
twitter.com/JonnyDraperfoto

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Anything else we should know?

.

A new string to my bow – I won’t go into too much detail (as details of Jonny’s next two Day Masterclass in Wedding Photography will be appearing right here on Brides Up North very soon!) but right now, check out Jonny Draper Photography Training for details!

.

.

.

.

Brides Up North UK Wedding Blog – Images © 2013 Jonny Draper Photography

Jonny Draper Photography 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

.

.