Meet David | Documentary Wedding Photographer in East Yorkshire
A little bit about me.
Hi, I'm David.
I'm based in East Yorkshire, although "Where are you from?" has never had a particularly short answer, often it begins with "how long do you have you got?". I have Scottish roots but I'm originally from Somerset. I've lived in the West Country, Norfolk and North Lincolnshire, before finding myself moving over the bridge and eventually settling here. The West Country accent still comes out when I'm excited.
East Yorkshire is home now, but Coventry City are my football team. Supporting them has taught me optimism, patience and how to ruin a perfectly good Saturday afternoon.
Photography has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. When I was five, I spent part of my summer holidays with my Grandma up in Scotland and I was given a hand me down camera. It was a black plastic point and shoot and I remember taking a picture of my Grandma in her garden with it. I can't pretend it was a masterpiece but it started my love of photography.
At secondary school, I took photography and learned how to develop film in a darkroom. I still remember the smell of the chemicals and waiting for an image to slowly appear on the paper. This was long before I had any idea that photography might one day become my job, but it never really left me.
I didn't grow up planning to become a wedding photographer. That happened much later, when a close friend asked me to work alongside her as a second.
One wedding led to another, then another. In the four plus years that followed I've photographed more than 60 weddings. It gave me the chance to learn the job properly before stepping out on my own. I learned how wedding days actually work, how much happens away from the obvious moments and how important it is to remain calm when plans go slightly sideways.
Weddings also suit the way I naturally am. I'm not somebody who needs to be the centre of attention. I'm usually watching what is happening, noticing the smaller interactions and waiting for the right moment. Picking up a camera gave me something useful to do with that. I'm very much a people watcher.
Away from photography, music is a massive part of my life. My taste is still firmly rooted in the emo and pop-punk music I grew up with, particularly My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy and Green Day. I love going to gigs and I've recently picked up my guitars again after neglecting them for far too long.
When I need to switch off, I usually disappear into a PC game for several hours longer than I intended (World of Warcraft has a lot to answer for over the years). Between that, football, photography and music, I've accepted that most of my hobbies are either expensive, time consuming or emotionally damaging.
I'm generally calm, a little (or a lot) nerdy and don't take myself too seriously. I care deeply about fairness, treating people properly and giving them space to be themselves. I'd much rather spend time with somebody who is genuine than somebody trying to appear perfect.
That's probably me in a nutshell: A photographer with Scottish roots, an occasional West Country accent, a Yorkshire home, a weakness for loud guitars and a football club that regularly tests the meaning of loyalty.
