Everything I do now has been shaped by years of other jobs, other roles, and other ways of seeing. Long before I photographed weddings full time, I was learning how to observe, how to work under pressure, how to collaborate creatively, and how to trust my own eye. Looking back, these jobs didn’t just pay the bills, they quietly shaped the photographer I am today.
35M film developer
I worked in a film lab processing film for a year before I went to uni. I learnt about film development and colour, but also patience and precision. I also had a year of looking over the public’s images (not in a strange Robin Williams One Hour Photo way!). I would pack the prints and need to run my eye over the set, making sure there was nothing wrong with them. Over time, this trained my eye to spot tiny details, mistakes, and inconsistencies very quickly. I would also need to talk about the cameras we sold, so I guess this is where my deeper understanding of cameras started, long before I ever thought about photographing weddings.
Live camera operator at Glastonbury
I worked at Glastonbury as a live camera operator for two years. You know the Pyramid Stage – well, I wasn’t on that one. I worked at the Leftfield stage, filming bands, debates, poetry and talks. It’s pretty scary being on stage, especially when you’re so visible, but man, these skills helped me get used to that feeling of being seen documenting something important. As a wedding photographer, we often share the space that a wedding couple may be in, and all eyes are on them. Feeling comfortable in that space, and not letting nerves affect how you work, is really important, and this job definitely helped me get over that.
Warner Village Cinema
I studied film at uni, so what better job than working at a cinema? Films have massively shaped how I see and ultimately how I tell stories. I fully took advantage of getting to watch films for free on the big screen, and in another life I’m sure I’m a director. But in this life, I can still clearly see how cinema influences my photography — from composition and pacing to how moments unfold. Plus, I met my husband working there, and without him I’m not sure I would be a wedding photographer at all.
Art publishing
I spent 5 years working for an art publishing company. This is by far the job that has helped my creative brain more than any. For 5 years I got to immerse myself in artwork from amazing photographers and artists, day in and day out. I got a deeper understanding of what art the public like and respond to, but being surrounded by this work for so many years, it also seeped into my subconscious and shaped my visual taste. When I look back at this job I am immensely proud of it, but also think it played into my imposter syndrome a bit. When you are working alongside images from Condé Nast and then you decide to be a photographer yourself, you suddenly have some pretty incredible icons to look up to and measure yourself against.
Project manager/agent at an illustration agency
OK, so I wasn’t here long, just 6 months, but again, I was working alongside some of the most talented artists. I was a project manager/agent, so my job would be to listen to what a client needed and then work alongside an artist to help create that project. This really taught me how to translate ideas between people, which is a skill I still use with clients now. I loved the project management side, but hated the ‘agent’ part, which basically meant trying to sell/schmooze people and find new work. This job taught me that I was shit at selling, but loved project management! One of the clients on my books was Nutsmagazine, and I needed to relay to the artist what a problem for the ‘problem page’ was. The artist would then create a sketch, and we would go back and forth with the client until it was right. If you have any memory of Nuts magazine, then you’ll have a good idea of the sort of problems that would feature in the problem pages – they were absolutely filthy!! This has nothing to do with being a wedding photographer, but still makes me chuckle to this day!
Property marketing
My final job before I became full time with weddings was working for a property marketing company. I had such a varied role, with the best boss going (shout out to Sam at CP Creative). This job gave me a real taste of what it was like to work creatively in a commercial environment. Here I got to make branding films for the business and other companies, which also fed into my love of storytelling. I also got to quality check and edit other photographers’ images, which gave me such a great understanding of how to edit images consistently and professionally. I stayed at CP Creative part time while I got my own business off the ground, slowly building confidence in myself. I left at the end of 2019, excited to see what 2020 would look like as a full time wedding photographer.
At the time, none of these jobs felt like stepping stones towards wedding photography. But looking back now, I can see how every one of them gave me something I still rely on — a trained eye, comfort in high-pressure spaces, creative confidence, strong editing instincts, and an understanding of how people work. All of it feeds into how I photograph weddings today: quietly observant, creatively driven, and deeply comfortable documenting real moments as they unfold.
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