Event & Wedding Planner - London | UK | International

When hiring a wedding planner or a photographer, it is so important to connect with the person behind the business – after all, it is a highly emotional and once in lifetime event and you are essentially entrusting it to these people.  With a photographer, you will want to feel comfortable in front of the camera and trust that the photographer understands how you want to capture all of the aspects of your celebration and deliver images that you will treasure for the rest of your life.

So on this Friday, I want to help you to connect with one such person behind the lens.  Chloe Browne from Caught the Light Photography is one of my most trusted and recommended vendors in London.  Not only is she extremely talented with an acute attention to detail, but she’s also just super cute, warm and funny – someone you’d want to go shopping with or chat with over a glass of fizzy, not just hire to take your photographs!  So, without further ado, get to know Chloe Browne!

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Where did you grow up and where’s home now?

I was born in Chiswick in West London, but Hampstead is now home with my Australian husband and his three guitars.

How long have you been a photographer and were you always a wedding photographer?

I’ve been officially photographing weddings for the past year, but I would like to say that I have always been a photographer-it’s just only recently become something I’ve committed myself to properly.  I established Caught the Light in September 2009.

Is there anything you would have done differently when you started your wedding photography business?

I don’t think there is. I have made mistakes in the past year, but they’re all things that I have learnt huge lessons from, which is invaluable, isn’t it?

Did you study photography at school or in a professional program?

I’m a self-taught photographer although I have studied in later years to make sure I’m doing everything the best way possible.

Was there a person or single influence who got you interested in wedding photography?

When I was looking for a photographer for our wedding, I fell head-over-heels in love with Michele M Waite who is based in Bellingham in the USA. I was inspired to take photographs professionally by her and by how beautifully she captures such an important day. I actually took at 70-page portfolio when I met with wedding photographers-the majority of which was her work!

Would you say that you have a particular style and, if so, how would you sum it up?

I like to think of myself as delivering natural wedding photography and I hope that my work reflects this. I try not to stage anything on a wedding day, but will direct families together for their portraits and offer a little advice to my couples too. Some people are more naturally at ease in front of the camera than others. I myself am hopeless!

How many weddings do you average per year?

This year, I will have photographed 34 weddings, which has been quite a lot. I’ve been fortunate to travel a lot though and have some more exciting destination weddings booked in for 2011 too!

Do you think male and female photographers bring different approaches to weddings or to the bride?

I do think that as a mass generalization, male photographers focus on the technical elements whilst female photographers concentrate more on the emotional elements of a wedding. I certainly think about all the emotion and tears and ‘moments’ more than I do what lens I’ll need next.

If you could name one spot on earth where you’d like to photograph a wedding, where would it be?

I would love to photograph a wedding in Rome. I lived there for a while and love Romani and their laid-back attitude to life. The ruins would make quite an impressive backdrop.

What other subjects or photo shoots do you like to photograph besides weddings?

I love the natural progression of a wedding, but I love photographing people. I like the legacy that continues with a portrait. I think I’d like to photograph book covers too as reading is another passion. I could spend all day in a Waterstones-there is something intoxicating about the smell of new books!

I know from my Google Analytics that people have come to my website from searching for “Chloe Browne What Camera Does She Use” – would you like to just say now what camera you use?

That’s really funny! I love Canon’s tones, so use a Canon 5D mark ii alongside a few prime lenses.

Is there a favorite camera lens or accessory that you cannot live without?

I would not want to live without my 50mm f1.2. I learnt how to frame on a 50mm, so it’s my most natural lens to use. The 35mm is beautiful and that little bit wider, which I tend to use for aisles and during ceremonies.

Do you take extra lighting equipment with you to weddings?

I use a light panel similar to that which videographers use and an on-camera flash for speeches and the first dance if necessary. I much prefer to use ambient light though as it allows me to work more discreetly.  Rarely will a church permit you to use flash, so you really need to learn how to use fast prime lenses like 1.2s and 1.4s. I photographed a wedding reception in a wine cellar basement without a flash and relied on strategic placement of candles and fairy lights to work with.

A popular trend in the States is the “First Look”, where the bride and groom see each other for portrait shots before the ceremony – what is your view on this trend and have you taken any for UK weddings?

I would love it if clients did First Looks more often. I photographed a wedding in Denmark this year where the clients did a First Look and we spent around an hour taking their portraits in different locations on the island, so that they didn’t miss any of the reception later on. It was a brilliant idea and something that clients later in the year should definitely make use of. I absolutely hate returning to a beautiful reception when the sun has set and you can’t make full use of beautiful grounds.

What is your least favorite part of a wedding?

My least favourite part is after the ceremony when the ushers turn to me and ask me to arrange ‘the confetti shot’. As I’m not a huge fan on intervening, I usually push this one right back to the ushers and wait in the crowd to photograph the couple-it feels much more discreet than herding people up!

What is your favorite part of a wedding?

I love vows and in particular civil ceremonies as they are a little more customizable than religious ceremonies. I’ve photographed weddings where the groom has organized for friends to sing a song accompanied by a ukulele, which was very funny and brilliant to capture. I usually always cry during vows and the ‘you may kiss the bride’. I’m married, so weddings are particularly emotional for me.

I have had brides ask photographers to slim them down with PhotoShop. Do you use Photo Shop for these sort sorts of requests?

I wouldn’t no and I also wouldn’t book a client who wanted that kind of editing done. I am very much a believer in natural wedding photography. I will always edit out exit signs and remove make-up from clothes, but my job is to take a beautiful photo of you as you are, not as you are when you’re digitally enhanced.

Can you describe your wedding albums?

My albums are very clean and simple with the emphasis being on the image. I design all of my albums myself once the client has chosen their images and work them into simple spreads.  As a bride, I just wanted my pictures and to organize my own wedding album, so I offer my package like this, but try and make the discs exciting, too. You can see examples here.

Do you have a most memorable wedding that you’ve shot to date?

There have been so many! Last September, I photographed a wedding where the bride and groom both wore red shoes and were so laid back about the whole day. We had a great time standing around in the park and I was one of eight people at their civil ceremony, which was pretty special too. For me, what makes a wedding special are the people, 100%. Details are beautiful to photograph, but rarely do you frame photos of your wedding flowers now, do you?

Are there wedding photographers that you most admire and what about them inspires you?

There are so many exceptionally talented photographers in the world. Michele M Waite was my inspiration in getting started and Jonas Peterson and Jose Villa both photograph weddings like nobody else. Max Wanger is always unique and I love Mel Barlow’s understated elegance. The UK does very well too-I love Rosie Parson’s beautiful simplicity and if I could ever photograph weddings on film like Polly Alexandre, I would be very happy indeed.

From a photographer’s perspective, do you have any suggestions for brides on the day?

I love working in bright clean spaces, which is rarely the kind of space you get to work in when you arrive to photograph a bride getting ready. Wedding days usually get off to quite a hectic start, so I try to arrive an hour or so before the bride is due to leave, to get the finishing touches. If a room is bright and tidy, it makes a beautiful backdrop for preparation photos. I love unique and individual brides too, so always do what feels unique to you.

Do you visit wedding blogs and which do you enjoy visiting the most?

Once Wed is one of my favourites as they feature such beautifully sunny weddings. I also read Rock N’ Roll Bride which is where a lot of my previous clients have found me, alongside Style Me Pretty, 100 Layer Cake, Ruffled and Snippet & Ink. I’m a huge fan on design blogs too, like Design Sponge and Black Eiffel. I like things that are beautiful.

If you were not a photographer, what would you want to be when you grow up?

I honestly would not want to be anything else!

What are 3 essentials that you carry around in your handbag that are not photography or wedding-related?

My iphone as I could not live without email, an umbrella because I am English and predictably, my purse!

Name a movie star or singer whose wedding you’d love to photograph, where, and why.

I would have loved to photograph Marilyn Munroe-to me, she is beauty personified. I imagine her barefoot on a beach in a 50s wedding dress. She’d have been amazing.

Does your husband enjoy taking photographs with you (or being your subject)?

My husband’s pretty hopeless with a camera but he’s great at wheeling my bag around. I appreciate our differences though-he is brilliant at playing a guitar and I’d hate if it he ever tried to make me learn!

Do you have more of a handbag fetish or shoe fetish?

Shoe fetish, although if you are reading this husband, I am much overdue that Mulberry!

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Isn’t she great?  I say she deserves that Mulberry bag.  Learn more about Chloe’s work by visiting her website and her blog.