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International Award-Winning Wedding Photojournalism
Relive the day
Looking for a wedding photographer who can actually
‘capture’ the real story of your day instead of contriving it?
Photography without ego
So, why a wedding photojournalist?
Surely all wedding photographers are the same right? That’s not the case. There’s a buzzword doing the rounds. It’s called ‘documentary’ and most wedding photographers seem to have hijacked the phrase. I don’t particularly like to label my style, but if I have to, then my style is wedding photojournalism.
Your wedding is a once-in-a-lifetime event. A truly special moment in time, and one that you’ll want to return to again and again over the course of your life.
In addition, you’ll want your children and grandchildren to be able to relive it with you in the years to come.
Therefore you deserve an award-winning wedding photographer who can document that priceless event for you.
Tangible memories of real people and raw emotions, not contrived or staged moments.
You’ve been to lots of friends weddings and it seems that most other photographers take charge and direct the day. They’ll take endless portraits that are highly-staged and contrived.
Needless to say, that’s not what you hire a true wedding photojournalist for.
That’s why my ethos & approach is to capture the raw and real moments of your wedding.
My “fly-on-the-wall” style that makes most people think I’m actually a guest of the bride and groom and not the wedding photographer.
You want a photographer to help you document this special moment in time. To preserve your story so that it can be cherished and treasured for generations by family and friends alike.
You want to be able to share the real story of your wedding — with the people, moments, and most of all, the feelings that came along with it. Not something that’s inaccurate, false, contrived, staged or merely posed.
You want a story of the day that enables you to revisit the entire experience. You want to feel every one of those precious moments come flooding back to you in a heartbeat.
Most of all, the butterflies, the expectations, the suspense, the tears, joy and laughter, and of course, the loved ones who were present then, but might not be around today.
So, you’re looking for a special way to capture this once-in-a-lifetime moment (and a wedding photographer who does more than stage the day and want to be the centre of attention).
Maybe you’ve just stumbled upon the right fit for you?
"It seems like most other photographers think that the most important thing to photograph is the decor and details. But I think more deeply than that. I think the most important thing to photograph is the people, the moments and the emotions."
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Highlights Showreel
If you like the sound of my unobtrusive approach to documenting weddings and would like to see more of my work, take a look at my 2019 highlights showreel.
Play Video
"Great documentary-style wedding photography is an art that is hugely in demand and British photographer Ian Bursill has just proved that he is one of the best in the world at delivering this service"
Is wedding photojournalism the right fit for you?
my approach & its benefits
Relaxed
I'm relaxed, as are all of my couples. They want to let their day unfold before them and have a photographer they can trust document their day without being bossed about by a photographer and his big ego.
The Benefits
You'll be able to fully immerse yourselves and enjoy your day with friends and family without the stress of having to be in front of the camera or taken away for an hour for a model shoot.
Unobtrusive
My style and approach is to work quickly and quietly in the background. I will mingle closely with guests and use them as cover to blend in while I'm watching scenes develop and stories unfold.
The Benefits
You'll get a true and honest narration of your wedding. There'll be no contrived moments, just real ones featuring real people and real emotions. Photographs that tell the real story of your wedding day.
Unposed
I let the day flow naturally. I won't contrive moments or ask anyone to say cheese. I'm a people watcher, and I love authenticity. If an image is posed or faked, you'll remember that it wasn't a real moment.
The Benefits
No standing around for hours posing and feeling uncomfortable. I don't do model shoots. The only parts of the day where there is a tiny bit of direction are the group shots and the bride & groom portraits.
Trusted
I've been shooting weddings for 14 years and have covered over 350 events. I'm a proven award-winning photographer regionally, nationally and internationally and I love giving great service.
The Benefits
You can rest in the knowledge that you've hired a tried and trusted professional and not someone inexperienced who may flap under pressure and not deliver. Your day happens once. Is it worth the risk?
Awards
The UK's Wedding Photojournalist of the Year and second runner-up internationally in 2009.
'Best Photographer' for the East Midlands Region in the 2012 Wedding industry Awards.
'Best Photographer' for the East Midlands Region in the 2014 Wedding industry Awards.
'Best Photographer' for the East Midlands Region in the 2015 Wedding industry Awards.
kind words from my couples
“Ian, thank you so much, we absolutely LOVE them - there certainly was a lot of laughter and a lot of tears and you've captured it beautifully! I have found working today very difficult, as it's much more fun to look at the pictures! We look forward to decorating our new house with your work!”
“We’ve just looked through these for the fourth time in a row and they are absolutely superb – love them! Every time we look through them we see different details, but I guess that’s the point. Thanks so much for capturing our day so perfectly!”
“A huge thank you for photographing our wedding earlier this week. It was a perfect day made better by your natural unobtrusive style, we spent the day with our friends and family rather than posing for photographs, thank you!”
“We love looking through our photos! It really was the best day of our lives and we’re still ‘buzzing’. It’s great to have photographs that tell the story rather than posed ones. We wouldn’t have had any other style of wedding photography and we’ll always recommend you.”
"Well just wow, we are still taking in our absolutely beautiful pictures we can’t believe how well they’ve turned out. (Actually we can which is why we picked you). Thank you so much once more for capturing our day in so many wonderful pictures. We will look back on these in years to come with love, fondness and happiness. We are thrilled!"
"Thank you so much for these beautiful photos - each time I look at them, I discover new details and think them even more beautiful than before. Especially with our wedding day receding further and further into the background, I think I am finding them more and more moving and feel that they transport me back into the lightness and happiness of the day. Thank you very much - I am grateful for your hard work on the day & the care and attention you’ve given them since to put them together."
"Well Ian, you're a bloody genius! We absolutely love the photos, every single one. The way you catch a moment and a feeling is extraordinary; you tell so many stories in a single shot. We'll have a confab about tracks for the slideshow and let you know, but just wanted to get in touch now to say a huge thank you. You were amazing part of the day, and your shots could not be a better documentation of it.
Thank you so much and merry Christmas!"
"Thank you so much for these, we must have looked through the photos 10 times already. We love them :) It was great having you at the wedding, we thoroughly enjoyed your company, never mind all the work you did for us!"
Wow - what can we say? You were amazing! We just wanted to say an enormous THANK YOU for everything on Saturday! You were so calm and lovely to work with! Sorry the timings went a bit to pot, but thank you for bearing with us! Really grateful you stayed as long as you did and really hope it didn’t impact on your next day. Everyone commented on what a lovely photographer you are and so kind and chatty! So thank you! Hope you have had a good week and once again, thank you so, so much for everything - we had an amazing day and we are so grateful you were a big part of it!
"Thanks for the email and the photos. We love them. We were so shocked with some of them as we hadn't even realised you were close to take the photo which was amazing and just what we wanted. We are so happy you were part of our special day. I'll message tomorrow but please know we love the photos."
"What can we say! Wow, thank you, you've made two people very very very happy. Thank you for capturing the joy of our wedding day so perfectly and for telling the story of our day so thoughtfully - even our 'posed' photos seem to capture the essence of us so beautifully. I have never liked having my photo taken and even more so, seeing photos of myself, so it's quite a special moment to see so many photos that you can't wait to show others!
Sorry to be so soppy!"
"Ian... WOW!! These images are incredible, they capture everything about the day so perfectly. Thank you for doing such a great job... Just knew you would! We've just sat and looked at the slideshow together and felt all the emotions come flooding back, reliving the special and funny moments, as well as enjoying seeing new perspectives of the day that we completely missed but were captured by you!
Thank you so much again, we couldn't be happier!"
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Think my style & appRoach is a good fit for your needs?
Here are the next steps
- Contact me by hitting the button below and filling in the enquiry form.
- Request a date and time for a no-obligation consultation (either face-to-face or over an internet video chat).
- I’ll then get back to you within 24 hours confirming your appointment.
Please note: I document a maximum of 30 weddings per year and my diary does fill up quickly. Bookings aren’t taken without having a relaxed, no-obligation chat to confirm that we’re the right fit for each other; style, approach and personality-wise.
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