Supplier Spotlight - Lewis Membery Photography
One of my big ideas when starting this blog, and one of my big passions in life, was to champion other people. With ‘The Situation’ (I’m fed up of chatting about the C-Word, anyone else?), the wedding industry took a big hit. I’m sure you’ve heard of upcoming nuptials of friends, family and maybe your own, being pushed back, postponed, or - worst of all for us suppliers - cancelled until further notice.
I don’t think I’m alone in saying it’s been quite a scary time. On the one hand, I feel so incredibly grateful to my furloughed job for keeping me afloat, and to all my wonderful couples who have been so supportive and understanding in moments where they didn’t have to be. On the other, I wonder about our community. It’s been a game of risk for sure. So when I began this little writing spot, I wanted to give just a wee something back to those who might also be feeling the strain and anxiety.
All photos courtesy of Lewis Membery Photography
I could not be more excited to introduce you (though you will have already seen his stunning photos all over my website and blog) to Lewis Membery. He is the perfect first guest, as he also champions community over competition, and I’m forever seeing him doing meet ups and Zoom chats with his fellow beloved photographers. He talks more on this below, so I won’t ruin your reading.
I’ve had the pleasure of working ‘alongside’ Lewis on a couple of weddings - quotations as we concentrate on different parts of the day so it’s rare I run into the photographers, unless I am also a lucky guest, which I was on Ellie & Rowan’s wedding back in February. His imagery, I’m sure you’ll agree, is so warm, so intimate and so so so gorgeous. He honours his couples so well, and you can tell he is not only the lucky one capturing their day, but he’s invested in their story and by the end, he’s often a friend.
Watch this space too! Once ‘The Situation’ is over, we’re hoping to work on something very special together - I for one cannot wait. And I can’t carry on without mentioning to follow him on Instagram for breathtaking photos, great stories AND adorable doggie photos - all links are at the end!
Firstly, please introduce yourself!
Hey! I’m Lewis and I’m a Documentary Wedding Photographer
Why and how did you get started?
I don’t think anyone sets out initially to be a Wedding Photographer, and most people have the same… usual answer and my answer is, I fell into it. I used to do a lot of commercial stuff, but nothing serious, this led to a friend asking to shoot their wedding and I was like “Sure! Sounds easy!” (Haha! Boy was I wrong!). But as soon as I did one I was hooked! The feeling of shooting something so important and giving the gift of photographs to people that will be seen in YEARS to come is honestly a feeling that can’t be replaced.
Describe your style in 3 words!
Romantic, Relaxed, Timeless
(hopefully… 😅)
Tell us about the first wedding you photographed…
Oh man I was a ball of stress from start to finish!
I thought it would be easy, but you don’t realise how many different styles of photography are involved in telling the story of a wedding day. You have to do everything and also with massive time and weather restrictions - things can change at the click of a finger and you have to be prepared for it…
On the first wedding - I. Was. Not 😂
What’s the biggest lesson you have learnt along the way?
Community far supersedes competition. My entire business is based around this - I couldn’t learn or grow
without the connections I have made over the years in this industry just from being nice and on a human level with others.
Leave your ego at the door, we’re all working together to make the days for these awesome couples as amazing as possible
and trust me when I say it pays off - it pays to be nice.
Highlight of your career (so far)!
Just one!? This is a tricky one!
I think just when I went full-time was a career highlight!
It took some serious hard work and constantly grinding, but I did it and I did it on my own!
One bit of advice you’d give to your couples when it comes to planning a wedding
Keep it fun and don’t get too serious! Weddings don’t have to be carbon copies of weddings from years gone by,
screw traditions and just plan the day that you truly want, no matter how out there it is!
If you plan the wedding YOU want then it will be as much fun planning it as it is actually being there!
What does a typical day in your life look like?
Most people think wedding photographers have it cushty - turn up, shoot the wedding, get paid, go home.
Yeah, it’s not that simple, and the wedding day is the easiest bit. Now that I am full-time, I probably spend 5% of my time actually shooting.
So my normal day looks like admin, editing, petting my pup, admin, emails, marketing, editing, social media, meetings, food, sleep, repeat.
What are your hopes and dreams for the future?
I want to keep on building my business, shooting more destination weddings and work more on my educational/workshop side
as I love being able to help out others looking to move into self-employment.
And finally, what’s your favourite bit of a Wedding Day?
I honestly love morning prep! It’s so great seeing all the emotions build through out the morning and being apart of it all!
Thank you again to the wonderful Lewis for being the first of hopefully a great series of interviews with fellow creatives!
You can find him below:
www.lewismembery.com
All photos courtesy of Lewis Membery Photography