Hey, I’m Ben Holbrook, a full-time professional photographer based on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea, south Wales.

Swansea based photographer shooting throughout Wales and beyond

 

Ben has such a calming presence about him. He is such a gentleman and we just knew we could trust him right from the get go.”

My Approach

I find most people describe me as being a friendly, warm and easy-going kinda guy.

In fact guests frequently assume I am a close friend of the couples, which I take as a great compliment.

It’s super important to me that you and your guests feel 100% happy, comfortable and confident around me (and my camera).

With this in mind I shoot with a quiet, fluid and spontaneous approach, seamlessly switching between candids and portraits.

I like to blend in and keep things very relaxed and informal… natural and always in the spirit of the moment.

I think of each image as a sentence from the story of your day. A line of poetry that stirs something inside and takes you back to the greatest day of your life.

Artistically capturing the atmosphere, emotion, narrative and details of your day in a beautiful yet authentic way.

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“Everyone at the wedding couldn’t stop raving about how he (Ben) managed to capture every moment. We’ve no idea how he did it but he was everywhere at once but not invasive in any way.”
~ F & D

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It’s about distilling real interactions, raw emotions and the finer details that make your day yours.

Your wedding day is the biggest celebration of your life and I believe you should have the absolute time of your life.

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“He is one of the friendliest and most personable people I’ve ever met. Ben got on so well with all our friends and family, that it felt like I had another friend there. I’m not joking when I say at least 40 people have since mentioned how lovely he was, and asked after him!”
~ K & M

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I’ve always been a creative type and have a deep love for the arts.

As well as photography, I love to write and am a big reader. That said, it was actually music that I first fell in love with and I still play guitar most days.

A quiet, inquisitive and sensitive soul by nature, I’m a natural observer who loves people-watching. In fact photography came naturally to me at a very young age.

A bride recently told me, “You were born to do this!”

I think she was probably right.

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“To take a photograph is to align the head, the eye, and the heart.”
~ Henri Cartier-Bresson

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I think of myself not so much as an image-maker, but as a visual storyteller.

While shooting your day, I’m always thinking of the entire collection of images as a whole and how they will work together to convey the narrative of your day.

What I am most definitely not is the sort of photographer to bark orders at you and your guests or try and control every moment of your day.

I may make small suggestions, such as standing closer to a window if the light is better. Or heading off for some portraits before tucking into dessert because the golden light of sunset is looking insane.

Ultimately you call the shots.

I’m there with you and for you - to artistically document your day, not to “direct” it.

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“Great photography is about depth of feeling, not depth of field.”
~ Peter Adams

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What about group shots and couple portraits, you ask?

Yes, we will of course make time for group shots as well, with family members, bridesmaids, groomsmen and friends etc.

It doesn’t need to take long, and as I like to say, your group shots don’t need to be “formal” – and they can actually be quite good fun!

It’s always fun to sneak off for 15 minutes or so to capture some gorgeous couple shots of you and your new husband/wife on your big day.

I suggest a mini couple’s shoot before you sit down for your wedding breakfast, and then another during the golden hours before sunset (if you’re feeling it in the moment).

Spontaneity and flexibility is key.

But again, I’ll work with you on this.

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My Aesthetic

Natural documentary storytelling paired with an artistic editorial aesthetic.

I’m old enough and fortunate enough to have learned photography back in the film days. You just can’t beat those timeless warm hues and muted tones, those aesthetically pleasing imperfections. It never gets old or dated – the grit and grain, the feeling

And I just adore black and white imagery. In fact my obsession with photography began with black and white 35mm Ilford film when I used to develop it in the darkroom at college.

Monochrome is one of those magical things that gets better and better with age. Just think of all those iconic Golden-age Hollywood images – that’s the look I’m chasing every time!

For many years I have found myself editing my digital photos with the look and feel of analogue film photography in mind. It seems so obvious now and I don’t know why it took me so long to realise: I could actually just shoot with my film cameras as well as my digital cameras.

“What’s more authentic and timeless than real wedding shot on real film.”

And so that’s what I’m doing now, mixing modern digital storytelling paired with the timeless nostalgia and artistry of 35mm analogue film. The best of both.

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Oh, and by the way, I also have a first-class BA in Photography from Falmouth University, which is nice.

And I like to think my professional background in travel, documentary and street photography adds depth to my work, an artistic flare that makes my wedding imagery less… weddingy.

On a personal note…

A happy and dedicated family man at my core. Everything I do is for my beautiful wife Sarah, our son Jack and daughter Isla.

They are my raison d'être, no question.

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I grew up on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea and spent my youth cycling, surfing and strumming my guitar.

Then I moved to Barcelona… then London, and then back to Barcelona again, where I enjoyed many years working as a travel writer, photographer and filmmaker.

I travelled widely, reviewing restaurants, hotels and travel destinations for publications like National Geographic Traveller, Telegraph and Singapore Airlines.

If you’ve ever read an inflight magazine on a flight, it’s likely you’ve read one of my travel guides.

I also published two travel books and created one of Spain’s leading travel blogs (Driftwood Journals). I suppose looking back, this is why my professional photography career began.

It was a hugely fun and rewarding period of my life, but the biggest reward came when I moved home to Swansea’s Gower Peninsula and met my now wife, Sarah.

Our life together means everything to me. My family is my world.

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Shooting weddings has given me so much, and I approach each and every booking with gratitude.

I feel extremely fortunate to continue living this creative life.

There’s no question, I am one of the lucky ones.

// CONTACT //

Available Throughout Wales (and Beyond)

I love shooting weddings where I live in Gower, Swansea and across south Wales. We’re spoilt for choice here with venues like Fairyhill (where Sarah and I got married), Oldwalls, Oxwich Bay Hotel, The King Arthur, Ocean View and many more.

I also love shooting weddings in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire and have shot at some seriously epic wedding venues in west Wales, including Gellifawr Woodland Retreat, Manorbier Castle, Pembroke Castle (in Haverfordwest), and also Hensol Castle and Craig y Nos Castle.

Abergavenny is another gorgeous destination, with some of my all time favourite venues including Llantilio House, Duffryn Mawr Country House, Angel Hotel, Sant Ffraed House, and Sugar Loaf Barn.

I also love to travel and am available to photograph weddings in Herefordshire (I’m just back from the sublime Dewsall Court as it goes), Bristol, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds (Old Gore being a personal favourite!)

Wherever you’re getting married, whether in Wales or further afield, I’d love to be there to capture the magic and tell the story of your beautiful day with wedding photography that you and your family with cherish for generations to come.

Let me know your date (below) to find out if I’m available.

Check availability and enquire with Ben Holbrook Photography