Hello and welcome, I’m Ben Holbrook, a full-time wedding filmmaker and photographer in Swansea, south Wales.
Let me craft cinematic wedding films/photos that you will love and cherish for generations to come.
Laugh, swoon and cry tears of joy every time you relive your special day in all its authentic glory.
About Me
From Swansea to Barcelona (and Back)
I grew up on the Gower Peninsula in Swansea and spent my youth cycling, surfing and strumming my guitar. Then I moved to Barcelona, Spain at the age of 25, where I spent the best part of a decade 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 a couple of books and created one of Spain’s leading travel blogs (Driftwood Journals).
It was a hugely fun and rewarding period of my life, but the biggest reward came when I moved home to the Gower Peninsula and met my now-wife, Sarah.
From Faraway Lands to Fatherhood
Today we live in the beautiful old village of Penclawdd (in Gower) with our baby boy, who is two!?! years old now. We love going for walks on the beach, sipping coffee and eating ice cream. I still cycle and surf and strum my guitar (albeit less and less).
As a new dad/husband, and not wanting to travel abroad for work anymore, I decided to start shooting weddings instead of my worldly wanderings. I was instantly hooked and feel my experience as a travel photographer and filmmaker sets me apart from other wedding/commercial videographers and photographers in the Swansea, south Wales area. I’ve spent so many years ‘observing for a living’ that it’s second nature to me. It’s what I do, and I believe it’s what I do best.
My Approach to Wedding Filmmaking and Photography
For me, wedding photography and filmmaking is more about storytelling and documenting what makes your day yours, and less about creating some sort of faux perfume advert.
On your wedding day I will seek out real emotions, real moments, and capture real memories.
Speaking from personal experience, your wedding day is so exciting and emotional that it passes in the blink of an eye – almost like an outer body experience. I want your film or photos to reflect the magic of your day and to take you back to those special moments, to let you feel and re-live those emotions over and over again.
I think most people I work with would describe me as chilled and laidback, and I make a big effort to ensure people feel 100% comfortable while I’m filming (or to make it so that they don’t even realise I’m there). I use a relaxed documentary approach to capture things as they happen naturally, rather than staging things and asking you to repeat things countless times.
All you have to do is enjoy your day to the fullest, be present in the moment and forget that I’m even there. After all, your wedding day is the biggest celebration of your life and the only thing you should be focussed on is making the most of every second and having the absolute time of your life.
The more fun you have, the more I can capture and the more you’ll have to watch back in your film/photos.
My Filmmaking / Photography Style
I’ve always been a big film buff and love foreign/indie arthouse films, as well as old classics shot on film (before the digital age). This is why my wedding films have a certain nostalgic feel to them. The same can be said of my photography influences – I’m obsess with the Magnum Collective photographers and 35mm film photography.
Whether I’m shooting photography or videography, my work is always driven by story and emotion. Classic. Timeless. Authentic.
I want your wedding films/photos to look like it felt on the day, to reflect your memories and dreams, if that makes any sense.
Oh, and I also have a first-class BA in Photography from Falmouth University, so I’m "technically qualified” as well.
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 Manorbier Castle, Pembroke Castle (in Haverfordwest), and also Hensol Castle and Craig y Nos Castle.
Wherever you’re getting married, whether it’s in Wales or further afield, I’d love to be there to capture the magic and tell the story of your beautiful day with beautiful wedding videography and photography you and you family with cherish for generations to come.
Say hello@benholbrook.com to let me know what you’re looking for in your videographer and find out if I’m available for your date.
Hire Ben Holbrook - hello@benholbrook.com