One of the joys of my job as a planner is working with talented professionals within the wedding industry, I am very lucky to have met some fabulous people on my wedding  journeys.

Recently we began working with Mark Bothwell a fantastic wedding photographer, he has just written an interesting blog about event planning and we get a little mention take a peak.

Have a fabulous weekend.

At Tigerlily we are always searching for new talent for our clients,while researching for photographers recently I came across the gifted Paul White.

Paul has kindly answered our questions and given us an insight in to his work.

When did you decide to become a photographer?

When I was 21, I upped sticks and moved to London from Newcastle got a job as a studio assistant at a big fashion studio, painted floors, made tea, cleaned up, and observed  some amazing people do their jobs. I worked there for a couple of years then left to become a freelance assistant. That’s when my training really kicked in. I learned from some of the very best fashion photographers around (Bruce Weber, Platon, Norman Watson etc) and got to travel the world extensively too. Met some incredible people and had an amazing time.

After  5 or so years assisting I decided it was time to move on, after showing a few shoots of my own to a few editors I was commissioned by several young fashion mags and things took off really quickly. Shooting brand new models who quite often had never been in front of a camera before was excellent experience. It stood me in good stead for shooting weddings, particularly if either the Bride or Groom don’t relish the prospect of having their photographs taken. It has really taught me how to get the best out of people, and quickly!

What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer on the whole?

Honestly, the only thing that could stop anyone growing as a photographer is complacency. Thinking that you know it all, that you can just turn up and go through the motions and produce worthy imagery is a dangerous state of mind.

Where do you take inspiration from?

My inspiration (and I don’t want to get all ‘Oprah’ here) are my clients. The simple fact is that good, standout wedding photography is an investment. There are so many wedding photographers out there that the better ones can afford to charge a premium for their services. That comes with a responsibility to always give the very best, from the moment of first contact with a potential client through to the delivery of the photographs.

Who are your influences?

I’m not really influenced by anyone. Inspired, yes, but personally I think photographers should shoot to their own style, and not try to imitate anyone else. How else will clients be 100% certain that they have the right photographer for their wedding?  It’s like going shopping. If you want a Marc Jacobs handbag, then anything less than that is always going to feel like second best.

What is unique about your photography?

Many of my clients mention my fashion work when initially booking. I think it helps me see things from a slightly different perspective to many wedding photographers. I pride myself on the detail shots, the bridal preparation and of course the couple portraits but I’m not one for clichés. The formal shots of the couple should feel like the most natural shots in the world to the Bride and Groom. I want those pictures to be timeless, beautiful and relaxed which requires a totally different skill set to the rest of the day’s coverage. The reportage shots -telling the story of the wedding- is to me ‘pure’ photography, where you need the technical ability to deal with any lighting conditions and have the ‘eye’ to anticipate a great shot before it actually happens. Nothing beats the buzz of editing a wedding the next day and going through my favorites, seeing the day unfold in pictures and getting excited showing the pictures to the couple. I really love my job!

What is your favorite image?

Oh, it varies from day to day! Each wedding brings more shots that I love, whether it’s the butler from Highclere Castle peeking through the door to check that the Bride is ready to make her entrance, the Groom looking to the heavens and taking a deep breath as his Bride walks up the isle behind him, the tearful Father handing his daughter to the groom at the alter, or the best man bringing the house down with his story of the groom’s childhood. Every wedding brings new favorites. Have a look on my website www.paulwhiteweddings.com to see some of my favorites form the last year or so.

Tell us your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot to date!

Okay, bear in mind as a fashion photographer many of my shoots have been all of the above!  One of the funniest would also be the most bizzare too.  I flew out to LA to shoot a pop star in her manager’s mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Amazing place to live, beautiful, sprawling mansion with a huge central spiral staircase in the main hall just as you walked in. Enroute from the airport to the shoot, I got a call from the record company to say that the pop star was running late as she had just arrived in from Japan and was a little jet-lagged. I agreed that it would be best if she slept for a while, and I could set up while she was in hair and make up. Anyway, loooong story but as I arrived at the mansion, my assistant and I were bringing in the equipment when we hear someone coming down the spiral staircase which was right above our heads. We stepped out of the shadows just as the manager got to the bottom of the stairs carrying the singer who was flailing in his arms, moaning “I’m tired! I’m tired!” Needless to say the manager was as surprised as we were, and in his attempt to ‘upright’ the singer, promptly dropped her on the marble floor right at my feet…

I can’t name names, but the little genie looked beautiful when we eventually got to shoot her 12 hours (yes, twelve) later…

In general, during a wedding, how many pictures do you take?

On average, I’ll shoot between 600-800 images each wedding, depending on the length of time I’m booked for. I’ll then edit out the ‘blinkers’ or the missed expressions, colour correct, resize and upload between 300-600 to my website where the couples can view their pictures when they are on honeymoon. I always get the images online within a week of the wedding, so that the couple can log on and relive their wedding, sipping mojito’s on their honeymoon. I shoot a limited number of weddings each year, so my clients have my full attention before, during and after their wedding.

What is the one lasting impression you want to leave in your photos?

It’s simple really. I want the pictures to reflect the emotion, anticipation, excitement and energy of the wedding day so that the couple can look back in years to come and live that day all over again through the photography. What better job is there?!