A personal milestone

I’m finding this blog entry quite hard to write… Words come easy usually – I love writing and normally I can sit and write my thoughts and more often than not what ends up in type sounds good. But then I’m usually writing about other people’s weddings and lives – it turns out writing about myself is a bit trickier.

I’ve been very lucky over the last few years. Since marrying my beautiful wife in 2007, I’ve discovered the two things that define me as a person – being a dad and being a photographer. These are the two things that keep my world turning and both make me a better person.

I reckon I’ll write more about being a dad in a future post, but this one’s about the photography bit. You know, the bit that’s a bit more relevant to this website.

In 2007, I got my first digital SLR, and after opening the box, admiring it and charging the battery I took this photo:

Not an altogether horrendous, but certainly not brilliant photo of Sophie – Mrs ARJ – she’s brilliant and I know I wouldn’t be where I am now without her. Anyway, at that point it was just a ‘proper camera’ to take with us on our honeymoon in Sicily because I knew I wanted to take some ‘proper photos’ while we were there. We were in the process of planning our wedding (the photo was taken in May, we were getting married in July) and I knew I had a bit of time to try to figure out how to use the camera before it was needed. Little did I know at that point the obsession with photography that had just been ignited.

Between that photo and the first one of the honeymoon, I took 1442 more photos in my quest for good honeymoon photos. This was image 1443 taken from our hotel balcony soon after we arrived:

I love our honeymoon photos, and am so glad I spent so much time learning how to use the camera before we went. By this point I’d started to fall in love with photography and it grew into a hobby, a serious hobby, an obsessive hobby, an expensive hobby and eventually a profession as ARJ Photography. After covering two weddings as an ‘amateur’ I knew people photography and weddings was my kind of photography. I had no preconceptions or experience of wedding photography to this point beyond our own wedding photos so my mind wasn’t clouded with the right or wrong ways to do it – I did it my own way, the way I thought it should be done, and from the day I started ARJ Photography, it has been so much more successful and rewarding than I ever thought it would be. The first wedding photo I ever took:

I know… some umbrellas, some hands, some legs and a cigarette end. Clearly not going to win me any awards. But the point is it was the start of something.

I learned a lot at that wedding, in the comfort of being a second photographer.  The main things were that I had to improve my kit, and learn some more. I committed four months to practising and filling my brain with as much information and knowledge as possible. I bought new cameras, new lenses, flashguns, batteries and books – lots of books and I shot and shot and shot and shot some more – so much that my camera became an extension of my hand. I had no interest in starting simple and building my way up. I wanted to start with a bang and be great from the start. When I felt ready, I launched ARJ Photography to the world and set myself a modest target to get my portfolio started. I wasn’t prepared for how quickly things would take off and before I knew it I was fully booked and shooting weddings and engagement shoots almost weekly. I was amazed, and loving every minute of it.

Since then I’ve run ARJ Photography alongside a day job, a 9-5 desk job in an office. I’m a cautious guy, with a family to support and bills to pay and as much as I’ve wanted to, I couldn’t convince myself to take the leap of faith into full-time self-employment. Until now…

Today, I told the day job boss that I was leaving. And so a new chapter in my life and career begins. After the small matter of a notice period is completed, this is me – full time photographer extraordinaire. And I can not wait. It’s me. It’s what I’m supposed to be doing and now I can do it, full steam ahead.

So what made me take the leap now? Well, apart from my life being consumed by three full time jobs (family, photography and day job), it just feels right. And I’m a big believer in instinct and fate. Do what feels right, trust yourself, then commit to it. And that’s what I’m doing. Taking control, and making it happen.

Lots of people have helped me get to this point – and I’m going to thank a few key ones individually:

Sophie – the best wife ever whose support astounds me. ‘Just do it – resign’ she said last week. That’s all I needed to hear.
Casper J – you make me want to make you proud of me.
Pete – my very best friend whose own passion for cameras and photography started my interest and whose support and advice has guided me ever since.
John Denton – a ridiculously inspiring photographer whose seminar taught me to really believe in myself as a photographer.
Damien Lovegrove – author of ‘The’ wedding photography bible, and my current personal mentor who inspires me to be the absolute best photographer I can be.
Chris (and Claire) Hanley – another incredibly inspiring and tremendously talented photographer, so generous with your knowledge and advice.
Neil Redfern – thanks for the advice and super-nice words of encouragement over the last few months.
Katy Lunsford – two hours discussing photography, business and life with you on our Lancaster road trip was possibly the beginnings of this decision.
Phil Barrett – thanks for being so friendly to me on twitter, and thanks for the brilliant nuggets of advice
Andy McDonald – your direct and to the point advice over coffee and Peroni helped bring this decision forward!
Claire at English Wedding – for the confidence boost you gave me by featuring my work on your fantastic blog
All my ‘Evolve’ programme colleagues – spending time with you lot in Somerset last week was so indescribably great, and I hope I inspired you as much as you all inspired me.

And of course all my ARJ Photography couples and clients – each one of you has made me love photography and weddings more and more. Just when I think I couldn’t love it any more, you prove me wrong. Thank you all.

I can’t wait to break free, spread my wings and take ARJ Photography onwards and upwards. It’s gonna be great. I hope you’ll continue be part of it.

I’ll leave you with a photo from my most recent photoshoot with one-month-old baby Isla.

You might also like:

• Leanne and Chris – a retro-vintage wedding in Wallasey