Best Wedding Photography of 2016 by ARJ Photography

2016: One year, one hundred and fifty wedding photos by Adam Johnson

Here we are again! I always find it very therapeutic putting this post together each year. Life as a wedding photographer can get pretty hectic once the busy season hits full swing – and I mean that in a good way, but at times it’s hard to keep up with yourself! So sitting down at this time of year as things quieten down, with a mince pie or ten, to look through a year of wedding photos and pick out some favourites is a really nice way to put the year into perspective and feel really good about a job well done. I do still have Leanne and Ben’s wedding left to shoot on New Years Eve in Northern Ireland which I absolutely can’t wait for but they will have to go into next year’s annual round up post!

I always have my favourite photos as the year progresses but it’s always nice to look back with fresh eyes – there are the photos I remember but often others jump out as I’m flicking through. Sometimes they make this post and sometimes they don’t, but they always remind me of little moments from the year gone by and make me smile. I love how a photo can do that – restore an otherwise lost memory – and this is what I hope I’m able to do for my couples for many many years to come. That’s the true magic of photography I think.

There’s never any strategy in mind for me when I’m picking photos for this post – and as usual I’m absolutely not saying these are the best photos I’ve ever taken, they’re just my personal favourites from the past 12 months for one reason or another. I’m super pleased that this post has ended up being a total mixture of ‘portraits’ and ‘moments’ – I often say that in my work I like to try and blur the lines between the two and how every image I take should be good enough for a big frame on the wall or, in this case, a place on the blog! I want my moment-photos to feel like portraits and my portrait-photos to feel like moments!

So how do I possibly sum up 2016? I simply can’t. It’s been absolutely mind-blowingly tremendous and I’m genuinely sad it’s coming to an end. This year I’ve shot 41 weddings so far, all over the UK and in some of my favourite places in the whole world. But way more than that, I’ve met some of the best people I’ve ever met this year. I’ve changed this year because of them. I always say – and it’s becoming a bit of a personal cliche – that being a wedding photographer makes the world a bigger place for me and never has that felt truer than this year.

So, this post is about photos. But for me it’s about more than that. It’s always my line in the sand for the year ahead. I like to look at this post and see multidimensional variety and energy and vibrance and life and art and feel good about what I’ve created for my couples. But more than that I use it as a sort of benchmark for myself – something to be accountable to as I head into a fresh year. Ironically as I sit here, “Ready” by Kodaline has started to play on my Sonos… 2017 is already shaping up to be a special year. Can it live up to 2016? Who knows. In a way it doesn’t have to. But I sure am ready!

If you’ve been part of my 2016 – and especially if you’re in these photos – thanks a million! If you’re already part of my plans for 2017 then I can’t wait!

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone! I hope you enjoy looking at these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them!