13

Aug

2012

Photographers Photos – A Show and Tell with Shelly From Toast Wedding Photography.

Leading on from this mornings real wedding shot by Shelly from Toast Wedding Photography, I thought it was about time that I got the lady herself on The Show and Tell so she can tell you all a bit more about her, her work and share with you a few of her favourite images!

Shelly is one of the photographers I feature most regularly on the Blog, 3 reasons…..1) she rocks! she is a good friend of mine and a fab person to boot! 2) She is a fantastic photographer with a artistic and creative eye and always gets the best out of everything she shoots 3) she has the best brides and the best weddings……FACT! I am a BIG fan of her and her work and I truly belive that any couple looking for a wedding photographer would be doing themselves a massive favour booking Shelly for their wedding.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

So I’ll hand the Blog over to Shelly and let her tell you more…………

‘I’m a camera addicted wedding lover. I love light and shadow, art and music, films and books. I’m passionate about great design, fabulous architecture and mother nature. I love the snow and my snowboard (did someone mention apres ski?) I love going to gigs, the cinema and I love food – especially when someone else is cooking! I’m a caffeine addicted coffee snob and can’t leave the house without my daily flat white.
 I love my iphone, my mac and my crazy family. And did I mention my fluffy dog Spike?
I love my cameras and my prime lenses and I love to get to know all my brides and grooms so I can be part of their amazing day. I’m a bit high on life really.

I’m Leeds based but for some reason I get lots of London based clients and me and my little Smart car get all over the country.

Toast wedding photography

Toast wedding photography

What made you start your business?
I fell into it by accident. I once worked at Butlins (get me!) in the press office when the photographer slipped a disk. He forced me to learn how to use an SLR (back in the day, digital didn’t exist) and how to develop all my film and run a dark room. I was taught all the basics in one day and fortunately I was young enough not to be daunted by any of it. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have learned my craft on film and it took me a long while to really consider buying into the whole dslr market. Course now there’s a resurgence for film (thank you Jonathan Canlas!) which is great – I Love the ice-cream colours and the black and white graininess of real film and often use the VSCO filters on my digital stuff.

What do you enjoy most about your job? Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

When did you start?
I shot my first wedding when I was 19 and hated every minute of it. Three rolls of 36 exposures and home in time for tea. Thankfully, times have changed since 1989 and we now have the luxury of being able to shoot a thousand images at a wedding should we choose to. Also styles have evolved too. Luckily we don’t have to adhere to tradition although some parents are still struggling to understand that young couples don’t wanna stand around having a million group shots just cos that’s what they had at their wedding back in the 70s or 80s.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

How would you describe your style?
I’m not sure. I think you’d have to ask some other photographers. I’m influenced by lots of things so I guess my style picks up lots of influences from other fabulous photographers such as Fer Juaristi, Jonas Petersen and Jose Villa, along with great painters and other artists around the world. I’m a massive film fan and I take lots of inspiration from great film-makers such as the late Stanley Kubrick, Tarantino and of course Scorsese. I also love all the little independents and absolutely fell head over heels for Richard Ayoade’s glorious Submarine – very of the moment. My father spoon fed me old black and white movies when I was a kid, so I grew up watching fabulously shot movies from some of the giant filmmakers like Hitchcock and I’m sure it’s all had an impact on how I see through the lens. However, the one thing I will say is that every single wedding is different. I can usually tell what kind of photography will suit the client – not everyone is going to look great in willowy romantic landscapes or pretty roses and the same goes for my urban weddings with their bright colours and graffiti. I like to ensure my clients get the photography that suits their personality, not some generic images of a bride in a white frock.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

What is your biggest achievement so far?
Not sitting in my pyjamas editing which is always a temptation when you work from home! I guess this month it’s being featured in Unique Bride magazine – run out and buy a copy now!

What do you enjoy most about your job?
The dancing… the cake….and delivering images that make my clients cry with happiness.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

What makes you different to your competitors?
All photographers have a certain style (whether we can pinpoint what that style is, is irrelevant really) so I guess style is a big consideration but I also like to go the extra mile for my brides and grooms. Customer service means a lot to me and I hope that my brides and grooms consider that I went just that little bit further.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

What sort of couple do you think you attract?
I guess we all look for clients that are a little like ourselves. I find a lot (but not all!) my clients tend to be quite outgoing and quite creative. But my clients come from all walks of life – this year I’ve had graphic designers, patent lawyers, school teachers, doctors, magazine editors, jewellery designers, engineers… we’re all different and I like it that way. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life!

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

What would be your ideal wedding to work on?
The ones where the bride and groom and everyone around them are relaxed and having a great time. I hate the ones where everyone is uptight and worrying about whether things are running on time or something isn’t working out exactly like they predicted in their spreadsheet. Sometimes you just gotta let it go and remember why you’re getting married in the first place. It’s all about the love people! It’s not about the flowers or the teepee or the amazing dress and the bunting… it’s all about the emotions… oh and the dancing! ;-)

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

Pricing structure
I do two packages – a six hour and a 12 hour package which start from £950.

Toast wedding photography Toast wedding photography

 

For more info on Shelly’s work go to:
www.toastofleeds.co.uk
http://toastofleeds.com
TWITTER
FACEBOOK
[email protected]
0113 3560157

 

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Comments

    shelly

    Aww Kelly! You say such nice things. Makes a girl blush it does! Thanks so much for featuring one of my weddings today and of course, the show and tell. And a big kiss for being such a good friend. I heart you lots! xx

    Reply
    Craig & Catherine

    We’re both really excited for Shelly to be photographing our wedding next year, on our first consultation she seem to “get us”. Shelly has a very infectious personality which we found important when choosing a photographer for our special day. As you can see her photos are amazing too (which always helps). Still a while to go for our wedding but we feel very assured that we have an amazing photographer….can’t wait!

    Reply
    Jenny Stansfield

    We had such an amazing day with Shelly at our wedding – the rain bucketed down for most of the day (you can’t beat the Yorkshire weather for a bit of drama!), and I wondered whether there’d be any hope of photographing the gorgeous exterior of East Riddlesden Hall. I needn’t have worried, Shelly’s amazing photographs were beautiful despite the clouds – not a rain drop in sight. But it’s not just the photography that makes Shelly so special – from sorting out my dad’s button hole, to herding my drunken groomsmen, she gets stuck in and her sizzling personality and quick wit endears her to all. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough. Thank you Shelly, for making two normal northerners look and feel like superstars. Much love Jenny xx

    Reply
    shelly

    Aww ….sniffff….snifff…. I’ve come over all emotional….thanks Jen! You’re a sweetheart! You guys were awesome – despite the sodding weather! xx

    Reply
    Sian Pelleschi

    Shelly’s photographing our wedding next May down in Cornwall (we’re based in Manchester) and we can’t wait. I met Shelly at a wedding fair where there were two other photographers also in the room but Shelly made a big impression on me. Firstly her stand – with lots of trinkets and things to look at you could see straight away that Shelly has an eye for detail (something I think is essential in life) and secondly her lovely bubbly self. Within five minutes I knew that I wanted Shelly to be our photographer (now all I had to do was convince the other half – something Shelly did all on her own when she visited us!). We’ve yet to plan our pre-wedding shoot and the wedding is less than 9 months away but I’m certain that Shelly will surpass our expectations (and secretly I know she’s looking forward to being at the Fort :) ). Although a little nervous – as I’m assuming most brides-to-be would be feeling – I’m confident that our pictures will be just as stunning as those I’ve seen of other weddings she’s taken and I can’t wait to get to know her more and include her as part of our wedding party!

    Reply
    ria tubman

    shelly is photographer for my wedding next week and i cant wait, thought i would dread that part of the wedding but with shelly i think it will be the best bit….apart from marrying man of my dreams etc.

    Reply
    Kate Palfrey

    Shelly shot our wedding a few months ago at Kirkstall Abbey and the Cross Keys Pub. There was a little rain (Summer in Leeds … somewhat inevitable!) but Shelly didn’t let that get in the way for a second and we ended up with amazing photos that really reflected how much fun we had. There’s a really great mix of pics, from magnificently dramatic, gothic shots at the Abbey to cheeky, fun, colourful shots in and outside the pub (Shelly seems to know the location of every brightly painted wall in Leeds!) – all of which feel unified by Shelly’s unique and beautiful style. She managed to work out what is “us” from one extremely last minute, very early morning and somewhat hungover (us not her!) pre-wedding shoot (plus, at the same time, she proved to us that having your photo taken doesn’t have to be a painful experience!). This was why we asked Shelly to be our photographer and we’re so glad we did. Thanks Shelly!

    Reply
    Amy

    Shelly will be our photographer for our wedding next year and I simply cannot wait! I regularly keep up with her blog and Facebook posts having a nosey at her previous wedding shoots and get more and more excited each time I see the shots they are so creative and totally awesome – roll on October for our pre wed shoot much fun to be had! X

    Reply
    Emma & Al

    We first stumbled across Shelly’s incredible work when we were looking for a venue for our wedding only seven months ago. We spotted her shots of a beautiful tattooed couple with a camper van in the frame and thought “that’s the girl for us”. There was never any doubt in our minds that Shelly would be photographing our wedding, but when we met her and she was awesome to boot, well, we were completely smitten! Our pre-wed shoot was so much fun and the results absolutely blew us away. At our wedding (just over a week ago) Shelly was a treasure. We’ve only seen a few of the images so far, but let me tell you they ROCK. Shelly (& second shooter Kelly) worked harder than anyone that day to capture it for us, and supported us through the whole shebang. We probably could have got through it without them, but it wouldn’t have been anywhere near as fun. Whether you’re looking for something a bit different, or a professional from start to finish who seems capable of coping with anything, then Shelly’s the one for you. We’re a little jealous of those couples whose shoots are yet to come. Shelly, here’s to you. You made our day xxx

    Reply
    Michaela & Glynn

    Well what can i say…we were amazed by this woman the first time we met. A mutual love for glastonbury, music and not to mention her stunning photography meant we had to book her right then, a full two years before we were due to be wed! A friend recommended her to me and thank goodness she did! Shelly has this amazing ability to understand exactly what you want and her passion for what she does is admirable. I truly cannot wait for her to shoot our wedding, i’m only sad that I now only have one more year of excitement and joy of scrawling through her blog before it will be all be over! An amazing talent teamed with a fabulous personality, who else would you want to capture the essence of one of the most important days of your life?

    Reply
    AsianWeddingGuru

    A great blog post! Shelley, you truly are a photographer with a signature style of your own which is very refrshing to see. Have you shot many Asian or inter-faith weddings?

    Reply

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