Wow, I still can’t believe it…!

Last night, my wife and I attended the Westcountry Wedding Awards 2013 ceremony, and had a fantastic night meeting other great wedding vendors. It was already an honour to have been made a finalist in these awards, but the icing on the cake came when it was announced I had won Best Reportage Wedding Photographer in Cornwall and Devon!

This award means so much, as it’s not only a judgement on my photography and business as a whole, but a large part is also down to customer service; to have so many of my past brides and grooms say such amazingly kind things about me – well, it’s made me one incredibly happy photographer!

Below are some of the comments made by my brides and grooms for the awards process:

• “Alan is not only the most amazing wedding photographer you could wish to have with you on your big day, he is a genuinely wonderful guy which makes you feel like you’ve got a very close friend capturing your most intimate and special moments ready to provide you with spectacular memories for the rest of your life.  We’re from the midlands so did a lot of research into photographers from Cornwall far in advance of our wedding.  All I can say is we didn’t even approach any other photographers! After meeting Alan, and seeing his passion for his work, not only through his photographs but also his persona, we knew he was our man.  He has been the most helpful, thoughtful, receptive and imaginative professional, using incredible stealth to capture amazingly spectacular images.  Perfection!”

• “What can I say ???
  A lovely man, brilliant photographer, he made our day even more special by being there.
  So dedicated, nothing is to much trouble for him.
  Made having our photos taken enjoyable as it was the part I was most dreading but actually found myself having fun.”

• “Well, what can I say when there’s so many words that could be used to describe Alan Law? Very friendly. Exceptionally professional. Amazingly knowledgable. And simply put, a fantastic photographer.
  Our wedding wasn’t just our wedding, it was also our leaving party.  It was a time filled with a huge amount of emotion and I specifically asked Alan if he would capture some shots of us and our guests releasing sky lanterns in memory of lost loved ones. This meant him working till gone 9pm, having started at  9am and also having travelled from Cornwall the day before to be there. We received over 900 images of our day! He worked so hard for us! Alan is amazing and really deserves this award! I wish I could say more to convey just how good he is, but there isn’t enough space!”

• “Alan is friendly but professional, he communicates extremely well over the telephone, email and in person and generates excellent working relationships with people.  He met us happily along way from home at our wedding venue to get a good idea of the location but also to get to know us more personally.  We (including our guests) are still amazed at the quality of the photographs, the moments he has captured and at what a nice guy he was on the day.  I have no hesitation in recommending Alan for this award.”

• “Alan did an amazing job at our wedding for these specific reasons:I had the highest ratio of kids to adults 26 (0-13yr olds) at the wedding of any I have known so was worried whether the photographer would have the patience and skills to deliver amazing pictures of them – he did this with ease. A natural with kids and people ! Secondly, I rarely like photo’s of myself I always look a bit grumpy even when I’m not however there wasn’t one photo I didn’t like – amazing! Lastly we just wanted someone who not only took great photo’s but actually made our day special with their presence without being over intrusive. Alan did just that we had a intimate wedding of family/ close friends he was professional but his laid-back approach put everyone at ease! He put in long hours to get the job done!”

• “Alan provided a perfect service for us both in the run up to and on our wedding day itself.  His relaxed but thorough approach was exactly what suited us.  We felt that Alan listened to what we wanted for our wedding photos and understood immediately the tone of our wedding.  On the day, Alan took some amazing photos of us and our friends and family.  We were thrilled with the end results.  It really captured the spirit of our wonderful day.”

• “We are absolutely thrilled with the photographs that Alan has produced of our wedding day. The service given was excellent; Alan was really approachable and friendly yet professional. The candid, unobtrusive and non-formal style was our main motivation for choosing Alan Law Photography.  And the package provided proved to be excellent value for money.”

• “Robin and I were thrilled to have Alan to photograph our wedding at Pendennis Castle. He was subtly attentive, I have always been very self-concious having my photograph taken but Alan put me completely at ease and was a pleasure to have around. The photos capture the mood perfectly & the shots are exquisite.
  Alan was excellent value for money, we particularly liked the all inclusive package, he delivered above and beyond our expectations, sending the photos to us within 2 weeks of the wedding! He is an outstanding photographer and I would not hesitate to hire him again & recommend him to all.”

• “Alan is an excellent reportage style photographer, with an excellent eye for detail and capturing really fantastically natural and interesting shots of people.He is a very approachable and friendly person who will sit down and discuss with you exactly what it is you’re hoping to get from your photos. He looks at it from a really artistic viewpoint as opposed to some photographers who apply a one package suits all approach. We certainly weren’t having a coventional wedding day so we wanted photos that reflected our quirky and unique day.”

• “Stayed late which was great to get pictures after the meal.
  Offered to personally drive us to a local beach to get some more shots.
  Loved the way Alan blended into the wedding which resulted in some great candid pictures.”

• “Alan was absolutely amazing! From our first meeting with him we knew we had chosen the right photographer. He listened to what we wanted and completely understood what we were looking ofr. On the day he was brilliant. I have never seen someone as hardworking, even our guests commented! We forgot he was there to be honest as he was not intrusive at all and still got all the shots we wanted. The photos were amazing and really captured the atmosphere of the day. We were faced with awful weather yet the photos still looked brilliant. He stayed longer tahn we could have hoped and so captured the events of the evening do. He is a lovely friend man and I can not highly reccomend him highly enough.”

• “We cannot recommend Alan highly enough. He was SO helpful, friendly and wonderful to be around. The value for money he offers is staggering. The fact that he gives full access to the shots, with no watermarks or restrictions, is so refreshing. We are thrilled with our photos and have no idea how we will ever choose which ones to have framed! All of our guests commented, not only on the quality of the photos, but also on how lovely and unassuming Alan himself was. I have historically hated having my photo taken, but Alan managed to put everyone totally at ease so that he was able to capture wonderful images of us all. I can’t imagine anything he could have done to improve his service or our experience of working with him. He was simply outstanding in every way.”

• “Alan was extremely friendly, professional and reassuring. He put a lot of effort in getting to know us prior to the wedding which meant that he captured extremley special moments on the day. His style of photography was natural and relaxed whcih perfectly met our criteria and expectations. On the day Alan was unobtrusive and calm which put all the guests at ease and resulted in amazing photos. We couldnt have hoped for a nicer photographer or better results.”

• “Alan Law is an amazing person and perfectly suited to being a wedding photographer.  He takes a genuine interest in your day in every way and it is evident that he truly cares about capturing it the way you would like, putting his heart into making the photographs as perfect as possible.”

• “Alan is wonderful. Everyone commented on how gorgeous the photos were. He really captured the spirit and pure joy of the day, and captured how we feel about each other, we can’t stop looking at the photos. He is also one of the kindest, most easy to get along with people we’ve ever met – and very modest! We’ve been to weddings where photographers have really got in the way of the ceremony and speeches for guests but he was so discreet whilst still managing to get great shots. Couldn’t have been happier with him.”

I am SO bowled over by these words; so touched. Thank you so much!

There were lots of official awards photos taken on the night, but until they’re released, here’s a quick shot my wife took of me on her iPhone, looking very happy! (and bald, but you can’t have it all…!)