Natural wedding photography with a fun and quirky twist…
I’m delighted in welcoming Marianne from Marianne Chua Photography to the the Mr & Mrs Unique team. From being named as a Rising Stars of 2017 by Rangefinder magazine to being featured by Fujifilm UK; Marianne has had the most amazing year… which is hardly surprising as we love her honest, documentary photos that burst full of fun, humour and emotions.
Meet Marianne Chua…
First Day of School introduction of yourself…
Hi I’m Marianne and I’m a Londoner born and raised, who spent 8 years getting three university degrees only to realise I was better at something I have taught myself! (I’m talking about photography, not my Mr. Brightside dance routine…) ;)
What do you love?
Outside of shooting people’s happiness, I love to run (I do marathons!) and cycle one of my two bikes, Brompt and Big Blue. I am super keen for any and all board games, live escape room games and basically any sort of novel experience! I’ve jumped out of planes and abseiled down waterfalls but I also get a lot of joy out of small things, like junction 16 between the M25 and the M40.
Tell us a bit about your HQ…
I mostly edit and run the business from my home, but I hold all my meetings at a location in Soho, central London, which tends to facilitate an excessive amount of eating out! I love food. I wish I loved food a tiny bit less!
What made you start up the business?
I got into photography by accident- I used to shoot film as a hobby and whilst I was completing my PhD in psychology, one of my friends in the office mentioned to me that her mum was getting married and asked me if I’d like to have a go! I completed my thesis whilst shooting weddings part time, and I found people loved my shooting style and before I knew it I was a full time wedding photographer covering weddings all over the world!
What do you love most about your job?
To be honest, if I had to shoot identical weddings day in and day out, I wouldn’t do this job. For me, the real thrill is witnessing people declaring their love for each other in personal and unique ways, I love seeing people add their personality into the day, and I’ll often stay and shoot for longer if it means I catch the pre-wedding pond dip or the final song AC/DC confetti cannon blast!
I love the satisfaction of envisioning a documentary photo and then nailing it. On the wedding day I’m eternally seeking out that perfect candid moment where everything falls into place and I capture you, your partner and your loved ones in a frame that freezes chaos, with an artistic twist!
I also love the feedback I get from couples after, when they tell me they pissed themselves laughing at all the naughty things their friends did elsewhere during the wedding. Hiding bottles of wine, snacking on Oreos during the reception, climbing statues, falling asleep in a corner sofa… those extra surprise moments that couple didn’t know about are literally priceless!
What makes you unique?
I’d like to think I run a service that is an extension of myself, I don’t do anything that doesn’t sit right with me personally and as a feminist with a history in studying mental health, I am very passionate about society’s cultural obsession with retouching and airbrushing in photoshop. As a result I won’t photoshop people’s natural selves as standard. However, I also don’t expect everyone to be body confident and I collaborate with couples who might have concerns, to make sure I can still deliver photos to them of their real selves that they absolutely love, without digitally altering them!
Who is your ideal customer?
Anyone who loves their friends and family and who wants to be surrounded by them and have an awesome time at their wedding. Also I suppose anyone who loves the photos I produce, it’s really important to me that I’m the ideal photographer for each couple, and I put a lot of effort into making sure we’re a good fit before they decide to book.
What advice do you give to make sure people book the right suppliers for their day?
Make sure you get along with them and you feel they exhibit a degree of organisation- you don’t want to have any additional stress or headache having to chase up or find out information from a supplier.
What inspires you?
I love films, I go to the cinema most weeks, and I go to a lot of art galleries. I try not to look at my friends’ awesome wedding photography work, because I want to keep my style clear and completely my own.
Projects you are most proud of?
I’ve had a really good year for proud moments… I’ve won a few accolades for my photography- Rangefinder magazine which is one of the biggest photography magazines in the US named me one of their Rising Stars of 2017, and I was a featured photographer on Fujifilm UK and have picked up numerous awards from the WPJA.
What’s your top on the day wedding advice?
Do not stress or worry about anything. The world expects you to care about all the tiny material things but at the end of the day, beyond both of you turning up and getting married, everything else is solvable, so just enjoy yourself!
What makes a great wedding?
People, food, drink, dancing. Not necessarily in that order.
Any new services, ideas or future plans?
Just the continuation of providing awesome memories for people!
To find out more and visit her website: www.mariannechua.com
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