Emerson Photography

About Aberdeen wedding photographer, Jamie Emerson

So, who are you and what’s different about your photography?

Well, I’m Jamie Emerson, a documentary wedding photographer based in Aberdeen, covering Aberdeenshire, Perth, Dundee, the Highlands and more or less all of Scotland! I’m also happy to travel further afield and have photographed weddings from Tuscany to London via Newcastle and Edinburgh. I do have a BA(Hons) in fine art photography but more importantly, I’ve spent ten years listening to my clients, looking at photos and generally being immersed in all things wedding related.

My approach is very relaxed and friendly. You can expect a rock-solid, professional service and I do like to keep it very simple. The booking process is extremely streamlined and straightforward – the last things you need when planning a wedding are endless forms, long phone calls and confusing contracts so I’ve ensured the whole process can be taken care of in a few emails. That said, I’m always available for a chat or by email, to answer any questions at all, or just to bounce ideas around.

With over a decade of experience photographing weddings, you might not see very much of me on the day – in fact the less you see of me, the better a job I’m doing! I will be there though, anticipating and capturing all the little stories which fit together to tell the big story of your day. This almost photo-journalistic approach is blended with some very dramatically lit, exceptionally beautiful wedding day portraiture. All of this means my clients can expect the best of both worlds!

I try to squeeze every ounce of emotion out of the photos. The buzz of a couple in love, seeing each other at the altar, the faces of the parents trying to hold it together as their daughter walks down the aisle, the high excitement in the bridal prep room and the whooshing relief and happiness after the ceremony is over… All these things are carefully captured, given some special treatment in processing and handed back to you as finished photographs.

Afterwards, every single photograph you receive gets individual attention – I genuinely do lavish tender care on each photo to make sure it’s as good as it possibly can be. This sometimes means a little extra waiting time but it’s always worth it.

Documentary wedding photography describes a style of working. Taken to its extreme, it basically means the photographer won’t intervene in your day at all and that pretty much sums up my approach. Almost anyone can produce a set of well exposed, colour-balanced images but for a really gorgeous gallery of photos, you want someone who’s also paying close attention to their surroundings – the people, the environment and the light. Beautifully composed pictures with imagination and creative flair are exactly what I strive to produce but don’t take my word for it – please do have a look at the photos and make up your own mind – Creative Wedding Photography Scotland As I recently said to someone asking for advice on becoming a photographer – “If you can show a stranger’s wedding photographs to another random stranger and tug at their heartstrings, you’re on the right track!” And that’s something I do see, usually when helping a bride to be flick through a sample album, and honestly, it gladdens my heart every time and reassures me I’m in the right job!

Keeping it Simple

Booking a wedding photographer may look like a bit of a minefield to begin with but really, it’s no harder than finding a plumber!

A good starting point is to read some reviews – you can see all my most recent feedback by just googling “Emerson Wedding Photography Reviews”.

It sounds obvious, but make sure you love the photographs. There are a lot of fads in wedding photography – everything from “dark and moody” to “light and airy”. I lean towards contemporary and timeless which really just means a clean processing style which won’t be out of vogue in six months!

Make sure your photographer has been around for a while, especially if your wedding is a few years in the future. You don’t want to find they’ve gone off to work in another industry by the time your big day comes around!

Finally, don’t worry too much. If the photos are good and the photographer feels like a good fit, that’s usually enough to at least start making equiries. Most people in the wedding sphere are genuinely pleasant 🙂