The brilliant Marianne Chua has been one of my favourite wedding photographers for a while now. I have had the honour of featuring many of her couples on WWW and they are always so creative and fun. Her images always capture the spirit of the moment and are full of laugh out loud shots that’ll have you grinning forever.
So I am over the moon today to be getting to know Marianne better and showcasing her awesome work with you guys today.
Hi Marianne, could you firstly tell WWW readers a little bit about you?
Hello! I’m Marianne Chua and I’m a wedding photographer based in London but shooting all over the world!
What do you love and dislike about your job?
I love the fact that I get to witness people celebrating their love in so many different ways. It really fascinates me to experience eternally different workdays yet essentially it’s the same feeling behind each declaration. The only potential downside is that Saturdays with friends and family are now rare as an orange diamond in a box of Lucky Charms. Also, as I am usually driving back from a wedding every Saturday at the witching hour, I have to put up with Charlie Sloth on Radio 1 as I can’t tune into all my usual radio stations.
How did you get into the wedding industry?
I got into wedding photography totally by accident – I shot some events and live music for Lomography and a friend saw the photos and asked me to shoot her mum’s wedding! It’s great because when I started I had no idea about weddings, none of my friends had gotten married yet, so everything I do was free of any expectations and industry norms. I think that’s been a real advantage in my development as a wedding photographer.
Tell us about your typical working day.
Most of my weekdays are spent sitting in my Totoro onesie slapping the keyboard. The night before a wedding I sit down with the couple’s day sheet and run over all the information they’ve given me. On the wedding day I make sure I have a good stash of sugar and I turn up and do an awesome job of shooting the heck out of anything funny and meaningful.
If you could choose another role in the wedding industry what would it be?
I’d choose to be a wedding cake supplier, and then snarf all my own cakes! Nom nom nom!
What do you aim to achieve for your clients?
I want to give my clients more than just memories of their wedding day: I want to show them all the things they didn’t get to see. Everyone always says that the day flies by and any time the couple is talking to a handful of people, they never see what is happening with the other 98% of their wedding guests! As a result I spend a lot of my time not only shooting the couple, but also covering what their guests are up to. I love it when the couple see their photos after the wedding and email me being like “what on earth were they doing?!”. It’s hilarious.
What style is your work?
I can describe my style in one word – funtojournalism! I love photojournalism but traditionally it’s very sombre and often black and white, so to me funtojournalism is a purely candid style with an emphasis on all the fun, joy and brightness of a wedding!
Could you tell us some information about your packages/prices?
I keep it simple with one package that covers the full story of the day. I don’t have restrictions on the hours as I want to embrace diversity – therefore in my world there’s no cookie cutter timelines. Also, as a huge motivation for me is to see and experience new and fun things, I’d feel I’d robbed myself if I missed your uncle walking across a bed of hot coals (this is really happening in a few months), simply because you couldn’t afford the extra time. If you need me to stay on an extra hour to cover your confetti cannon blasting to AC/DC then I’m there!
Do you have any tips for couples in selecting their wedding photographer?
I would say always make sure you get on with the photographer, they’re there on what is a very personal occasion so you want to feel totally comfortable with them. Also make sure that you see a full gallery of their work so you know what to expect across the whole day in all lighting conditions.
Are you seeing any trends for the year ahead?
I have a bucket list of things I’d love to see and shoot, so I suppose I would love for some of those to become trends * hint hint to the couples reading this! * Feel free to make floral beards and scuba diving a norm!
How can we get in touch with you?
F O L L O W
Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Twitter | Instagram
Well wasn’t that just brilliant? Thank you Marianne for chatting with us today xo Lou
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