Let’s chat about editing, because it’s a question I get asked more than you might think, especially now AI has seemingly decided to invade our perceived narratives.


I'm a photographer not a retoucher.


I will cut to the chase. I don’t retouch faces, smooth skin, or digitally remove objects from wedding photos, not as standard anyway, and there's a really good reason for that...


Wedding mornings go from either being super organised and calm to absolute mayhem and unorganised. My photography approach is all about authenticity, storytelling, and honest documentation, That means showing your wedding day as it actually happened, with all the mess and clutter that goes along with it. My work is not a polished magazine version that’s been airbrushed or cloned out to the moon, Now don’t get me wrong, I edit all of your photos, They’re colour-graded, balanced, and beautifully finished to match the signature look you see all over my website and socials, But I don’t go in and start removing every fire exit sign, wall socket, or water bottle from the corner of the room, And I definitely don’t blur away every skin pore or change the shape of someone’s face or body. (Queue jokes from people asking me to make them look thin)


Why?


Because that’s not what storytelling looks like.

Bridal preparations in an elegant room with a white wedding dress hanging on an antique wooden armoire.
Two people in formal attire help with dress preparations in a bright white bedroom interior.

Let’s Talk About Bridal Prep Clutter (and things like Fire Extinguishers, plug sockets and anything else on walls and stuff)



When I arrive on a wedding morning, whether I’m at a lovely home or a hotel room, the first thing I do is take a little mental sweep of the space, If I’m shooting bridal prep and there’s half a suitcase on the floor or a plastic bag of snacks in the corner, I may politely ask if we can move them, I’m not afraid to gently nudge things around if it helps the shot, But here’s the thing, it’s your space, and your responsibility to make it how you want it to look, I’ll always shoot with intention, clean framing, and an eye for composition, But I can’t digitally rebuild a room in Photoshop if it’s full of chaos, crap and crisp packets, Same goes for ceremony spaces and receptions, fire exit signs, plugs, sockets, are are part of the building, Could I remove them in Photoshop? Maybe, Will I? Only in a handful of key hero photos perhaps. If I think it genuinely helps the image at is a big distraction like over a head for example. And only at my discretion.


Oh well you can get rid of this with Ai? Adobe, the software I use to edit, now charges for AI-based tools like object removal, which is how things like fire exit signs or clutter might be taken out of a photo, These tools use something called generative credits, and once I’ve used up my allowance, I have to pay extra for them, So not only is it very time-consuming, going through a gallery of 300 to 900 photos removing every stray item, it actually costs me to do it, which is another reason why I treat it as an optional extra rather than a standard part of your edit.

A casual living room scene with people hanging out and scattered nerf toys on the floor during a relaxed gathering.
Interior room with white walls, large mirror, beige curtains and pink tufted sofa with someone relaxing in casual attire.

Faces, Skin, and Keeping It Real


There’s not a huge amount to say on this one, For decades, women have been made to believe, largely through the lens of the media, that perfection is attainable, It’s not, And yet, at the same time, we’re downloading apps that filter faces beyond recognition.


I also don’t believe in digitally retouching people, You are beautiful as you are, Full stop. I want your gallery to look like you, The real you, Not the FaceApp version, The joy, the emotion, the little moments of connection, they’re what make your photos meaningful, That’s what you’ll care about in 20 years’ time, Not whether that tiny blemish was visible in photo "278" out of 800 or whatever amount you end up with. One day you will be 80 and either looking back on a fake over processed retouched version of you or the natural beautiful person that you were. I know which one your grandkids will prefer.


Straight up here if this is what you expect from your wedding photographer, I'm most certainly not the one for you.


A group of people prepare wedding attire and accessories in a bright hotel suite dressing room.
Two people relax in an elegant interior space decorated with wall sconces and scattered makeup items.

But What If I Really Want Something Removed?



If there’s something really bothering you in a photo, maybe a random guest photobombed your confetti moment or there’s a distracting bin in your favourite shot, just let me know, I’m happy to take a look and see if it’s something I can tweak, But these are exceptions, not the rule, My aim is to give you an honest, emotive, and beautifully edited gallery that tells the story of your day, not to artificially change reality. So if uncle bob steps in front of one of your confetti shots that’s what uncle bob did. 


It’s your job to make sure the spaces you get ready in, or use throughout the day, look how you want them to look, And it’s my job to document them creatively and honestly. I shoot whats in front of me - I'm a photographer.


I’ll always do what I can to shoot around clutter, to frame smartly, and to give you the most beautiful images possible, But I won’t create a false version of your day, or spend countless hours photoshopping creases out of your table linen for free because your venue couldn't find an iron.


That’s just not how I roll.