How Alternative Music Shaped My Career in Photography.
When people ask how I got into photography, I could say it started with a camera in my hand at a wedding; but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. Before I even had my first wedding booking I’d been working for magazines at gigs and in nightclubs for a couple of years.
My love for alternative music started loud - Motorhead loud. My first gig was back in 2006 at the old Carling Academy in Dale End, Birmingham, where I saw Motorhead supported by Clutch. From that night on, I was hooked. I spent my school and college years either behind a guitar or a drum kit, jamming with mates in bedrooms, garages and trying to sound half-decent. My wardrobe? A chaotic mix of band tees, bits from Blue Banana, and studded belts from Oasis Market. Music wasn’t just something I listened to - it shaped how I dressed, how I thought, and eventually, how I took photos.
The real answer on how I started perfecting my craft? It started in the photo pit at punk and metal shows across the country, with my camera half-fogged, ears ringing, and the constant challenge of catching just one frame that truly felt like the moment. Long before I was capturing vows and confetti, I was weaving through packed dance floors at Birmingham institutions like UPRAWR, Snobs, and Propaganda, photographing people mid-scream, mid-dive, mid-joy - as well as some things I’d rather not relive. I even ended up DJing at Slam Dunk Festival, Download Festival and in some of the most iconic and best nightclubs in Birmingham.
Those nights - paired with a soundtrack of pop-punk, indie, metal, and hardcore shaped not just my photography skills, but how I see and capture the world.
Music made it emotional.
From The Wonder Years to While She Sleeps, Blink 182 to Arctic Monkeys, the music I grew up with didn’t just speak to me—it taught me. It taught me to find the beauty in chaos. To lean into the mess. To notice the unfiltered emotion in a face rather than waiting and posing people for the "perfect" one.
That’s at the core of my style now. I'm not about stiff poses or awkward fake smiles. I shoot weddings the way I shot gigs - with instinct, energy, and emotion. I want to freeze a feeling, not fabricate a flawless version of it. That isn’t my style.
From gigs to "I do's".
Spending my early career in low-light clubs and wild festivals gave me an edge that I never expected would help me with weddings - but it really did.
If you’ve ever tried to photograph a band mid-stage-dive with just backlighting and sweat for company, then shooting a bride walking into a softly-lit room feels like a dream. Weddings are unpredictable, and that’s exactly what makes them beautiful. Thanks to my years in music, I know how to adapt quickly, anticipate energy shifts, and capture the magic in-between the expected.
It’s more than just a job, it’s a rhythm.
Alternative music gave me my rhythm. The build-ups, the breakdowns, the quiet acoustic tracks before everything kicks off again… it mirrors the structure of a wedding day perfectly. There's intimacy, chaos, celebration, reflection. And I shoot it all like I’d shoot a setlist - each part matters, each moment deserves attention.
For the couples who don’t want boring.
So if you're the kind of couple who grew up on mosh pits and midnight lyrics, or if you just want alternative wedding photography that feels relaxed, emotional, and real—then you’re in the right place.
I’m not here to give you a fake picture-perfect version of your day. I’m here to give you something better: photographs that sound like your favourite album and feel like your favourite memory.
Let’s talk. Whether you're planning a wild warehouse party or an intimate garden gig of a wedding, I’d love to be the one to capture it all - your way.
