Candid, Natural, Fun
I believe in the ‘leaving you alone’ approach!
Hi I’m Lou, ‘Lousy’ on a New Zealand bank card, or Louise, if I’m in trouble. I am a fun and relaxed candid wedding photographer. My aim is to give you documentary style candid photos of real moments and natural, informal portraits of the two of you together. Though mostly based in North London I absolutely love a road trip.
About me
I’m Irish (fierce witty) left handed (fierce messy) self-depreciating (I’m going to have to delete the witty bit)
I’m a little shy to begin with, prone to mischief and happiest when behind a camera.
I love nothing more than a room full of good humour and laughter and have enough life experience to realise that white wine makes most things better. Red wine definitely doesn’t…
Fairy lights, Flamenco, Flamingo’s, Chardonnay, cherry blossom trees, free wheeling down a mountain, wide open skies, Starling murmurations, passport stamps and Irish winter beaches put me in a very happy place.
I belong to the LGBTQ+ community, and I celebrate identity, visibility, and connection in all its forms.
I have a lifelong obsession with Stevie Nicks.
Shopfloor mannequins freak me out.
I may or may not have fallen off a treadmill.
I have a weakness for dimples and gaps in teeth.
My sponsored guide dog puppy – ‘Legend’ got pulled for bad behaviour – kindred dog spirit.
I am mesmerised by Drag Queens.
I can not walk in high heels…a spectacle that did not go unnoticed by Drag Queens.
I swear eloquently…especially at pigeons.
The Full Irish
Before the days of digital, my arty French teacher showed me how to develop a roll of film. And that was me — celluloid struck.
Any notions of becoming ‘something or somebody arty’ myself however, were sidelined pretty swiftly by a career guidance adviser who really didn’t rate photography as a proper job. So, after dodging the option of an apprenticeship in a nunnery – off day for talent spotting Sr. Immaculata – I got a proper job. I trained as a nurse and have spent most of my clinical career working in various Intensive Care Units throughout London.
After a long stretch of travelling, I returned to what I loved most and did a Photography degree at London Metropolitian University. On paper, these worlds may look miles apart. In reality, they overlap more than you’d think. What’s that got to do with your wedding photography, you might be asking?! Intensive care teaches you to work quickly, decisively, and with absolute respect for people during some of the most significant moments of their lives. It means I don’t flap. I can step in gently when needed and disappear completely when I’m not. My photography background gives me the craft – the technical ability, the composition, light and exposure. My healthcare background gives me the people skills, the black humour and sarcasm. The result? …You get ‘Nurse Jackie’ with a camera!
People over Everything (Yes….Even Cake)
Photographs provide an endless source of mockery for the next generation — and you know that curated face furniture of yours is going to get it in years to come! But they also time-warp you to your glory days, future-proof your memories and become your most prized possessions when you’ve lost a loved one.
The family and friends who gather around you on your wedding day are priceless, and the value of those photographs will increase as time passes and circumstances change. My approach to wedding photography mirrors my relationship with my own family photo ‘heirlooms’ and my career in healthcare. The people that you love, their personalities, antics, dress sense, dance moves, drinking prowess, quirks and foibles are all that matter.
The cake gets eaten, the flowers thrown, the dress trashed — but the look on your faces during the onslaught of speeches – really needs to be immortalised forever!
Shall we begin?!
If you want contemporary images that catch the real joy, the fun, the antics, the impulsive, the expressions and all the unplanned shenanigans that are going on around you then give me a shout. As a Candid wedding photographer, you’ll still have the swanky mantlepiece photos – but so much more!
