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Wedding Photographer Ben Fones' Blog

“Growing up my dad always had a love for photography and the latest gadgets, I always remember him taking pictures or video on our family holidays and outings. I remember my mom telling me a story following his passing about how when he was in his teens he loved art, painting, drawing and photography. However when he left school his own parents didn’t think art college was an appropriate route for him to take as they just didn’t see a future in it, but my dad never lost that passion, something I clearly inherited from him.


At high school one of the only subjects that really excited me was Art, due in no small part to the fantastic teaching at Codsall High School by Mr Iain Bottomley so when I decided I really wanted to go to art college after high school my mom was full of support. I began a general Art and Design BTEC at Stafford College in the September of 1998 and loved the freedom and encouragement from the lectures to try new things and express myself in whatever medium I wanted. Later in the year we were invited to take a 12 week taster course for one afternoon a week in various subject one of which was photography, I instantly fell in love. The following year I decided to specialise my National Diploma in photography

About Me....

Me (age 7), my sister Hayley and our Dad

fell in love. The following year I decided to specialise my National Diploma in photography and two years of living in the dark room and going home smelling of chemicals followed.


In the summer of 2001 I completed my National Diploma at Stafford and thoughts moved to university, at the same time during my final year at Stafford I started to see a girl by the name of Lauren and the decision was made to study at the University of Wolverhampton so I could stay close to home. After a year out I began my degree in Photography and Films Studies at The University of Wolverhampton in the September of 2002.

Three years on and I left the University of Wolverhampton with a 2-2 BA(hons) in Photography and Film Studies and began to try and find photography work to help to pay the bills, by this time Lauren and myself had moved in together in a house in Perton and everything was going great. I began to work for a company called “Emma’s Diary Images” photographing Babies all over the WV postcode but soon got very frustrated with the lack of support, poor wages and pressure placed on sales targets rather than quality of work by the company and I began to look for another job.


In January 2007 I found a job advert for a studio based in Albrighton (5 miles from home) for a well-established photographer by the name of Gary Williams. He was looking for a trainee photographer that he could train to shoot weddings, portraits and commercial commissions. After a couple of interviews and edging out the other 90 applicants I got offered the job and immediately accepted the offer. I starting working for Gary on 1st March 2007 and learnt more in the first 3 months than I had in the previous 5 or six years, Gary inspired me and bought back the

Me and Lauren 2002

passion and excitement I had for photography all those years before at Stafford College. In May of that year Lauren and I tied the knot at St Nicholas Church, Codsall and the week after I got back from our honeymoon I shot my first professional wedding for Gary at Rowton Castle.


In January 2008 Gary moved out of the studio in Albrighton and into a purpose built design studio at his home in Much Wenlock and naturally I went with him. In June of the same year Lauren gave birth to our first son Finley Paul, he was born during a very busy summer of weddings and many sleepless nights followed. At Christmas in 2008 Lauren and I talked about the possibility of moving to Australia and a decision was made to leave Gary and retrain as and IT Consultant, so on the 31st January 2009 I left Gary Williams Photography and began to retrain and apply for jobs. During this time the first recession was in full swing and the job market dried up and after six weeks of job applications for IT trainees I decided that it seemed senseless to waste the talent and passion for photography that I had and Ben Fones Photography was born.


The first year I had a massive amount of support not only form Lauren and the family but from my old boss and friend Gary, he gave me permission to use images I had shot when with him, lent me equipment and even gave me weddings to shoot on a freelance basis. It’s fair to say that without Gary the company would never have got started.

In the following years the company has gone from strength to strength photographing in excess of 150 weddings in the West Midlands, all over the UK and even abroad. 2012 again looks like it’s going to be a great year for Ben Fones Photography with a planned expansion of staff and premises not to mention the new inclusion of display albums in highly rated venues such as Moxhull Hall and The Mount Hotel, the future is certainly looking bright. Earlier this year in January myself and Lauren celebrated the birth of our second son Noah Michael and those distant memories of sleepless nights came flooding back very quickly but to say we are over joyed would be an understatement, and the chance to play my part in all those big days not only this year but for many years to come gets me very excited….”


The first year I had a massive amount of support not only form Lauren and the family but from my old boss and friend Gary, he gave me permission to use images I had shot when working for him, lent me equipment and even gave me weddings to shoot on a freelance basis. It’s fair to say that without Gary the company would never have got started.


In the following years the company has gone from strength to strength photographing in excess of 150 weddings in the West Midlands, all over the UK and even abroad. 2012 again looks like it’s going to be a great year for Ben Fones Photography with a planned expansion of staff and premises not to mention the new inclusion of display albums in highly rated venues such as Moxhull Hall and The Mount Hotel, the future is certainly looking bright. Earlier this year in January myself and Lauren celebrated the birth of our second son Noah Michael and those distant memories of sleepless nights came flooding back very quickly but to say we are overjoyed would be an understatement, and the chance to play my part in all those big days not only this year but for many years to come gets me very excited….”

Me & Finley Sept 2011

Ben Fones Photography and what we do...

I began photographing weddings in 2006 and found that I loved every second. I love the special atmosphere, the excitement and the raw emotion, that leads to the most amazing photo opportunities. For me a wedding day is made up of a series of moments that stay with you forever, my aim is to capture these moments in a way that is as individual and unique as you are. I’m there for the first time dad sees his little girl in her dress, when the groom can’t contain his emotion at the alter and when the champagne starts flowing, making sure that nothing is missed or overlooked. From the original meeting through to the delivery of your album the level of service is unrivalled and nothing is too much trouble. Together we plan your big day in our pre wedding chat making sure that every important detail is noted, and on the day I draw on my vast experience to know when I need to blend into the crowd and the times when I need to be centre stage making sure that your special day runs as smoothly and as stress free as possible. Once the Champagne has been drunk and the cake has been eaten the real work begins. Your wedding pictures are displayed in your choice of the worlds best wedding albums, whether you prefer the more traditional style album offered by Queensberry albums of New Zeland or the more contemporary storybook style albums made by Graphistudio, you can rest asure that your wedding album is going to be of the very highest quality. All of the wedding albums are designed in house by myself which allows for those unique personal touches to be made, such as the inclusion of your readings or the lyrics to your first dance. This process can be lengthy so I get to grips with it whilst you both enjoy a well earned honeymoon, so when you get back your album design is ready to be viewed. Viewing is done at my design studio in glorious High Definition this is where any changes to your album design are decided. My aim is to get your wedding album back to you as quickly as possible whilst all of the wedding day excitement is still fresh in your minds.So if you like the work and the service we provide please don’t hesitate to giving me a call to arrange a no obligation chat where we can talk about all the things that are important to you on your special day.

making sure that nothing is missed or overlooked. From the original meeting through to the delivery of your album the level of service is unrivalled and nothing is too much trouble. Together we plan your big day in our pre wedding chat making sure that every important detail is noted, and on the day I draw on my vast experience to know when I need to blend into the crowd and the times when I need to be centre stage making sure that your special day runs as smoothly and as stress free as possible. Once the Champagne has been drunk and the cake has been eaten the real work begins. Your wedding pictures are displayed in your choice of the worlds best wedding albums, whether you prefer the more traditional style album offered by Queensberry albums of New Zealand or the more contemporary storybook style albums made by Graphistudio, you can rest assure that your wedding album is going to be of the very highest quality. All of the wedding albums are designed in house by myself which allows for those unique personal touches to be made, such as the inclusion of your readings or the lyrics to your first dance. This process can be lengthy so I get to grips with it whilst you both enjoy a well earned honeymoon, so when you get back your album design is ready to be viewed. Viewing is done at my design studio in glorious High Definition this is where any changes to your album design are decided. My aim is to get your wedding album back to you as quickly as possible whilst all of the wedding day excitement is still fresh in your minds.So if you like the work and the service we provide please don’t hesitate to giving me a call to arrange a no obligation chat where we can talk about all the things that are important to you on your special day.

Noah Michael ( 2 days)