James Fear: Cotswold Wedding Photographer
Wedding Photography: Cotswolds, UK, Worldwide
Hello, I am James Fear and I am a Wedding Photographer...
Thank you for popping by, before you look at too many pictures, I thought I would say hi and let you know a little bit about me.
My studio is situated in the beautiful Cotswolds town of Cheltenham Spa. Gloucestershire is an excellent hub for wedding photography. Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds are full of the best wedding venues in the UK. As word has spread, so has the distance to the weddings I photograph. As such, I am incredibly grateful for having easy access to motorways for weddings further afield.
Below, is a little on my ethos and approach to wedding photography. Unlike many wedding photographers, I come from a strong arts background. Having studied fine art to degree level and beyond, I have a strong understanding of aesthetics and continuously strive to achieve the strongest possible imagery from every wedding I photograph.
However, I have an even stronger background in partying. More on that in a mo...
When I started wedding photography, it was a shambles, stand in a line and look miserable was the order of the day. I knew I could do better. So off I went with a vision in my mind to take wedding photography to the next level. At this time wedding photography was on the cusp of going from film to digital. Timing is everything they say, and I know I lucked out there. A whole new world of opportunities arrived to be unique, fresh, and different. Also, there became a new way of doing things; in the industry, we call it reportage. I bought into this new vision - no standing in line for hours, no icky portraits, no jumping sock photos etc. I spent a good five years trying to master being Mr invisible & Mr super discreet. I became very good at it. Reportage is still a massive part of my work today (80% minimum).
However, I now only see reportage as one of the hats I need to wear at a wedding. The truth is to get the best out of wedding photography; I needed to step up and use my social skills and personality to take things up a notch. The trouble with the discreet approach it only works some of the time, and my job is to get incredible photographs all of the time. By working in this way, there is an intimacy and honesty to my pictures that could not be achievable otherwise.
Photographically, I have many inspirations. My father was a compulsive collector of LIFE magazine and photography books from the likes of James Nachtwey, Arno Minkkinen, and the greatest of them all Henri Cartier Bresson.
Although I now photograph digitally, my background is from the film days. My influences from the past are inherent in my post-production values. Simply put, if it wasn't possible in the darkroom, then I will not allow it on my computer.
I have been lucky enough to photograph weddings at some incredible venues in my time. These include Aynhoe Park, Elmore Court, Blenheim Palace, Eastnor Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Chateau La Durantie, to name just a few.