Birgitta Zoutman Photography

When I was booked as a surprise for the bride and groom I'd never met and in a city I'd never been to before. It was a challange but a fantastic day.

Relaxed, friendly, emotive, unobtrusive, creative

My ability to connect with people and put them at ease. When I'm told at the end of the day that it felt more like having a friend at their wedding and they love their photos, then I feel like I did a great job.

Book your chosen photographer as soon as possible, we often book our services a year in advance.

My bride made all her guests little place names from tree branches with the guest names burned into the wood. I was most touched when it turned out that not only had theu arranged a meal for me but my own place name. I still have it and keep it on my desk as a reminder of a lovely day.

I like to get to know my couples as much as possible before the big day, so I like to meet up first and have a cuppa and show my previous work in print. It's that bit better than just seeing it on a screen. If they decide to book I like doing an engagement shoot. Some couples are not used to having their photo taken so this is a bit of an icebreaker. It gets them used to me and how I work and we can discuss the kind of photos they'd like on the day. It also means that on the day they feel a lot more relaxed because they know what to expect. It ensures I know as much as possible about them and their relationship. The family relationships and who is who which again means I know who and whose connections to photograph on the day. It might be grandma who is really close the the bride. Or a family member that lives abroad. I find weddings are also times for families to reconnect. I ask for another meeting a week or so before the date so we can go over the final arrangements and to collect a list of the studio group photos wanted on the day. On the day I aim to be unobtrusive but available. I chip in when appropriate, be that doing up a bridesmaid shoe or telling the grooms party to get a move on. I'm not a bossy photographer. Its their day not mine. Once the day is done I'll say my goodbyes and usually send over 5 sneak peeks the next day before delivering their full gallery within 8 weeks, this maybe longer in peak wedding months in the summer. I deliver couples gallery by a private password protected online gallery. This makes for really easy sharing with friends and family. If a wedding album has been ordered I love delivering them in person as I love seeing couples faces and reactions as they relive their day.

Lots of couples tell be they don't really want posed couples photos, I also prefer natural relaxed photos but every couple does end up loving that one wow shot of just the two of them.

Purely because its not a thing in the UK l recently did First Look photos, where the bride does a personal reveal of her dress to her groom just before the ceremony. It's a beautiful intimate moment l felt privileged to be a part of. And they made for a gorgeous set of photos.

Wellies and clear brollies, even in the rain we make make wonderful memories.

By accident, I'd been a hobbyist for about 6 years doing street photography, think Henri Cartier-Bresson. My gift to my friend was wedding photo's and then at another friends I was a guest and they preferred my photo's to the official photographers. So after encouragement I took the plunge doing portraits and weddings. My observational style comes from the years people watching doing street photography. I love photography its very much a part of who I am not just what I do.