what's the best picture you've ever taken?

At a recent wedding I was asked by one of the guests what was the best picture I had ever taken, and, as a wedding photographer, I have to admit, I was a little stumped for an answer! When I got home from that wedding, I realised which picture it was - it was hanging, pride of place, on my dining room wall - the only picture of mine that we have up in the house, "Jurka", a Eurasian Brown Bear.

I took this picture in 2014 whilst on holiday in the Black Forest and it is my favourite picture because I think it really says a lot about why I like photography and my "style".

First off, it's not a technically perfect picture. Some photographers may even scoff at it, as most of Jurka is blurry and out of focus. Indeed, they are right, but it is definitely still a beautiful image. My aim, always, is to capture beauty. I'm a completely self-taught photographer, and I learnt by doing. I'm pretty sure I have some skills, but I shoot because of my eyes and heart, not because I know about camera settings.

Secondly, a good image is about capturing not only a subject, but also a magical moment in time. I didn't go out looking for this picture, sitting there for hours waiting for it happen, but as lady luck would have it, we had decided earlier in the year to go to the Black Forest, and on that day, at that precise moment, Jurka decided that she wanted to play in the water and I just happened to be there with my camera. How amazing is that? All the things in my life and Jurka's had transpired to place us together at that exact moment. Luck is such a key component to any picture.

So there you have it, beauty, love, magic and luck are what I think make a good picture and now you also know one of the reasons why a majestic bear sits atop my logo (there's more reasons, and there's another blog about that!).

Hopefully you'll read this and look through my work and decide it's beautiful, and, luckily for me, choose me as your photographer, over someone else. You'll bring all your love to your wedding and we'll make some magic together.

That's how this game works. Let's make it happen!