Brad Wakefield
Photographer
Hey, I'm Brad. I'm a photographer based in the south west and regularly photograph weddings in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and the Cotswolds. I travel all over the UK and beyond to shoot my couples' big days. I've been a professional photographer for 18 years and describe my style as honest, fun-filled and artistic.
I started working as a photojournalist in 2006, first for a regional publication then, as I turned 21, for one of the UK’s leading and largest independent news agency, SWNS. It was a fast paced life, mostly on the road, shooting photo assignments for publication in all major national UK publications and used by broadcasters, such as the Telegraph, the Independent, the Times, The Sun, Daily Mail, the BBC and ITV. I covered breaking news and shot commissioned work and features for a diverse range of commercial clients. In 2012, I took the plunge and turned freelance, relocating to Manchester for two years then central London for four years. No two days were the same. From a long form project of a female prison to Glastonbury Festival. I week underwater with the British Navy on a submarine, sharing champagne with celebrities and covering news stories around the world.
During those photojournalist years my photography skillset grew rapidly. I honed my high quality photographic ability in a high pressure and fast paced industry, working alongside fantastic (albeit demanding!) picture editors, editors, stylists, journalists, hair and makeup and PR teams. During this time, I won the UK Picture Editors’ Guild UK Young Photographer of the Year aged 26 for a collection of photographs including landscapes and portraits of Lady Gaga, the Dalai Lama and Coldplay. The collection was exhibited in the National Portrait Gallery in London.
By 2012, the wedding side to my business was born. In the background to my photojournalist work friends and professional contacts started to enquire regarding availability for wedding and event coverage. My wedding business grew organically, largely through word of mouth. By 2016, I took the plunge again to relocate from London to Bristol and focused full time on my photography company. Since that move, I have shot over 300 weddings across the UK and 15 abroad. I continue to be commissioned for a range of commercial clients for publication features and internal use.
Nowadays, I live in Somerset with my beautiful wife, Sophie, and our cat, Tilly. We’ve been together since 2008 and finally married in 2019 in Devon. For five years we’ve been renovating an old stone barn in the countryside together. I’m a very keen cyclist and a typical week for me involves a lot of good coffee, great cycling and wedding edits!
Letting the story & emotion of your day shine through.
I believe great photography is unplugged - letting the story and emotion of the day shine through with minimal staging. My natural reportage style is perfect for this; photojournalism lends itself beautifully to weddings. It means I work quickly, efficiently and unobtrusively. You can trust your day will be captured naturally and artistically as it unfolds, including those perfectly unexpected moments that are gone in the blink of an eye.
Through my years of experience as a wedding photographer, I can guide my couples into artistic and flattering photographs, using the best natural light. I inject lots of fun and punchy colours and love creating stunning imagery - nothing beats a beautiful golden hour with soft dappled light prior to sunset.
Following a wedding day, I typically spend two days editing and producing the wedding collection, which will then be available to clients in circa 3-8 weeks, depending on peak season timescales. My processing work is of the high standard you see in my gallery, using skills honed over many years producing high quality images for national publication. Each image is individually edited and provided to clients in both high and medium resolution.
I'll travel anywhere and have shot weddings from the far reaches of the UK to destination weddings in New Zealand, Italy, California and France. If you're currently planning your special day, do get in touch early for my availability as I am currently booking to 2024.
For an extra special touch I offer albums and engagement or pre-wedding shoots - a perfect way to relax clients in front the camera ahead of the big day.
For further work and behind the scenes shots follow my professional photography Facebook and Instagram.
Personal work
Shooting personal work is really important to me, as photography is my passion as well as my profession. It’s important to me to keep pushing my skillset, below are some recent pictures taken whilst diving in the UK.
