Katy Lunsford Photography »

Well, 2012 was quite a year! I can’t quite believe it’s over already, as usual I feel like I am not quite ready for the next year. But it really has been the dream year in a lot of ways, with many goals ticked off my list and amazing experiences along the way. I have been lucky enough to travel all over the UK and Europe photographing beautiful weddings and gorgeous couples, having a lot of fun, meeting some wonderful people and seeing some amazing places. There were quirky weddings in tipis, quintessentially English country garden weddings and luxurious and elegant weddings in hotels where the Queen was having lunch. Brides looked gorgeous in birdcage veils, family-heirloom tiaras, lace-edged cathedral veils and lace juliet caps, pink shoes, blue shoes, sky-high Louboutins, Hunter wellies and barefoot. I swooned over fairytale Phillipa Lepley dresses, glittering Jenny Packham numbers, exquisite lace Claire Pettibone creations and floaty bohemian gowns… *sigh*.  I have photographed couples kissing in cornfields, lavender meadows, bright yellow rape fields, sun-drenched vineyards and olive groves; on the beach, on carousels, in gondolas, camper vans and air-stream trailers; in front of mountains and lakes, snowstorms and sunsets; in Edinburgh, Northumberland, the Lake District, Cheshire, London, Venice and Madrid. Whew – no wonder I’m tired! It has been amazing and a real privilege to be a part of so many couples’ special days, and I have loved every minute.

2012 also saw my work published in a number of top wedding titles, including You and Your Wedding and Wedding magazines, along with the front cover of Your London Wedding and Your Manchester Wedding, with features on lots of the lovely UK wedding blogs, in particular Love My Dress and London Bride. Huge thanks to these publications for publishing my photography and supporting me :)

Alongside my wedding work the commercial side of the business has been growing, venturing into interiors, editorial, community and food photography. A highlight of this work was photographing lovely actress Alexander Roach for the cover and feature article of Spectator Life magazine. That, alongside photographing two incredible weddings in Madrid, and attending some glittering industry parties, were real ‘pinch-me-am-I-dreaming?’ moments… a million miles away from being a creatively-stifled stressed-out teacher, and a reminder to be grateful and appreciate how lucky I am to have my dream job :) Not that it’s all glitz, glamour and travelling to exciting places, and it has its fair share of stress, but I am making a living doing the thing I love, and that I don’t take for granted.

Personally it’s been a great year too, although I perhaps took on a little more work than I should have done, as I do want to spend time with my gorgeous little girl while she’s little! So 2013 will hopefully have a more sensible work-life balance… and I am going to try not to work until silly-o-clock! Back in June we had a lovely family holiday, just the three of us, in my favourite place in the world in the south of France, and one day I will get round to editing those photos! We also welcomed a new nephew into the world, visited family, spent time with friends, drank really pale rosé in the sunshine as often as possible and were guests at a very special family wedding. My personal project for the year was a ‘photo-a-day’ or 365(6!) project, which was great, and hard work, and I will blog about another time…

So, here are some of the highlights of my photography year…

 

Thanks for looking through to the end… I know there were a lot ;)

Looking forward, 2013 is shaping up to be a rather exciting year, with my first official destination weddings coming up this summer in the South of France and Majorca, plus lots of other beautiful and creative weddings :) I am excited about getting to know another set of lovely couples, and seeing what surprises the new year brings. Once again, thank you to all who support, encourage and inspire me; clients, friends, family, fellow photographers and industry friends. Most of all, thank you to my little girl Sophie for helping me see the world with wonder and bringing me so much joy, and to my ever-patient husband for being my rock – I couldn’t do this without you :)