Jamie Dodd, Specialist Bristol Wedding Photographer, Tells Us How Digital Photography has Changed the Look and Feel of Wedding Photographs


When I look back at the wedding photographs of my parents they are instantly recognisable for their era through their limitations and, to be honest, the fading colour. However there is also something else that is distinct and which made me realise that I wanted to become a wedding photographer in Bristol. The sense I got was that these were not much different from holiday ‘snaps’ where everyone was made to adopt a pose and remain statuesque for a few moments. Yes, the photographs recorded the day, but they failed to capture any of the ‘action’; the feelings; the emotions.

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The advancements in digital photography have changed all that and since establishing myself as a specialist wedding photographer in Bristol, I have loved being given the opportunity of capturing more than images of the bride and groom. Digital photography has enabled me to concentrate on what I am photographing as opposed to having to carry round half a ton of lights, flashbulbs, lenses and rolls of camera film, all of which get in the way of what I really want to do.

The bliss of being so unencumbered is that it allows me to stay in the background except for the all-important formal shots. I don’t need poses and everyone to stop when I want to take a shot. That ruins the flow and true nature of the event. It doesn’t show people in their true light. It allows me to capture moments others don’t see, to preserve a warm smile forever, to record the true essence of such a special day.


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In the time I have been a wedding photographer in Bristol so much has changed, yet all for the good of my craft, my art. As though a painter of centuries ago, I can take an image and still change it, tweak it, alter it, to enhance the message. Digital software allows for hues and moods to be subtly altered, while above all else, digital photography allows for image after image to be taken, all allowing me even greater opportunities to capture the true nature of an extremely special day.

So today, when presented with the pictures of your wedding, you will see so many things you never knew happened, and you will get the chance to recapture the whole atmosphere of the day, not just the specific event itself.