I
started taking photographs from the age of 10 and had my first SLR as a Christmas present when I was 12. I was intrigued from day one, and soon set up a darkroom and started printing. I loved the con- trol from start to finish. I joined a local camera club at 14 where I meet a great photographer and friend George Sharland, who was in his 80s then. He has since sadly passed away. George was the first photographer in Wales to gain a fellowship in the RPS for his stunning portraiture. He influenced me and still today I use his approach to my image making.
I started taking portraits at the age of 21 and started my Social photography business in 1990 at the age of 23.
I have been fortunate to live
in Wales, surrounded by many brilliant photographers. When I first started entering
the Welsh awards I was pretty raw, but privileged to com- pete against many of the best photographers in the UK many of whom went on to win major titles in their own right. I soon realized I needed to gain experience and find my own style. I knew then copying images would not make you a true photographer. I went back to what George taught me – as he said to me many years before it’s the emotion in the image that counts, even if the image is not technique perfect. If it has emotion it will have impact. Once I realized this I thought about my clients not my studio set up.
I decided to keep it really simple and used one studio light fitted with a soft box and honed my skills specialising in close-up portraits with emotion, whether a smile or a tear, young or old. The transition started; I began to pick up awards year after year
I shot my first wedding at the age of 23 and later went on a great Trevor Yerbury seminar. Trevor at that time was shooting sexy wedding photography. This was the turning-point for my wedding style.
At that time wedding pho- tography was pretty boring, just shooting from a list of what
In his own words – the winner’s story
need to understand your client if you are to gain their trust. I suggested the concept for the shot in the morning. I had to pose her to get the elegance and angles to show the detail in her shoes it only took one shot in a split second and the rest is history. Wedding photography has totally changed since I started over 20 years ago. I hope I can keep evolving me just stay true to myself and never copy. Obvi- ously I get influenced but not normally by wedding images; I appreciate all photography and photographers.. It is really tough to change your style. Some- times you shoot your safe shots because it’s your comfort zone and you know your clients will be happy. I find an easy way to change is to stop using that favourite lens… you will the see things in a new way and you will have to change.
Michael Dearden steps down from the presentation with his awards. Photograph by Derek Booth.
was deemed to be the required set of wedding photographs. In saying that, there were great photographer around especially in Wales. We had experts at lighting and posing and I knew these were the keys. I had to achieve the quality but add something extra.
I packed away the medium format gear and went over to 35mm, which was frowned on at that time, and at this point things changed. For the first time I had the freedom to shoot fast from different angles with a range of lenses. I incorporated the posing and lighting skills I had learned from the masters, and added the emotion from George Sharland and the sexy edge from Trevor Yerbury – and all this became the start of my success.
I had found my style that is continually evolving. I love images that shock or amuse de- pending how you perceive them. My clients love it as it shows I am passionate and original
this I feel is the most important element the client comes first, if they don’t like my images then it’s pointless.
I feel privileged to win the title UK Master Photographer of the Year 2010, after winning UK Wedding Photographer of the Year and UK Portrait Photogra- pher of the Year early on in my career. I had my first award of excellence in the finals at East- bourne some 13 years ago and have had images in nearly every final since. Winning awards will help you to push your bounda- ries and stop you from standing still. You must stay relevant. The 2010 image is controver- sial but it is just an image. The couple were lovely and wanted original photography so they commissioned me. The bride explained that she would like her shoes and underwear photo- graphed – they were hand made and very expensive – but didn’t necessarily want those boring pics of the shoes on the bed or hanging on an old radiator. You
A typical wedding day starts around a week or two before with a pre-shoot not to sell as most photographers do (I don’t blame them). I use the preshoot to take my clients out of their comfort zone and show them they can be creative and original too. We always shoot amazing images; they love them and on the wedding day I know the will trust me 100%. The day starts early with the bride getting ready, and finishes at the reception. I tend not to do the evening. I still shoot tra- ditional group images ,candids and my more unique images on the day. I work fast and prefer to shoot on my own.
When it comes to the bride and groom images, we try to go off on our own. The trust that I built up in the pre-shoot then helps me to get beautiful timeless images. My goal is for them get so immersed that they forget me and the camera then the feelings, love, passion, and fun will shine through in their photographs.
I suppose you could say my images are fashion/editorial in approach – I am not sure – but I shoot around 400 fashion sessions in our studio year so I suppose it must have an influ- ence.
– Michael Dearden AMPA Ì MASTER PHOTOGRAPHY 15
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