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55 - Documentary wedding photography with David Scholes
Three-time This is Reportage 'Storyteller of the Year' and 'UK Wedding Photographer of the Year' Dave Scholes joins us to share how he sees light, finds the story, and uses flash - even though he'll tell you he's not a flash photographer.
Live with Dave Scholes: Seeing Light, Finding the Story & Why the Best Documentary Images Are the Ones Nobody Asked For
We are absolutely thrilled to welcome the incredible Dave Scholes — three time This is Reportage 'Storyteller of the Year', 'UK Wedding Photographer of the Year' and one of the most humble and genuinely inspiring photographers you will ever come across. Helen has been trying to book him to photograph her own (imaginary) wedding for years. He keeps saying no. We got him on a live stream instead.
Dave is based in Clitheroe (yes, it's a real place) and comes from a genuine photography dynasty. His family have been the local photographers since the 1890s. His approach to wedding photography is rooted in documentary storytelling, finding light, and being in the right place at exactly the right moment.
In this stream Dave walks through a stunning collection of images. Some funny, some incredibly moving, and at least one that features something you will not be expecting under a kilt. He shares how he sees and uses light, when and why he reaches for flash, and why truly knowing your couples before the day changes everything.
Brilliantly honest, brilliantly funny, and absolutely full of gold. 🎉
The top 5 things you will learn by watching this stream:
- How to see and use light as a documentary photographer. Dave shares how he reads light in any space and uses it to build compositions - whether that's natural light, ambient light, or carefully placed flash.
- When and how to use flash in a documentary context. Dave may claim he's not a flash photographer, but this stream proves otherwise and he shares exactly when and why he reaches for it on a wedding day.
- How to find and wait for the story within a scene. Dave walks through his thought process for spotting a moment that's about to happen, positioning himself perfectly, and having the patience to wait for it to land.
- Why getting to know your couples before the day is non-negotiable. Dave explains how pre-wedding conversations give him the context he needs to know what matters to each couple and how that shapes every decision he makes on the day.
- How to find extraordinary images in completely ordinary spaces. Dave shoots in all kinds of venues including some deeply unphotogenic ones and shows how light, composition, and patience can make any space work.
Neil Redfern
I am a off camera flash obsessive wedding photographer based in the sunny North West of England. I shot my first wedding in 2006 and since then I have shot around 500 weddings across the UK and overseas. For the past 10 years I have also been running wedding photography workshops and in 2020 I set up my Patreon, which has now grown to a community of 250 photographers all over the world. I also love to make videos for my YouTube channel, which again is all focussed on wedding photography education and ‘How I Shot This’ off camera flash videos. I am also very proud to be an Ambassador for MagMod, Pic-Time and Studio Ninja.Myself and Helen Williams set up Flash Masters in September 2022 and I am so incredibly proud of what Flash Masters will become. A huge thank you to all of our Ambassadors, Sponsors and every single member of the community for helping to make this a reality. I am so excited to see where this journey takes us all!
