57 PHOTOGRAPHY Behind THE LENS Here’s your chance to meet the person behind the camera MEET RYAN, OF RYAN COX PHOTOGRAPHY In the beginning… My passion for photography started from a young age when I used to go to Paris a couple of times a year to stay with a French family; the father was an old black and white photographer with his own dark room and used to shoot the most amazing street-style images. My dad bought me my first camera, a Chinon CE4 and a 50mm lens, which I used to take everywhere with me. I played roller hockey for GB and England and travelled the world playing and always took my camera to capture my travels. I had my own little dark room to develop my film and have always loved black and white images. I’ve been capturing weddings for 25 years and have now started shooting weddings for the children of my couples from the beginning of my professional journey. If I wasn’t a wedding photographer, I’d love to do more wildlife and travel photography and definitely if the opportunity arose be a full-time wildlife photographer, I would love to have the time to just sit and watch nature and capture its beauty, the amazing animals and documenting their lives. For the love of weddings… I love the bridal prep, there’s always a buzz of excitement and also it’s the first page of my job to tell the story of the day. Capturing moments as the story unfolds from meeting the make-up and hair artists to filming the venue being dressed and all the other elements coming together so that when the guests arrive it all looks perfect. We are then on to capturing the next chapters of the day to create my storybook of images for the couple. The long-term relationships I have with many of my couples is what makes shooting weddings so special, being asked to do bump shoots for their babies, christenings, birthdays and capturing their children at photo shoots as they grow up, and of course as is now happening, capturing their children’s weddings. Golden nugget advice… For a couple, find a photographer whose work you love and book them, get to know them and share your vision of your day and then you will get the images you want. What’s your favourite film/food/song? A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Notting Hill – I’m a big softie so I love chick flicks. Italian and Spanish food! I love paella and Spanish seafood but Italian has to come first especially as it’s one of my favourite countries to visit and also where I love shooting weddings. I have favourites from all genres of music, I was born in the ‘60s so I’m always singing along to songs from way back and up to the present day. Ryan Cox Photography, Cranleigh, Surrey www.ryancoxphotography.com www.instagram.com/ryancoxphotography
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