Helen Cawte Photography ~ In The Hotseat

I have a rather wonderful lady to chat to today, the super talented Chichester based wedding photographer, Helen Cawte Photography. I love Helen’s fresh, emotive images, they speak a thousand words. I shall leave you to get to know the lovely Helen and a little about a fabulous competition she has for {www} readers 🙂

{w} Hi, could you firstly tell {www} readers a little bit about you?

Hi, I’m Helen, a wedding and lifestyle portrait photographer. I’m currently based in West Sussex but my love of travel has seen me live in the French Alps, Ibiza and New Zealand. I am heading back out to New Zealand in December for their summer and to hopefully shoot some stunning weddings there! I’m also getting married to my lobster this summer out in Ibiza so need to say a huge THANK YOU to WWW for not only featuring me but also for providing me with so much wedding inspiration!

I Love…

I love travelling, I love anything sporty, I love snow-covered mountains, I love the sea, and I love my family and friends. Most of all I love photography and capturing people in love. It sounds cheesy but it just makes me smile 🙂

{w} What do you love/dislike about your job?

I love getting to know different people and finding out about their unique stories. Seeing people in love is such a positive thing and it’s such an amazing honour being part of all that. It’s a great feeling seeing the looks on people’s faces when I show them their images, as you really know you’ve captured something that they’ll treasure forever. There isn’t anything I dislike about my job, which is a pretty amazing thing to be able to say. As soon as I start disliking my job or not caring then it’s time to have a long hard think about whether I should carry on! People are putting a lot of trust in me when they choose me to photograph their day and I take that very seriously and
strive to always deliver the best results I can.

{w} How did you get into photography and into the wedding industry?

I’ve always been a keen photographer. During my A-levels I did a City and guilds Photography course and as my Grandad used to be a professional photographer he was able to give me all the equipment I needed to set up my own dark room. My passion grew from there and after studying languages at university I went off to New Zealand for a year where I landed a great job shooting sports photography.

I never thought about doing wedding photography until 2 different people approached me about doing theirs. I can’t explain how daunting it all seemed back then but saying yes was the best thing I ever did and everything has just spiralled from that point…

I guess my love of being around people and my passion for photography make this the perfect job for me!

{w} What do you aim to achieve for your clients?

I try to deliver a set of images that really document the love and emotion present on the day. I like to think my photos will be cherished for years and will always bring back those happy emotions and memories. I like to get to know my clients before the day to really find out who they are as I find this helps me photograph the day with their expectations in mind.

{w} What style is your work?

I don’t really like to classify my style but if I had to I would say it was light, fresh and romantic. My photography is definitely more documentary than traditional, as I like to catch natural moments unobtrusively. This is when you capture the real emotion and atmosphere of the day – that little look the groom gives his bride when no one else is looking or a father wiping away a tear – these are always the best photos! I like to have fun with my clients and keep things as informal as possible, although of course I’ll do some formal group shots if asked – always trying to make them as enjoyable as possible for the bride and groom.

{w} Could you tell us some information about your packages/prices?

My packages are really flexible as I try to base them around each couple’s requirements. I always try to include a pre-wedding shoot, full coverage from getting ready to first dance as well as all images on CD as hi-res digital originals. I also offer beautiful albums, day after shoots and evening studio lighting among other things.

{w} Do you have any tips for couples in selecting their wedding photographer?

I can’t stress enough how important finding the right wedding photographer is – even if it turns out that isn’t me! If you love someone’s images I would definitely recommend meeting up in person before you book to make sure you feel comfortable with them. Definitely have a pre wedding shoot if you can as you’ll be so much more relaxed on the day and the photographer will learn a lot about you, which will help them on the day.

I like to think I’m friends with all of my brides and love hearing from them long after the day itself.

{w} How can we get in touch with you?

You can visit my website at www.helencawtephotography.com although my blog is constantly being updated so for my latest weddings go to https://helencawte.com/.

I would also love to talk to you more about your wedding plans so please call me on 07795491542.

I would also like to take this opportunity to let all {www} readers know that I’m running a competition to give one lucky couple a free wedding photography package in New Zealand this winter (NZ summer)! If you know of anyone please send them this link for details on how to enter…

I’m running this competition with a great friend and fantastic photographer Jim Pollard so the lucky couple will get 2 photographers capturing their day in two very different styles!

Good luck!!

Thanks so much Helen!! Be sure to mention {www} to Helen if you make an enquiry about her service, and good luck to those entering her competition 🙂 xoxo

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