Rebecca Carpenter

Rebecca Carpenter describes becoming a Canon Ambassador as "the biggest milestone" of her photography career – an achievement that has been on her vision board for years. For a photographer who proudly describes herself as self-taught, it also feels like an opportunity to help others find their own route into the industry.

"I learnt at the University of YouTube," she says. "I've never been a gatekeeper. If somebody asks me how I do something, I'll tell them. Sharing is important because we can always learn more."

Getting the opportunity was harder. Established photographers wouldn't let her second-shoot, but eventually a work colleague introduced her to friends who were getting married on a tiny budget. Rebecca charged them £100 and borrowed a second camera body. One of her photographs – the couple framed by a London phone box, Big Ben and a passing red bus – went on to appear on the cover of a wedding magazine. "That was when it all started to make sense," she says.

Today, Rebecca is based in Shropshire and has developed a style she describes as classic, romantic and elegant. Filmmaker Nancy Meyers is a particular influence, with her warm, timeless visual worlds. It took time, however, for Rebecca to trust her own instincts. "I think wedding photographers go through a phase where they try to copy other people because they think that's what they should be shooting," she says. "I lost my way for a few years and then realised: this is what I enjoy. Stick to the classics because that is my creative identity."

For Rebecca, however, a successful wedding photograph is about more than aesthetics. "You can take the best picture in the world, but if the couple remembers that moment as unhappy or uncomfortable, it hits differently," she says. "The relationship is the recipe for the best photographs."

That relationship often begins months before the day. Rebecca moves conversations onto WhatsApp, exchanges voice notes and gets to know how each couple behaves together. Some are romantic, some reserved, some playful or fashion-forward. Her job, she says, is not to make them behave like somebody else for the camera. That philosophy determines when she intervenes and when she disappears. Preparations are gently guided towards the best light; ceremonies, speeches and dancing largely unfold documentary-style; couple portraits are more actively directed.

Looking ahead, Rebecca wants to photograph increasingly ambitious weddings while expanding the educational side of her work through YouTube and mentoring. "Done is better than perfect," she tells photographers who are delaying their career move until they have the ideal website, camera or portfolio. "I only wish I'd started sooner," she says.

When does a beautifully styled wedding photograph become more than simply a beautiful photograph?

"It becomes more meaningful when there is history attached to it. I photographed three generations of women together – a grandmother, mother and daughter. Yes, it's a beautiful portrait, but for them it's part of their family legacy and it will be passed down. That's why I never brush over the traditional family photographs. You can make the most artistic images in the world, but ultimately it's the people who make up the wedding. When I look at my own wedding photographs, there are people in them who have since passed away. But they were there, and we still have those pictures. That is what wedding photographs become over time: memories for the couple and their family."


How has wedding photography changed since you started?

"There is now much more creative freedom. People are throwing tradition out of the window: they're writing their own vows, using celebrants and getting married on mountains, in deserts and in places I never would have imagined photographing when I started. The way photographs look has changed too. My own editing used to be much warmer and more bohemian, whereas now couples repeatedly tell me they want the colours to look true to life."


How do you create a sense of intimacy when a couple may have an entire wedding team around them?

"I slow everything down. Weddings can be incredibly chaotic, so sometimes I'll lower my voice and remind them where they are and what is happening. I might send them ahead of me so they have some physical distance from the cameras, or bring them closer together – holding hands, touching a face, simply staying connected. I'll tell them to notice things: feel the ground under your feet, notice the breeze, feel the lace of the veil."


What piece of Canon kit can you not live without, and why?

"The Canon EOS R5 Mark II is the camera I couldn't live without. I love the colour science and the focusing, and it's the camera I trust for the moments I can't repeat. A wedding moves incredibly quickly, so the equipment has to let me make decisions without getting in the way. For me, this is the camera that does that."


What else could we discover in your kitbag that helps you elevate your work?

"A hip harness is absolutely essential for me. I'm working with two camera bodies for hours at a time, so having the weight distributed around my hips rather than hanging from my neck makes a huge difference. It also means I can work very quickly."

"People still surprise you. Even after hundreds of weddings, just when you think you understand every type of personality, somebody does something completely unexpected. A really shy person might suddenly become the life of the party, or somebody you thought would behave one way turns out to be completely different. That's what keeps wedding photography interesting. You can never predict people, and I think that's a wonderful thing."

Website: rebeccacarpenterphotography.com

Instagram: @rebeccacarpenterphotography