Phil Endicott – Who is he?  Why should he be our wedding photographer?

Firstly – if you’ve not already read “Be my friend”.  I know it’s probably a little bit of an alien concept:  after all it’s probable that all you’ve thought about is that you need JUST a professional, but that page will explain properly why I like to go the extra mile.

So me – the man behind the camera.  I’ve always been into my photography and even video:  I remember when I was only 7 years old nagging my Mum to let me use her camera and getting ever so frustrated that I only had 24 shots to play with.  For the record that was an old Pracktica SLR with Russian lenses – and I’m fairly sure that’s where my fondness for a 50mm lens started! I also remember when I was 9 going to the States to see my aunt and getting very upset that I couldn’t get Mum’s camera from the overhead locker to take pictures of Washington DC as we came into land!  That also explains my love of flying I guess – and also why I’m VERY OCD in working out which side of the plane I should sit on to see cities on takeoff or landing the most clearly. Evidence for the defence to the side of this! When we got to my aunt’s house in West Virginia I “borrowed’ her camcorder and went wandering around the estate so I could show my Nan and Grandad where their daughter lived when we got home: looking back it must have been cringe worthy for my Aunt watching this happen!

I went to university in Sheffield:  for the record I studied Business and Economics.  I was incredibly lucky to be on the doorstep of the Peak District and virtually every weekend I’d head out there in my rattly old F plate Ford Fiesta seeing what nature really looked like.  I headed back to Northamptonshire after my degree finished and started work in the IT industry but never forgot what the Peaks was like, nor what happiness photography brought me.  It also came in wonderfully handy when I had a wedding on the doorstep of the Peaks and led to one of my favourite ever wedding pictures: knowing what was where and how I could use the surroundings brought so much joy.

Fast forwarding to 2013 one of the most special days in my life.  6th of July, it’s a 32C sunny day, my two very best friends Aaron and Lou tying the knot, being both best man and secondary photographer.  Both the most challenging day of my life but also the very best. I got to see first hand the difference I could make to a wedding day by producing memories first hand, but also the difference that being friends with couples on their wedding day could make to the photos.  Without this day I very much doubt I’d be privileged enough to be doing what I do now.

Don’t get me wrong – I look at these photos now with a weird kind of horror.  They’re far from perfect, compositionally all over the place and certainly lacking the grace and balance of what I do now.  But equally, the builiding blocks are there and that’s what counted.

We head into 2014 and more friends are getting married: they’ve seen what I did for Aaron and Lou and ask me to do the same.  I’m naturally cautious and frankly a little scared and make them book primary photographers as well: I don’t want to ruin their special days if I get it wrong.  After these three weddings I feel in my own mind I’m doing ok, and there is definitely something there for me to consider seriously. Without meaning to sound arrogant, what happened next proved it.  All three told me they wished they’d paid me and I’d been the primary. I exclaim back that they’re my friends, they’re just being kind to get real. Two of them then tell me they’ve set me up to be primary photographer at their friends weddings: scared isn’t the half of it!  But I go ahead, do everything in my power to make those days amazing, and the rest is history.

I also am deeply into my history which when linked to my photography is a bit of a perfect combination to tell stories that I think other people should see.  Three places that will always be up there for me are Chernobyl, Auschwhitz and Fukushima: every single one had a story to tell, a legacy to bring back and share and most importantly just seeing first hand the devastation and cruelty of mankind.  If you’ve not visited any, please make the effort, in particular Auschwitz. It WILL upset you, it will hurt your heart, but I think it is completely essential that as humans we see for ourselves the truth and are therefore emboldened to make sure it NEVER happens again.

I live in Higham Ferrers in Northamptonshire:  that’s my base and where I grew up. But for weddings I travel all over as I love to see new places, cover new parts of the world and experience new venues.  I’ve been as far north as Inverness, far south as St Ives and even to Riga and Sofia for engagement shoots. Maybe, just maybe, you’d like to go somewhere different for your engagement shoot?

I have the pleasure of living with my three cat fur-children Tamsin, Tick and Tock.  They’re all complete trouble but have their own individual personalities and all “love” to help me when I’m editing.  The boys unfortunately also love walking across all obvious keyboards so you can probably imagine my horror and disdain when they find master reset in anything Adobe 🙁

Finally, and possibly most importantly, I do a lot of charity work, and in particular for Cancer Research and Parkinsons.  These charities are very close to my heart: I got very lucky with my Dad recovering from bowel cancer, and my Mum suffers as my Grandad did with Parkinsons.  The very fact I can give back to the charities that support my family means a lot and it is something I will always do as long as I can. This is also why I do charity weddings for the likes of CR and Gift of a Wedding:  these are without doubt the hardest weddings to shoot and keep the emotions under control, but also the most important. If I can bring one extra smile to people wanting to tie the knot in the face of adversity, then it is TOTALLY worth it.

You can learn more about the charities I support by clicking their logo below.