Photographer snaps up national awards

Martin Beddall, from Rusper Road, now a documentary wedding photographer, won the wedding category The Professional Photographer of the Year award, organised by Professional Photographer magazine, at a ceremony in Cheltenham late last month.

He said it was out of the ordinary for a wedding picture to scoop the overall title, selected from all the category winners.

Martin said: “It’s nice to get recognition at that sort of level of competition. In particular it’s unusual for wedding images to win the overall prize.

“Wedding photographers are quite looked down upon, but wedding photographers have really raised their standards.”

The wedding category for this year’s awards was also one of the most subscribed sections, with international entries and winners in some of the awards.

The picture was taken as part of wedding of a couple who lived in Australia but were getting married at the OBE Chapel in St Paul’s Cathedral in London.

The picture was snapped as the bride and her father arrived early in a London taxi cab as she opened the door to speak with her bridesmaids in another taxi.

He added: “It’s one of those images as soon as you see it happen if you caught it right that would be one of the best images of the year.

“It’s one that’s sparked a lot of conversation and has resonated with a few photographers.”

He put the image on his website immediately to tease the rest of his photos and it caused a buzz immediately.

As a Times photojournalist for nine years, he saw himself on a variety of jobs, from going behind the scenes at the Royal Ballet, to covering bomb blasts. He also took shots of many of the country’s leading party political people.

Asked if this background made a better wedding photographer, he said: “I think that experience and wedding photographers have a press background. The photographers they have an eye but work at a speed and are able to adapt.”

Martin added: “As a competition it’s not a bad one to win.”