I'm Nicholas, a wedding photographer from Wakefield. If you've got this far into planning and the photography is the bit making you uneasy, you are in the large majority — and I can prove it. I went back through every review on my Google profile recently. There are 59 of them. Thirty mention being nervous, awkward, anxious or plain hating the camera before the day started.
Not thirty saying the photos were nice. Thirty saying they dreaded it and then didn't.
"As someone who hates having their photo taken, Nick had quite a challenge on our wedding day. However, he was able to put myself and the whole wedding party at ease."
Charlotte D. — August 2024
The MethodFour things that actually make the difference
- iI don't hover. Most of the day I'm not pointing anything at you. Clients regularly tell me afterwards they don't remember seeing me much — which is the whole idea.
- iiYou rarely look at the lens. Look at each other, walk, talk, laugh at something daft. The camera-shy panic comes from being stared at. Take that away and it mostly goes.
- iiiI direct when you want directing. "Stand there and be natural" is the worst instruction in photography. If you don't know what to do with your hands, I'll tell you exactly what to do with your hands.
- ivIt's fast. Portraits are minutes, not an hour. You came to get married and see your family, not to do a photoshoot.
"Nobody relaxes because they've been told to relax. They relax because nothing is being demanded of them. So I ask for very little, I work quickly, and I get out of the way."
The RehearsalThe engagement shoot exists for exactly this
An hour somewhere you like, months before the wedding, with no guests watching. It is the single most effective thing a camera-shy couple can do, and it's the one part of my service I'd push hardest if you're worried. You find out what it feels like to be photographed while nothing is riding on it. By the wedding morning, I'm not a stranger with a camera — I'm just Nick again.
Emily put it better than I can:
"As a couple we usually feel awkward having our photo taken, but Nick made us feel so at ease on the engagement shoot that by the time the wedding day came around there was no nerves or awkwardness."
Emily — May 2026
Engagement shoots are included in some collections and can be added to any of them — the pricing page has the detail.
The Group ShotsThe bit everyone dreads, done in twenty minutes
- iWe agree the list beforehand. No standing about while somebody works out who Auntie Pat is.
- iiI read the names out. You don't have to organise your own family on your own wedding day.
- iiiOff-list requests are fine. Somebody always asks. It takes thirty seconds.
- ivThen it's over. Back to the drinks, and back to nobody looking at a camera.
If you want to see how deep I go on this, I built a whole piece of software for photographers to plan group shots properly. It came out of doing it badly once, early on, and never wanting to again.
Their WordsOther people who didn't want their photo taken
"I really struggle with anxiety and he kept me at ease. I have never liked having my photo taken but he just blended in while also making us laugh."Rachel B. — November 2025
"For a couple that hate having their photo taken at the best of times, he made us feel comfortable and relaxed. There was literally not one photo I didn't like — they honestly turned out far more beautiful than I could ever have imagined."Fiona S. — May 2025
"He made me feel confident when having my bridal shots taken, as I am not a confident person in front of a camera. He helped me to pose with my dress in a way that made sense to me, and also made me laugh and feel at ease — pretend you are selling your dress on the shopping channel!"Bethany S. — February 2025
"As two people who don't really like being in front of a camera, he listened to us, put us at ease and captured some truly magical moments."Lucy F. — January 2026
"We can both be awkward in photos but Nicholas kept us calm and helped us enjoy the whole experience. The photos are absolutely beautiful, better than we could have dreamed."Lou — October 2023
"I don't even recall seeing Nick much around, but the results are fabulous. The pictures captured things that we don't even know happened. Nick, you made me cry with joy."Victoria A. — October 2021
"I was so nervous, but the only person at our venue was Nick. He made our day so special."Linda W. — August 2019
Those are public, on my Google profile, alongside the rest. Read the ones I haven't quoted too.