My first camera was a Box Brownie, aged six. It would be easy to say I’ve always wanted to be a photographer, and this is where it all started, but the journey meandered along with a few happy accidents along the way first.
As a child I liked to draw, as I grew older, I was also developing an appreciation for fine art and fashion hoping I could marry these things together to start a career. I was still taking photographs (so much quicker than drawing) and improving all the time. However, a shy encounter with a girl I liked, and a subsequent shoot provided the calling card that would eventually lead to me working on the picture desk at The Daily Mail.
Celebrities, parties, weddings, royalty, this time was intense but glorious. I honed my craft well working for newspapers which also included The Mail on Sunday and The Evening Standard, but I wanted to branch out on my own. A move to Gloucestershire presented the opportunity to set up JCG Photography and concentrate solely on weddings.
Finally, I could apply everything I learned and was interested in to offer a fresh, informal approach to wedding photography. I still hold to this ideal. Over the following 10 years I used a documentary style interspersed with intimate, delicate photographs to report the journey on that most special of days. Every wedding is distinct. There is a whole range of views and subjects to observe on the big day; the sunset light, laughter, tears, elegance, madness, children playing, breath-taking landscapes, architecture and of course the beloved happy couple.
Emotions can run high at weddings. It’s my job to allow you to be relaxed, let everyone be themselves and become the professional guest who blends in seamlessly. I’ll guide and follow you through the journey that tells your love story best. I can pick up the fall and intricate detail from your designer dress as easily as I can manage groomsmen zany antics. Growing up with two sisters I’m not flustered by the sight of a corset, as natural problem-solver I also know a crochet hook and a set of golf heels can really save the day. Being the sole of discretion, no-one else will need to know unless you tell them. You won’t see your images plastered all over social media before you’ve had a chance to make your final selection unless we have your permission.
After the event when you view your complete photograph collection, you can relive all the beauty and joy of your special day.
When others see your collection, they will ‘live’ it too, even if they weren’t there.
After over 300 weddings in the UK and abroad, a life changing event meant taking a well-earned sabbatical to teach undergraduates Photography and Filmmaking at the local University. I relocated to Cheltenham in 2021 and now I’m back where I belong, documenting beautiful images of people and places on the happiest day of their lives.
Jeremy Clifton-Gould – Qualified Wedding Photographer and Professional Guest.