Hello! I'm Hannah - and this is the page where you'll get a feel for who I am, not 'what I do' or 'how I work' but very importantly whether or not you like my vibe and who I am as a human being, not as a 'business'!
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As a picture speaks a thousand words I decided to create a bit of a 'this is me' grid above for you to scroll through and see some 'behind the scenes' real life snaps of my life, my adventures, key moments and magical memories, and what has made me so happy and given me so much drive over the last few years. You're welcome to just scroll those pics and not read the paragraphs below if images are more your thing, but if you'd like to take 5 minutes then I've written a fair bit below to give you a good idea of who I am, in my own words.
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So... on to the essentials - and at the risk of sounding like a dating profile, I'm 35, a mother to to 2 girls who I home educate, a massive bear of a dog and a very aloof black cat, often quite a few chickens and/or ducks, a significant amount of home grown veg, and I built this photography business from the ground up a fair few years ago, and now have the absolute blessing and privilege (albeit through relentless hard work!) to work full time as a freelance photographer (weddings, travel, fashion, commercial/branding) and occasional filmmaker. I'd love to say in my spare time I write and paint and do all number of other adventurous and creative things, but in truth, I don't get spare time much these days!
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I have quite an obsession with photography - obviously - and cinema, but mainly from an artistic perspective. I'm far from logical and taught myself the ropes through hands on trial and error, honing my skills day in, day out.
For those of you who love astrology and personality types I'm a Leo and an INFP. (You're welcome.)
I'm never calmer or more blissed out than when I'm on the sea, or in it, and love immersing myself in adventure however I can. You're likely to also find me singing to myself wherever I am, as before photography was my thing I was actually a singer-songwriter... and no I won't tell you where you can find those albums lol! I also adore books and everything 'cinematic' - as the Victorians would say, I've 'got the morbs'. I'm a fan of moody vibes, everything vintage and nostalgic, real connections, honesty, the rain, the sun, the moon (oh, how I LOVE the moon), the forest, a good fire on a rainy night, astrology, learning about ancient history and traditions, myths and legends, being a free spirit, challenging the status quo, storytelling, people watching, psychology, theology, art, theatre, writing - basically all things creative, poetic, emotive and visual. I am that person that really did almost make the groom late for his own wedding when his 'dudoir' session turned into a philiosophical debate about reality and time. Suffice to say, on a wedding day, the reality is time is a construct we have to bear in mind! Crazy, but true.
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I have ALWAYS been a very creative person (that's me at 2 holding a camera above), never happier than when I was creating art of some sort, making films, writing stories or writing songs and singing..
I hail from London originally, and then grew up traveling with my family as we explored the world and eventually settled intermittently between Devon, Cornwall, and New Zealand, where I spent roughly half of my childhood. I'm always drawn back to the nomadic life in my heart and love a good adventure - but have settled now in Devon, where I'm close enough to London, to the moors, and to the ocean, to keep my adventurous heart happy.​
I'm a champion of real, raw humanity - encouraging all around me (and myself) to embrace their innate beauty and to appreciate that its all the little moments, the scars, the stretch marks, the laughter lines, wrinkles and tears that make us so fascinating and endearing.
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If I hadn't fallen into photography and film and all the creative spheres I've landed in, I'd probably (hopefully) be working with women in some capacity, as a midwife or doula perhaps, as I am passionate about how empowering birth can be, which is why I'm also so enchanted by birth and maternity photography. Or perhaps I'd be a psychologist or work with domestic violence survivors, as I've learned so much about those things in my lifetime and find that understanding our psyches, traumas and struggles, and loving ourselves and our stories no matter what, is so essential to healing and living a happy and fulfilled life... It's that humanity I see in everyone, looking at everyone in a very raw and poetic way, that I think gives me a very unique perspective - at least for wedding photography! All the fascinations and wisdom I've accrued over the years are all things are things I can see in my creative work today, in how I relate to others, how I connect with my clients, and what I look for - that vulnerability and intimacy that is apparently what draws prospective clients to me and 100% inspires me when it comes to new project ideas.
As I sit here at the end of 2024 and look to the year ahead, I just hope that my words have resonated with you on some level, and that more beautiful people come my way with incredible stories etched into their bodies for me to capture in one way or another, for clients to continue trusting me with capturing their big day or telling their stories somehow, and that my life and my work continue to enmesh in the most magical and significant of ways.
Lots of love to you all,
Hannah Wilde x
