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About me
HELLO, I’M MICHELLE.
Wedding photographer of 13 years. Story watcher. Flamingo obsessive. And firm believer that your photographs should look incredible without your wedding becoming a photoshoot.
I’m based in Manchester and photograph weddings across the North West, throughout the UK and wherever else a good love story takes me.
My approach is documentary at heart, I watch, anticipate and photograph what’s actually happening.
But I also love beautiful things.
Great light. Interesting architecture. Movement. A gorgeous outfit. A little romance.
So when it comes to your portraits, I’ll step in, give you some direction and create something a little more intentional.
The real story, with an editorial, romantic edge.
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BUT WHO’S ACTUALLY TURNING UP TO YOUR WEDDING?
I’m a wife to Terence, mum of four and currently outranked in my own home by eight cats.
I have a slightly ridiculous love of flamingos, they’ve been part of Weddings by Michelle Louise for a long time, so although they’re no longer taking over the place, you’ll probably still spot one occasionally.
I love travelling, particularly Greece and Cyprus, and I’m fascinated by anything slightly weird or wonderful. Give me a paranormal story, true crime documentary or spooky podcast and I’m happy, particularly when I’ve got a wedding gallery to edit.
Music is a big one too.
I’m a Manchester girl with a Manchester Bee tattoo and a serious soft spot for the whole Madchester scene. The Stone Roses will forever have my heart, and yes, I cried when I finally saw them at the Etihad.
I waited twenty years. I stand by it.
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WHY PHOTOGRAPHY?
This bit goes back much further than Weddings by Michelle Louise.
I grew up as an Army kid.
We moved around, friends changed and family wasn’t always nearby. Photographs became the thing I could keep.
People. Places. Moments. Little pieces of life that otherwise disappear.
I was always the kid with the camera, school trips, friends, days out, anything really. At our 20-year school reunion, most of the photographs on the display wall were mine.
Were some of them questionable?
Absolutely.
But they were our memories.
And I think that’s probably why I’ve always been drawn to documentary photography.
A photograph doesn’t have to be perfect to become priceless.
Sometimes it’s the expression in the background, the person you love laughing exactly as you remember them, or a completely ordinary moment that means everything years later.
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WHY WEDDINGS?
Because weddings have all of it.
People you love in one place.
Nerves. Anticipation. Beautiful details. Big emotions. Tiny moments. Family dynamics. Champagne. Speeches. Romance. Chaos.
And somewhere in amongst all of that, two people getting married.
My job isn’t to turn your wedding into something it wasn’t.
It’s to notice it.
To photograph the moments you know are happening and keep watching for the ones you don’t.
And when we take a little time for your portraits, I’ll switch gears.
I’ll find the light, use the surroundings, give you direction and create photographs that feel a little more editorial and romantic without losing the connection between the two of you.
I know when to step in. And, just as importantly, I know when not to.
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WHAT IT’S LIKE TO HAVE ME THERE
I’m not completely silent in a corner pretending I don’t exist.
If something needs organising, I’ll organise it.
If your dress needs sorting, I’ll sort it.
If the light is incredible and I need you outside for five minutes, I’ll come and find you.
I’ll guide you through portraits so you’re never standing there wondering what on earth you’re supposed to do.
But when your dad is looking at you during the ceremony, your friends are crying with laughter or your nan has taken over the dance floor?
That’s not mine to direct.
That’s when I watch.
Because you shouldn’t have to choose between being completely present at your wedding and having incredible photographs of it.
You can have both.
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AND WHEN I’M NOT PHOTOGRAPHING WEDDINGS…
You’ll probably find me with Terence and the kids, surrounded by cats, planning another trip, listening to something paranormal while I edit, drinking a strong Yorkshire tea, snacking on salted popcorn or putting The Stone Roses on again.
I’m professional when it matters, relaxed when it doesn’t need to be serious, and very invested in giving you photographs that will matter long after the wedding is over.
Because eventually the flowers disappear, the cake gets eaten and somebody has to take their heels off.
The photographs stay.
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THINK I MIGHT BE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER?
If you want someone who’ll document the real story, create some bloody beautiful portraits and let you get on with actually having your wedding…
I’d love to hear what you’re planning.
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