Digital Wedding Forum - Wedding photography's home on the web.

Location - Kent, UK
Business Name - Level Eleven
Years in Business - 3 years Full-time, two years part-time before that.
Website - www.level11.co.uk
Blog - http://levelelevenphotography.blogspot.com/
PM - Contact Russ

DWF - Let's start off with a little bio, tell us a little bit about yourself.

RUSS - I’m 40 and live in a little village called Birchington, tucked away in the most south-easterly tip of England, nearer to France than London. I left Bog Street Elementary at 16 with zero qualifications or direction and eventually fell into Estate Agency in ‘94. It turned out I had a bit of a talent for selling so I opened my own agency 10 months later. I eventually sold it at the end of ’2005 when I realised I loved shooting weddings and hated estate agency! I’m married to Emma who works with me in Level Eleven. We’ve got a little black Staffie called ‘Chutz’ and an 8 month old food-to-pooh-converter called Hetty. In what little spare time I have, I play with boats and - bizarrely – hovercraft. In November this year, we’re moving to Australia’s Sunshine Coast, so I’ll be starting all over again for the third time!

DWF - How did you become a wedding photographer?

RUSS - Back in 2001, I had a guy working for me that needed some cash quick and I bought a Canon SLR film camera off him for shooting car and hovercraft racing. It really bit me and I started photographing a few friends as well – I even enrolled on a college course. Finally, some education! Then a mate asked me to shoot their wedding, which was a bloody nightmare but they seemed happy with the results. I was happy just to have survived it and didn’t fancy weddings much after that. It was 2002 at a friends wedding where (in hindsight) I was playing Uncle Bob, that I got talking to the photographer – an eccentric, Versace wearing Serbian called ‘Dragan’ who was shooting on digital, drove a BMW M3 and made wedding photography look fun. He was wacky and amusing – the guests loved him and he reawakened my interest in shooting weddings. We ended up really good friends and he mentored me (it thoroughly embarrasses Dragan when I say he was my mentor but it’s true – and he’s not a member here!) He invited me to his studio, was absolutely open in everything he taught me and took me out on weddings. A month later I bought a Canon D60 and shot a couple of freebies. Over the course of the next two years, part time, I shot around 30 weddings before turning full time when I sold the estate agency in 2005. I owe Dragan a lot - without him I'd probably still be doing a job i hates.

DWF- Who or what inspires you as an artist?

RUSS - Without wanting to sound all ’Cecil Beaton’ about it, my biggest inspiration is beauty. I love Ferrari’s, sunsets, buildings with character and great architecture, fabulous clothes on pretty girls, pretty girls(!) Supermarine Spitfires, well-lit movies, amazing sculptures, stunning artwork and golden beaches. I could go on, but my biggest inspirations are rarely photographic, though there’s plenty of photographers who’s work I admire and I’m an avid reader of Dazed & Confused, id-magazine and the missus copy of Vogue. I don’t know whether it counts as inspiration or not, but I want to be good at what I do and I work hard to produce great work, appreciated by my clients. I like being recognised as a reasonable tog, and I’m not ashamed to say that I do enjoy the praise of photographers that I respect when I feel my work warrants it.

DWF- If we needed a photographer today why would we book you? What makes you unique?

RUSS - I guess it would be my consistent ability to make couples look good and give them a good experience. I have a lot of interaction with the couple and their guests on the day, and direct a lot of images. I make it fun which means I get some ‘life’ into my albums and I believe that reality often needs a nudge in the right direction before it makes a great image!

DWF- If you had to pick a favorite "Tool of the Trade" what would it be? and why?

RUSS - Not a terribly glamorous answer, but Gary Fong’s ‘Getting Rich as a Tog’ DVD. In my opinion, it's the most valuable tool I ever bought. I really enjoy the business of wedding photography and this dvd taught me a huge amount.

DWF - Care to share your favorite photograph? and tell us a bit about it?

RUSS - This has become, kind of, my 'signature shot' and we use it on virtually all Level Eleven branding and advertising. I was lucky enough to shoot a wedding in Venice last year and all the pieces fell into place. Great location, good weather and light, good looking, willing couple.....it just doesn't happen like that!

DWF - How about some final words to live by?

RUSS - If you can find a job you truly love, you’ll never do another days work in your life.