Unposed, Documentary Photography & Films
YORK PLACE STUDIOS
Celebrating the unscheduled beats and seemingly insignificant moments that tell the real stories of life through the lens.
FUJIFILM X-PRO 2 | XF23MM F1.4R | 1/500 | F/6.4 | ISO 1600
FUJIFILM X-PRO 2 | XF23MM F1.4R | 1/500 | F/6.4 | ISO 1600
FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF56MM F1.2 R | 1/3200 | F/3.6 | ISO 400
FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF56MM F1.2 R | 1/3200 | F/3.6 | ISO 400
FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R | 1/250 | F/4 | ISO 3200
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FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/250 | F/7.1 | ISO 1600
FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/250 | F/7.1 | ISO 1600
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FUJIFILM X-H2S | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/400 | F/13 | ISO 800
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FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/400 | F/9 | ISO 800
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FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R | 1/1000 | F/3.2 | ISO 800
FUJIFILM X-PRO2 | XF23MM F1.4 R | 1/1000 | F/3.2 | ISO 800
CANON EOS 5D MKIII | EF 35MM F1.4 L | 1/125 | F/1.8 | ISO 3200
CANON EOS 5D MKIII | EF 35MM F1.4 L | 1/125 | F/1.8 | ISO 3200
FUJIFILM X-H2S | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/1600 | F/8 | ISO 800
FUJIFILM X-H2S | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/1600 | F/8 | ISO 800
Documentary Wedding Photography
Renowned brother and sister documentary wedding photography duo Liam and Dominique Shaw capture the unexpected, spontaneous occurrences of a wedding between the scheduled events to capture the true life, community, personality and humour of a wedding day. Nothing posed, nothing staged, just real, raw, documentary moments captured with a creative twist.
Wedding Videography
Creative documentary wedding videographers Alex Shaw & Matt Thompson never pose the action and are allergic to cliché. Filming documentary style, they capture not just the bride and groom but the whole story of a wedding day, celebrating friendship, family and fun.
Family Photography
Forget perfect.
Family life isn't neat and tidy. Everyone doesn't always look prim and proper, you don't always stand in a line smiling sweetly. Family life is playful, it's disorganised; it's about laughing from your gut and seeing magic in the mundane. Family life isn't perfect. It's so much more than that. Capture the memory, not the fairytale.
Family life isn't neat and tidy. Everyone doesn't always look prim and proper, you don't always stand in a line smiling sweetly. Family life is playful, it's disorganised; it's about laughing from your gut and seeing magic in the mundane. Family life isn't perfect. It's so much more than that. Capture the memory, not the fairytale.
Event Videography
With vast expertise in both visuals and sound, the team at York Place Films look to capture not just the headline events but the feel and atmosphere of the occasion, placing the viewer right at the heart of the action.
Studio Photography
We believe that portraits should be more than just a pretty picture, they should be an explosion of personality. Our colourful, characterful headshot portraiture aims to bring real life to your walls.
STAY IN THE MOMENT
TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, WHEN THEY THINK 'DOCUMENTARY WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY', THEY THINK "YORK PLACE STUDIOS" - THEY REALLY ARE THAT SYNONYMOUS WITH THE CRAFT
- THIS IS REPORTAGE
Documentary Wedding Photography & Videography
Candid, documentary style wedding photographers and videographers, shooting London, across the UK and worldwide.
"Our job is not just to exceed our couple's expectations, it is to exceed their imaginations."
Why choose documentary style photography?
Life doesn't happen while you're smiling sweetly down the lens, it happens when you're lost in the moment, living and feeling every second. The greatest memories of your wedding can't be planned, staged or predicted, the best stories are yet to be written. All that matters is the moment.
Memories are not about look, they're about feel; the feeling of being surrounded by everyone you know and love, in one room at one time, with no other motive than to celebrate and enjoy. It's that feeling that guides our photography, that ensures that no two weddings can ever be the same. Because weddings are a celebration not just of two people but of a family, of a community. And to us there can be no more compelling subject to photograph and film.
Memories are not about look, they're about feel; the feeling of being surrounded by everyone you know and love, in one room at one time, with no other motive than to celebrate and enjoy. It's that feeling that guides our photography, that ensures that no two weddings can ever be the same. Because weddings are a celebration not just of two people but of a family, of a community. And to us there can be no more compelling subject to photograph and film.
Our entirely unposed, documentary style of both wedding photography and videography celebrates not just the scheduled events but the spontaneous occurrences that reveal real personality, highlight familiarity and relationships and showcase the fun, laughter and extraordinary atmosphere or your wedding day.
Watch the video to see us in action and hear more about our ethos, motivation and documentary approach.
What Is Documentary Wedding Photography?
How do we approach your day both in photo & film?
Nothing Posed, Nothing Staged ....
Documentary wedding photography is about capturing real moments, completely without posing or intervention in the scene. As documentary style photographers and videographers our mission is to read the scene in front of us, understand the possibilities of what could unfold and use creative composition to capture it in the most beautiful and interesting way possible.
But whilst documentary wedding photography often relies on telling stories through multiple frames, our personal aim is to ensure that each individual frame should tell a compelling story in its own right. Put them together and your wedding story is told in full, but take a single frame out of context and we hope it will hold a power all of its own, not just to those who were in attendance, but to those who were never there at all.
Whilst all wedding photographers shoot parts of the day unposed, the documentary wedding photographer specialises in seeing beyond the obvious action, finding the potential in the smallest detail and knowing where to be in order for unpredictable, spontaneous events to take place right in front of them. Whilst all those big, wonderful, pre-planned moments (the rings, confetti, the first dance) will of course be captured, we also look to find the magic and beauty in the unplanned, ambiguous scenes - the scenes of people being people: real, raw, humorous and characterful.
Whilst all wedding photographers shoot parts of the day unposed, the documentary wedding photographer specialises in seeing beyond the obvious action, finding the potential in the smallest detail and knowing where to be in order for unpredictable, spontaneous events to take place right in front of them. Whilst all those big, wonderful, pre-planned moments (the rings, confetti, the first dance) will of course be captured, we also look to find the magic and beauty in the unplanned, ambiguous scenes - the scenes of people being people: real, raw, humorous and characterful.
Documentary Wedding Photography? We (literally) wrote the book on it!
"Is This Something?" is our expansive workshop book, all about the art and craft of documentary wedding photography. The book (selling internationally) is a thorough explanation of our concepts and process, told through the course of a wedding day. Find out more on our dedicated publishing and education site:
www.seeminglyinsignificant.com
Popular Wedding Articles
Read more of our thoughts and concepts on the theme of wedding photography and videography.
How Do We Bring Street & Wedding Photography Together?
Our passion for street photography has long influenced our wedding work. Read how techniques learnt photographing cities around the world has changed the way we think about wedding photography.
Wedding Photography & Videography - The Key Similarities & Differences
Our photography & videography works seamlessly side by side, yet some shots work best in film and others in photo. Read more about how these two different mediums converge and diverge to create the ultimate coverage of your day.
What Is Documentary Wedding Photography?
Read our in-depth explanation of what documentary wedding photography is, how documentary photographers tend to work, why a documentary approach might work best for your wedding and what distinguishes one documentary photographer from another.
Documentary Wedding Videography - Capturing Things Naturally, Moment to Moment
Unposed, documentary photography is an established genre, yet documentary wedding videography remains, perhaps surprisingly, a less common style. Read all about how we approach your day and bring scenes to life.
Documentary Vs Reportage Vs Photojournalist - A Glossary of Terms
Unposed photography comes under many titles, but what do they really mean?
Dom and Liam are the most genuine, sweet and talented artists who were a highlight of our January wedding. Dom and Liam expertly fitted into the tone of the wedding, being completely unnoticeable in the intimate church setting, but being friendly and getting on with all our guests at the same time. The photos of the day speak for themselves. They are everything we asked for and more, each one is a piece of art in its own right. They went above and beyond what was asked of them to make the day perfect and we will aways have the photos they took to remember not only the day but the amazing people that took them.
- Beth & Tim
There’s no words good enough to describe how brilliant York Place Studios were! We knew we didn’t want conventional wedding shots; we wanted everyone at our wedding to relax, enjoy the day and be themselves, and that included ourselves! Looking at Dom & Liam’s work online and then talking to them before booking confirmed for us that they were the right choice, and the service they provide is second-to-none. The pictures are beautiful, funny, and heartwarming, you can tell that this team care about the people they are photographing and the story they are telling. Their art is amazing. The moments they have caught of our friends, family and all our loved ones will stay with us forever!
- Bex & Dave
Where do I start??? These guys really are the masters of their art. I didn’t want traditional, staged photos for our wedding and was looking for something more spontaneous and humorous. I came across Dom and Liam’s website and was blown away. They were exactly what I was looking for – fun, silly and different. On the day, they really were amazingly friendly and easy to work with. And then the photos arrived… oh my God!!! Unbelievable! I have nothing but praise for these guys – book them now!!!
- Gemma & John
We could not recommend Dom and Liam enough! We had the most amazing day and a huge amount of that was down to them being the best photographers ever! We absolutely loved having them photograph our day. They were so thoughtful, enthusiastic, subtle and just basically great fun to be around! It was like having a couple of friends there, which is exactly what we wanted.
- Rhona & Chris
We knew that getting the right photographer was really important for us, we really wanted something natural, that captured all the tiny moments, and that wasn’t at all forced (neither of us are particularly comfortable with having our photo taken). On the day Dom & Liam kept us both very calm and made us feel so comfortable! They really did blend into the background, and all of our guests commented on how unobtrusive they were (and how lovely). They captured all the moments we missed, managed to catch the feeling of the day, and to catch a true sense of all our friends and family. Every time we look at our photos we notice something different, remember something different.
- Rebecca & John
Dom and Liam are fantastic photographers. Not only do they take stunning photographs but they are also a very intuitive pair. They have the ability to read and understand couples perfectly so that by the day of the wedding they already know what shots will work and what will suit the couple best. They really capture the spirit of those they’re photographing through a combination of beautifully classical shots as well as stunningly artistic photographs. We are so grateful to them for making our special day even more special with gorgeous and memorable photos we’ll be proud to show our children and our children’s children. 5 stars isn’t nearly enough, let’s crank this up to 11!
- Sarah & Will
We both agreed we didn’t want the “conventional-people-smiling-to-the-camera” kind of pictures, we wanted to capture the wedding, the moment, as they were. Opening hundreds of tabs revealed more and more of the same until we saw York Place Studios – immediately we stopped and said This Is It. The photos on their website were so mesmerising, we wanted to frame them without knowing the people, and this is the difference between traditional wedding pictures to the art they bring. Dom, Liam and Matt were so nice to communicate with, and during the day just blended in with our guests. The result is phenomenal. We cannot recommend York Place Studios enough.
- Hadar & Dan
The gratitude we feel toward Dom and Liam has only grown since our wedding. The second we found them we knew having them there would be a must. We ended up getting married in Nantucket, Massachusetts and they excitedly made the long journey from the UK. Our wedding was truly intimate…just our families on one big vacation. And Dom and Liam felt like they were a part of the family throughout it all. The way in which they captured our day is something we will treasure for the rest of our lives. No posing, perfectly imperfect….just as it happened. Each time we go through them we find little bits that we never noticed. They exceeded our expectations beyond what we can describe in words.
- Shelby & Creagh
STREET PHOTOGRAPHY
Finding Photographs In Everyday Life
Whether we're shooting street photography, wedding photography, family or even iPhone shots, to us there's no difference. Whatever we document, we shoot with purpose. It's not about genre, it's just photography; it's just how we see the world.
Havana, Trinidad
CUBA
Tokyo, Kyoto
JAPAN
Colombo, Galle, Kandy
SRI LANKA
Rome
Italy
New York
USA
Budapest
HUNGARY
Barcelona
SPAIN
Oaxaca
MEXICO
Scarborough, Blyth, Newcastle, London
ENGLAND
Projects
COMMISSIONS
Street photography is not just our hobby, it's our practice ground - the place we experiment with new ideas and hone our craft. It's where we learned to push the boundaries of what documentary wedding photography could be and capture new perspectives that were previously invisible to us.
Because we don't want to capture the same shots week in, week out. Every time we pick up a camera we want to create something new, something that excites us as much as it excites our brides and grooms. The more opportunities we open our eyes to, the more creative we can be on the day.
WATCH DOMINIQUE SHOOTING STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN LONDON IN FUJIFILM'S X-E4 LAUNCH COMMERCIAL
Documentary Wedding Photographs recognised in International Street Photography Competition.
Our wedding work has long been influenced by street photography - so much so that two of our documentary wedding photographs were finalists in the world-respected London Street Photography Festival!
An Internationally Respected Authority on the Art of Documentary Wedding Photography
SPEAKING EVENTS
The York Place team regularly speak and offer workshops at the biggest photography events in the world. Recent appearances include Ireland's "Doc-Day" - one of the world's biggest documentary wedding photography events, "BODAF" in Spain, "Transversal" in France, "Limitless" in Bali and Main stage talks at "The Photography & Video Show" in the UK.
AMBASSADORS
York Place Studios have been asked to be ambassadors for some of the world's leading photography brands, such as Fujifilm, Pic-Time, Digitalab and Narrative select. At York Place we only work with companies who share our values of innovation, creativity, quality and a fantastic customer experience.
AWARDS & PRESS
Whilst we now spend our time judging rather than entering awards, York Place has received numerous prestigious accolades, such as top place in the wedding category of the Rangefinder Awards, Top Fearless Photographer in the UK and multiple documentary wedding photography awards, including from "This Is Reportage", WPPI and WPJA.
BOOKS
Our book "Is This Something?", has been described as "The definitive go-to book for documentary wedding photographers." Selling all over the world, the book aims to celebrate and explain in detail the philosophies, ideas, techniques and principles that, to us, make documentary wedding photography such an incredible art form.
NOTHING POSED, NOTHING STAGED
THEY ARE INCREDIBLY PASSIONATE ABOUT SHOOTING WITH A TRUE DOCUMENTARY EYE. NOTHING IS STAGED OR POSED BUT STILL VERY INTENTIONAL AND CRAFTED. THEY OFTEN SHOOT WIDE AND USE LAYERS TO BUILD A SCENE AND RELAY A RICH NARRATIVE WITHIN EACH FRAME
- PROFESSIONAL PHOTO MAGAZINE
Discrete,
Creative,
Immersive.
Whether we're photographing your wedding, filming it, or both, our mission is to truly capture the spirit of your day. Our unified documentary style of photography and filming perfectly compliment one another, creating a seamless, comprehensive narrative of your wedding, showing not just what our brides and grooms got up to but everyone who was there on the day - the relationships, in-jokes and aspects of personality that remind you of who your friends and family really are. Because your wedding is not just a celebration of your love, it's time spent with all those closest to you and you never know which moment will prove the most important to you in time. That's why we want our photographs and films to be more than a memory - we want them to place you right back in the scene, even if you were never there to begin with.