YORK PLACE
PHOTO & FILM STUDIO

Documentary Wedding Photographers & Filmmakers

YORK PLACE STUDIOS

From weddings to family life, events and beyond, we are documentary photographers and videographers celebrating the unscheduled beats and seemingly insignificant moments that tell the real stories of life through the lens.

documentary wedding photographers York Place Studios shoot a wedding
"Two of the best wedding photographers in the world"
We are a close family team of UK photographers and videographers, capturing weddings and events with a documentary approach and a street photographer's eye.

Remember your wedding the way it felt

Watch to get a feel for the way we think about weddings
video cover image

A Different Way of Seeing

Our documentary approach is rooted in the philosophy set out in our book, “Is This Something?”. Instead of directing your day, we immerse ourselves in the atmosphere, seeking out the unscripted energy and the character-driven moments that truly define how your wedding felt.
Why Choose Documentary Style?

What we do - The Art of the Unscripted

01. We Celebrate the Unscripted 
We value the spontaneous and the beautifully imperfect. We believe that real memories are far more powerful than staged ones and move our feet – not yours – to capture them.

02. We Make You Look Amazing
Documentary doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty. We bring a portrait-level attention to detail to every candid moment, ensuring you look incredible without ever being staged.

03. We Document the Chemistry
Our focus is on the connections between people – the laughter, the quiet glances, and the energy of the room. We capture the people you love and the relationships you share exactly as they are.

04. We Seek the Character
We look for the quirks, the “is this something?” moments, and the unique details that make your wedding yours. We don’t follow a Pinterest template; we follow the real story.

05. We Capture it First Time
You won’t have to tie your tie a dozen times or freeze mid-action. We have the instinct and experience to capture the moment perfectly the first time it happens, without staged “re-do’s”.

06. We Keep You With Your People
We love capturing the day entirely unposed, so having portraits and groups is entirely your choice. If you do want some formal shots we keep it brief and relaxed so you can get straight back to your guests.

portrait level unposed wedding photography by York Place Studios
Unposed, documentary interpretation of a traditional wedding "group shot"
Bride and groom celebrate on the dancefloor, captured perfectly in the moment by Documentary wedding photographers Dominique &
"They are engaged and focused on the people and the place and document the real day, the real people, the love, the laughter and the nonsense which surrounds weddings and all they entail with their own outstanding take on documentary photography. It is this expertise which makes them such astoundingly great photographers - conveying the very essence of our wedding day in film with real heart, talent and conviction. Book them today!"

- JOAN & STEPHEN, YORKSHIRE WEDDING
Now booking for 2026 & 2027

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 & Film

Two Specialist Teams. One Intuitive Vision.

"Our job is not just to exceed our couple's expectations, it is to exceed their imaginations."
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, forgetting the cameras are even there. By adopting a quiet, observational approach, we protect the atmosphere of your celebration - capturing the in-between "is this something?" moments, the belly laughs, and the fleeting connections that a scripted photoshoot would miss.
To capture these stories with complete authenticity, we work as two specialist teams with one intuitive vision. Liam and Dominique focus exclusively on the art of the still image, while Matt and Alex are dedicated entirely to the craft of documentary filmmaking. Because we are a family team, we move as a single unit - anticipating the same beats and sharing the same silence - ensuring your photography and film are perfectly in sync without ever competing for space or breaking the flow of your day.
We don't believe in splitting our focus. We believe in the mastery of two distinct, world-class crafts, ensuring both your photography and film receive our total creative energy.
Watch the video to see us in action and hear more about our ethos, motivation and candid, unobtrusive approach.

Meet Your Family Photo & Video Team

Three Siblings. One Husband. A Shared Instinct and a Personal Commitment
More About Us
Wedding Photographer Dominique Shaw (York Place Studios) is raised on the shoulders of the groomsmen in a moment of ecstasy on the dance floor of a York Wedding
dominique and liam viewing their proof for the first time
York Place is a family team of four. We don’t use freelancers or strangers; when you book us, you get us, from being the photographers and filmmakers with you on your day, to personally hand-crafting your photographs, films and slideshow after the event.

Liam & Dominique lead our photography, while Matt & Alex lead our cinema. Together, we provide a unified, intuitive documentary experience that protects the atmosphere of your day.
An Internationally Respected Authority on the Art of Documentary Wedding Photography

Documentary Weddings: London, UK & Worldwide

See more of our recent weddings in full, all captured documentary style
Whether we are documenting a backyard celebration in Yorkshire or a three-day celebration in the heart of London, our goal remains the same: to exceed your imagination. Browse our recent documentary photography and cinema stories to see how our family team captures the unique character of every location and every couple we meet.
The Art of the Unscripted: Defining the Genre
How do we approach your day both in photo & film?
Unposed wedding moment captured on the steps of Islington Town Hall - Groom wraps the bride's veil around his neck like a scarf whilst the bride stands to his left and the guests (behind) start to follow them
Nothing Posed, Nothing Staged ....
Documentary wedding photography is often misunderstood as simply "not posing." For us, it is a much deeper, deliberate way of seeing - an obsession with the choreography of chaos and the art found in seemingly insignificant moments.

The Power of the Single Frame

While documentary photography often relies on a sequence of frames, our aim is to ensure every individual image tells a compelling story in its own right. We seek out the "choreography of chaos"—capturing self-contained moments that hold their own power and resonance even when taken entirely out of context.

Seeing Beyond the Obvious

We specialize in seeing beyond the obvious action, finding the magic in unplanned, ambiguous scenes that a standard checklist would miss. While the big milestones are always captured, our focus is on people being people: hunting for the real, raw, and characterful moments that reveal the true soul of your community.
Comedic documentary style wedding photograph. A boy in a zebra mask stares at a painting of an elephant
Documentary wedding photography at Greenwich Yacht Club capturing a candid moment of children and adults exploring the river beach at low tide.
documentary weddings
Front cover photograph of Liam & Dominique Shaw's documentary wedding photography book "Is This Something?"
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.
Ready to see this in action?
Check out our Documentary Wedding Photography portfolio and approach
Our Documentary Approach

Picture of the week

Each week we highlight a favourite unposed moment from our portfolio - a single frame that captures the heart of documentary photography.

– Wedding,
Bloomsbury Lanes, London, United Kingdom,
The Dual Frequency,
Sometimes, the most compelling stories are told in the clashing temperatures of a private suite.

See more details about this week's picture
York Place Studios picture of the week

FUJIFILM X-H2S | XF23MM F1.4 R LM WR | 1/160 | F/2.0 |ISO 6400

– Wedding, Bloomsbury Lanes, London, United Kingdom,
The Dual Frequency,
Sometimes, the most compelling stories are told in the clashing temperatures of a private suite.

See more details about this week's picture
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.
Street photograph captured in New York, USA. Man looks through the window of the Staten Island Ferry, looking on to the Manhatten skyline.
New York
USA
Street photograph captured in Budapest, Hungary. Figure is silhouetted in the top right corener, amongst multiple stripes of light and colour.
Budapest
HUNGARY
Street photograph captured in Barcelona, Spain. Figure is photographed in the distance on a beach, shot through a yellow window
Barcelona
SPAIN
Street photography is our creative laboratory—the place where we experiment with new ideas and sharpen the “Is This Something?” shorthand that defines our vision. By pushing our boundaries in the world's most unpredictable environments, we ensure our documentary instincts remain as sharp and reactive as the cameras we carry.
We don’t believe in industry templates or capturing the same shots week in, week out. Every time we pick up a camera, we want to create something new that excites our couples as much as it excites us. The more we open our eyes to the world, the more creative we can be for you on the day.
WATCH DOMINIQUE SHOOTING STREET PHOTOGRAPHY IN LONDON IN FUJIFILM'S X-E4 LAUNCH COMMERCIAL
Documentary Wedding Photographersuk wedding photographers
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!
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.

Your wedding isn’t just a celebration of your relationship. It’s a celebration of who you are and of everybody you love. It’s not about impressing anyone, or who you can pretend to be; it’s about bringing people together, laughing hard, remembering old times and creating memories that none of you will ever forget.

Now booking for 2026 & 2027