1. Where did you grow up?

Birmingham in the UK.

2. How did you develop your polished, focused style?

At the very beginning, it was with a lot of trial and error, learning from my mistakes and growing. I looked at photographers who inspired me and attended their workshops. Jerry Ghionis will always stand out to me the most. His was the first workshop I attended. It was so valuable to me at that time and I took away so much knowledge, helping me understand lighting, posing and editing a lot better. From there, I experimented and refined my work further. My inspiration now comes from my surroundings: fashion, film, music and art.

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3. You’ve said that your goal is to remain unobtrusive, though much of your work looks posed. How do you balance that?

The vast majority of the day I remain unobtrusive, capturing moments as they happen. I really don’t want to get involved with these moments as I want to capture them as raw as possible. The 5 percent of the day that I can control, I will. My clients want to look as best as possible and that comes with good lighting and clever posing.

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4. What kinds of precautions do you take to make sure you’re delivering at least one “wow” shot to your client from their wedding day?

I make sure there is enough time in the itinerary for portraits for me to do this. I ask for around 60 to 90 minutes after the ceremony, but this is usually shortened to around 30 or 45 minutes due to delays. Creating at least one “wow” shot can be done throughout the day, however. I’m always experimenting on the job when I get the chance.

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5. What editing faux pas do you see a lot of?

Oversharpening. I see a lot of this recently and it can cause halos around subjects (which can be removed in Photoshop). I always sharpen an image at the last stage prior to printing.

[A Photographer’s Guide to Computers and Software in 2019]

6. What’s your weirdest quirk?

I’m a shoe and hat collector. I have a crazy collection of these and can’t stop buying. My wife says I’m addicted.

7. What’s your favorite food?

Sushi. I love trying new sushi joints in London. One of my favorite dishes has to be a California roll, but recently I tried a new dish with wagyu as the main ingredient—wow! 

8. What do you know now about wedding photography that you wish you had earlier?

Creating solid relationships with other wedding vendors is really important. These relationships will last for years, and the continuous referrals and support is valuable. Supporting all other businesses within the industry is vital for growth as a whole.

[Six-Figure Wedding Photography: Solidifying Vendor Relationships and Scoring Referrals]

9. What’s your goal for 2020?

To travel more, specifically to China and Japan. I love experiencing different cultures. Other than that, I want to push myself further creatively. I have so many ideas in my head for shoots and have written them all down. I think it’s time to put them into reality and get out of my comfort zone.

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10. What’s your greatest fear?

Snakes.

Gurvir Johal, a Master of WPPI, is a UK-based wedding photographer specializing in Asian weddings with a photojournalistic approach.