TWIA PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR 2021
The Wedding Industry Awards
(TWIA)
Considered by many in the wedding world to be ‘the big one’ TWIA is the only regional and national client voted awards in the wedding industry. It was set up to recognise excellent wedding suppliers - not just photographers, and to help anyone organising a wedding find the best suppliers.
“TWIA is the most coveted, credible, rigorous and independent Awards in our Industry”.
Established in 2011 it is the original and best client-voted, expert-judged, Regional and National Awards programme for the UK Wedding Industry.
It is an incredible, humbling honour to have been announced as the Regional winner of ‘photographer of the year for the North West’, and Highly commended (runner up) for the UK. Especially since in the same year I was also ranked number 1 in the UK and number 4 in the world with ‘This is Reportage’ and also in the top 25 in the world with ‘Fearless’ regarded as the most prestigious photography award of all.
How it Works.
Unlike most other competitions where a photographer submits images to a jury, TWIA awards you based on your whole business - not just the photo’s - everything! From your website, your personality and customer service, your answers to the questions they ask, the final images, and most importantly, the feedback from the couples whose weddings you have been a part of in the last year. To even become a finalist for your region you need almost full marks in every category and this is why I am so happy and humbled to have won in my region. After a turbulent year due to covid I wanted to win this to give confidence to all future couples that not only can I take a decent picture, but also that they can count on me as a person.
The regional finalists are then judged by a panel, and the winners go on to become national finalists. The winners are then announced on stage in London…Sadly this year they were announced live on YouTube!
So while an element of this post is a bit of a ‘humble brag’ as they say, I wanted to use this as a testimonial page. Below are some of the comments from my couples, and also after that what the judges - experts and world class photographers themselves had said about me.
What my couples said…
“I would honestly not of had anyone else photograph my wedding and I know a lot of photographers with my job. David is absolutely the best there is out there and I would recommend him a million times over. He is so professional, friendly and just captures even more than you ever expected. David should win this category over and over again, year after year.” - Jen & Josh.
“If anyone was to ever ask for me for a photographer to recommend for their wedding I would not hesitate in saying David Scholes. His ability to capture “real time” moments in a stunning way is what really sets him apart from the rest. We could not have asked for anything more from him. And a thoroughly nice bloke to work with too which always helps!” Laura & James.
“David was fantastic from start to finish. On meeting him it was clear that he immediately understood our vision. On the day he did not disappoint. He captured special moments in clever and unique ways and he was able to do this by blending in so well with the party that he felt like one of the guests. We didn’t have to ask for anything it was like he could read our minds! We were so overwhelmed by the quality of the pictures - he encapsulated the day. Couldn’t be happier.” Rachel & Graham.
“We can not fault David. We loved every single photograph taken. Our expectations of documenting the day were totally exceeded. He captured every single special moment and took so much care in getting to know us and understand our day. Every single person who has viewed our photographs loves them. We can’t rate and recommend him enough. His personality, creativity and ability to capture ‘moments’ make him really special.” Sarah & Phil.
“The photographs David took at our wedding are fantastic. They are exactly the style of photo we had in mind and cover every aspect of our day. We were confident that we would like David's photographs from looking at previous material on his informative website but he even surpassed our high expectations. David was very good at advising when and where we should have group and couples shots which included visiting our venue in advance to see what he thought would work best. Couldn't be happier!” Anna & Dan.
“Worth every penny spent! So so many comments from family and friends of how amazing our photos were! Dave put us and our wedding guest fully at ease and especially my partner for the intimate shots! We have memories for life and told through the most beautiful photos of the day! Could not recommend highly enough to anyone and everyone. Will be booking for other occasions for the family!!” Emily & Stephen.
“Dave was not only a great photographer but we had a good laugh with him at both our engagement shoot and wedding day, really great guy and lots of fun as well as providing really lovely / Meaningful pics” Nadia & Andrew.
“David is amazing at what he does. He has a wonderful style, particularly with images that capture light and shade, as well as special moments/emotions throughout the wedding. He captured our day exactly how we wanted it and, even after almost a year, I look forward to looking back at my pictures often. A true talent to the industry.” Jenny & Jonah.
“David was an exceptional, professional and friendly person from the first moment we met him at a wedding fair. Whilst wedding planning I thought finding a wedding photographer would be very difficult due to us having a Multi Cultural wedding with 2 ceremonies & the fact that I have a personal interest in photography but David dispelled that worry. Pre, post and during our wedding he was absolutely brilliant & went above & beyond. His photos were perfect in capturing our special (long) day.” Pritesh & Helen.
“As soon as we met with David, we both knew that he was the photographer for us! He was so down to earth and friendly that we instantly felt comfortable around him. On our wedding day we had rather miserable weather and I was worried about how the photos might turn out but David managed to tell the story of our wedding day perfectly, capturing some spectacular shots, which were better than I ever imagined. He engaged well with our guests and made sure that the memories are preserved perfectly!” Aimee & Gary.
“David was incredible on the day and afterwards. His natural relaxed style meant he became one of the guests whilst we simultaneously got some incredible photos. I would recommend him to anyone.” Caroline & Phillip.
“Dave met with us before the wedding to ensure he understood what we wanted from our photographs. He was approachable right up to the night before when I was still bugging him! Dave was great on the wedding day, putting our children at ease. He faded into the background when appropriate but had good presence when needed. It was a joy to spend some of the time alone with him to get some pictures of just me and my husband. The photos are amazing and Dave has won several big awards from our wedding!” Sarah & Marc.
“David is an incredible photographer and captured the most amazing photos of our special day! David is not only an incredibly talented photographer but he is a pleasure to be around, brining an incredible energy and enthusiasm, nothing is too much to ask and he is a joy to be around. David blends in with the wedding party and captures the most amazing natural photos of friends and family without them even realising he is There. I can not think of a more deserving winner!!” Katy & David.
“Fantastic photographer, he was a part of the day and made us feel so relaxed. The photos turned out better than we ever imagined and 18 months on I still look at them regularly and spot a new one! It feels like we are reliving the day and the emotions all over again. Every single guest has been in touch with us since the wedding to tell us how amazing the photos are and we couldn’t agree more.” Anya & Paul.
“Working with Dave was a real pleasure - from discussing the day and style of shots we wanted through to the finished photos and albums. He has such a talent in capturing moments and emotions, he has a really flexible approach and slotted right into our wedding!” Sima & Bhavin.
What the Judges said…
“Incredible work David! I thoroughly enjoyed viewing it; you have an incredible talent of capturing a moment in such a well crafted way. There is a strong consistency throughout your portfolio and your framing/compositions and execution are hard to fault.”
“I absolutely love your passion, your storytelling ability and consistency. It's evident from your work that you have a genuine passion for photography and for capturing peoples love. Your attitude to Photography and to the industry is professional and is an example for many to follow.”
“Really, really lovely work! You know what it's like when you look through another photographers work, see a bunch of bloody lovely images, sigh and think to yourself "wish I'd shot that"? Well, that's what it's like looking through your website. There's an image on your homepage - bridesmaid's knees and bouquets - which has the most incredible light and is a total case in point. You also come across as a thoroughly decent and likeable chap which these days is utterly priceless.”
“I really enjoyed delving more into your work after knowing it from Instagram. Strong and consistent style, and a real eye for the moment. I favour the honest and the real rather than the stereotypical backlit sunset shots and endless posed images, and so I connect greatly with your work. Nice website, easy to use, pleasing to the eye. Great client feedback and supporting statement.”
“I think your work is exceptional and out of all the entrants if I had to book someone it would be you. I love your processing, the graphic elements in your work and the connection between the couple. Your storytelling is a joy.”
“Superb documentary wedding photography. You have a real talent in spotting creative opportunities in a hectic wedding environment ... this is a real skill. Keep doing what you are doing.”
“Outstanding documentary photography, real fan of your ability to capture moments in a visually interesting way. Clearly accomplished with light and composition as well. Plus very strong portraits as well! Top work mate.”
“A wonderful eye for visual storytelling and seeing interesting and complex compositions. This is a world class portfolio of work.”
