Former Pupil Katie Ingram Converts Her Love Of Photography Into A Business

One former pupil whose portrait and wedding photography has really stood out over the last couple of years is Katie Ingram, from the Class of 1997, and she very kindly agreed to an interview recently about her life since graduating from Loughborough University.

After her BTEC diploma in Art and Design, Katie studied Fine Art for her degree and began to specialise in photography from her 2nd year at university- a creative passion that her father instilled in her when she was growing up in Coventry.

Katie, a Nikon fan, now covers more than 30 weddings a year and had already shot seven in the month she met with us. Her work is very distinctive, as she concentrates on a stunning volumised effect for her portraits shots, and there are many galleries on her Facebook page and website to inspire the next generation of Bablake pupils looking to work in the creative arts.

As well as pressing Katie for some photographic tips, the conversation concentrated on her key areas of enjoyment as a wedding photographer. She said: 'Every wedding has a favourite moment; very often this happens at the reception during the speeches, when it is lovely to capture the guests' natural reactions. However, I am always giddy with excitement at reviewing each set of new photographs I take, as there are always surprise shots that stand out.

My key aim is to make the wedding party's day totally special and in the post-processing of my photographs, I really concentrate on emphasising the beauty of the bride and the couple in question's close friendship.'

Katie's philosophy is always modern yet professional. She confirmed she gives all the photographs taken on the day to the married couple: 'It is their event, not mine, so why should I keep any of the photos?! I want them to see them all!'

She spoke about how important it was to meet the couple before the wedding day to get to know them and work out the photographic expectations for the big day. One of Katie's many professional strengths is blending seamlessly into the whole wedding day, which ensures the photographs taken are as natural as possible. Like a good referee, the best photographers are those you do not notice during an event!

She ensures some of the photographs from the big day are online by the end of the day and would always expect to have post-processed the full set within a month of the wedding.

Conversation covered the necessary military precision to ensure reaching the wedding venue well in advance, telling the full story of the day and the importance of backing up the photographs taken as soon as possible after the event. We also talked about her work with professional models where Pinterest is so important for creating a 'mood board' for the shoot.

Katie has never looked back after taking the plunge to go 'full-time' as a photographer. It also seems a long time ago for her since working on early projects, such as for a friend's family garden furniture business, that allowed her to cut her photographic teeth. However, she really has found her perfect niche.

In summary, Katie's top tips were: 'Enjoy the day, put the wedding couple at ease, be reasonably vocal when setting up the 'formal shots' but engage the help of the best man to help with these, and always remember it is a privilege to be part of the wedding day.'

Despite meeting Katie on one of the grimmest days, as regards weather, of this glorious summer, she was still able to pass on a few practical tips. Most crucially, she reinvented your reporter's confidence in using the f1.8 50mm lens, one of the cheapest but most versatile pieces of glass that Canon and Nikon users will ever enjoy shooting with.

We talked about how to use natural light to the best effect and Katie also confirmed that every photographer is always looking to take the best shot he or she has ever taken with every new assignment!