Do you ever look at the wedding pros who are at the top of their game and wonder how they got there? Wedding photographer Stuart Wood is well known for his fine art, high end fashion style wedding photography. Working at venues such as the Four Seasons and The Savoy and travelling the world shooting weddings - his career is thriving. In today's episode I ask the questions about HOW he got to this point, to debunk the 'overnight success' theory and to show you what's possible.

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www.beccapountney.com

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Time Stamps:

Transitioning from Supermarket Manager to Photographer (00:02:07) Stuart discusses his journey from being a potential supermarket manager to pursuing his passion for photography.

Support and Taking the Leap (00:04:26) Stuart talks about the support he had from his family and the importance of embracing opportunities and taking risks.

Photographing Celebrities (00:07:26) Stuart shares his experience of reaching out to 250 celebrities and successfully photographing 25 of them, which changed his life and gave him valuable experience.

The transition to photography (00:09:42) Stuart discusses how he started in photography, his initial lack of creativity in weddings, and his journey to getting opportunities in the industry.

The big break with the BBC (00:10:41) Stuart shares his experience working on the set of Pride and Prejudice and how he got the main shot for the poster, leading to a significant breakthrough in his career.

Getting the Radio Times cover (00:11:38) Stuart talks about his goal of getting the Radio Times cover and finally achieving it in 2007 with a portrait of James Nesbitt in Jekyll's, highlighting the importance of persistence and hard work.

The transition to high-end weddings (00:19:57) Stuart discusses his decision to transition from regular wedding fairs to high-end venues like the Atelier, the Savoy, and the Four Seasons.

Opportunity at the Four Seasons (00:20:48) Stuart shares how he got the opportunity to photograph his team captain's wedding at the Four Seasons and how it led to becoming one of their recommended photographers.

Importance of relationships and representation (00:24:06) Stuart emphasizes the importance of building relationships, representing clients properly, and being professional in order to gain trust and recommendations from venues and clients.

The importance of branding and delivering quality (00:29:57) Stuart discusses the importance of having strong branding and delivering high-quality work to stand out in the luxury photography industry.

Challenging yourself and pushing boundaries (00:32:50) Stuart emphasizes the importance of getting out of your comfort zone, taking risks, and pushing yourself to deliver the best results for high-end clients.

Finding high-end clients through recommendations (00:36:46) Stuart explains that most of his high-end clients come through recommendations from wedding planners, venues, or previous clients, rather than through online searches.

The timestamp's title (time it starts) Stuart's Motivation (00:39:02) Stuart talks about how he realized that time was passing quickly and he is more motivated than ever to pursue his photography career.

Celebrating Success (00:39:56) Becca encourages Stuart to keep going and suggests celebrating his success by hosting a party at the Savoy or the Four Seasons.

Finding Stuart Wood (00:40:55) Becca discusses how to find Stuart Wood online by adding the word "photography" to the search and shares that she will include all of Stuart's links in the show notes.

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