“I love Love My Dress, and the brides who come by here ~ I would love to document the story of their beautiful weddings. Each couple and each wedding is unique, so I would like to offer a 15% discount on the album product of their choice…”
Happy lunchtime lovelies! I’m delighted to introduce you to a new sponsor this afternoon, the delectable Ria Mishaal. Ria is a super lovely lady, I met her recently at The Luxury Wedding Show, where she was working with my friend Vicky Rowe of Vintage Teasets and Leluxe UK. I also featured a wedding of Ria’s last week.
Ria is a wonderful photographer; I just love how she approaches her work with such sensitivity and grace. At the end of this feature are details of how you can qualify for a 15% discount on any of Ria’s album products, but for now, let’s learn a little more about the lady behind the camera….
“Hello Love My Dress readers! My name is Ria Mishaal. I am a photographer for people who are in love with life and in love with each other.
I live in Oxford, and I regularly photograph weddings in Oxford, Cambridge and Bristol. I travel to visit clients and enjoy going to special locations which are meaningful to a couple for their engagement shoots, like Edinburgh and Brighton. My first love in photography was travel photography, so I have a passion for new cultures and environments…”
Love My Dress Wedding Blog – Photography Copyright (c) 2011, Ria Mishaal
“I grew up amongst old cameras that my grandfather collected. My father is also an enthusiast, so I spent much of my early teens exploring the world from behind the lens of an old Pentax film camera. I was captivated by exploring light and movement and preserving my memories and the feeling of places I travelled to, which led to my own exhibitions, awards and distinctions.
But it was when I was studying for my PhD, a close friend, who loved my photography, asked if I would turn my hand to photographing his wedding as they wanted something different, something unique. I adored the experience…”
“I was honoured and privileged to document their day, and it felt natural and wonderful to be in that position. I produced an album for them and began getting bookings from their friends who had seen their album for the following year.
My business has grown by word of mouth from there. My love of working with my couples, the joy of their friendship and the thrill of being present to capture their love and their day became more and more important in my life, and after my own marriage I dedicated myself to wedding photography full-time…”
What do you enjoy most about working with couples on their wedding day?
“That’s easy – the distinct privilege of being in a position to capture their individual personalities and their love. In detail – the real drive and enjoyment for me is found in capturing authentic images of the couple as individuals in their unique relationship, perhaps because I began from a street photography point of view – a place of quiet observation, and because in that very first wedding I learnt what a privilege it is to share in a couple’s life in this way.
I put time and energy in connecting with my couples before the wedding day, so that when the time comes, we feel like friends, they can trust me to capture them as they are and capture the memories that are significant to them. To me it is impossible to ever tire of wedding photography when it is focused on the personalities of the couple as no two are ever the same, and when you add their personal details and families in to the mix…each wedding is a unique and different experience. That is what I enjoy the most…”
Can you describe your wedding products and services?
“When a bride and groom gets in touch, usually through my website, I give them a call so we can talk over what they are looking for. We then make a date to meet up in person to talk in more detail, which allows us to see that we are a good fit before they get to the point of booking. I always include a pre-wedding shoot, which gives us the opportunity to get to know each other and for them to experience my shooting style.
We find the best light and location, but rather then setting up a strong pose, I invite the couple to interact and I capture images in the moments in between, when they are genuinely reacting to each other. We often go somewhere that is meaningful to the couple, which gives us the opportunity to create some memorable and meaningful portraits. Many of my couples use these images on their wedding websites or for a signing board for their wedding day…”
“On the wedding day, I work with my second photographer and assistant, Jake (aka my very wonderful husband). He is an accomplished photographer, and we have photographed weddings together for several years, honing our work-flow and style to create the best possible team.
We usually arrive 2 hours before the ceremony to capture the bride and groom preparations, and leave about half an hour after the first dance, after capturing the whole wedding party taking to the dance floor. We dedicate a portion of time to capture the couple alone together soon after the ceremony, and capture the important formal family portraits efficiently. For the rest of the day we assume that ‘quiet observation’ and document the story of the day in a photo-journalistic way.
After the wedding day the couple see a premier of their images in just a few days. Soon after, they receive an online gallery of all their images for them to share with their guests, and we begin to design their album.
I adored fine art paper and the way and album feels is very important to me. Quality is paramount, these are precious memories. I am proud to offer my couples a range of sustainably sourced, very fine products to preserve their memories…”
How would you describe your signature style?
“I would say that my style is personal and graceful. I create images that are special to the couple, echoing their emotions and characters. A few of my clients have independently described my work as cinematic, which I love because I see my role as a storyteller…”
What would you be if you weren’t a wedding photographer?
“I would be a research neuroscientist (my previous career, which I enjoyed, but just not as much as capturing images for a living)…”
Ria Mishaal’s services begin at £1850, which includes all the personal attention, pre-wedding meetings and shoot she has described above and coverage on the day by two photographers. Every collection includes a disc of high resolution digital negatives…
“I have a range of beautiful products and albums, which I adore, available for my couples to choose from….”
To qualify for a 15% discount on any of Ria’s wedding photography album products, please drop Ria an email on [email protected]. You can also visit the Ria Mishaal Photography website for more information on Ria’s full range of products and services.
You can vie all work by Ria Mishaal on the Love My Dress wedding blog here.
Have a lovely lunchtime folks – much love,
Annabel xXx
♥
Annabel View all Annabel's articles
Founder of Love My Dress. Passionate Podcaster and Editor. Annabel lives in rural North Yorkshire with her husband and business partner Philip, their two daughters and menagerie of furry hounds. She loves photography, meditation, walking, being outdoors and star gazing. She is fierce when it comes to championing talent within the wedding industry and when she's not working on Love My Dress, she supports her husband Philip in the running of the family's sustainable flower farm and floral design business, Moonwind Flowers. In 2013, she became a published author.
