ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
KENT ARTIST PROFILE
FLEUR CHALLIS PHOTOGRAPHY
ALWAYS SHOWCASING A TRUE LOVE OF THE CRAFT AND NEVER FORGETTING THE FINER DETAILS, KENT-BASED PHOTOGRAPHERS, FLEUR CHALLIS AND HER HUSBAND KEVIN, DRAW ON THEIR COMBINED STRENGTHS AND KNOWLEDGE TO PERFECTLY CAPTURE SPECIAL CELEBRATIONS OF LOVE, SMALL BUSINESS BRANDING AND DELECTABLE FOODIE CREATIONS FROM KENT’ S WEALTH OF CHEFS AND RESTAURANTS.
What led to you becoming a photographer? I’ ve always been a keen photographer since my early teens, borrowing my dad’ s film camera for school trips as well as taking endless photos of family and friends. When I met my husband, he reignited my passion for photography and although I had a long and rewarding career as a social worker, I craved creativity and the chance to run my own business. After completing a darkroom course in black and white photography, my husband and I set up a darkroom at home, photographing landscapes on medium format. Then, after a friend asked me to photograph her wedding on film, I was hooked. I did extensive training, second shot as much as I could and subsequently we started the business. We’ ve now been working professionally for nearly 18 years!
You work across a broad portfolio; what draws you to photographing such contrasting subjects? Whatever I’ m photographing, it’ s always about the people; whether that’ s a couple and their families on their wedding day, a chef who’ s produced the most incredible menu, or entrepreneurs needing to showcase themselves and their brand to the world. Getting people comfortable in front of the camera so they love the results is the absolute best feeling!
How would you describe your style? Colourful, vibrant and detail-oriented. Candid, natural shots are my favourites; I like to immerse myself in whatever world I find myself in, whether that’ s a wedding or in a professional kitchen, so I can observe from a distance and capture things as they unfold. That said, sometimes a shoot needs more strategic direction- for food photography particularly, as well as the branding sessions I do, I’ ll be much more hands-on to achieve the desired outcome.
How has Kent influenced your photography? As The Garden of England, we’ re spoiled for choice with incredible restaurants and wedding venues. There’ s so many beautiful coastal and countryside locations to choose from, too.
Being so close to France has also brought great opportunities, photographing weddings as well as commercial photography across the Channel.
What is the key to taking a perfect foodie shot? It’ s all about the light and the lenses! Even the most humble of dishes can be transformed into something special with a macro lens and the right lighting. It’ s also about knowing the best angle and aperture for each dish, and freshly prepared food or just out of the oven is absolutely key. You have to shoot quite quickly- a soufflé waits for no one!
Do you have a favourite project you’ ve worked on recently? One of the things I’ ve really enjoyed over the last few months is mentoring a new photographer on her journey into the world of professional photography. In a saturated market, it can be really tough to make a go of it full time, so having someone on hand to offer guidance and support can make all the difference.
What’ s next for you? Several things! This year, we’ re offering film photography alongside our digital coverage for weddings- back to our roots! We’ re really excited about this as you cannot beat the timeless, magical quality that only analogue can offer. We’ re also now offering destination wedding photography again- pre-Covid we regularly photographed weddings abroad, particularly in France, so we can’ t wait to get back to doing that.
I host a women’ s business networking group in Canterbury, which is growing, and it’ s so inspiring to be part of it. I’ m looking forward to all sorts of exciting collaborations this year that have arisen out of it. Finally, this year I’ m offering branding photography sessions for women in business. I really love helping women become super confident in front of the camera and having an incredible set of photos to show off to the world.
fleurchallisphotography. com
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