Welcome to despugh.co.uk

Born in Abergavenny, I have lived in the Skenfrith area all my life and went to school in Monmouth.

I photographed my first wedding in 1984, having gained a reputation as an enthusiastic photographer and after training in Manchester, turned professional in 1989.

Having now been established in Monmouth for the last 20 years, I have had the pleasure of photographing many weddings, from the former Member of Parliament for Monmouth, Huw Edwards, the Vicar of Raglan, Rev. Simon Guest, through to large family weddings at prestige venues from Monmouth to Cardiff, and down to the smallest of weddings in the Registry Office in Abergavenny.

I remember the largest wedding I photographed was in Buckfast Abbey, where the Bride had nine Bridesmaids, and I had a larger crowd behind me than in front of the camera, as everyone loves a wedding!

In between weddings, I work for the local newspaper, which keeps my sense of picture taking spontaneous, and helps me to see a situation and find the best angle without taking too much time to stage the event. It does mean that the Bride and groom get to spend less time with their photographer, and more time with their guests!

I have the opinion that the day belongs to the Bride and Groom, not to the photographer, and always aim to have the photographs completed by the time the meal is ready.

I take a mixture of formal and informal photographs so that the couple have a record to remind them of the day as it really happened.

I am often complimented on being unobtrusive on the day, allowing the couple as much time as possible to speak with their guests given the time constraints between the ceremony and the reception.

There is a saying that after her wedding day, a bride has only two things left, her husband and her photographs. I cannot do much about the former, but I will ensure that she has a wonderful set of photographs to remember the day by.

Des Pugh.