About the studio
Two photographers, one small studio in Kendal
I am Maren Brantholm. I have photographed weddings since 2014, about 26 a year, most of them within a morning's drive of the fells and two or three a year in western Norway. Joel Ashdown shoots alongside me on about half of them.
How I work
I grew up on a farm above Kentmere and spent my teens photographing weather. That turned out to be good training: most of a wedding is waiting for the right moment and not getting in its way.
On the day I arrive early and stay quiet. I direct the family groups from a list we write together, take you away for twenty minutes of portraits, and spend the rest of the day photographing what happens rather than arranging it.
Afterwards, every photo is graded by hand. Not a preset over 700 frames: each one, by eye, on a calibrated screen in the studio. That is why the gallery takes three to six weeks and not three months.
Ennerdale, February. Between seasons I photograph landscapes and sell them as prints.
What you can count on
- Two cameras, two cards eachEvery frame is written to two cards as it is taken, and backed up twice before I sleep.
- InsuredPublic liability and professional indemnity cover. Certificates on request for your venue.
- A cover photographerIf I am ever ill, a photographer from a small northern group steps in. You meet them on a call first.
- A late gallery costs me, not youMiss the turnaround on your contract and your album is free.
“Three hours on a lava field at sunrise and not one moment where we felt posed. The gallery came in under three weeks.”
“She ran our family photos from a list in fifteen minutes. My grandmother still talks about it.”