The Studio Without Walls

The Studio Without Walls is the name Adrian Neal has worked under for more than thirty five years of wedding photography. He lives and works in Ware, Hertfordshire, and most of his diary sits in the South East of England, though he is glad to work anywhere in the UK and travels to the South of France and Italy for destination weddings.

His approach is documentary. He stays at the edges of the room and lets the day happen, with a touch of street photography in how he frames it and a sense of humour in what he chooses to catch. A flower girl in tears, a grandmother lighting a cigarette beside a groomsman, a bride glancing at her own reflection in a round window: none of it is arranged.

“My style is mainly fly on the wall documentary with a little street photography vibe, and I hope a sense of humour too.”

Adrian Neal, Photographer

The look of the work is deliberate. Much of it is black and white, edited for the contrast and grain of film stocks such as Kodak Tri-X, Portra and Gold. Adrian photographed weddings on film for years before moving to digital, and the digital files are still finished to feel like it.

Formal photographs are kept few, relaxed and quick, so that nobody is pulled away from the day for long. Most weddings are covered from the bridal preparations through to the early part of the evening dancing, and half-day bookings are also welcome.

Adrian is a member of Fearless Photographers and an eight-times European Gold Award winner. Masters of Wedding Photography has also named him among the top ten wedding photographers in the UK.