DSCurtis Photography Weddings, portraits & stories told in light

DSCurtis Photography

Weddings, portraits & stories told in light

Latest Articles

One Roll, No Safety Net: A Slower Way to Photograph Couples
Portrait Stories

One Roll, No Safety Net: A Slower Way to Photograph Couples

A couples portrait session with a hard limit of 36 exposures sounds restrictive. In practice, it gives nervous couples permission to stop performing. Here is how a single-roll shoot changes the rhythm, the prompts and the final set of photographs.

The Quiet Fifteen: A Field Guide to Registry Office Wedding Photography
Wedding Planning

The Quiet Fifteen: A Field Guide to Registry Office Wedding Photography

A registry office ceremony can be over in the time it takes to drink a coffee, but the story around it is anything but small. Notes on chamber light, registrar ground rules and why the pavement outside often turns out to be the best backdrop of the day.

Between the Vows and the Vol-au-Vents: Why the Smallest Windows Make the Best Wedding Portraits
Wedding Planning

Between the Vows and the Vol-au-Vents: Why the Smallest Windows Make the Best Wedding Portraits

The thirty-minute portrait slot is the least honest part of most wedding days. The good stuff tends to happen in four-minute windows nobody planned — between confetti and canapés, between speeches and the first dance. Here's how to find them, protect them, and shoot them properly.

A Year of Not Posing: The 2026 Family Portrait Project in Twelve Frames
Portrait Stories

A Year of Not Posing: The 2026 Family Portrait Project in Twelve Frames

Twelve months, twelve ordinary British settings, and one frame each time. This is a family portrait project for people who would rather do anything else than stand in front of a camera — with monthly prompts, notes for shy subjects, and a printing plan that gets an album on the shelf by December.

Before the Aisle: Making Room for the Getting-Ready Story
Wedding Planning

Before the Aisle: Making Room for the Getting-Ready Story

The preparation room is where a wedding day is at its most unguarded — nerves, heirlooms, someone hunting for a missing earring while three people try to do up a zip. A behind-the-lens look at why those hours matter, and how couples can plan a room and a timeline that lets the story be told properly.

Chasing the Last Light: Winter Portrait Sessions That Actually Work After Work
Portrait Stories

Chasing the Last Light: Winter Portrait Sessions That Actually Work After Work

From November to February the UK gives you roughly eight usable hours of daylight, and most of them are spent at a desk. Here's how to plan a portrait session around a sun that clocks off before you do — and why blue hour and a warm window beat a grey noon every time.

The Gaps That Give You Away: Why Wedding Photos Need the Awkward Bits
Wedding Planning

The Gaps That Give You Away: Why Wedding Photos Need the Awkward Bits

The most revealing wedding photographs are rarely the planned ones. They come from venue setup, car journeys, waiting rooms and the quiet minutes before a ceremony. An argument for protecting the in-between, with practical notes for UK couples and photographers.

When the Streets Soften: Five UK Portrait Spots for Late Summer Evenings
Portrait Stories

When the Streets Soften: Five UK Portrait Spots for Late Summer Evenings

Late evening changes a place. The crowds thin, the light stretches, and ordinary UK backdrops start to feel like a set. Here are five portrait locations that come alive after 8pm, with practical notes on timing, permissions and keeping the session relaxed.

Grey Skies, Warm Frames: A British Wedding Portrait Guide for Wet Weather
Wedding Planning

Grey Skies, Warm Frames: A British Wedding Portrait Guide for Wet Weather

A wet forecast does not mean compromised wedding photographs. This guide looks at how grey skies, doorways, clear umbrellas and close-quarters prompts can produce intimate, atmospheric portraits that feel properly British.

Crumbs on the Table, Stories in the Room: The Case for At-Home Family Portraits
Portrait Stories

Crumbs on the Table, Stories in the Room: The Case for At-Home Family Portraits

Polished outdoor locations are lovely, but they rarely tell the whole story. This opinion-led look at at-home family sessions explains why lived-in rooms, ordinary light and half-finished cups often make the photographs families treasure most.

The High Street Is a Studio: Why Ordinary UK Places Make Better Portraits
Portrait Stories

The High Street Is a Studio: Why Ordinary UK Places Make Better Portraits

An opinionated location-scouting guide to using everyday UK places — market squares, café windows, bus stops and wet pavements — for portraits with more personality than a stately home. It covers light, permission and working quietly in public.

Light First, Logistics Second: A Month-by-Month Wedding Timeline for UK Couples in 2026
Wedding Planning

Light First, Logistics Second: A Month-by-Month Wedding Timeline for UK Couples in 2026

A practical guide to building a 2026 UK wedding timeline around real sunset windows, changeable weather and soft-light portraits. It covers month-by-month light, flexible scheduling and backup locations that still tell an honest story.