Partner Stories #6: Q&A with wedding photographer, Johnny Dent

Since its opening, 100 Barrington has changed and expanded in many ways- from refurbishing multiple railway arches and adding over 1500 square feet of usable space, to filling the courtyard with foliage and trees. Alongside the physical transformation of the venue, the office and events team has also continued to grow into the dedicated and passionate team it is today.

Along the way, we have found some amazing suppliers that have added so much to the already unique space. Thinking back to the end of 2019 -what an exciting time for us! We were wrapping up our first year of hosting events, and our plans for the big renovation project were under way.

Something that hasn’t changed over the years is the importance we place on our partners list. They are all companies we can wholeheartedly recommend, whose ethos and approach align with ours. Add on the fact that they're run by wonderful people whom we love working with and trust will deliver an amazing service. As these are genuine partnerships and there is no commission involved, our teams can really focus on providing exactly what you’ve always pictured for your special event.

Someone we’d like to specifically highlight that has been a part of the Barrington family since our first year of being in operation is the talented Johnny Dent. We crossed paths at Monica & Aidan’s winter wedding back in December 2019, which he captured so beautifully (little peek shown below).

One thing that became immediately apparent was his ability to document weddings as if he was one of the guests, proving him to be the perfect familiar presence at your event.

He has since become a valued partner of ours, and has photographed dozens of weddings at Barrington. He has a special and intimate appreciation and understanding of our space, always keeping in mind the lighting and textures and how they play into the atmosphere. The photos speak for themselves, but we wanted to share with you the man (and the moustache) behind the lens. We are so excited to share some more insight with you on Johnny’s photography style and career!

How did you get started as a photographer? Were you always interested in photography?

I’ve always liked taking photos and I’ve had cameras pretty much since I can remember.. Like many wedding photographers though I started shooting weddings when a friend asked me to bring my camera to their wedding, at that point I became hooked, and 11 years and 300 weddings later here we are.

How would you describe your photography style & approach?

Relaxed, unobtrusive and fun… I pretty much like to think of myself like a guest only with questionable facial hair and cameras. I’m very much a documentary wedding photographer so I’m much more about capturing the chaos as it unfolds rather than disappearing for ages for portraits or spending ages doing group shots. 

Is there a particular stage of the wedding day that's often your favourite to capture? Or a moment that you typically enjoy the most?

That's a tough one to answer but I think it would have to be the speeches closely followed by the ceremony. A well written honest speech is hard to beat and the whole range of emotions make them great to shoot. Games like beer pong and corn hole are always great to shoot too and pretty much guarantee epic photos… Also, I love shooting the dance floor, its one of the reasons I like to stay later…

What’s in your wedding camera bag?

I always shoot on two cameras and have a third in my bag as a backup along with a few different lenses, but aside from the obvious stuff like that, I always carry wedding essentials like suncream, safety pins, a small sewing kit and tit tape.. You would be surprised at how often all of those things are needed...

Where might we find you when you’re not busy photographing a wedding?

I’m a fiercely proud Londoner, but I’m lucky enough to live by the coast now, so when I’m not shooting a wedding I’m usually hanging out on the beach with my awesome wife or surfing with our children. Or off shooting gigs across the country or listening to music. I’m also an on-call firefighter, so when I’m at the editing desk I’m always ready for whatever that throws my way.

Do you have any advice for couples in terms of choosing the right wedding photographer?

My biggest piece of advice would be to make sure that you like your photographer as much as you like their work.. It sounds obvious but your photographer will be around you and your guests for the whole day, so making sure that you gel with them is really important. Also, find one that fits your style, there is a photographer out there for everyone, so don’t compromise and don’t feel you have to stick to any tradition or style.. Lastly, make sure you see a couple of full wedding galleries, preferably from the time of year you are getting married as dark winter weddings are a very different beast from bright summer days..

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Thanks so much to Johnny for taking the time to chat to us! We hope you enjoyed finding out more about his photography and having a flick through the beautiful photos he's taken.

If Johnny's documentary style and relaxed approach is a bit of you, you can find out more about him on his website and Instagram.

PS- He has very excitingly also started doing videography -more info here.

- The 100 Barrington team xxx