wpx_, Author at Nikki Cooper Photography

Carrie & Tom

wpx_ — Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:49:15 +0000

It should have been Carrie and Tom’s wedding day today. After months of working with their venue to make the changes necessary to celebrate with 30 of their closest family and friends, after numbers got reduced to 15 they decided to postpone to 2022. I know this year has been incredibly challenging for Carrie and Tom, and many other couples like them. The stress or postponing, re-organising, putting dreams on hold – it takes it’s toll.
But true love is strong. If this year has done anything, I think it’s brought couples a lot of clarity on what really matters. For those who just want to be legally married, the registry offices are still open. For those who really want to share the occasion with more than 15 people, the time will come… hold strong.

I love that we were able to do their engagement photos at Warley Woods in the summer as planned, and they’ve been able to use them to mark what should have been their wedding day.

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Arthur is ONE!

wpx_ — Tue, 18 Aug 2020 16:45:47 +0000

A babies first year is so special, they grow at a phenomenal rate and go from being a tiny helpless newborn to a bouncing toddler, full of personality! I guess that’s why turning one is such a significant milestone. Rob and Sophie wanted to capture some special family photos to celebrate Arthur turning one.
So we headed to the beautiful Warley Woods for the family photo shoot… and here’s what happened…

Warley Woods, Birmingham family photographer

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Jenny + John

wpx_ — Fri, 01 Apr 2016 17:53:47 +0000

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2015

wpx_ — Tue, 12 Jan 2016 18:11:42 +0000

I’ve written and rewritten the intro to this post so many times… so I’m just going to stop and say how I feel… I feel so incredibly blessed.
I’ve never actually sat now and done a round up post before, but I’m so glad I’ve done it for 2015 as it’s really reminded me why I love what I do so much. It’s bloody hard to curate your own work, and select ‘your best’… sometimes as a wedding photographer, you feel the industry pressure to present purely epic shots; and whilst I do love an epic mountain top photo as much as the next Instagram addict, that isn’t really what wedding photography is about, at least not for us. For Ben and I, these shots are why we do what we do… the hugs, the tears, the crazy dance moves. The connection. That’s what we love.
We’re so thankful to each and every one of the couples who invited us to share in their lives for a day. (Seriously guys, we’re so glad we got the chance to know you)…

Worcestershire, Shropshire, Birmingham Wedding Photographer

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Ben

wpx_ — Tue, 05 Jan 2016 00:37:24 +0000

Ben is my best friend, my soul mate, my annoying Welshie, my greatest hugger, my cook, my maker of random pieces of furniture, my supplier of useless trivia, my muse… and he’s the kindest, most giving person I’ve ever met. Over the past two years he’s gradually become a huge part of my business. So much so, that it really isn’t just my business anymore. We’re partners in life and in business. And he does so much more than just taking photos – From designing and making new wedding fayre stands (being a carpenter has it’s perks), driving us back home after 14+ hours shooting while I snooze in the passenger seat, getting light stands set up, carrying grandma’s shoes + ALL our camera gear across a field, climbing an 8ft ladder to rescue a helium balloon, or simply being the supplier of mints for dry mouthed brides and grooms… he’s bloody brilliant, and he doesn’t get the credit he deserves.
Most of our couples book the both of us on their wedding day, so I thought it was about time I introduced him properly both to the business and to all of you.
A while back he popped the following words in Facebook message to me and asked me to share them… so over to Ben:

So I’m Ben, I’m the weird one with the facial hair.
I’ve always loved taking photos, but it’s always been more of a hobby for me. I never really thought I was good enough to be able to take photos for anyone other than myself; and so I kind of fell into this world not so much for my love of photography but for my love of Nikki. You see during wedding season I would be working during the week, and at the weekend Nikki would be off shooting weddings so we never really got to spend much time together.

This led to me saying “Why don’t I come along and just drive you round, take one small stress of your mind?” With that I became a bit of a driver, fetcher carrier and general dogs body. However, also being someone who takes my camera everywhere with me, I decided whilst I’m here I may as well take a few shots myself. Well that was it, I guess Nikki liked what I took, because from then on Nikki encouraged me to come to more weddings with her, and to take more photos.For a good while, Nikki would often ask me if shooting weddings is something that I really want to do, and I would always reply “I would do anything if it means spending more time with you.”

The nerves of a waiting groom, the pride of a father giving away his daughter, the pure love as the couple see each other for the first time… saying their vows, the nostalgia of seeing friends and family that have been apart for the longest time… to finally letting all the emotions go wild on the dance floor at the end of the night.And as much as I love Nikki and spending time with her, the more weddings I’ve done, the more my love for them has grown. You see I love watching people and sharing in their emotions. As children we feel raw emotion everyday. We go from euphoria, to world ending sadness, and back again several times a day… as adults we lose a lot of this. Life tends to get in the way and our emotions just tend to stay a a constant level (with some fluctuations) of calm. Not on a wedding day though. On a wedding day you get to feel pure emotions in a constant state of change.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is, the reason that I love to shoot weddings is that I not only get to witness and share in these real moments in peoples lives. I get to be able share the emotion with them, and by taking the photos, I get to help them relive them time and time again whenever they look back at those images – and that is truly priceless.

Have a scroll through more of Ben’s photos..

Cover photo credit: Steve Gerrard Photography

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Ranj + Michael

wpx_ — Thu, 24 Dec 2015 00:51:33 +0000

I first met Ranj way back in 2006, when we shared the same corridor in Uni. One night I’d been hit hard with freshers flu and was feeling particularly sorry for myself. Ranj looked after me and we bonded over her cheesy pasta… so much cheesy pasta! And since that day we’ve been friends. We rode out some pretty tough years together at Uni, so when Ranj called me up to ask if I’d capture her engagement to Michael I knew had to been there. No cheesy pasta in sight, but plenty of good food, good tunes and happy vibes. I love Hindu celebrations, there’s a real sense of both families coming together to bless the couple and make sure they have the best start to their relationship. Oh and then there’s the food, and the dancing… so much good dancing!
I was absolutely honoured to be a part of Ranj and Michael’s engagement party – here’s how it went down:

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Dracula’s Bride…

wpx_ — Sat, 31 Oct 2015 22:32:45 +0000

I’ve been waiting to share this one, and Halloween seemed like the perfect time to reveal the Dracula’s Bride shoot I was lucky enough to be a part of way back in May. Created by the lovely Lisa Devlin at Photography Farm, the aim of the shoot was to encourage us all to push our creative boundaries. As we began shooting the beautiful Shannon lying in wait, the weather set the mood as the clouds gathered and the rain began to fall on the small window that lit the room… the atmosphere was incredible, and embracing the dark and the shadows was surprisingly easy. By the time we stepped outside the clouds had cleared… just what every bride hopes for on her wedding day…

(Don’t miss the incredible film made by Long Haul Films at the end. It’ll give you goosebumps!)

Styling: Lisa Devlin – Photography Farm
Videography: Long Haul Films
Bride’s Dress: The Couture Company
Flowers: Church Lane Flowers
Hair & Make Up: Elbie Van Eeden

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Nick + Suzanne

wpx_ — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 20:58:57 +0000

A few weeks back I met up with Nick and Suzanne for their engagement shoot in Birmingham’s Jewellery Quarter. They started the day by choosing their wedding rings and I caught up on all their wonderful wedding plans before getting them in front of the camera. A lot of couples tell me they’re nervous before an engagement shoot, but it’s never as scary as they think. Mostly it’s just about relaxing and interacting with each other so I can catch those little moments that really capture your relationship. I love watching how people ease into a shoot, and really start enjoying it. Luckily we got some amazing light and they both rocked the shoot like pros! I can’t wait for their wedding in May x

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Let’s go on an Autumn adventure…

wpx_ — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 10:20:05 +0000

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Nan.

wpx_ — Tue, 16 Sep 2014 10:01:42 +0000

This morning, this strong, feisty, beautiful woman passed away. There are so many things I’m going to miss about her.. her relentless advice giving. Her inability to get anyone’s name right the first time… “Leanne, erm Julie.. no Doreen”. Her circular stories where you’d have absolutely no idea who she was talking about by the end of it so she’d have to tell it all over again… her raised eyebrow with a wary “hmmmm”… her complete and unconditional love for her family. And the fact that even though she was pretty much completely blind she could still spot a crack in your boyfriends windscreen or tell you that you needed to loose a few pounds.

My Nan was amazing. Her life was unbelievably hard and yet she never gave up. She never got down. She got on with it. She cared deeply for others and never, ever put herself first.

I regret so much that I didn’t get to say goodbye. That I was “too busy” to see her more… I should have made more time for her. She deserved it… Right now I’m trying to hold on to the nuggets of wisdom she gave me. Trying to remember how her voice sounded… I wish I’d recorded her… she had some stories to tell. I’m so glad that the one thing I do have of her is photographs.

Last year, I spent the day with her and my camera, just snapping her in her home.. perhaps subconsciously I knew she wouldn’t be with us much longer.

Today I went looking for one photo of her. I couldn’t find one. There wasn’t just one photo that could possibly summarise her. Instead I have a whole load of photos… various expressions, whilst I tried to coax a smile out of her. Some blurry, some badly lit. But all her.

My Nan

Winnifred Cooper: 1924 – 2014

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