Biography

It's not about me. It's about the pictures, which I hope speak for themselves, but if you're interested, read on:

My name's Tony Hart and I'm a wedding photojournalist based in Surrey. Unlike my namesake, I can't draw and I don't have any small plasticine friends named Morph. It'll have to be just photos then I'm afraid! I was brought up in Surrey and then spent a brilliant three years reading English at Exeter University. My intention had always been to enter the RAF and despite being selected for fast jet training my hopes in this area were dashed when I was found to have less than 20/20 vision during the obligatory medical. Setback but undefeated I turned my attention to photography - a career which is obviously entirely unrelated to eyesight...

I started shooting weddings in 2008 after a few years working for IT firm Sun Microsystems and moonlighting as a band manager. I'd always been interested in photography and image-making and had been shooting more and more seriously as I covered at least ten roles, including photographer and graphic designer, for the unsigned band I worked with. Thanks to serendipity and chance I became acquainted with Reuters cameraman Kieran Doherty - I worked with his lovely sister. Famed for iconic press images, such as Jonny Wilkinson's rugby world cup winning drop goal and the first pictures from the Asian tsunami, his mentoring and guidance in the early days were invaluable. Kieran taught me a great deal about how to see a scene, what to focus on and what to ignore.

The real incentive to move whole-heartedly into wedding photojournalism came following a friend's wedding. I attended as a guest and although I didn't shoot a great many frames, a few weeks later the bride and groom called asking whether I'd consider giving them my photos of the day. The hired photographer hadn't done a bad job, but they prefered my images and were insistent upon paying for them. It was a real vote of confidence and convinced me that I had what it took to do weddings justice.

My job as a wedding photojournalist is to tell your story and to that end I'm a big believer in the idea that the photographer should scarcely be seen and rarely be heard. When you look back on your images in years to come you won't want to see outdated form or exaggerated style, you want to see your moments. Wedding photographs are the enduring memory of one of life's most significant moments - the ceremony itself may only lasts 30 minutes, the cake lasts a few hours at best but the images of the day simply last.

It's my aim to ensure they do.