Featured Photographer - May 2010

AsukaBook is proud of its customers and the different ways that they use AsukaBook products. Each month, we will be talking to one of our active customers and finding out what they love about AsukaBook and how they use our books to help grow their business. Check the 'Book of the Month' page each month as well!

Charley Smith Wedding Photography “ I am 100% committed to just one book: the FLX AsukaBook. Previously I had never offered customers an album. Nothing had suited my brand. ”

The ties that bind Ten years ago London-based Charley Smith was a successful male model completely at ease in front of the lens, even in the company of iconic photographers like Mario Testino. But in those days Charley was way out of his comfort zone on the other side of the camera. Now at 29 he has just completed his busiest year as a wedding photographer, shooting no fewer than 64 ceremonies. His photographic style - a mixture of bold compositions and reportage - has couples flocking to his door. And when it comes to presenting his work, he demands the best. We spoke to Charley about his meteoric rise and why AsukaBook is the only brand he'll trust when it comes to showing off his images.     AsukaBook: Tell us how you got started; was it luck or judgement? Charley Smith: I was on a trip to New York with a friend who took pictures during the day. Then, when we were getting ready to go out at night, he'd put the shots on a slideshow and set them to music. It made the trip and each day we'd go out and try hard to get some great shots. It was on the plane coming home that I decided to become a photographer. So did you sign up for assisting or some formal training to get a grounding? No, I don't have any formal training. In retrospect there were a lot of things I did at the start of my career that were very gutsy and I can't possibly imagine doing now. I'd taken a few shots in New York, so I printed them out and went to an agency explaining I was a photographer available for test shoots. They sent me some of their girls to photograph the next day and I just went from there. And how did the move to weddings come about? A friend was getting married and I offered to shoot the wedding. I just planned and planned and planned. I visited the locations three times, walked through the day almost in real time with my camera in hand, thinking about all the shots. I decided to shoot reportage and juxtapose that with a couple of big shots of the bride and groom. Did that approach define your current style? Yes, I have two cameras one with 70-200mm lens, the other with a fixed 14mm and everything I do is shot in two ways. I don't know many photographers who shoot people with a fixed 14mm lens, but it sets my style apart. At what point in the booking process do you introduce photobooks? The couple commit to a book from the outset as I need to factor in the time to get it designed. For example, if I have a wedding on a Saturday and they want a photobook, I can't take a wedding on the Sunday as well. Tell us about your presentation style and which AsukaBook products you use. I am 100% committed to just one book: the 10x10 FLX AsukaBook. It's made with faux leather and has a great feel to it. The pages have a protective, long lasting varnish or laminate coating and they're available in matt or glossy finish. I only offer one option because that's the way I want to present my photography. I love the box it comes in, it feels like it's already gift-wrapped, and I have the whole thing black; black box, black leather, 30 black pages. It looks incredibly slick. I also use the smaller EX for parents, but I like the bride and groom to have something different. I do the design myself. Each book is a blank canvas, so I decide on the images and then think how I am going to tell the story of the day. Why AsukaBook? I never offered an album until I found AsukaBook as I'd never come across anything that I felt suited my brand. Photobooks have been a massive selling point for what I've done, but most clients don't see the book until they come for a meeting. I have really high meeting conversion rates and photobooks are one of the main reasons for that. I'm always looking for the best product, If I found something better elsewhere I would use it, but here we are years later and I see no reason at all to change.       www.charleysmithweddingphotography.com