Professional wedding photography didn’t start for me with a “perfect plan”. It started with a very real feeling: I was creative, curious, and constantly learning, but I still hadn’t found the one thing that felt like home.
We’re Marta May Photography – also known as The Mays (Marta + Artur) – a husband-and-wife team based in Hereford, photographing weddings across Herefordshire, the Cotswolds, and the UK.
QUICK ANSWER
If you’re here because you’re looking for a professional wedding photographer: to us, “professional” means calm people, strong storytelling, and consistent results in real conditions – messy timelines, tricky light, British weather, and emotions happening fast.
Our style is DOCU-ART: documentary moments first, with a small sprinkle of cinematic portraits that still feel natural.
KEY FACTS
Who this post is for – couples who want to know who we are before they book, and why our work looks the way it looks
What you’ll get – the honest version of how we got here (and what “professional” means to us now)
The vibe – real, fun, emotionally rich, with a cinematic flow (not stiff, not staged, not trends-for-the-sake-of-trends)
A quick note on names
You might see us listed in TWIA as THE MAYS – that’s our studio name. Marta May Photography and The Mays are the same team (Marta + Artur). We became TWIA National Winners as THE MAYS, and we’re now TWIA wedding photography judges – which still feels slightly surreal to write.
My route to professional wedding photography
1) Creativity (the thing I couldn’t switch off)
I’ve always been creative. As a kid, I’d turn a simple school drawing into something with shadows and depth – the “extra” was the fun part. Everyone told me to go to art school, but I wanted to discover and invent medicines instead.
2) Curiosity (science, languages, and the need to keep learning)
I studied Molecular Biology and Biochemistry and earned a Master of Science degree, but I still felt like something was missing. I’ve always loved languages too, so I studied Norwegian and Czech, and later discovered philosophy through humanities. Looking back, it makes complete sense: I wasn’t changing direction because I was lost – I was changing direction because I was built to explore.
3) Family life (learning in the cracks of real life)
When you’re building a full-time wedding photography business with kids at home, you don’t always get “perfect study time”. So I learned the way real adults learn: in the margins. In the meantime. By practising. By obsessing (in a mostly healthy way).
4) The beginning (when photography finally clicked)
Photography was the first thing that made me feel fully present – brain, heart, eyes, hands, all in the same place. And once it clicked, it became a bit of a beautiful problem: I couldn’t stop improving. I still can’t. That’s the blessing and the curse.
What “professional” means to us now (for couples choosing a photographer)
Professional isn’t “a fancy camera” or a trendy edit. It’s this:
- Consistency – beautiful images in bright sun, candlelight, rain, barns, dark ceremony rooms, and everything in between
- Story – moments, reactions, relationships, the chaos, the tenderness, the bits you didn’t even see
- Calm energy – because your day runs better when your photographer isn’t adding stress
- Crafted editing – not a rushed dump; your gallery should feel like a film you can step back into
- A plan for real life – timelines slipping, speeches running late, weather doing weather
This is also why we built DOCU-ART: because couples want honest documentary emotion, but they also want portraits that feel cinematic and frame-worthy – without feeling awkward or staged. Is being a wedding photographer easy? This is the question we get asked all the time, and here’s the answer.
FAQs
What does “professional wedding photography” actually mean?
To us, professional wedding photography means you get strong, consistent results in real conditions – not just on sunny styled shoots. It’s calm coverage, reliable storytelling, and a gallery that holds up years later.
Who are The Mays – and is that the same as Marta May Photography?
Yes. Marta May Photography and The Mays are the same team – Marta + Artur. You might recognise us as THE MAYS from TWIA, where we became National Winners in 2023 and we’re now TWIA judges.
What is DOCU-ART wedding photography?
DOCU-ART is our signature blend: documentary moments first (real reactions, real energy), with a small sprinkle of cinematic portraits that still feel natural – never stiff, never forced.
Will you pose us all day?
No. Most of your day is captured as it happens. However, when it’s time for portraits, we’ll guide you gently so you look amazing while still feeling like yourselves. Think: relaxed direction, not awkward posing.
How long do couple portraits take?
Usually 10–20 minutes, and we often do it in small chunks. That way you don’t disappear for ages, and it still feels fun (not like a photoshoot marathon).
What if it rains (because… UK)?
Then we adapt. We know how to work with indoor light, covered spaces, and moody weather – and sometimes rain gives the most cinematic frames of the whole day.
Do you offer wedding films as well as photography?
Yes – we’re a husband-and-wife team, so photo + film coverage can be beautifully cohesive without it feeling like a huge crew.
Where do you work?
We’re based in Hereford and shoot weddings across Herefordshire, the Cotswolds, and the UK.
When will we receive our photos, and how are they edited?
You’ll get a carefully edited, story-driven gallery – image-by-image, in our DOCU-ART style. We don’t do rushed “AI dump” edits because the final feel matters.
How do we book you?
Send your date and venue first (so we can check availability), then we’ll guide you through the next step – simple, calm, and no pressure.
Wrap-up
If you take one thing from my route to professional wedding photography, let it be this: “professional” isn’t a vibe – it’s consistency, calm, and care.
- It’s showing up with a plan, even when the timeline slips.
- It’s knowing what to do in tricky light, in rain, in tight spaces, and in loud, emotional moments.
- And it’s telling the story in a way that feels like you – not stiff, not staged, not copied.
If our DOCU-ART approach feels like your kind of wedding photography, we’d love to hear what you’re planning. Next step: send us your date and venue, and we’ll tell you if we’re free (and what the best option is for your day).
