This week’s Friday Feature is the lovely Lucy from Lucy Hannah Photography. Having started as a wedding photographer, Lucy realised her passion was actually in capturing the creative businesses behind the scenes… the ones literally making people’s weddings special. Now, with over a decade in business, she knows how to help all kinds of creative businesses tell their story.
Let’s get to know more about the creative woman behind the small business…
Creativity has definitely played a big part in my life. I’ve always had creative hobbies since I was a little kid and I’m a big crafter. These days when I’m not working I’m probably knitting – I never leave the house without a knitting project in my bag!
Yes definitely, I find being creative a great way to distract myself when things are tough, especially repetitive things like knitting, you can just switch your mind off for a bit. And I kinda love the sense of achievement that can come along with being creative – you’ve created something, often something tangible, you’ve made something even when other things in life feel completely out of your control.
I always loved art and drawing in school, but I could never get things perfect. Something always looked a little off whereas in a photo you can capture something exactly as it is in that moment. So I think it was just a bit of a natural progression from wanting to be able to draw and capture things just right.
It started as I was finishing college in about 2012, I was studying photography and a couple asked the college if there was a student who wanted to photograph their wedding and it went from there. I was working in a nursery at the time too so started photographing families and more weddings. I went full time with wedding photography about six or seven years later, and through weddings I met more and more wedding suppliers and small businesses and that helped me realise that people being creative and doing a job they love was what I really wanted to photograph. Now I get to work with such a fab mix of businesses, photographing them doing what they love and the products they create.
I don’t think people always realise the time that goes into photos, there’s so much work that goes into images both before and after a shoot.
Ooh thats a tricky one, I’d probably have to pick a personal project because knitting has my heart at the moment. I knitted myself a gorgeous blue cardigan a couple of years ago, it was the first time I’d ever knitted a garment and the first proper thing I’d knit since I learnt when I was a kid. It took me nearly 100 hours to finish but it was so worth it. Makes me feel so good and proud whenever I wear it.
Don’t worry about feeling like you have to have it all figured out, because you probably won’t ever get to that point. You and your business will constantly evolve and change, there’ll always be new things to learn.
Yeah definitely, I think it’s normal too when you run your own business…right?! I think the pandemic was probably the biggest wobble because I couldn’t go and photograph people and their businesses but it made me branch out into more remote product photography which is now a huge part of what I do. But I think there’s always bits of wobbles, especially in seasons where things go quiet. Even though it happens at the same time every year it still makes me panic a little every time, haha.
I love the flexibility that running a business has, but also how many different people you meet. I love being a little bit nosey and I get to go behind the scenes in different businesses and see what it is they do. Everyone has such a different approach to their business, how they make their products, what they’re inspired by, and I think it’s so interesting! No two businesses are the same and I love being able to capture that.
I think just to be able to carry on doing what I love, navigating some big changes and being able to find that right work/life balance.
With Lucy being so creative herself, it’s no wonder she’s drawn to capturing other creative businesses. It’s wonderful how her services have evolved and developed over time, leaning into her passions and giving her flexibility in what she can offer.
If you’d like to find out more about Lucy’s brand photography, head to her website: lucyhannahphotography.co.uk – or for behind the scenes content, take a look at her Instagram: @lucyhannahbranding
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