Anoif Photography

18/06/2026

10 years ago today I made one decision that completely changed my life.
I asked one of my best friends if I could shadow her wedding photographer.

She replied:
“Funny you should ask, we were actually thinking of asking you to photograph it.”
Just like that.

No portfolio.
No experience.
No clue what I was doing.

So Richard bought me my first full-frame camera, a Canon 6D, and I jumped in at the deep end.

Which, if you know me, is very on brand 😆

I was terrified.

Not of the camera.
Of getting in the way.
I worried I’d distract people from Mel and Shaun. I worried I’d miss moments. I worried I’d have the wrong settings. I’d never photographed or second-shot a wedding in my life.

But I did know one thing, I wanted them to remember everything.

Not just the portraits.
Not just the big moments.
Everything.
The proud look on their parents’ faces during the ceremony.
The hugs.
The glances.
The moments they didn’t even realise were happening.

10 years later, I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings, families and businesses.

I’ve left my teaching job.

Survived Covid.

Questioned whether I even wanted to carry on.

Found my confidence.

Found my style.

And discovered that the thing people value most isn’t actually photography.

It’s feeling something.

Whether I’m photographing a wedding, a family, or a business, that’s still what I’m trying to do.
Help people look back and remember how it felt.

So thank you Mel and Shaun.

You probably didn’t realise it at the time, but that one conversation changed everything 🤍

16/06/2026

A load of blabber, a full head and a reminder to buy your ticket for the the social event, next Wednesday 6pm at you have till midnight tonight to do that. Hope to see you there!

15/06/2026

Saturday was such a special day, celebrating one of my longest-standing friends and partners in crime.

Kimberley and I have been friends since primary school. She’s godmother to Lewis and, apart from Richard, she was the very first person I told when I found out I was pregnant at 18.

We’ve drifted in and out of each other’s lives over the last 30-odd years, but the funny thing is, the gaps never seem to matter. We just pick up where we left off, as though no time has passed at all.
We’ve laughed (a lot), had adventures, gotten lost more times than I can count, and somehow navigated all the twists and turns that life throws at us.

What a fabulous day we had celebrating your kind, stylist and beautiful soul on Saturday.

I’m incredibly grateful to call you my friend and lucky that after all these years, we’re still making memories and finding reasons to laugh.

Here’s to 40 years of Kimberley 🥂

Long may the laughing continue.
Love you ❤️

12/06/2026

09/06/2026

The third edition of The Brand Edit didn’t quite go how I expected...

After Malton, I thought the project would naturally gain momentum.
Then Pickering had only a handful of applications.

Then Helmsley had even fewer.

I found myself wondering why. Was it the algorithm? Was it because branding photography still feels like a luxury to some small businesses? Or perhaps businesses in our smaller market towns are only just beginning to see the value it can bring.

One of the promises I made when I started The Brand Edit was that I’d share the journey honestly, so that’s exactly what I’m doing.

The funny thing is, whilst Helmsley had fewer applications, it still introduced me to someone brilliant.
Grania, and This Other Eden.

A colourful homeware and garden shop in the heart of Helmsley, filled with carefully chosen pieces sourced from Yorkshire and beyond. The sort of shop where you pop in for a quick look and end up staying far longer than you planned.

Spending time with Grania reminded me why I started this project in the first place.

Not just to create photographs, but to meet the people behind local businesses, hear their stories, and help more people discover them.

And sometimes those conversations lead to other conversations, new introductions, and opportunities you never expected. It’s becoming one of my favourite parts of The Brand Edit.

I’ve shared the full story on the blog, including how Grania went from helping build a successful retail space in Ripon to opening This Other Eden in Helmsley, why showing the person behind the business matters, and what I’m learning as this project moves from town to town.

🔗 Link in bio
The more I do this project, the more convinced I become that every business has a story worth telling.

08/06/2026

Watch to the end to see who won June’s Brand Edit

05/06/2026

If you are based in Kirkbymoorside and surrounding areas it’s your chance to apply for The Brand Edit my lastest project that spotlights local businesses though my documentary branding photography approach. To find out more simply click the link in my bio and read all about it. You can apply there too.
Applications closed Monday 8th June at midday and the winner will be announced later that day. So far I’ve worked with a Social Media Strategist, Cecily and Pete at and Grania at .other.eden in Helmsley this project is helping me spread word of small businesses in my area whilst showcasing my own working and hopefully demonstrating how valuable good, well thought out branding photography can be for a business.

04/06/2026

Is it just me who thinks about these things?

How many tiny decisions, chance encounters and crossed paths have to happen for two people to end up standing together on their wedding day?

Last Saturday, I found myself thinking about exactly that while listening to Taryne’s speech at Hackness Grange. Before they met, Taryne and Blythe’s lives had overlapped more times than they realised. They shared mutual friends and crossed paths on several occasions, yet somehow never properly met.

Then they did.

Blythe was completely smitten.

Taryne, quite sensibly, needed a little more thinking time before agreeing to a date 😆 And the rest, as they say, is history.
The thing that really got me, though, was hearing how Taryne grew up in South Africa and applied to universities all over the world.

When her place at Leeds came through, she made the brave decision to move thousands of miles from home.

It’s madness to think that if she’d ended up somewhere else, somewhere in America perhaps, we wouldn’t have been standing there last Saturday watching them exchange vows.

One application.
One decision.
One leap of faith.
An entirely different life.

From their emotional first look to the sparkler exit at the end of the night, their whole day felt full of gratitude for the journey that brought them here.

What a couple.
What a place to celebrate.
And what incredible people to spend the day with.

Now tell me...Is it just me who lies awake thinking about how people end up finding each other?

02/06/2026

I wish more people knew how much good brand photography could help them elevate their business.

Not because better photos magically create success.
But because they change the way you show up.

Yesterday I heard someone say:
“Insecurities are people’s greatest flaw.”

And it got me thinking...
So many business owners are carrying around stories that are holding them back.

“I’m not photogenic.”
“I don’t like being in front of the camera.”
“My business isn’t big enough yet.”
“I’ll do it when everything is perfect.”

But it’s always words that start the process of action.

The words we tell ourselves can either unlock our insecurities or reinforce them. That’s exactly why I created The Brand Edit. Each month, I choose one local business and give them a branding photography experience designed to show them what everyone else already sees.

Not just a collection of photos.
✔️ A confidence boost
✔️ A fresh perspective
✔️ A bank of images that genuinely reflects the quality of their business

I’ve already had the privilege of working with and .other.eden through this little project, and it’s been incredible to see what happens when business owners start showing up more confidently. Sometimes it can be the conversation we had that starts knocking down the barriers you had in your mind.

The fact that someone else can see you and your vision can be more powerful than you ever realise.

This month, The Brand Edit is coming to Kirkbymoorside.
If you’re based in Kirkbymoorside and you’ve been putting off professional photography because of one of those stories you’ve been telling yourself... this might be your sign.

Applications close at midday on Monday 8th June.
Or if you know someone quietly building something brilliant, send this their way.

Apply via the link in my bio


 


01/06/2026