Couples who want an elegant, seamless look between their photos and wedding video flock to MIKI Studios and lead photographer Ash Davenport. His style brings out the best in people and his portfolio is full of gorgeous portraits and lush documentary photographs that will stand the test of time. Scroll down to see his work and find out why MIKI Studios is so popular in the UK and around the world with discerning couples who care about photography.

Blair: 

Hey Ash, it is wonderful to connect with you again. I had such a great time with you guys at NineDots and I remember you telling me you “fell into photography” after being in the corporate world for quite some time. Can you tell a little more about that?

Ash:

I had been working for Rolls Royce for 15 years on the business side of things and was starting to feel down about my career. It wasn’t fun for me anymore and one night my wife suggested we have a serious talk about it. We, or I, had one too many bottles of wine and she said, “Why don’t you pick up your camera” and do something with that? At first I thought she was joking but it felt good to hear. I woke up in the morning with a smashing headache and an idea about how to move forward. 

My brother is an Olympic swimmer and he had some followers on his Facebook page. I just put it out there that I wanted to learn more about photography, and I started making connections. I stumbled onto NineDots, joined up, and realized I knew absolutely nothing about photography or the profession. On day one of the conference I met one of the founders, Mick Shah, and several months later he offered me mentorship as a second shooter. It was a meant-to-be-moment and now we work together as a team. Mick creates films and I shoot photos, and we work together 90% of the time.

 

Blair: 

From your work it looks like you shoot a fair amount of luxury weddings. What draws affluent clients to your business? 

Ash:

We actually work with people from all walks of life, but we offer a luxury experience to our clients. Every wedding starts with a pre-wedding questionnaire and a session that includes film and photos. We go over the results with our clients to see what photos resonate with them, and we create a real connection during our time together so couples feel totally relaxed and undistracted on their wedding day. It is important for us to know the names of all the key players and ensure they are beautifully photographed and made to feel important. We want every person we work with to feel happy and at ease. And of course, all of our communication and follow-through is highly-professional.

 

 

Blair: 

How would you describe your style?

Ash: 

We focus on artwork that makes couples look stunning, along with emotional, naturally captured moments. We stay away from flash, using fixed lighting, LEDs, and panels when necessary and using available light for most of our work. We don’t want flashes popping in people’s faces and we stay away from anything that takes away from the flow of the celebration. 

 

Blair:

Can you tell me the names of a couple of photographers who inspire your work and some other artists you gravitate to: musicians, painters, architects?

Ash:

I tend not to follow many wedding photographers because I feel that limits the boundaries of creativity but the ones I do follow are all about connections, movement and always make you feel something deep inside.

https://www.theferros.com/

https://ferjuaristi.com/

Outside of wedding photography, there are two photographers that made a real impact on me very early on and one was the reason I fell in love with photography.

https://donmccullin.com/ - his photojournalism was the reason I fell in love with photography when I was 18.

Annie Leibovitz - I love how she lights the subjects to make them look so natural.

 

 

 

Blair: 

How are you spending your time during the COVID crisis? 

Ash:

I always try to stay fit in a balanced way. Healthy cooking, exercise, working on projects within my business to build brand recognition and customer loyalty. Right now, I live in an old house in Derby that is totally pulled apart. We were in the middle of remodeling when the virus hit, so our home is a bit of a construction zone. My daughter is young and she’s absolutely wonderful, and my wife and I always have something to work on together. I can’t complain and feel pretty good about things getting back to normal. 

Blair:

I have to admit I love a good house project. What one improvement to your home are you most excited about?

Ash: Very easy answer! That has to be our Gin Cabinet!! I am a big Gin and Tonic fan so it was important for me to have a place in the house that I could go to make the perfect G&T and display all my bottles of gin (I wish I had a collection, they don't normally last that long!). The style I am going for is similar to a bar on a private jet, well, if you cannot get a private jet, at least I can sit back, close my eyes and listen to the planes take off (I live next to a major UK airport) and think I am on my jet heading off to Monaco. 

 

 

Blair:

Thank you so much for hanging out with me. I am looking forward to connecting again soon and to sharing more of your work with couples and photographers everywhere.

To see more work from Miki Studios visit their website or their WBWP portfolio.