FROM wading through waist high flood water to travelling by tractor - a photographer has shared her years worth of stories covering hundreds of weddings.

Tiree Dawson has photographed more than 500 weddings in her 14 years in the industry - the nearest of which was a three minute walk from home and the furthest in a rainforest near Melbourne, more than 10,500 miles away.

Originally from Ambleside, Mrs Dawson’s interest in photography stemmed from an early age and she never dreamed she would be able to make a living from taking photos.

She said: “I photograph a very diverse range of subjects – both weddings and commercial shoots, but the one thread that unites them all is that they are things that people love. It might be their children, their partner, their business, their products, their handiwork – whatever it is, the chances are I am documenting it because it is important, because somewhere along the line, at least one person has poured their passion, determination, energy and resilience into making that thing in front of my camera what it is at that very moment.”

Two of Mrs Dawson’s most memorable wedding experiences occurred during Storm Desmond in 2015.

She said: “Hitching lifts, wading through floods up to my waist with my camera bag wrapped in three bin liners, having to borrow a bridesmaid’s clothes because mine were drenched, sleeping on a sofa in the hotel, being picked up the next morning in a tractor by a friend who drove me (with an emergency wedding cake on my knee) to the second wedding – it was chaos!

“They were both fantastic weddings though, and that is testimony to all of the wedding suppliers who worked so, so hard in really tough conditions to ensure the couples still enjoyed their days. It felt amazing to be part of those teams.”

Mrs Dawson said it has been a ‘horrendously tough year’ for the wedding industry but is optimistic about the future.

She said: “It has been a horrendously tough year for the wedding industry, which is of course so closely linked to the hospitality and entertainment sectors who are also facing crisis after crisis.

“We are lucky in the Lakes that our beautiful area is very popular for elopements and micro-weddings, and when these have been allowed to happen they have brought in lots of very welcome short term business.”

Mrs Dawson recommends photography to anyone interested in the industry.

She said: “I absolutely love my career in photography and wouldn’t change it for the world. There are so many different opportunities in the industry and they require very different skill sets.

“I would always suggest researching different options and speaking to people who already work in the areas you are considering.

“Weddings are hugely rewarding and can be very profitable, but being a wedding photographer also requires endless energy, resilience, meticulous attention to detail when it comes to looking after your kit and the image files, and you also really, really need to love being around people.”

If you would like to get in touch with Tiree, you can contact her at info@tireedawson.co.uk.