Basingstoke, Hampshire
I photograph people - at all stages of their lives, on their own and with family and friends, in the places, and at those milestone moments, that are important to them.
Wedding Photography is a speciality. My approach is quite simple: if it matters to you, it matters to me.
Show more
11 customer reviews
Colin Graham
amazing guy amazing pictures
Reviewed on Facebook
Kirsti Wallace
Absolutely amazing service. Mike made us feel so relaxed and captured some truly magical moments of our big day! He was also very attentive to my step daughter through the day who showed some real interest in taking photos!
Thank you so much for making our day so special. The slide show was also very emotional and special to watch back!
Mr and Mrs Wallace 2017
More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Emily Gregory
Thank you so much Mike for everything you did for our wedding. We love our photos and can’t wait to receive our personalised USB next week with our high resolution photos. Thank you for capturing our special day! More...
Reviewed on Facebook
Jay
General Photography
Relaxed lovely attitude towards planning the manner of the day's photos to be taken
Chantelle
Extremely happy with the service provided by The Forever Moment. The photos are truly amazing and couldn't be happier! Highly recommend The Forever Moment
Rachel
Wedding Photography
Very reasonable price, very helpful and understanding.
Pete.
From first getting in contact to the end of the wedding, Mike has been superb. From the planning, ensuring we discussed and explored all avenues of the types of pictures we wanted to the wedding itself where Mike was discreet and professional at all times.
Mike sent through a sample of pictures the day after the wedding, ensuring the best moments were available to us in super quick time, leaving us to be able to use and share as we please less than 24 hours after the big day.
All of this came at a reasonable price and I would 150% recommend Mike and The Forever Moment for your wedding.
More...
Colin Graham
The forever moment was our chosen photographer for our wedding. Mike was brilliant on the day, getting to the church super early to capture the church and the guest arriving and myself and my best man. We felt at ease and just knew we were going to be happy with the results. Professional, reliable and competitive prices. I think he did a 10/11 hour day, so we worked him hard. Pleasure to do business with, with outstanding results. Will always use for our future photo moments. More...
Mrs April Graham
Mike from "the forever moment" was a pleasure to work with. Mike was my wedding photographer, he was professional on the day and put a full day of HARD work in. Mike went that extra mile and gave extras in our package which we wasn't expecting and it was amazing. His pictures were perfect, offered in a range of sizes and I have since booked Mike "the forever moment" for family portrait photos and he did my daughters 5th birthday party which he was just spectacular, great with the kids, bringing lots of fun props to engage the children, capture wonderful photos which I'll cherish forever and forever. It is a true, forever moment. Reasonably priced, professional, flexible, went that extra mile and I'll forever choose Mike for my photo needs. Trustworthy and puts 100% into his work. A true 5 star rating from us. Thank you Mike More...
Kirsty Pragnell
We got married on the 27.08.16 and Mike was our photographer. I cannot find the right word to explain what a lovely man he is, very professional, will give you the extra time and in a genuinely kind man. I cannot recommend Mike enough, the quality of the photos are amazing and very competitive prices. Thank you Mike for making out memories last a lifetime xx More...
Georgina
We had an intimate Vintage style family wedding. I felt Mike captured the natural photos that I was hoping for ! You really captured the day and the kind of photos I was looking for,
So I thank you for that as well as your time and
Patience on the day itself.
Would highly recommend you to others.
Very competitive prices! With a very proffessional service :-))
We are both very happy with the service provided.
More...
What’s the secret to taking a great photograph?
Being able to see it! Obviously, having the equipment and knowing how to use it is important, but they're not much use if the photographer can't see the potential in a scene.
Experience counts for a lot as well, because it helps to anticipate when "that moment" is going to happen, so I can make sure that camera settings and the composition of the picture are in place before then. Then there’s reading the light, patience and attention to detail, and a genuine love for storytelling through pictures.
What questions might you ask a client when starting a new project?
For weddings, I ask clients to describe their vision for their special day, so I can pick up on the vibe they're trying to create - and then think about how I can work with them to produce photos that will provide lasting memories of that vision.
I ask about locations and timings - even at an early stage in the planning, I like to create a mental plan for how I'm going to go about the job, what equipment I'm going to take with me, the logistics involved in giving them the coverage they want. Weddings rarely go exactly to plan, so I need a Plan B - and you can't have one of those without having a Plan A in the first place.
I ask them about preferences in photos - colour, black and white, toned? Do they like traditional poses or do they prefer a candid, fly-on-the-wall style? There’s no objective measure to determine what makes a photograph a good photograph, but (in my opinion) the best photographs are the ones that clients connect with at an emotional level, so it obviously makes sense for me to find a way to trigger that connection before I pick up the camera.
What do you love most about your job?
Being able to take photos for clients at the important times of their lives, and knowing that I'm responsible for documenting them. A wedding day is unique – it can never be repeated.
It’s a tremendous privilege - most of my clients have more tomorrows than they've got yesterdays (unlike me!), and it's very empowering to think that my photos will be reinforcing their memories well into the future. The fact that they've chosen me to do the job is an act of trust, and I take it very seriously - but that doesn’t mean I can’t do it with a smile on my face and a twinkle in my eye!
What inspired you to start your own business?
It was probably Confucius who said “Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life.” And I agree – photography can occupy me for 90 hours a week sometimes, but it doesn’t feel like work.
Being self-employed brings challenges – there’s no sick pay, no holiday pay, nobody else to make the hard decisions, and it’s a world where the annual appraisal has been replaced by daily introspection, self-assessment and deciding on my own personal development plan. But this is a small price to pay for the freedom to choose my own path, the opportunity to meet fascinating people who invite me into their lives (and their homes!), and to earn a living in a way that’s governed by my own beliefs, philosophy and ethics. I get to visit places I’ve never been and to be a part of the happiest days in the lives of people who were previously complete strangers.
“It’s work, Jim. But not as we know it.”
Why should our clients choose you?
Because my whole business is founded on the belief that a great customer experience is the foundation to business success. What’s more, anyone can provide it – it doesn’t cost a lot, just a bit of thought. And it can always be improved.
If you’re my customer, then (outside my family) you’re one of the most important people in my world. If you’re only thinking of becoming a customer, the same goes for you – and I won’t pressure you to make up your mind.
I price my services fairly and competitively, and do everything I can to deliver outstanding value for money. Obviously, so far as prices go, I can’t please everyone all the time – but that’s the market-place for you. Sometimes we just have to agree to be different – no hard feelings.
There’s part of me that’s a frustrated performer - can’t sing, can’t dance, can’t act, and the only musical instruments I’ve mastered are the ones that play someone else’s recordings. But, book me for your photography project and you give me a time to shine – and I’ll make the most of that opportunity.
Wedding Photography
Preserving your memories of your special day in central southern England. Give me your tiny little timeslices and I'll give you forever moments!