About

About Ivan, Photographer & Videographer

I'm a photographer and videographer based in Shoreditch, London EC2A. Over a decade behind a camera and more than 500 shoots across every London borough — weddings, corporate work, restaurants, property, products and film. I shoot everything myself and bring in a second photographer when a job genuinely needs two. I hold a CAA Operational Authorisation for drone work and £5m public liability cover.

How I got here

I picked up a camera properly in my mid-twenties, shooting friends’ bands in venues around Dalston because nobody else would do it for free. The photos were rubbish. Underexposed, badly cropped, half of them shot on a kit lens I didn’t understand yet. I kept at it because freezing a moment nobody else caught felt worth the bad photos.

Paid work started with headshots for actors who couldn’t afford a studio day, then a wedding for a cousin’s friend who took a chance on someone with no portfolio. I turned up two hours early, over-shot everything, and spent a week editing what should have taken two days. Ten years on I still arrive early. I’ve just got faster at the edit.

What changed wasn’t the camera. It was learning to read a room before I read the light, knowing when a bride wants five more minutes alone with her dad, or when a CEO hates having their photo taken and needs three minutes of small talk before the shutter goes.

How I work

Same method whether it’s a wedding in Greenwich or a product shoot in the studio: arrive early, shoot far more than I’ll deliver, and edit by hand rather than dumping a preset over everything. A preset makes a restaurant in Peckham look like one in Copenhagen. I’d rather the photos looked like the place they were taken.

Most photographers will tell you to book as early as possible. I’ll say the opposite for anything that isn’t a wedding: book close to the date once you know exactly what you need, because briefs change and a shoot locked in three months out often gets reshot anyway.

I deliver fast because clients need the work, not because speed is a selling point on its own. See recent work across London for most of what I shoot, and for the longer version of how any of this works, there are guides I’ve written on booking photography covering timing, pricing and what to ask before you book.

Experience and credentials

Over a decade shooting professionally, more than 500 shoots across every London borough: weddings, corporate events, restaurants, property, products and video work. I’m CAA-authorised for commercial drone work and carry public liability cover, which most venues and event organisers ask to see before they let anyone near a ceremony or a rooftop.

  • 10+ years professional experience
  • 500+ shoots across London
  • CAA Operational Authorisation for commercial drone flights
  • £5m public liability insurance
  • Employers’ liability insurance for second-shooter jobs
  • Enhanced DBS certificate, renewed for school and safeguarding-sensitive work

Kit-wise: two full-frame bodies, a 24-70 and a 70-200 for most jobs, a fast 35mm for anything indoors and low-lit, flash gear for venues whose own lighting won’t cut it, and a drone for the property and hospitality work that needs one. None of it matters as much as knowing which lens to reach for before the moment’s gone.

Who I work with

Couples getting married, mostly in London and the home counties. Restaurants that need a menu reshot before the reviews arrive. Estate agents who need a flat photographed before a listing goes live at 9am. Founders who need headshots that don’t look like they were taken in a stairwell. Schools, marketing teams, the odd podcast.

The weddings and restaurant work are what I enjoy most; there’s a story in both, and the client usually cares about the same details I do. Corporate headshots pay the bills between the more interesting jobs, and I won’t pretend every session is a passion project. Some are just good, straightforward work done well.

Have a look at the work I take on if you want the full range rather than the highlights.

The studio

The studio’s in Shoreditch, EC2A, a short walk from Old Street and easy enough to reach on the Northern or Overground line. It’s where headshots, product shoots and small branding sessions happen, with seamless paper backdrops in white and grey and continuous lighting left set up permanently so there’s no setup time eating into the session.

Being based in East London means most jobs in Hackney, Islington and the City start within twenty minutes of picking up the kit. Anything further out, Richmond, Bromley, the far reaches of the Underground map, just gets factored into the day’s schedule rather than the price.

What I won’t do

I turn down unpaid “exposure” work. Exposure doesn’t cover a memory card, an insurance premium or a Tuesday spent editing. I also turn down jobs where the brief hasn’t been thought through: “just get some nice shots” isn’t a brief, and a rushed one produces photos nobody’s happy with.

  • Unpaid work offered in exchange for “exposure”
  • Jobs with no clear brief or shot list for anything complex
  • Bookings where the budget is too small for the coverage asked for

If someone wants six hours of wedding coverage for the price of two, I’ll say so rather than take the money and deliver something thin. Check what it costs before you book, and if the number doesn’t work for the coverage you want, we can usually adjust the brief instead.

Send a date, a venue and a rough idea of what you need, and tell me about the job so I can say honestly whether I’m free and whether it’s a good fit. I reply within one working day with a straight answer, not a sales script.

Frequently asked questions

How long have you been a photographer?

Over a decade, working professionally across London since my mid-twenties. In that time I've shot more than 500 jobs: weddings, corporate events, restaurants, property and product work — and I'm still doing most of it myself, just faster than I used to.

Do you shoot every job yourself?

Yes, on the vast majority of bookings. I bring in a second photographer for weddings over a certain size or events with more than one location running at once, but the person you speak to beforehand is the one behind the camera on the day.

What insurance do you carry?

£5m public liability cover as standard, plus employers' liability insurance for jobs where a second shooter joins me. Most venues, agencies and event organisers ask to see proof of this before confirming a booking, so I keep the certificate ready to send.

Are you authorised to fly a drone commercially?

Yes, I hold a CAA Operational Authorisation for commercial drone work. That covers my side of it; landowner permission is a separate matter and needs agreeing directly with whoever manages the site before any flight goes ahead.

Do you have a DBS certificate?

Yes, an enhanced DBS certificate, renewed periodically for school and safeguarding-sensitive bookings. Requirements vary by school and trust, so it is worth confirming exactly what is needed before the booking rather than assuming one certificate covers every setting.

What equipment do you use?

Two full-frame camera bodies, a 24-70 and a 70-200 for most jobs, a fast 35mm for low light, flash for events, and a CAA-authorised drone for property and hospitality work. The kit matters less than knowing which lens to reach for at the right moment.

Where are you based?

My studio is in Shoreditch, London EC2A, and I cover all London boroughs plus the home counties for weddings. Most jobs within the M25 start within about thirty minutes of leaving the studio, kit already loaded.

What kind of work do you turn down?

Unpaid work offered for "exposure", bookings with no real brief, and jobs where the budget guarantees a thin result. I would rather say no upfront than take the money and deliver something nobody is happy with six weeks later.

Ready to start your project?

Tell us about your shoot — we reply within one working day. No obligation.

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