Patrick Mateer

Authentic, Creative Wedding Photography - No Posing, Just Capturing

Hi, I'm Patrick, I am a documentary wedding photographer based in Yorkshire, England. I work with my wife Hollie Mateer. Our studio is called M and G Wedding Photography and we work alongside another photographer, Matt Godman. My dad, when he was working, was an Art and Animation lecturer, art and design teacher, and freelance artist. He always had a camera with him - a Nikon F2 was his main camera, . He was a very trusting father as he let me use it from an early age. So I started taking photos from a very early age. I studied art at school and was lucky to have access to their darkroom. From school, I went to art college and then University. Though I studied fine art, I always specialised in photography. At university, I worked in many different ways, shooting landscapes, street photography, portraits. I was influenced by Adams, Eggleston, McCullin, Meyorvitz, Friedlander, Frank, Arbus, Wall. At university, I met my close friend Matt Godman. After graduation, we both started shooting weddings independently. After some years, we decided to pool our talents and experience. M and G Wedding Photography was born. In 2015 I met my wife Hollie Mateer. She joined M and G Wedding Photography in 2017. Hollie is my wife, my best friend, the best photographer I know - and the most wonderful mother. We love working together, in particular, shooting together. She continually pushes me to be a better photographer, just through her sheer talent. I still shoot images on film today - particularly on holiday or days out. Rather than taking a digital camera or using my phone, I use my Nikon F100 film camera. This restricts me to 36 images, meaning I really take time when documenting - and enjoying - moments as they happen. I became a wedding photographer because I love photography. I used to shoot more commercial work, but over time, I came to realise my real passion was wedding photography. Every wedding assignment is shot in my own style - every frame is my own. In commercial photography, though I loved the challenge of working to brief, I always felt restricted. Wedding photography allows me to express myself through image-making in the way I want to. I never seek to repeat past work and I don't work to a brief. My clients just expect me to take natural, unposed images of their day in the style I am known for.