Photography has been my job for over 17 years... It makes me see the world in a different way.
I look for good light.
I get excited by how the sun hits the trees.
I can see the real smiles & a glow in the eyes.
I find locations where I know photo magic can happen.
I get to have the best seat in the house for your wedding day.
I get to visit and celebrate your newborn baby in the earliest days.
I can still be a big kid with every family shoot.
I bring my best Mary Poppins skills to every shoot.
I love being with new people, being creative, making people belly laugh and people watching.
Capturing other people’s most joyful moments is an awesome way to make a living. It’s such a privilege to get a window into your life. Whether that’s seeing you on your wedding day, with your tiny new baby, or the energy of your kids at a family shoot. Trust me - We are going to have so much fun!
I was a kid who was never shy! I loved to perform in school plays and loved the feeling of making people laugh. After school I went to uni and did a Drama degree. And when I graduated I got my dream job to be a Drama teacher for A-level & BTEC students. I know that the three years I spent at the front of the class teaching and encouraging students to let go, have fun & be in the moment were skills that now are so useful as a photographer!
Well first up they are not so little anymore! Our kids are now 18 and 14. So I have gone through and can handle all the tiny babies, screaming toddlers, cheeky kids, now teenager stages! When I take photos of my kids or have family photographs taken I fall in love with them a little bit more. These two are my world. For now they still love my silly voices, being a funny character and all the hugs. I have a feeling it will not be long before they are taller than me and I am not short!
I asked my kids to describe me in a few words as they know me better than most...
Funny & kind
A clown
Natural, genuine & pure laughter
Great cook
Fast runner!
Almost 6 foot. This makes me a great photographer for no double chins as I am taller than most!
For me if you bring good vibes, high energy & are ready to laugh you get that back in return.
I do love to be silly. I am not worried about making myself the fool to get the giggles: Silly voices, awkward dancing, bad singing - I'm in!
Perhaps my drama teacher background! Happy to help the best man with announcements or get groups sorted whilst having a giggle.
Having people over & entertaining with good food. Having a house full of your favourite people all with full bellies makes me happy. (Although tidying up the chaos in the kitchen not so much!) My daughter has been vegan for almost three years so I have really changed as a cook, I think I have improved! We definitely eat a huge amount of veg at my house.
So I didn't really discover fitness till my mid 30's and now in my mid 40's I am probably at my strongest. I am trying to become a runner by doing couch to 5K, I love the high after the run more than I love the actual running. But ask me to lift weights or throw some battle ropes around then I am in!
I have always loved playing with kids creatively and was always keen to get out anything that made a mess! And I still do. If you follow my instagram I share a bit of some of the ideas we try. We have a tendency to have the glue gun out weekly in my house!
I met my husband just before I turned 19 and this year we celebrated 25 years together. He told his mum before he asked me out that he had met a girl at work and he was going to marry her! We got married almost 19 years ago which seems crazy! When I first started photographing weddings everyone was older than me, now most couples are younger than me... So I am guessing I will have to start behaving like a grown up soon - just not yet!
Click each event for more information.
I met another photographer when I was on maternity leave. He was setting up a photography business and I said I could help out. I was good with people, marketing, handing out flyers and chatting to people at shoots. It was not long after that I invested all my savings into a new camera and started shooting alongside his business. We set up a company together and booked nearly thirty weddings the following year! After 2 years we went down different paths but I kept the name FunkyPhotographers. It feels very strange now, trading as Hannah MacGregor, but it’s also a new chapter and more for me. I have invested in so much learning and growing as a photographer, my own boss and as a creative. I love that this is a job where you can continue to push yourself, learn new skills, invest in new equipment & training.
Yeah 48 weddings in one year whilst pregnant and huge! I was super determined to keep growing the business and my baby boy! I worked right up until the November shooting weddings and he arrived early January 2011. I have since always felt if I could get through that year of weddings feeling sick I can do anything!
I entered the Wedding Industry Awards for a few years in a row and every time I did I was short listed as London & South East Wedding photographer of the year. So many photographers entered every year so it was always amazing that I would make the final shortlists. I have been so lucky to always get super amazing feedback & support from all my couples & families who I photograph. So much of my work comes through lovely people recommending me to their friends & family and I will always be forever grateful for all that LOVE x
I felt so proud to be asked by another writer if I wanted to help co-write a photography book and provide all the images. A book about learning to be a Portrait Photographer called "Foundation Course, Portrait Photography: The essential beginners Guide" It was lots of work and a great way to look back on what you do and put it all on paper. It was published in 2014 and I decided it was only right to have my Carrie Bradshaw moment and have a book launch! I invited all the people that were in the book and had helped in the run up to it being published. It was so fab to see how much support I had from those who had booked me and a great excuse to have a glass of champers too! I mean you only get a few of these moments in life! Link to Amazon to buy book.
Over the last 5 years I have run beginners photography workshops with Jonny MP Photography. It is such a wonderful thing to be able to share your passion & excitement about taking photos. We have taught people that have gone on to push their skills further and take up photography as a profession. We had someone say they learnt more in that one day than they had in a 6 week photography course!! Smashed it! I have also had lots of 1:1 photography mentoring days, for those who do not want to learn in a group or for photographers that want to grow their business & knowledge.
Shoot Edit Chat Repeat is fab podcast run by Vicki Knights & Eddie Judd. I was one of their first interviews when they started the podcast so when they celebrated their one-year anniversary and held a live podcast event I was super chuffed to be asked to be one of four speakers!
When I set out on this journey I worked with another photographer and we started out together as ‘Funky Photographers’. It was back in 2007 when Funky was a ‘cool’ word (promise!!). At the time the name worked and represented us well, we were fun & fresh with our ideas & ‘funky’ suited! We ran the business together for 2 years and then I continued alone and took the name Funky Photographers. Now flash forward nearly 14 years and it felt like the right time to celebrate me and take the business to a more grown up & classy place! I was so excited to create a new website, a new platform for my work and it seemed the right time for a name change. So here I am Hannah MacGregor Photo & Film!