I like to measure the success of a year by how many great gins I’ve consumed. Betty’s Gin in May, Hortus in July, Little Bird in early November - there were more, but for some reason my memory’s a little foggy, and I can’t think or see straight. And my face is numb. And I feel like throwing up a bit.
However, I’ve noticed that my gin cupboard is half full. And although that means I’m an optimist (apparently), it also means that there’s room for more. Ya know, I’m not hinting or anything. So what happened in the world of AK Expressions during 2018? Well, you may notice that my website looks a little sleeker. I thought it was time for a change, and I’m pretty happy with how it looks. There’s even a photo of me in a Star Wars t-shirt on the homepage; if that isn’t the epitome of awesomeness, I don’t know what is.
This year, when it came to my work, I was busier than a mosquito in a nudist colony. I had a record 10 weddings in August, each one followed by hours and hours of editing, lack of sleep, and a million espressos. And that was just one month. Let’s not talk about the rest of the year. I realised eventually that I needed some sort of emergency kit in the car because I was driving back and forth to venues so much - it consists of a bottle of gin, a kettle and Super Noodles (so, a balanced diet).
Somehow I managed to find time to shoot a crazy advert I made in collaboration with Jimmy’s Farm and Suffolk Wedding Shed. The brief was ‘not your standard wedding advert’. Therefore, me being me, I went full wacko and placed a bride on a rocking horse, eating a piece of fruit fed to her by pitchfork. Because what’s a Suffolk wedding without a reference to farming?
In between the cake smashing and snowball fights that took place in just a few of my pre-shoots, I photographed some more serious moments, including a session with Dave and Michelle , a couple fighting together against cancer. It’s humbling situations like these which make me really thankful that you guys keep choosing me to be a part of your day.
But soppiness aside, the early mornings, long wedding shows and terrible hotel room coffees were all worth it for another brilliant year. Not to mention the many gifts that I’ve kindly been given by my fantastic clients (I’ll think about accepting gin as payment - but don’t hold your breath). I’m looking forward to meeting more of you at upcoming exhibitions, or through previous happy clients. If you see an eager-looking, red-headed, bearded man walking up to you, try not to run away. I only bite when I haven’t had coffee.
I hope you’ll raise a glass of gin with me to toast the New Year. 2019, here we come.