It’s surprising to Craig Atkinson that a decade has passed since he took this photograph. His eldest son Oscar stands to the left of the frame, his niece Emily to the right. Back then, they were five and four, excited young children preparing for the day’s festivities.
“We were at a Chinese wedding at Tatton Hall in Cheshire; it was early autumn and Oscar and my other son, Hugo, two, who is in the centre, looking at his iPad, were pageboys. Hugo is standing with my sister-in-law, Jade. It makes me feel nostalgic and sentimental.”
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Atkinson says he rarely plans his photographs; alongside his work as a fine art lecturer and publisher of the Café Royal Books photography magazines, he mostly takes pictures of his family. “We have a couple of those screens around the house that display a random selection of photos of the kids; it’s a great conversation starter.”
Seven years ago, Atkinson set himself a challenge to use only a phone to take photos. “It meant no lenses, no SD cards, no wires and no heavy bags. I stuck to it and haven’t owned a camera for many years. I enjoy the freedom of not having all the kit and the decision-making that goes with it. I don’t try to take epic, highly edited single images, astro shots or sports. I’m more interested in the day, the story, the event.
“The eye contact is one of my favourite parts of this shot,” he says. “Along with their pride, and the innocence.”