It's so strange saying that. If you'd asked me if I wanted to shoot weddings when I started out, I'd have been quite reluctant. There'd have been lots of complicated excuses and artistic-sounding reasons – but the truth is, I wouldn't have been ready.

Maybe it would have been the same if I'd asked you if you wanted to get married a decade ago. Married? No way! But here you are, older, more experienced, better at making decisions, and more comfortable in your own skin.

I guess there's a right time for everything.

Before my first proper wedding, I'd already done lots. Magazine covers, cookery books, news stories, family photos, travel. Fashion spreads, concerts, corporate events, landscapes. Handbags, jewellery, beautiful homes – you name it. I'd also made a lot of photo albums and coffee-table books.

It turned out I needed all of this experience to get through a single wedding. It's the most intense thing you can imagine. 12 hours of non-stop picture-taking spanning several different genres at the same time. A crowd of new people to make instant friends with. And only one chance to get it right. 

If I'd said "Yes" any earlier, it simply couldn't have worked out. But it was the right time. I made it through my Big Day like a pro, and the couple were thrilled with the results. And four years later, I'm still thrilled to be doing it.