Tom Keenan: Capturing Tender Moments in Wedding Photography

Wedding photographer Tom Keenan finds the quiet, tender moments that turn weddings into stories, a touch, the light on a veil. We hosted Tom for a studio shoot; he shared his approach to capturing the details others miss.

Hi! Can you introduce yourself and tell us a little about your photography work?

My name’s Tom and I’m a photographer based in Ramsgate. I mostly shoot weddings, but I also work with brands and businesses. As a family man, I try to take on a select number of weddings and branding jobs throughout the year so I can give each one the attention it deserves. With weddings, I’d say I’m not a “fly on the wall” photographer who sticks to the edges with a long lens, but I’m also not someone who gets everyone together and orchestrates every moment.

I like to integrate myself into the couple’s friends and family, get involved with what’s happening, and capture things as they naturally unfold. It’s genuinely one of the most fun parts of the job. The photos end up unpredictable, but in the best possible way. Then, during the cropping and editing process, I try to lean towards a fine art, editorial fashion style while focusing on the authentic moments and individual people. For weddings 35mm analogue film is often requested and I’ve loved doing this more over the last few years.

With my branding work, I use my background in fashion photography to give direction and prompts where needed. I love the collaborative process where everyone involved has some skin in the game, if that makes sense. The best results usually come when we’re all working together to create something rather than me just turning up and taking photos.

How would you describe your creative style, and what influences your work?

I’d describe my style as a mix of documentary storytelling and an editorial finished product. I love capturing the moments that happen and are unique to each wedding (think all vegan stately home, to fashion forward Christian wedding) but I like making the images look modern. With my analogue film work I tend to let the film stock do the talking, with minimal corrections out of the lab.

I’d say my influences are other photographers, particularly stateside like Micah Cook, Nathan Chanski & Jack Henry but also UK photographers like my good friend James Richards, local boy Matt Harley, Benjamin Wheeler. He passed away in December but I love the raw nature of Martin Parr’s seaside documentary photographs on film, I also love the iconic celebrity portraits from Mario Testino.

What made you choose Hawley Square Studios for this shoot? Were there any features of the space that particularly stood out to you?

I had a client book me for head shots and lifestyle images for her CBT website she was launching. I looked at a number of local coffee shops that all looked amazing but the communication was tricky (photographers coming in to do shoots was understandably not their priority) and getting a time that was flexible also didn’t work. I saw on a local Margate Creatives facebook group about the studio and saw it was ideal with the light and “living room” feel. The communication from Hattie was super quick, friendly and accommodating which made the logistics smooth. This was always half the battle when I used to work with teams for fashion photography.

How did the studio help bring your vision to life?

The upper room was quite a blank canvas, and small in terms of your typical studio space, but the light was lovely and it was clean. I usually stick to a 24-70 lens for brand work and touch on 70-200 lens for head shots, and the shorter lens was ideal for the room. I put a flash in the back corner of the room as a fill light lifting the shadows, a key light as a softbox matching the light from the window and that was enough for me. Hattie was also so helpful in allowing us to move some of the beautiful house plants up the stairs to create a botanical vibe which matched the clients brand colours.

What projects are you currently working on/any exciting upcoming projects?

I recently shot some children’s clothing for Molly Pickle the Illustrator and have a couple of big weddings coming up later in the year, it was busier for me at the beginning of 2026. I think it’s worked out quite nicely as I have some big celebrations to photograph next year and this year my baby girl turns 1, and my son starts at primary school!

As someone who’s spent time in Margate, what would you recommend visitors do, see, or experience while they’re here?

I recently did a lovely walk from Barnes Car Park all the way to the Turner Contemporary (they recommend me there as a wedding photographer too!) – the kids were on scooters and bikes while us parents walked. Getting doughnuts and ice creams was a treat in Margate. Local businesses to checkout, Rise & Bun launched fairly recently and does some awesome vegan options, reminds me of Crosstown. Margate Church has been growing too over the last 2 years and a few men have been playing five aside football at Margate Football club which I recommend.

INSTAGRAM
Visit his website –  Kent wedding photographer Tom Keenan..