Travel photography has brought me enormous pleasure and has allowed me to take many of my favourite images. Landscapes, cityscapes, architecture and nature always catch my attention and I enjoy exploring unusual images.Kinkaku-ji is photographed by everyone who visits, so the work here was in the waiting: a still morning, no wind on the pond, and the reflection holding long enough to make the second pavilion as sharp as the first.

Kinkaku-ji held still on the water, the whole pavilion doubled in the pond below.

Golden Pavilion

Stardust Vintage Photography is portrait photography dedicated to classic Hollywood and Film Noir, '30s and '40s style photos.I have always loved this style of photography and combine it with modern equipment and vintage practical effects to produce images inspired by that golden era.

Hard side light, a borrowed fedora, and nothing left in the frame but shadow.

Film Noir

I am a photographer because I love to create beautiful images that tell a story and capture feelings, emotions, or a moment. Wedding photography gives me the privilege of using my passion for photography to tell the story of a very special moment in your life.I work mainly in a documentary style, and couple portraits are a favourite: the quiet ten minutes where the two of you step away from the day.

Two glasses, foreheads together, and the rest of the day politely out of focus.

The Toast

Your graduation day is a great landmark moment. After the years of study and memorable friendships, it is great to mark this wonderful achievement with a personal graduation photoshoot.You can book individual or group packages for a personal shoot on location in the historic centre of Oxford or in your own college.

Two graduands against a college door, still laughing between the formal frames.

Two Gowns

I adore the classic black and white vintage portraits of the '20s, '30s and '40s, and many of my inspirations come from that era.The look is built in the room rather than added afterwards: shaped light, a long lens, and practical effects in front of the glass.

Finger waves, pearls and a soft cool tone, lit the way the studios used to.

Pearls and Waves

I get a real buzz from event photography, and love that every event is unique. My style is reportage documentary: getting into the heart of an event and capturing the moments, detail and style, but I also understand that there are important or formal parts of an occasion where great photos are needed too.I love to work with performers, and have photographed many dance events and festivals in the UK and Europe. This is Saturday night at the Oxford Swing Festival, shot from inside the circle with the crowd doing the lighting for me.

The floor cleared, a jam circle formed, and the whole room leaned in at once.

Saturday Night

Classic Hollywood lighting is unforgiving, and that is the point: one hard source, a fill barely there, and the shadow left in as part of the composition.I can offer individual photoshoots and a travelling vintage photo studio for events and festivals.

Satin, a raised hand, and a shadow drawn hard across the wall behind.

Satin and Shadow

Portrait sessions are one of my favourite parts of being a photographer. I like simple, elegant portraits with a classic style which bring out the personality of the subjects.I want you to be comfortable in front of the camera and I don't do awkward or cheesy posing. I have a relaxed natural style and easy going nature.

A relaxed summer portrait on the towpath, green water doing all the work behind.

Riverside

A Stardust Vintage session built around one fall of light and a lot of empty space. The velvet swallows everything that is not the dress.Sessions run in the studio, or as a travelling vintage photo studio for events and festivals.

A single figure against draped velvet, the dress catching the only light in the room.

Midnight

Photography allows me to explore my creative personality, and trying new ideas and challenges is always great fun. I like to use a combination of modern equipment and editing, and older practical effects.This one was built rather than found: the bar dressed, the band placed, and every light set so that the finished frame carried the feel and style of the music they play.

A whole band staged mid-riot in a back bar, lit and dressed to match the music.

Kuppa T and the Zeppelin Crew

Practical effects rather than filters: diffusion in front of the lens, a cool grade, and a pose held long enough to sit still underneath it.I love to work with performers, and this one leaned all the way into the golden era.

White tie, a conductor's baton, and a cool cast borrowed from early Technicolor.

White Tie

Mount Fuji spends most of the year behind cloud, so a clear crossing on Lake Ashi is worth waiting for. The torii on the far shore and the ship coming across gave the frame its three distances.I use my camera every day, whether that is exploring the wonderful city of Oxford, or when travelling.

A replica galleon crossing Lake Ashi with Mount Fuji clear on the horizon behind it.

Lake Ashi

As an Oxford photographer I am blessed to be working in such a stunning city. Oxford is perfect because it has so many stunning backdrops, from historic colleges and university buildings to beautiful open spaces.Graduation shoots run on location in the historic centre of Oxford, or in your own college.

A single graduand against warm college stone, gown and hood squared away.

Matriculation

Not every vintage portrait needs a costume. This one is a plain profile, lit from one side, and it holds because of what has been left out.I enjoy shooting creatively in colour and black and white, and always like to explore different ideas and angles.

A quiet profile against black, sharp on the eye and gone everywhere else.

Profile

The reception is where a documentary approach earns its keep. Nothing here was arranged: the floor filled, the dip happened, and the frame was there for it.My wedding photography website has all of the detail you need about my style of wedding photography, my collections and my packages.

The dancefloor at full tilt, caught somewhere between a dip and a laugh.

Matthew Ellacott Photography — Oxford photographer for weddings, events, graduations, portraits and creative shoots