As Darlington-based photographic company Camera A celebrates its 30th anniversary, Ruth Addicott speaks to owners Ann Simmons and her daughter Jane about some of the highlights

THERE was a time when wedding couples would be content with a simple snap. Fast forward 30 years and things have changed dramatically.

Wedding specialists Camera A have had all sorts of demands, from having to capture the moment an owl flew into the ceremony to deliver the rings, to airbrushing out tattoos from the album afterwards.

Trimmer waists, toned arms and family members being wiped from view is all part of the service these days, thanks to advances in digital technology.

As Camera A celebrates its 30th anniversary, it’s a chance for mother and daughter team Ann and Jane Simmons to look back on what has been an extraordinary journey.

Ann started the company for some extra income from their family home in Cleveland Terrace, Darlington, the year Jane was born.

“It feels like yesterday,” she says. “The first cameras we used had two lenses; you looked through the top one and took the picture through the bottom. It was an absolute nightmare.

You had to be careful not to cut someone’s head off and get the exposure right and didn’t know what you had until you got the film back.”

Ann started photographing a few weddings here and there, but as demand grew, she found herself doing up to 80 a year.

“It got too big for the house,” she says. “In those days you had to have all the photographs printed in laboratories, they’d come back in packets and you’d have to stick them all in the album by hand. It was very time-consuming.”

Within seven years, Camera A had moved to their current premises in Skinnergate, but the biggest challenge was yet to come. When digital photography came in 20 years ago, it changed the entire business.

“I knew that if I wanted to continue in the job I loved, I had to adapt,” says Ann. “I went on courses and seminars over and over again, but I love a challenge. I found it really exciting.

I have never been frightened of learning something new.”

Ann soon became a whiz on the computer, discovering the world of Photoshop and graphic design. The technology also had an impact on how she tackled weddings; rather than taking all formal group shots where guests had to stand still and she’d take the picture on the count of three, Ann began taking a wider variety of shots showing more emotion and different expressions.

After learning the skills and developing her own style of photography, daughter Jane joined the business eight years ago and now runs the wedding side.

Most of the wedding photos are digitally-enhanced now with brides looking for “artworks” as opposed to standard snaps. “They want their pictures to really stand out,” says Jane. “We have the opportunity to be very creative and hopefully that’s how we stand out from other photographers.”

Some brides want wrinkles removed or their arms made slimmer. They had a wedding last year where the groom turned up with a black eye which had to be airbrushed out.

“We’re forever removing tattoos,” says Jane.

“Even brides who have tattoos want them taken out for their wedding pictures. We’ve also had to remove the odd person if they’re no longer on speaking terms with the rest of the family.

“We airbrushed out one family member and turned them into a bush. But we’d only do it at the bride’s request!”

The advantage of being in the business so long is that couples who had their weddings photographed by Ann 30 years ago have since returned for family portraits and had their children’s weddings done by Jane.

Being an all-female team, they also offer boudoir photography. Keeping on top of the latest trends is crucial, as is teamwork, as Ann found out recently when she had to deal with a bird.

“One of the latest fads at weddings is an owl that flies in with a little bag attached to its legs containing the wedding rings,” explains Jane. “The best man catches the owl, unties the bag and hands over the rings.”

Ann, who’s petrified of birds and didn’t want to disrupt the service, had to remain at the back, while Jane captured the exchange at the front.

THEY have also had to deal with all kinds of incidents over the last 30 years, including the time a motorcyclist went into the back of a wedding car.

“The car had just dropped off the mother of the bride and the bridesmaids and a motorcyclist was so busy watching the wedding, he went right into the back and smashed the window,” recalls Ann.

“Fortunately, the chap on the bike was wearing a crash helmet. The mother of the bride was very shaken, he only missed her by seconds. We had to send the bride around the block a few times while the car was moved. Obviously, she didn’t want to turn up to the church and see someone with their feet sticking out the back of a car.”

Expanding into commercial and portrait photography has also posed a few challenges.

“The biggest challenge is when you have a teenager who doesn’t want to be photographed and they’re standing there stiff as a board,” says Ann.

“The parents have sent them because they want a pic for granny or something. I’ve done things like stick my tongue out, anything to get a reaction or make them forget why they’re here.”

Then there was the time she had to don a hard hat and climb up some of the tallest buildings in Darlington to do a shoot for construction firm, McAlpine.

“I had to climb up three or four ladders strapped together and go across the roofs,” she says. “I had to keep telling myself, ‘it’s just a job’. I did it once a week for 18 months.”

Having survived three recessions including the current one, which Ann says is the longest, deepest recession she has ever known, they are now looking forward to the future. Even if it includes ring-bearing owls.

  •  Camera A, Green Tree House, 3 Skinnergate Darlington, County Durham DL3 7NB.

Tel: 01325-381055; cameraa.co.uk