Meet Mark and Ally – Founders of Two & Quarter Photography Ltd. in Bermuda. Get to meet Mark and Ally in our interview below.
What types of photography sessions do you offer?
The focus of Two & Quarter is weddings and portraits, which is fairly broad. Our portraits range from engagements, maternity, newborn, family, high school seniors, boudoir, and formal head shots – it’s pretty all encompassing. We also offer fine art and corporate imagery, and our studio space functions as a full service print lab and framing counter. We love being able to offer a one-stop solution for all our client’s photography needs!
Why did you choose to become lifestyle photographers?
We wouldn’t say it was a conscious choice so much as a natural evolution. Both of us have always been drawn to capturing people, and so lifestyle photography lends itself to that. We define our style as ‘fine art photojournalism’, which is appropriate given our fine art education (Mark has a BA in Visual Arts and Ally a BFA Photography) and we both worked as media photographers/photojournalists before meeting and creating Two & Quarter. During shoots, our goal is to capture images you can hang on your wall as fine art pieces, while also capturing the essence of the couples and families we photograph.
What was your favourite couple to shoot?
That would be like choosing a favourite child! We are honestly so incredibly lucky to work with numerous amazing people that it would be impossible to pick a favourite. It’s always great when a couple returns after their wedding for maternity, newborn, and family portrait sessions – not only is it humbling and flattering to work with returning clients, but we love being able to develop relationships with these people beyond a one-time shoot. We’re really very lucky to have established friendships with some wonderful people through our work!
Why have you chosen to base your company out of Bermuda?
Bermuda is home! We were both born and raised here, and can trace our lineages back to the mid 1700s. Ally’s great-great grandfather was one of the first photographers on island in the 1880’s. If we weren’t Bermudian, we couldn’t have just moved here to start a company as photography in particular is a closed work category, meaning non-Bermudians cannot come to work here without a special permit from our immigration department. We love that our home affords us such an ideal location to do what we love, with a client base that is a diverse mix between locals and visitors.
What advice do you give to couples before a photo shoot?
Before any shoot, wedding or portrait, we always have a good shake-out! Being in front of the camera isn’t naturally comfortable for a lot of people, so we start off with an impromptu dance party shake-out to help calm the nerves. We like to keep the mood light and relaxed – even though we take the responsibility seriously. We feel that as long as we are relaxed and comfortable with ourselves that it will translate through to our clients.
Visit Two & Quarter Photography to discover more about Mark and Ally and their wonderful work.