About Chris Bottrell – Norfolk Wedding Photographer
A Lifetime of Photography, Travel & Real Stories
Hi, I’m Chris — a Norfolk-based wedding photographer with over 26 years of experience and a lifelong connection to photography that spans three generations of my family. I photograph weddings in a relaxed, documentary way, focusing on real moments, genuine emotion, and how the day actually felt, rather than forced poses or trends.
Every wedding I photograph is different, and even after all these years, that’s what keeps the work exciting.
Growing Up With a Camera in Hand
I’m Devon born and bred (minus the webbed feet), and the second youngest of four siblings. Photography has always been part of my life. Over 70 years of photographic experience has been passed down through three generations of Bottrell photographers, and it’s shaped how I see the world.
My grandfather, James Bottrell, became nationally known in 1967 after the Torrey Canyon supertanker ran aground off the coast between Land’s End and the Scilly Isles. In true Bottrell style, he chartered his own helicopter and was lowered by rope to capture breath-taking images of the disaster — photographs that made national newspapers and are still remembered today.
My dad — known to me as Pops or Grumps — is a professional ecologist with over 30 years of experience. His passion for natural history and photography had a huge influence on me growing up. He’s now a published writer and photographer specialising in wildlife photography. Cheers, Dad.
Travel, Life Experience & Finding Home in Norfolk
At 18, I moved to Barbados, where I spent a rather hazy but unforgettable year before moving again to Fuerteventura. Those years shaped how I see people, places, and stories — something that still feeds directly into how I photograph weddings today.
I moved to Norfolk in 2000 and quickly settled here, where I now have four amazing offspring and a deep connection to the area. Norfolk feels like home, and I spend as much time as possible enjoying its waterways, landscapes, and slower pace of life.
Photography, Film & Creative Curiosity
I’ve always been fairly artistic — even if I can’t draw a stick man to save my life. That curiosity led me into 3D animation, compositing, and graphic design long before they were common skills.Back in the early digital days, I picked up my first Canon 10D and a Canon XL2 video camera and quickly realised you could do some pretty exciting things with them. That mix of stills, motion, and storytelling still influences how I work today.I don’t photograph weddings just for the sake of it. I genuinely love photography and filmmaking, and I still find every wedding just as exciting as the very first one I shot back in Devon in 1999.
Beyond Weddings: Curiosity, Travel & Controlled Chaos
When I’m not photographing weddings, I enjoy good food, good drink, and spending time fishing and exploring the Norfolk Broads. Travel is a huge passion of mine — especially going to places I probably shouldn’t.
I have a slightly unhealthy obsession with Chernobyl in Ukraine and visit the exclusion zone several times a year, teaching photography alongside my UK-based photography and lighting workshops. It’s a place that challenges how you see the world, and that perspective carries into my work.
Music-wise, my taste is all over the place — heavy metal, ska, gabber, and a fair dose of 80s thrown in for good measure. At home, life is shared with an African serval cross cat (who is incredibly annoying), and a dog called Bella (who somehow manages to be even more annoying). I still love the pair of idiots all the same.
Why This Matters for Your Wedding
All of this experience — the family history, the travel, the years of photographing people — feeds into how I approach weddings. Calm, observant, and focused on what matters rather than what looks good on Instagram.
If you’re looking for a Norfolk wedding photographer who values real moments, understands people, and lets your day unfold naturally, you’re very much in the right place.
