ABOUT KELSIE SCULLY
A Brighton photographer with people at the heart of everything.
I think what you'll really notice is that I notice things.
I’m Kelsie, a Brighton photographer based just outside the city. I photograph weddings, proposals and families, but really, I’ve built a career around people: getting to know them, making them comfortable and noticing the little things happening around them.
IN CASE THE ACCENT THREW YOU
Yes, the accent is American.
The postcode is Sussex.
HOW I GOT HERE
Somehow, a summer camp in Missouri led me here.
I moved to England in 2014, and let’s just say the story of how I got from there to here began when I worked at summer camp and met a handsome Brit. The rest of the story can be chalked up to the fact that love moves in mysterious ways and is a truly powerful force in directing our destinies.
These days I live in Sussex with that same Brit and our two children.
WHERE PHOTOGRAPHY STARTED
I started young. Very young.
I have been smitten with the art of picture taking since age 16, when I shamelessly started mulling over every aspect of photography like a lovesick puppy.
Within a year, I was a bona fide sidekick to a prominent wedding photographer. Though I was just a kid with a camera, I couldn’t be more thankful for that time because it laid a solid foundation for me to be the photographer I am today.
I spent those early weddings watching everything: how people moved through a room, where moments tended to happen, what made somebody relax in front of a camera and what made them shut down completely.
Eventually, I became the in-house second photographer, which meant a lot of time with grooms, wedding parties and people who had absolutely no interest in performing for a camera.
It was probably the best education I could have had.
FIFTEEN-PLUS YEARS LATER
I’m still watching people.
Experience has made me faster with a camera, obviously. Much more importantly, it has made me better at reading people.
I know when to take charge and when to disappear. When somebody needs a bit of reassurance. When a joke will loosen everyone up. When Dad needs thirty seconds with his daughter rather than another instruction from a photographer.
I’m paying attention to the people as much as I am the photographs. That’s how I know when something important is about to happen, when somebody needs a hand, and when the best thing I can do is leave a moment completely alone.
THE PERSON BEHIND THE CAMERA
The ordinary photographs are rarely ordinary for long.
I’m married to the person I crossed an ocean for, and we have two children.
I know how quickly the version of your family that exists right now changes, often before you’ve even realised it has.
That’s probably why I care so much about the ordinary photographs. The ones that don’t necessarily feel important when you take them, but become incredibly important later.
Your mum laughing with her sister. Your grandparents together. Your best friend being exactly as ridiculous as you knew they would be.
Those are very often the photographs that grow in value.
HOW I WORK
Supporting role by default. Ringleader when required.
My job isn’t only to make beautiful photographs. It’s to take care of the people in them.
Most of the time, that means reading the room, anticipating what’s coming and giving real moments the space to happen.
But when a little direction, energy or organisation will make everything run more smoothly, I’m very happy to take the lead. I’ll rally the group, protect the timeline, pin the buttonhole, get everyone where they need to be and, when necessary, become the cheerful ringleader of whatever mild chaos is unfolding.
And once you don’t need me anymore, I’ll happily fade back into the background.
I want you to feel looked after without ever feeling managed. The photography should support the wedding, not take it over.
Happy people make for happy photographs.
That’s why I care about how the day feels just as much as how it looks.
APPARENTLY THE NAME THING GETS NOTICED
“Kelsie has an amazing knack at remembering names which our guests loved, and made them feel extra special being ‘known by the photographer!’”
LAUREN + BUSTER
BRIGHTON, SUSSEX + BEYOND
Home is just outside Brighton.
I’m a Brighton photographer based just outside the city, photographing weddings, proposals, families, branding and commercial work throughout East and West Sussex, across the UK and further afield.
I’m also a US citizen, so work on either side of the Atlantic is very much on the table.
A FEW USEFUL THINGS
A little more about working with me.
Are you a Brighton photographer?
Yes. I’m based just outside Brighton in East Sussex and photograph clients throughout Brighton, Hove and Sussex.
Do you photograph more than weddings?
Absolutely. Weddings are a huge part of what I do, but I also photograph proposals, engagements, families, personal branding and commercial work. I also work regularly with Gala Magazine, covering the royal family, lifestyle and brands, so editorial and commercial commissions are very much part of my world too.
Do you travel outside Brighton and Sussex?
Very happily. I regularly work throughout Sussex, across the UK and further afield, and I’m always happy to travel for the right project.
How long have you been a photographer?
I started photographing weddings in the US as a teenager and have now spent more than fifteen years working professionally around weddings, couples and families.
YOUR TURN
You’ve probably heard enough about me.
Tell me about you.
What are you most excited about, and what do you want the whole thing to feel like?
