About Jonathan Owen, Essex event photographer

I’m Jonathan Owen, an Essex event photographer with more than twenty years of experience capturing real, unrepeatable moments. I started photographing events professionally in 2003, and from the very beginning it became far more than a job, it became a lifelong part of who I am.

Photography is in my DNA. I grew up in Leigh-on-Sea, with childhood summers spent in Devon and a home where creativity was woven into everyday life. My dad, John, a prize-winning amateur photographer, always had a camera in hand, while my mum, Pamela, nurtured a love for art in all its forms. They taught me to see beauty in ordinary moments, to appreciate light, energy and expression, and to understand that the best images often happen in the spaces between things. That foundation shaped everything about how I work today, natural, honest, unposed.

Becoming a father myself added a new layer to that connection. My son has changed the way I look at the world, slower, more patient, more attuned to tiny details most people miss. I want him to grow up knowing this creative side of me, the part that tells stories through photographs.

Like many photographers, everything shifted during lockdown when the events industry went silent overnight. No weddings, no music events, no nightlife, no corporate gatherings, entire worlds paused. What should have been a short break became a much longer stillness, and suddenly a huge part of my identity had nowhere to go.

Street photography quietly pulled me back. During those months, I took my camera out on long, solitary walks, capturing the eerie calm of empty streets, people queueing outside shops, and the everyday scenes that defined a strange moment in time. Those walks changed me. They sharpened my eye, slowed my pace and reminded me how powerful photography can be when life simply unfolds in front of you.

Returning to event photography now feels like coming home. Not a restart, but a continuation of a story that never really stopped, it just waited.

Before lockdown, I was known for high-energy event photography, bold flash, colour, movement and atmosphere. I’ve photographed at iconic venues across Essex, London and Europe, including the O2 Arena, Emirates Stadium, Excel, Chelmsford City Racecourse, Barleylands, and Ibiza’s Pascha and Es Paradis. I’ve worked with festivals, corporate clients, musicians, performers, influencers and well-known brands, and recently won the esteemed Annual Dartmouth Regatta Photography Prize.

My style today is more thoughtful and more human. I lean into reportage and documentary-style event photography, the genuine reactions, the quiet interactions, the micro-moments that define a celebration or corporate event. Whether I’m photographing a private party in Leigh-on-Sea, a wedding in Essex, an awards night in Chelmsford, a corporate event in London, or a birthday celebration in Southend, my aim is the same, blend in, observe, and capture the real story as it unfolds.

Portrait photography grew naturally from these years of event work, especially through musicians, performers, families and friends who wanted natural, expressive portraits. It remains part of what I offer, although event photography is where my creative heart truly lives.

I cover Leigh-on-Sea, Southend-on-Sea, Chelmsford, Basildon, Rayleigh, Colchester, wider Essex and surrounding areas, documenting everything from private celebrations and birthdays to corporate events, festivals, award nights and family gatherings. Clients often tell me, “We’ll be using these photos for years,” and that’s the greatest compliment I could hope for.

If you’re planning an event and want your story captured with authenticity, warmth and heart, I’d love to be part of it. It feels good to be back behind the lens, and I’m excited for what comes next.