Hi! I’m a married person. And you know what? Contrary to what all the statistics say, marriage kicks ass. I think my husband is the coolest person on this planet and I’m beyond stoked that I get to grow old with him (because growing up is lame).
This is why I love weddings. It’s a day entirely dedicated to celebrating how much you want to grow old together.
How rad is that?!
This isn’t about me or my portfolio.
This is about you, your love, and your memories.
I very much like to play things by ear and roll with the punches. I make it up as I go because it’s the best way for your photos to be honest. Rather than mapping out every shot I’ll take, I get to be present with you. No expectations, no pressure on anyone to be “perfect” (whatever the hell that means), no insanely specific shot lists. Because every wedding/couple is different and unique, this approach works because it creates flexibility to match the energy of the day and you as a couple. It also helps alleviate any stress that may arise if things don’t go according to plan or fall behind schedule (which is very common), and lets my creativity run wild. I will help you streamline your timeline to be optimal for photography so I know where to be at all times and I’ll arrive early to scout the venue for the best light throughout the day. Aside from that, I don’t plan anything else.
While my attention is always primarily on capturing candid moments, I still like to give my couples a variety of styles from artsy/editorial couple portraits to classic smiley group shots, because I think those are important, too.
My absolute favorite moments of the day are the little ones that tend to be over-shadowed by the bigger ones. So much of the focus is typically on the timeline or the ceremony itself, but I appreciate things like the way you two gently hold hands as you walk somewhere together or a guest’s reaction. I’m looking beyond the first kiss or the grand entrance - those are a given. You’ll remember those moments with or without photos. I want to give you the chance to remember things you may completely forget because you weren’t even aware they were happening.
The best way for me to capture the honest little moments is for me to spend more time with you! I know it’s tempting to try to cram as much as possible into a short time frame to cut costs or streamline things, but in my experience - that leaves everyone just moving through a mental “checklist” of the day and those honest little moments don’t get to happen. I like to give ourselves lots of buffer time for your day. Having down time in between each transition, even if it’s 5-10 minute to take a breather, can make a huge difference.
This also applies to portrait sessions or elopements - the more time I get to spend with you, the more likely we are to capture TRUE candid moments of the two of you (and the more comfortable you’ll feel to be yourselves in front of the camera.)
I can’t promise that your wedding day won’t come with unexpected mishaps or unwarranted stress, but I can promise I will be there to help you find solutions and try to help keep you grounded and present. I will always be thinking about what these photos will mean to you 30-40 years down the road, especially during times you may not be able to. Life can easily throw curveballs your way with power outages, bad hair stylists, and crummy weather (all of which are things I’ve dealt with at weddings), but no matter what the situation might be; I want to help you find a way to embrace it as part of your story.
The biggest thing I’ve learned is that there is no such thing as perfection, and the best thing you can do is embrace that.
I want your photos to feel like a time warp, to make you feel something. I want your photos to be honest.
While I’ll do everything I can to make sure you look your best, I won’t have you re-do things 5 times, fix your hair or dress every 2 minutes, or treat you like an armature puppet for posing. I’m not about making you feel like you’re on some big film production set.
Witnessing the connection between a couple and their support system is one of the most beautiful parts of my job. From getting ready to toasts, there are some pretty touching and emotional experiences that can only happen at weddings. It’s so important to me that you get to look back at your photos and remember every tear, smile, and hug you shared with someone.
The only portion of your day that will be “posey” will be your formal portraits (family and/or wedding party.) These photos are important because it may be the only chance 4-5 generations can be in one photo at once, and that’s an awesome thing to have. I keep these portraits simple and move through them quickly yet efficiently so that you don’t feel exhausted from smiling for a camera too long. Gotta keep up the morale, you know? ;)
But don’t worry - I’ll be getting candids of you with your loved ones throughout the entire day as well.
While I like to put an emphasis on the connections, relationships and human elements of your wedding, you put a lot of time and effort making decisions about the non-human elements of your day, so I’m going to document those, too! They tell the complete story of your day and I actually love photographing them. I usually keep these pretty simple so that I can spend more time photographing interactions, but I still make sure to capture ALL of them!
Once the party starts, I’ll be on the dance floor with everyone bouncing around holding my camera up. I definitely won’t jump into the middle of the dance floor and bust a move (are you kidding? I’m way too shy for that.) but I WILL freak out when the DJ plays I Like It by Cardi B.
Above all - your wedding day is a celebration about the two of you and I just want you to remember it for what it is, warts and all.
If you value honesty and authenticity and you love to embrace the beautiful imperfections of this wonderful thing called life, then we might be a good fit for each other. If that’s the case, come talk to me in my inbox!