My Approach To Authentic Storytelling

If you ask me why I fell in love with wedding photography, the answer will always come down to my need to tell stories that evoke emotion and send you back in time.

My storytelling process begins long before your wedding ceremony. I meet and get to know YOU, your personality as a couple, and how your love story came to be. How can your photographer expect to tell a story without knowing what it’s about? This is the most significant aspect of my approach to documenting a wedding, which explains why I meet with couples several times before the big day. Aside from getting acquainted, these meetings also serve as creative brainstorming sessions to help craft the best rendition of your vision and make your story come to life. Using mood boards, I’ll get a clear understanding of your likes and style preferences, so your photos best reflect the look and feel of your beautiful story.

By the time your wedding rolls around, that rapport we have built will be invaluable when taking photos. This feeling of familiarity and comfort makes our interactions more natural and organic. You can enjoy your time with friends and essentially “let the good times roll,” knowing I will be able to capture the precious moments of the day. I understand your preferences and can create a curated narrative that you get to look back upon in the form of a fine-art album or wall art.

Storytelling through curated photojournalism

I’ve found there is a delicate balance between the aesthetic and the organic of photojournalism. In your research for a wedding photographer, you’ll likely read about the countless styles and approaches. Photojournalism, modern, traditional, editorial, etcetera. I won’t go into specifics, but Brides already has a great article you can check out here.

The foundation of my approach is storytelling, emphasizing artistic and aesthetic expression. I haven’t niched my way into any typical wedding photography style because I believe that style should be driven by the story. Your personalities and preferences, the location, the times of day, and the types of moments help me decide which approach to take throughout a wedding.

Beats are just as important as big moments.

In the context of storytelling, rhythm is just as important as the story itself. The big moments are obvious, but the smaller beats really command the pace.

It comes down to preparation and knowing what to look for. I always find the light first – we have to shoot where the light is lovely. Then I’ll position you two comfortably and aesthetically, and after that, I’m more hands-off. I don’t like to micromanage posing (unless necessary), and I don’t want to get in the way of you just being yourselves.

It’s precisely those tiny moments of authenticity where the magic happens. The moments when a partner sheds a tear as they tell you why they want to spend the rest of their life with you… Roaring laughter from a silly anecdote during your best friend’s speech… pure smiles and crinkled noses as you lean into each other. These beats are essential details within the grander story and shouldn’t be overlooked.

Composing a Complete Narrative

Every story follows a structure, which is most obviously seen in movies, but the same rules apply to a photographic story. After all, a movie is just hundreds of still frames played back to convey motion. I could just deliver your photos and call it a day. You can go through them, and I know you would be happy, but that wouldn’t be a whole experience; you wouldn’t be getting a story.

This is why albums are so important to me. They’re an opportunity to tell your story in a beautiful medium that can have a special place in your home. In addition to albums, my curated slideshows give you a chance to view your wedding day presented as a cohesive story. My mission on your wedding day is to capture the day’s events from a perspective that showcases how beautiful a narrative you created is. One day you will show these photos to your kids and then a while later to their kids! This photo documentary is how you can relive the events with each other and your loved ones.

At the end of the day, seeing your expressions as you relive that story really speaks to me. Seeing you over the moon knowing I can make you feel that happy, THAT is the reason I could never stop telling these stories.

So, this is my approach to narrative-based wedding photography. If it speaks to you – Let’s chat more.