2 THINGS THAT MAKE [OR BREAK] WEDDING PHOTOS

When we ask couples why they want us as their photographers, the answers are invariably:

“I love the un-posed, candid energy of your work.”
“I love that I can feel the raw emotion between the bride + groom.”
“I love that your work is interesting + outside the ordinary.”

These kind words make my heart swell! We’ve spent years of our life working toward making the above words true.

There are 2 elements you need to make great wedding photos.

VIBE.

The energy. The feel. The aesthetics. This element – the vibe –  is 100% up to Amos + me when we are working with couples. We’ve spent years educating ourselves, shooting endlessly, and dialing in exactly how to create an experience that yields photos that are authentic + interesting. We pour our hearts into making images our couples will love for the rest of their lives.

TIME.

While making stellar photos has a ton to do with vibe, it also has to do with having the time + space to create that vibe. One of my favorite parts of the whole wedding process with our brides is helping them lay out their wedding day timeline. I hope I don’t speak too boldly when I say that Amos + I have nailed the perfect flow that will make your wedding day stress-free, fun + laid back. That perfect flow always includes a first look (i.e. seeing each other before the ceremony).

 Amos + I really struggled with The First Look Decision for our own wedding day, but being crunched for time sounded awful, and we wanted to make the most of our insanely awesome photographers (…the people who made US want to be wedding photographers!). Doing a first look was wonderful for us. Here’s why:
  • A little time for the two of us alone.
  • No rushing. At all. Laid back, fun times all day long.
  • Having the time + space to be authentic during our photos. No fake smiles while thinking, “Crapppppp, we need to be with our guests like nowwww.”
  • We got to spend our WHOLE wedding day together instead of looking at each other at the end of the night and saying, “Um hi, husband, barely saw you today.”
  • Way more time with our guests because we didn’t have to be away from them taking photos after the ceremony (besides sneaking away for 10 minutes for golden hour photos, which is one billion percent necessary).
[Fun fact: Waiting to see the bride until the ceremony is a tradition that started with arranged marriages. Since the couple never met before their wedding day, this tradition was instated to keep the groom from running away if he didn’t fancy his bride-to-be’s looks upon seeing her for the first time.]

Alright, crew, that’s my photo wisdom for the day. Choose a photog with a great vibe, and allow the time + space for that vibe to shine!