One of the most talked about topics at the Hi On Life Conference was finding our “why”. Now as a photographer we are all sent to figure this out at some point and I had mine but somewhere I lost it amongst the world of the dreaded posing lists. Last year after having essentially the year off of weddings I was able to regroup myself and refocus on what matters most to me… and why I do photography. I love photography but WHY!
I will start with my philosophy which I believe in deeply:
I am not there to recreate ideas and poses you find on Pinterest, I don’t even like it for inspiration… sorry was that too blunt? I am there to capture the real raw emotions and connections of your day which means I am hiding behind that camera most of the time waiting for moments…. which is difficult sometimes when those subjects stop and stare at me so it is a game of hit and miss I won’t lie. Some of the photos will be perfectly captured with the best composition and sometimes they may not be and I am ok with that as long as I got that moment. I will lead you through movements to get you to naturally react and in those moments I get your real natural expressions. Some of the “games” are silly but when I get your natural laugh and the way he looks at you when you laugh it means I have done my job. One thing I hear a lot of when I start a session is “just capture us candidly”… ok doing what? I have to provide you with something to do because most people will not just “act natural” without a command of some sort so on wedding days it is the same for the portrait session time its me giving actions/directions to get that moment whereas the reception and ceremony time is all candid and completely unposed.
Moving onto my “why” and forgive the wordiness of it all.
I have always believed that we meet people for a reason and nothing is coincidence but rather it is fate. I have been blessed to have met the clients I have because I have learned something different from every single one. I have experienced moments with these people that only a few others have but I am there to capture those moments to make sure they last forever. I believe I was chosen to be there to capture the moments I have because someone else may not have seen that moment coming and it would be missed and lost in memory…. my photos are proof of that memory. I am here to make sure you have proof of the moments not the poses. Long after your loved ones are gone I want you to have candid raw images of them… not Pinterest recreations of someone else’s moments. At the end of the day if I get to deliver a client moments that they didn’t notice were captured or ones like the one below I will feel complete.
Here is my favorite image I have ever taken… the connections in this photo are something you cannot pose someone to do… these are real raw moments. If you ask me for a photo like this at your wedding my short answer is no… I will not recreate this as its impossible for you to have the exact conversation they had at this moment but I do promise I’ll look for moments like it, I’ll wait there with my camera up and ready and capture your own authentic moments.
