I’m a Documentary Wedding Photographer, and This is How I Work.
Weddings don’t need photographers to make them look good. They’re already beautiful. They are one of the few opportunities in life for people to come together from all corners of the globe, all walks of life, to celebrate one unifying thing: the joy of a couple declaring themselves to each other. There’s so much to see on a wedding day, and I like to capture it as authentically as possible.
Not posed. Not staged. Just allowed to be.
You’ve spent months, maybe years, waiting for this moment. Everything looks exactly how you hoped it would. Your guests are so happy for you. The food is delicious. The games are fun. The band know exactly what songs to play to either blend in for ambience, or get everyone up on their feet.
And you’re twenty feet away from it all, having your photo taken.
That’s the opposite of how I work.
I want to keep you in the moments of the day, enjoying them as they unfold. So there’s no repetition, no direction and no posing from me. Just moments.
Catch up with your friends. Take the shots. Play the games. Hug everybody. Don’t worry at any point whether you’re “photo-ready” or if your smile is soft enough.
Live your wedding day.
imagine telling her to pose nicely. Weird.
Being in the moment.
Moments are the parts of wedding I focus on most. Details, location, group and couple photos all matter, but people turn these things into a wedding.
What’s a moment to me? It’s a one-off event. Something spontaneous that I didn’t create or direct. An emotional reaction. Some elements coming together and all clicking at once.
Something that you want to see.Photographing moments is a skill I’ve worked on and developed over time. Noticing things and capturing them while they’re happening means that I never intervene when a genuine moment is happening in front of me.
The Photos are About the wedding.
The wedding is not about the photos.By not controlling, posing or directing any part of your day I get to see the real stuff. This means you get photos full of feeling, that might make you laugh or cry or maybe even both at the same time. Many couples I work with do want group photos and couple photos, but that’s just a small part of their day.
Expect theunexpectedBut what about Couples photos?
It’s a fair question.
Most couples want a few nice photos of themselves on their wedding day, and I enjoy taking them. My goal is to make it straightforward and fun, and get you back to your wedding quickly, without rushing the portraits of course.
I’m led by the people I’m working with, so it’s different every time. Some people are tactile and show their closeness quite readily, some are active and want to move around together. Some are loud, some are quiet.
I take care to make sure every couple can have beautiful portraits, without ever feeling like they’re posed. Most of the couples I work with get more awkward with more posing, so I like to pare it back, keep it simple and sometimes just go for a walk.
Everyone at your weddingmatters
And if you’re nervous?
that’s ok.I’m not going to suggest ways to beat your nerves. I don’t have fool-proof tips and tricks. Instead I acknowledge the nerves, and remember how I felt moments before my own wedding.
It’s ok to feel your feelings. I can’t take them away, but I do know that they’ll dissipate once things are in full flow. You’ll have an amazing day, and you’ll lose yourself in the people you love. You’ll forget I’m there once you’re living in the moment.
those pesky group photos
formal. informal. incidental.there are a few ways to take group photos.
I can arrange groups.
I can arrange groups and wait to see what happens.
I can take advantage of the times groups naturally gather, and be there.
You’ll get a mix of these in your gallery. I’m a bit strict with formal groups, because most of the couples I work with prefer to only spend a short amount of time taking them. You can let me know on the day if you still want them, and we’ll go through the list. We’re not reinventing the wheel here.
Is a documentary approach right for your wedding?
If you’ve been reading all of this and nodding along, this might mean something. Often when I meet couples they explain feeling like they’ve ‘found the answer’, or maybe they didn’t realise wedding photography could look or feel like this until they saw work like mine.
A relaxed approach to your day is not something you’ll find many photographers do. If you’d like to have a chat with me about your wedding I’m all ears! You can pop your details in the form below, or email me at hello@carolinegoosey.com.
