Documentary Wedding Photographer

When I’m photographing, I’m not just randomly snapping pictures. I’m paying attention.

I’m constantly analyzing the room—the expressions on people’s faces, the way they move, how they interact with each other. I’m watching for what might happen next and trying to anticipate the photograph before it happens.

Then there’s light and composition.

I almost always work with natural or available light. After 14 years as a professional photographer, I’ve learned how to recognize what the light is doing and how to make the most of it rather than trying to manufacture something that isn’t there.

Composition is just as important. A photograph can have a great moment and still be a bad photograph. I’m always thinking about where people sit within the frame, what’s happening around them, and how all of those elements work together. I look for context, juxtaposition, repetition, humor—anything that can turn an ordinary moment into an interesting photograph.

A warm, airy preset doesn't make a good photograph.

Neither does a particular camera or lens.

Good photographs come from understanding the fundamentals of photography and practicing them so many times that eventually they become instinct.

I've spent years studying photojournalism and the work of great photographers—almost none of which have nothing to do with wedding photography. That distinction matters to me.

I don't want to learn how to make wedding photographs that look like everyone else's wedding photographs.

I want to learn how to make good photographs.

The wedding is simply where I get to make them. This is why my work doesn’t look like your typical wedding photography.