What 800 weddings has taught me about photographing yours…
Beautiful Photos Matter.
But they’re only half the story.
After photographing hundreds of Hawke’s Bay weddings, I've learnt that the best wedding photography starts long before the camera comes out.
Of course I want you to love your photographs. But more than that, I want you to understand the lessons those 800 weddings have taught me — because they're often the things that make the biggest difference.
The truth is this: beautiful photographs are usually the result of a great wedding day, not the other way around.
Lesson #1:The best photographs usually happen when you're not looking at the camera.
The moments you'll treasure most are rarely posed. They're the laughter between conversations, a quiet glance across the room, or a hug that happens when you think nobody's watching. Years of quietly being at weddings, fully alert with a zoom lens has taught me how to gently nudge moments towards candid situations and where to be when the moment you love the most is likely to happen.
Lesson #2:Your Grandparents won’t always be there.
Even your parents won’t. I’m telling the story of your life, not just your wedding day, and that includes the people who got you to this moment in time. Eventually, I know these will one day become your favourite photos.
Lesson #3:Beautiful landscape photography needs people.
I grew up in Hawke’s Bay. This place means everything to me. A lot of my couples feel the same so whenever I can, I shoot so I can give them back amazing memories not just of their wedding day, but of the place they call home. Landscapes during the golden hour are amazing here, but they still need a love story in the centre to truly make my soul sing.
Lesson #4:Rain changes plans, not memories.
When it’s love vs. Mother Nature, love should always come out the winner. I’ve learned this: you can’t control the weather on your wedding day, but you can control how you react to it and insure for it by working with a photographer who has the experience to deal with it…and plan for it.
Lesson #5:Some of the best moments last less than a second.
And the best photos are the ones you never planned.
Experience means I’m ready before the moment happens. You can trust me to not to miss it.
Lesson #6:Family photos shouldn’t feel like a military drill.
This is your tribe. These moments matter. But there are relaxed ways to capture family combos without needing a complicated spreadsheet and an hour up your sleeve. A good photographer won’t just plan your family photo list for you, they’ll make them happen on the day…fast and fun.
Lesson #7:Your kids will grow up and leave you.
One day, those little hands will grow up and let go. I’m learning that right now. It’s amazing, and heartbreaking. If you are a parent getting married, I can guarantee you right now, the photos with your kids on your wedding day will become the greatest treasures you own. They are for me. That’s why I make sure joyful, unposed moments with children at weddings are a big part of the story I tell for you.
Lesson #8:Experience changes everything.
When you work with a great photographer, beautiful photos are expected.
But knowing exactly where to stand when your dad first sees you?
Calming your nerves before you walk down the aisle?
Keeping family photos relaxed and finished in minutes?
That's what 800 weddings has taught me and what you’re getting when you have me by your side as your wedding photographer.
Every wedding tells a different story.
I’d love the opportunity to tell yours. If what you've read here feels like the kind of photographer you'd want beside you on your wedding day, here's where to go next: