I recently came across a Reddit post from a bride who said she was heartbroken after receiving her wedding gallery.

She received more than 1,000 photos, but when she looked through them, she felt like something HUGE was missing.

Then, she said,

“I just want my wedding photos to actually feel like our day.”

Oof.

As a wedding photojournalist, THIS is why getting to know my couples matters so much to me.

Documentary wedding photography is not simply standing back and photographing whatever happens in front of you.

I want to understand WHO I am photographing.

Who are you closest to?

Who makes you laugh the most?

Are your parents emotional people, or will I need to pay closer attention to the quieter ways they show their love?

How uncomfortable are you in front of a camera?

Do you have grandparents attending who mean the world to you?

What relationships and moments would absolutely break your heart if they were missing from your wedding photos?

Those answers help me understand your world before I walk into it with a camera.

Every family communicates differently.

Some families hug constantly. Some tease each other. Some barely say “I love you,” but you can see it in the way they take care of each other.

If I do not know anything about you or your people, I might miss the importance of a tiny interaction happening across the room.

That is why I spend time getting to know my couples before their wedding.

I want to know enough about your relationships that when something meaningful happens, I recognize it.

The bride in the Reddit post also explained that her husband did not like having his photo taken.

I hear this ALL the time.

And that is one of the reasons couples are drawn to wedding photojournalism in the first place.

You do not have to perform for the camera.

You can talk to your friends. Hug your mom. Eat your dinner. Laugh with your partner. Dance terribly. Cry unexpectedly. Live your wedding.

My job is to observe closely enough to recognize the moments worth preserving.

Twenty years from now, the flowers might not be what makes you emotional.

It might be seeing your grandmother laughing at dinner.

It might be your dad trying not to cry.

It might be a photo of you and your partner looking at each other when you thought nobody was watching.

This is why documentary wedding photography is so deeply personal to me.

I am not only documenting what happened.

I am learning who matters to you so I can understand WHY a moment matters.

That difference is everything.

Your photographer should know more than your timeline.

They should know your story. ❤️

Stories & Notes from the Field