Capturing real moments - what it means to me

Capturing real moments filled with feeling

In a previous life, before I took up photography professionally, I worked as a communications freelancer in the charity sector. I travelled all over the country to interview people - usually beneficiaries of charities - about their lives and experiences. I then told their stories for fundraising or awareness appeals. It was a brilliant job, and so much of it was about tuning into people’s emotions, picking up on a fleeting look or comment. It was a sensitive job too, and a fine balance between expressing empathy towards people and being a professional with a brief to fulfil - to tell a compelling story.

So it was only natural that I fell into a similar approach when I got serious about photographing and filming people and telling their stories. It took me a long time to describe my style of photography and video in words, and to be honest, I still struggle with that today. I do what feels intuitively right to me, and what comes out in the end… well it just does.

Over the years, I have come to understand the ingredients of capturing honest, meaningful moments and a little bit better though. Here are some of things that I feel are important when doing so.

Relationships

Definitely the number one factor for me. I feel quite often my couples, or their families feel a little intimidated when “the photographer” arrives. So it’s super important to me to show everyone that I’m just a regular kinda girl, and super happy to share this day with them, as soon as I arrive. Having a good, easy going relationship with my clients, and them feeling that they can trust me, makes a huge difference to the feel of my photos and videos.

This doesn’t mean we have to become best mates. In fact, I think it’s really important that you know I’m the professional you can rely on 100%, but also a kind ally that genuinely cares, who won’t judge you and wants to get the best results for you. I think my couples usually get that vibe from me, and that’s why we are able to get the photos we do.

Preparation

When I first started out, I always visited venues before the wedding day to check the surroundings and light and make a plan for where I was going to take various photos during the day. I thought I would probably stop doing this once I became more experienced. But I have continued visiting locations beforehand, even for engagement sessions and other shoots, to have a plan in my mind before we start. That doesn’t mean that I don’t mix things up a bit on the day, and allow myself to be inspired by something that wasn’t there before, but having a rough plan to start with allows me to focus 100% on my couples, making sure you are happy, relaxed and looking gorgeous in your photos or film.

Discreet observation

Can you picture that wildlife photographer who sits in a hide for days waiting for the snow leopard to appear? Capturing moments is a bit similar, although of course slightly less extreme! There are times during a wedding day where there isn’t much going on other than people milling about and having a chat, for example parts of the reception. Getting meaningful candid shots is about REALLY watching. Like Dani and her new father-in-law below. I could see he was hanging back while everyone was congratulating the bride and groom. As guests moved to the drinks area, he (and I!) waited patiently for Dani to come by, and then they finally had a beautiful heartfelt hug.

Anticipating little moments

Kind of follows on from the previous point. As a wedding photographer it’s my job to capture all the big moments, but the little beautiful, unexpected, in between ones are just as important. Quite often after the big moments, like the first kiss, the couple will have a little hug, or throw each other a cute goofy look. Or when the bride’s father sits down after walking her down the aisle, he’ll grab hold of mum’s hand with a tear in his eye. There are many many moments during a wedding day like this and we learn to look out for them.

Capturing the beauty

Last but not least, aesthetics are really important to me. I don’t want a wonky photo of a beautiful moment with an emergency exit sign in the background, I want it to look as gorgeous as possible whilst being true to your day and location. That’s why you see me moving around all the time when I shoot, finding the best angles, light and compositions for your photos. I don’t mind the odd photo that isn’t quite right in terms of lighting or composition, if it captures a really beautiful moment. But I definitely strive for every candid shot to be as well composed and beautifully lit as your couple or group photos.