So, I feel like my first blog post needs to be about me. Why? Anyone who inquires with me soon finds out that I am a firm believer in the idea that not only do they need to like my photos, but they need to like ME as well. Typically, I am spending about 8 hours with you on your wedding day. And an hour or two with you before that. PLUS hours of emails, phone calls, and general communication. And did I mention that not only am I in charge of your precious wedding day memories, but I’m also a PART of them? Yeah. Not forever, but those first few flips through your album, or every time you post that confetti shot on Insta, you’ll have me as part of those memories. So I don’t want that memory to be “Oh wow, this was our favorite photo but do you remember how WEIRD Dawn was when she was taking it?!”
Photo by Kathryn Hyslop
Yikes. No. Know BEFORE you hire me that I’m weird, and fun, and am going to ask you to do weird, fun things for photos. I’m going to throw confetti, laugh AT you to get you to laugh, ask you to rub your faces together, all kinds of stuff.
And that’s a little awkward. But so am I, and awkward makes for good photos. I rarely meet a couple who doesn’t warn me that 1- One or both of them dislikes photos. 2- One or both of them are awkward af in front of the camera. 3- They have “like nooooo” photos together. Or only selfies.
Guess what? SAME. I’m literally a professional photographer and have almost no photos with my husband outside of our wedding and engagement photos and a handful of selfies. I’ve been there. I know how weird it is.
BUT it’s that personal experience that has made me embrace the awkwardness. My favorite photos? Mostly full of awkward laughs, those little moments that felt STRANGE but look cute as heck. And that’s who we are, that’s who MOST people are.
I spent a long time trying prompts, candids, and trying to get people to relax. I worked so hard. But it was when I let it go, embraced my own style (Guys I’m going to pose you. A LOT. Love a portrait on my site? It was posed.) and just EMBRACED THE AWKWARDNESS my work started to shine. I got more authentic feeling images, people started telling me they loved that my photos felt natural and candid at times even though they weren’t. I found I could capture my clients at their best while also making it fun and photogenic. I talk a through my sessions, laughing and showing poses on my phone, acting them out, asking a million questions to take people OUT of the moment (and out of that “Oh my gosh, there’s a camera, this is weird” thinking!) so I can make the magic happen.
But that’s why you need to like ME. Beyond just my images. Because what I do and how I pose, how I talk to you, and the methods I use are all super personal and if we don’t click, you’ll feel it, and your photos (even if they’re gorgeous) might not end up looking how EITHER of us want.
But if you’re here to spray champagne, throw confetti, hear the story about me getting stung by all the bees, and laugh away the weirdness? Well we will make some magical photos happen.
