One of the things I'm almost always asked by potential clients is how I approach the weddings I shoot. To be honest, I used to never really tell the complete truth because my mindset going into weddings is kind of goofy and embarrassing. That being said, as goofy and embarrassing as it is to say out loud, or in this case write, I do think there's a lot of logic to it and I believe it really helps me capture more meaningful photos for my clients. So here goes. Deep breath. My mindset is time traveller. That's right. Time traveller.
Now, I know that sounds dumb, but let me explain. When I shoot a wedding I'm constantly aware that my clients aren't just the bride and groom on their wedding day, or the day they receive their photos. My clients are the bride and groom 10, 20, 50 years from now as well. As far as I'm concerned that's a massive thing to keep in mind. Obviously the main focus of weddings are the bride and groom, but my time traveller mindset has made the wedding guests a major focal point of my wedding photography as well. Years from now when my clients look at their wedding photos I don't believe they're going to want to see 600 photos of themselves. Yeah, obviously they're going to want to have a bunch of great photos of themselves, and they're going to get those, but I believe what they're really going to want to look at are photos of the people they chose to share their big day with. Enter the time traveller mindset!
If I had clients who were celebrating their 25th wedding anniversary and could send me back in time to take photos of their wedding day, what would they tell me they really want photos of? That's basically what I'm thinking about while I'm working. That kid over there, she's married with kids of her own now. That grandparent or parent, they're not around any more. That friend by the bar, they moved and my clients haven't seen them in years. There are so many small moments and interactions during weddings that may not seem particularly meaningful while they're happening, but photos of those people and those moments could end up being priceless to my clients years and decades after I take them.
Happiness is only real when it's shared, and the people we share the best moments of our lives with are the reason those moments are what they are. To me that's what weddings are all about. When else in anyones life will they get to have all of their family and friends in one place and all dressed up looking their best? So I go trigger happy taking photos of not just the bride and groom, but their guests as well.
So yeah, in case you're wondering, that's my mindset while shooting a wedding. Time traveller.
