Planner: Wedding Planner in Orange County / Venue: Waterfront Weddings at Huntington Beach / Florals: Jenny B Floral Design / DJ: @epheezee / Photo Booth: Photo Booth Rentals | OC California / Cake & Desserts: simply sweet cakery / Beauty: K E L L Y Z H A N G ™ / Attire: bridalbreeze.online, Men's Wearhouse, David's Bridal
One of the cornerstones of my photography style is documentary, yet composed. This wedding is the perfect example of what that means. The idea of allowing things to happen and simply capturing the events without actively controlling or influencing them works really well at weddings. So how do I maintain composition through such candid documentaries? I simply celebrate with them!
People just want to have fun, and as a photographer it’s my job to capture the happy moments and memories. But it’s also my job to capture those moments as accurately and as beautifully as possible, and so celebrating with them and being present is simply how I do just that. So striking this happy balance has never been easier for me - I love weddings, the energy I feel, the culture I experience, and the connections I make. I enjoy every celebrating every moment of it.
That’s why I believe it is important to get the best out of the aspects that you can control. In other words, that’s where the composed side of my slogan comes in. In short, documentary yet composed means just that. It’s about finding the right blend of documentary style, and beautiful moments (some of which may be directed to some degree or another). Obviously though, if I can focus more on the documentary side of things I usually do, as these make for the best pictures, and the best memories.
That’s why this wedding is such a good example of that. Shot at the Waterfront Beach Resort, Huntington Beach, Kristin and Fritz were so in tune with one another, and knew exactly what they wanted out of their wedding. They needed very little direction, as usually they just made the moments happen, and their joy is effortlessly captured. The venue also played a huge role in making my job easier, and making the pictures perfect. Inside there was a lot of natural light to capture all the important moments at the reception (especially those moving first dance photos).
Not to mention the beautiful outdoor space they had right on the beach, which made for a perfect golden hour shoot. Like I said before, this wedding was the perfect example of my style. It allowed me a lot of freedom to capture the amazing moments of the day and write down their love story. It meant I didn’t have to get so many directed shots, and could just let the wedding flow past me while I photographed the moments unfold.
View Kristin & Fritz's Full Wedding
The role of the photographer, in my opinion, is to make sure that the pictures captured on the day are one’s the couple can say "is our own love story".
To this end, I believe it is so important not to try and control every aspect and every angle of the wedding. Nor should a photographer simply let all the moments pass them by when they could step in, provide some direction, and really open up the joy and endearment it has to offer. This is what a good photographer can truly offer you on your wedding day. There’s a lot of work that goes into getting the perfect shot, and celebrating with the couple really allows me to strike that perfect balance to get the most out of your day.
