I photograph you like a friend because I become one. Here is how that happens.
I changed my comfortable career as a mechanical engineer to become a wedding photographer because I want to live deep human experiences with you and your guests.
I am genuinely interested in getting to know you, feeling the emotions of your day, and finding those emotions again when I look at the photos afterward. Sometimes I stop at one and smile at my computer. Sometimes I cry.
I am actually a pretty sensitive man. I hide it most of the time. Not at your wedding. I give myself permission to feel everything without holding back. I am completely at ease with the people around me.
The happiness around me is what I soak in. It energizes me. And I want to give it back to you through the photos.
The first hello
It usually starts with a text or an email. Sometimes that is enough and we move forward quickly. But the best experiences start with a coffee shop meeting, somewhere with a little character, not a chain.
We sit down and we learn about each other. We take the time it needs. I don’t want to know much about your wedding logistics, I am interested in you. What you do together, what you love, what makes your relationship yours, what you are excited about in your wedding, the details that light you up. I ask a lot of questions and I genuinely want to know the answers and I want to know all your questions! By the end of that first meeting we usually both know if this is going to work. And when it does, it feels like making a plan with someone who is already excited to be there.
The year in between
Weddings are planned a long time in advance. Between the day you book me and your wedding day, life keeps happening. I am sending some messages here and there and I am always available if you have questions by text or email. Most couples do not reach out much during this time and that is completely fine.
The engagement session
If you decide on an engagement session, by the end we are no longer strangers. We have laughed together, tried things together, figured out how we work together. On your wedding day the couple photos feel different because we have already done this. We nail them faster so you can get back to your guests.
Before the session we meet again, on video or at a cafe if you prefer in person. I am still curious about you. What matters, what you love, what makes the two of you the two of you. And I try to open up the range of possibilities so we do not miss the good ones. Rachele and Chad love the Majestic, that restaurant is their ultimate date. So we called and asked if we could come in before the guests arrived. That is what we did. They were like fish in water and the photos show it.
Then during the session we create together. I have a few tricks to keep the energy up. Breck and Jason gave one away in their review: "He gave us prompts to loosen us up and make the posing more natural which I think my fiancé especially appreciated."
Sometimes the day does not cooperate. Hannah remembers: "It rained the day we were scheduled to have our pictures. Etienne still managed to get amazing photos and even brought along a light on a tall stand to try and recreate the sun coming through the trees for us." That was the photo she wanted the most, so of course we made it happen.
The questionnaire
Before your wedding I send you a questionnaire. Nothing overwhelming. I want to know a few logistical things and the key moments you care about, the family dynamics I should be aware of, the things that matter most to you on the day. It helps me show up already knowing what to look for.
The planning meeting
At least one video call or meeting before the wedding but we can do as many as you want. We go through the logistics, the timeline, the people I need to know about. And we talk about photos, confirm what you value, what you expect, how I am planning to focus my attention.
Your wedding day
At your wedding I show up like a guest. Not a vendor providing a service. A friend who comes to live the full experience of your day, and my gift for being invited is to give you your wedding back with the photos. That is the energy I arrive with, and it is what makes me connect fast to you, your family, your guests.
Cierra put it this way: "He blended in so naturally that people kept asking if he was a friend or relative of ours. He managed to capture genuine smiles, emotional moments, and all the little details we didn't even realize were happening."
That connection is what lets me get the photos that feel like I was in the middle of the action. Because I am, physically and mentally.
At a recent wedding, Diana came to me right after her bouquet toss, a little worried. "Did you get that picture?" I showed her the screen on the back of my camera. "You are the best," she said. To get that image I was probably two or three feet away from her. She had no idea I was there.
That is what your wedding day feels like. You live it. I witness it. And at the end of the day you will have proof that every moment happened exactly the way it felt.
For the family photos you get another version of me. The comedian that never quite made it to the opening act at the Comedy Club of Kansas City. I like to make the family portraits fun so they are enjoyable and the smiles are real. Claire said it best: "He did an amazing job at making the almost awkward family photos enjoyable."
The blog post
Following the wedding, I will write a blog post about your day. That is the way I found to give you the photo highlight and write about the detail that made your wedding yours. Based on views from those posts, I can say that most couples love to share it with guests and family!
The album reveal
If you decide on an album, our experience together continues!
I invite you to my house to see the picture reveal. Beth (my wife) is there. She already knows everything about you and your wedding because she has seen your photos many times. She loves my photos and I guess I am like a rock star that married his number one fan.
I will cook something simple, usually homemade pizza. We open something to drink. We reconnect. Then we sit together and you see your wedding for the first time as what your album will look like. We talk about those moments, we laugh. You see yourself the way I saw you.
It feels like I invited you to my house as a friend. Because by this point that is basically what it is.
The delivery
After you ask for a few changes, the album is printed and I do not just mail it. We find a way to put it in your hands. You come to us, we come to you, we meet somewhere in between.
It feels right to end it that way. In person. The way it started.