By Julia & Gil
Imagine you are in the city and see a couple across the street. They seem in love, silly, fun and are in their own world. This genuine emotion is exactly what we strive to capture at weddings.
We are Julia & Gil, wedding photographers based in Europe. With more than 7 years in the industry, we are still fascinated with capturing the honest connection between two people. For example, in this photo below you can see the sparkles in the eyes and the authentic smiles… almost as if you were there in that moment. Although this photo doesn’t just happen, it takes preparation and communication that occurs well before the wedding day.
Before the Wedding
Interacting With the Couple
We like to be open and honest with the wedding couple. We find out not only what they are looking for in their photos, but what’s important to them in life. Building this friendship is crucial, as this creates trust for honest photos. We also keep the conversation focused on them and offer help in any way we can before and on the wedding day.
Communication
The most important thing is not related to photography, it’s having communication. Good photographers must constantly work to become better at dealing with people. As a wedding photographer, every weekend you are thrown into a situation where you face 80+ people you have never seen before. If you want to shoot these people close, authentically and naturally, you must be able to build relationships with them within a very short amount of time.
Location
At weddings we do not want to intervene and change what’s happening, however, we try to be part of the wedding in order to shoot the wedding from the inside out. This means that we do not stand far behind a tree and shoot moments secretly, rather we talk to the guests to get closer shots. The aim of the photos should always be that if someone who did not attend the wedding saw the images, they would still feel like they were there.The famous photographer Robert Capa once said: “If your photos are not good enough then you are not close enough. And if you think you’re close enough then go one big step closer “. This sentence can be interpreted in two ways. Either you are physically close to the person you are photographing or emotionally. We realized that if both are true, a great photo emerges and that’s exactly what we’re trying to do at weddings, so we’re in the action, but we’re not trying to interfere with the process.
Equipment
At the weddings, we use a reflex camera Canon Mark 4 with the corresponding Canon lenses 35mm and 24mm. We use almost exclusively wide-angle lenses, as this underlines the idea of documentary photography. Meaning that when I take a picture of a person and have the environment in it, I become a storyteller as a photographer. The more imagery I capture in the lens, the more I can relate the little story in the picture to another one.After the Wedding
Post-Production
Having a backup is an emotional topic for us because of the memories that it protects. We have had many people come to us because they have lost a hard drive, or their computer crashes and then their data is gone. With technology not being one of our favorite subjects, it’s important we have something in place that is easy and just works. That’s what Drobo does for us. It’s completely self-explanatory, installed quickly and backs up the data.
Tips for Newcomers
Practice by documenting your friends, the city or your partner. Go out every night when the sun goes down. In addition, strengthen your communication and problem-solving skills. Take as many pictures as possible!
Visit their DroboAmbassador Page
4 years ago