Though I don’t advertise as a wedding photographer, I have been photographing weddings since the beginning of my career. I don’t relate to the wedding acting as a thinly veiled photoshoot though I’m sure if I did, it could have made me a lot of money. I believe that the photographic component of a wedding should sensitively integrate into the day and not detract from the heightened connection created through the ceremony and the love in the room. For me, it’s about documentation of a celebration with the least intrusion possible. I also need to know that I am compatible with the people I’m working with.

Before I was a photographer I was asked to attend a wedding which had a powerful effect on me. They had a beautiful ceremony and the connection and goodwill in the room were amazing. Then the photographer took the bride and the groom away for a four-hour photoshoot. That sense of reverence and connection established through the ceremony was lost and was never re-established. The moment was gone.

That energy created through the intimacy of the ceremony was broken so that the photographer could take the couple to a list of incongruous locations, getting them to pose in an unnatural, formulaic way. They were forced to hold false smiles and assumed that this was a requirement of the modern wedding. When they returned, they were fatigued. All this whilst their abandoned guests, over-dressed for any regular activities, dispersed and patiently waited for the wedding to resume.

As I see it, the essence of why people would journey across the globe to watch people exchange rings and a kiss, is our innate reverence to honour family. So how is it ok to break up the party to prioritise a formulaic photoshoot? It seems to me that wedding days have been hijacked to acquire staged photographic trophies.

Having been backstage at more weddings than most, I believe that the most successful events I have been involved in, all had much the same ingredients. The ceremony and the celebration are either in the same venue or very close to each other. The energy created during the ceremony was more or less uninterrupted. People could walk between the ceremony and the reception so everyone could relax. This allowed a greater connection with the couple who remained available to their guests. The photographic intrusion was a very minor part of the day.

I see my place in proceedings as a guest with a camera. Be it a hard-working guest engaging with the room. A huge part of my job is to be part of the event. By the end of a wedding, I would have made some connection with everyone. My engagement and connections with guests have led to some wonderfully unexpected photographic opportunities. My approach is to document what is particular to the event I am witnessing. Everyone is looking resplendent and they are openly emotional. There is no shortage of subject matter to produce a great body of photographs without interrupting the flow to any great extent.

I know from experience that getting a perfect shot of every single detail of the wedding ceremony forces me to be too intrusive. I will get dozens of refined images over the day and some Ok shots at some points…it’s real and it’s honest but by no means is the day under-documented. After the ceremony I let the couple ride the wave, I don’t ask anything of them until the dust has settled.

I feel there is an aspect of social documentation required given the wedding's ability to pull families together. I do a quick shoot of both of the families, with the couple at the centre. Importantly I get a member of each family to gather everyone needed for the photos and have them waiting in the wings. With everything in place, even big families can be photographed swiftly.

Later, I will grab the couple for 20-30 minutes of portraiture using locations on site. This little photo shoot is as much a breather for the couple as it is my chance to land an iconic portrait of the newlyweds. There is no pressure and often much hilarity. In all of the years I have been shooting weddings in Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills or southern beaches, I have always been able to find nice backgrounds and never needed to take the couple to another location.

A wedding is a gathering to formalise the connection shared by the couple. It’s a deeply personal expression of love that is rarely displayed so publicly. It’s a pivotal point between the couple, and it’s the amalgamation of families. A true before-and-after moment. I feel that reverence towards the energy within the room on the day should be the focus. The result of this approach is a body of candid photos of a truly memorable day. Real smiles, real tears and natural relaxed expressions. This style of wedding photography is no less important but it doesn’t detract from the central premise of the day; connection.