A documentary moment is one that would occur even if a photographer wasn’t there. Wedding days aren’t photo shoots. They’re rites of passage and important moments in family history. They don’t need a photographer to improve anything. They need a photographer to recognize and appreciate what this collection of people have created by simply showing up. A byproduct of this approach is that people get to enjoy themselves. They don’t have to miss the fun. They can be themselves and just hangout. A documentary photographer won’t ask anything of anyone. Weddings are parties. You don’t want to spend your time posing. Partying is more fun than posing.

Portraiture is also a very important part of wedding photography. My clients always set aside 15-30 min for family portraits and 15-30 min for pictures of just the couple. Those portraits are extremely important in recording family history, but the people who hire me don’t want to spend more time than necessary doing it. They also know that whether you specialize in documentary photography or not, 90% of a wedding day is out of a photographer’s control. Couples hire me because I’m very comfortable working in unscripted environments.

Of course. Formal portraits are as important as any other picture I take on a wedding day. My portraits, particularly my group photos, are very straightforward. People who hire me want a nice and complete record of their families without dedicating too much of the wedding day towards it. I’m completely hands off for most of the day, but during the time set aside for portraits I take the lead, direct people, and make sure everything moves efficiently as possible.

Probably not. The pictures I make benefit from blending in and unobtrusively honoring the purpose of your wedding. I’m like the hum of the refrigerator: you know I’m there, but after awhile you stop paying attention. I’m also a big believer in quality over quantity. I’m not there to capture everything. I’m there to capture most things in a thoughtful way to elicit memories and convey feelings later on. There’s usually plenty of room before a ceremony to spend time with the couple getting ready even if they are doing that separately. Of the 350+ weddings I’ve shot less than 15 couples have ever added on a second photographer. The norm in the industry is to hire students and amateurs as second photographers, so it can be confusing to understand that two photographers doesn’t mean twice as many pictures and certainly doesn’t mean twice as much quality. I’d be happy to elaborate and answer questions specific to your own wedding.

Sparingly. I almost never use a flash before the dancing starts. I think natural light is often what makes a particular environment unique. I’ll often opt for darker, sometimes even motion-blurred photos before putting a flash on.

This article by wedding photographer Matt Mendelsohn, who visited with past clients several years after their weddings, is fascinating.

I love film. I particularly love the idea of film. It’s a process that’s been around for well over one hundred years, and there’s something cool about connecting to past generations that way. However, it’s entirely impractical for a documentary photographer on a wedding day. I’m obsessed with the fleeting connections between our loved ones. Whatever film offers is not worth missing something as you change film cartridges every 12 frames. Sometimes I’m on my 20th frame of a developing moment as it peaks. If I were shooting film I would miss it.

Some photographers like film for portraits because it forces them to slow down. That’s not the part of the day I want to take my time. I know you have a short cocktail hour, so I’m trying to work efficiently to get you great portraits in the shortest time possible.

I think as our lives become consumed by digital things we love the idea of using an analog tool for such an important moment in our family history. But the reality is this roll of film needs to be dropped in an envelope where, if it arrives at its destination at all, will be digitally scanned so you can print it. Regardless of how you capture your mom tearing up as you walk down the aisle, it will eventually be . . . a jpeg. So I’m always going to opt for the tool that helps me capture the content. The imperceptible difference between printing a film image and a digital image aren’t worth missing the moment in the first place.

More than 26.

I fly under the radar like a ninja, but I don’t dress like one. I want to look like a guest. You’ll find me in a dress shirt and dress pants and a tie.