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[capture] sep_oct.19

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What made you decide you wanted to shoot weddings professionally?

I love that wedding photography challenges me. We are not just

wedding photographers – we are landscape photographers,

documentary photographers, portrait photographers, family

photographers; pretty much all genres of photography in one, and no

two weddings are the same. You really have no idea what you’re

walking into on the day of a wedding and that makes being a

wedding photographer really interesting, sometimes stressful, but

mostly exciting. Also, I love travelling, I have since I was young, and

I’m so lucky to shoot weddings all over the world.

What’s been the biggest challenge in establishing yourself?

Definitely, trying to find a style. It took me forever, and still to this

day I wonder if I should change my style to suit the market. But I

realised early on I needed to stick to what I love, because when you

nail a style that you’re good at, you stand out. It’s easy to copy other

photographers that might be doing better – getting the best and most

weddings – but I don’t think that would make me happy.

How would you describe your style?

My style is heavily inspired by light; I like to create compelling

images, and images that evoke emotion through the use of light.

I was always taught to choose light over a location, and I am always

looking for areas of light that separate the subject and the

background. On the wedding day, I am searching for something

different than the obvious – I search for good light. It’s easy to shoot

wedding photos in the shade or on an overcast day which most

photographers love.

Ahead of our exclusive wedding photography workshops

with Panasonic this September, we speak to the

talented Ashley K about the challenges facing aspiring

wedding photographers, how the Panasonic S-series

has changed how she shoots, and what to expect from

her boutique wedding photography workshops.

Q&A

Ashley K

What advice do you have for photographers trying to find their own style?

Try not to focus on what everyone else is doing. It’s great to seek

inspiration from other photographers, and, believe me, in my first few

years I spent countless hours looking at other people’s work wondering

how I could do what they did, but it’s probably the worst thing to do.

I ended up unfollowing many photography pages so I couldn’t compare

myself, and after doing that I started to develop my own style.

What’s the most common mistake you see new wedding

photographers make?

A lack of confidence. Although it takes time to build it up and to

really know what you’re doing, not being confident will just throw you

out for the whole day. Weddings can be stressful. You need to be able

to handle different scenarios at a wedding. I like to think things

through slowly. Is the lighting right? Does my couple look beautiful in

that light? If not, refine the pose to bring the best out of the client.

Try not to rush. Look at the shot on the back of the camera and

consider if you think there is anything you can do to make the image

better. Never be afraid to try something new, even if it doesn’t work

out. I do it all the time.

I really think the best thing someone new to the industry can do is go

out and assist one of their favourite, experienced photographers. I did

this and I got so much out of it. It made me realise I probably shoot too

much and stress too much, but it gave me the confidence to know I was

on the right track with what I was doing.

Given how competitive the market is, what’s your advice for new

wedding photographers when it comes to structuring their pricing?

There is nothing worse than walking away from a wedding thinking how

much more you could have done if the client valued their photography.

At first, I didn’t believe [my skills] were worth charging thousands of dollars

for and this resulted in me shooting for the wrong type of clients. Clients