november 2017 29
The Moments
That Matter
Having spent five years as a newspaper photographer, he moved to wedding photography in 2005.
Since then he has photographed weddings full time, travelling a lot, teaching workshops and falling in
love with colour photography. He is constantly pushing the envelope of wedding photography to the
next level, and was awarded the prestigious Photographer of the Year award in 2016 by the Wedding
Photojournalist Association. This month, we interview San Diego-based wedding photographer
Brett Butterstein and find out why his award-winning work stands out.
Wedding Special
B
rett Butterstein started shooting
wedding to become more
independent as a photographer
and get away from news journalism.
It’s the challenge and the authenticity
of weddings that draws Brett to
photographing them. No wedding or
couple are alike and Brett loves the
challenge of capturing someone’s
wedding day as creatively and
authentically as possible. “Love can
be so sweet and fun to witness and
I still cry during speeches. Wedding
photography also allows me the
opportunity to experiment and do
exactly what I want. What I love most
about shooting weddings is that it’s
real. These moments and events can
go on without cameras. It’s also a
wonderful excuse to travel and get tomeet lots of people,” he said.
When Brett started wedding
photography it was still very traditional.
But it was his way of shooting that got
his name out there. “Obviously it’s come
a long way fast, but shooting images
that are risky and creative and with lots
of colour got the attention of many super
cool, fun clients and eventually, really
good press for me.”