T·L·D·R Weddings — Hazel Photo

"Over the years my friends told me their wedding days went by faster than they possibly could have imagined. It wasn't until my own wedding that I fully understood what they meant."

From the moment our beloved friends and family began arriving in this miraculous unending parade, I could already feel the specific indescribable joy slipping away. I wished I had a few dozen of myself to run around and take it all in — to reminisce about childhood with every cousin, to introduce my old friends to my wife's old friends, to squeeze all the shoulders, to roll on the floor with my friends' babies, to share all the belly laughs. Luckily we hired an exquisite photographer, so we will have beautiful prints and albums to supplement our memories for the rest of our lives.

As a photographer I am primarily a storyteller. (I also write fiction.) Weddings are epic stories, usually squeezed into the space of a single day, a weekend, a season. As I photograph a wedding, I pay close attention to the distinct stories that are unfolding, and I aspire to make images that will instantly recall them years down the line.

My work ethic is strong, and also, I just delight in emotional, dynamic photographs — so I more or less work nonstop from the moment I arrive. For a single day your fiery grandma will break bread with your freshman year roommate. Your best friend from elementary school very well may fall in love with your partner's cousin. These things matter, so I make it my job to document them. One of my goals at your wedding is to make a meaningful photograph of every single guest, though some have been known to hide in the corner sipping tea.

There are photographers who set up the standard moments, the cake, the kiss, the toast, and do little else. I tend to think the in-between moments are just as important as the grand gestures — if not more so. The in-between moments are where the nuance of your personalities and family cultures live.

I try to be in all the places you didn't have time to be, to observe all the people and events you didn't have time to observe, and to document them for you. There are also photographers who chase the couple around all day long — as a result, there are guests who aren't photographed even once.

Your wedding guests are the most important people in your life. Many of them travel from great distances to show their love and commitment. When times get tough, it is these people who will support you in the long years of your marriage. On a number of occasions my clients have finished their vows to each other, turned to their wedding guests, and asked them to vow to support the couple in the work of marriage.

So, yes, I tell stories about weddings — but not just any old story. I try to tell a gorgeous story that honors the vision you have for your union and its celebration. A story that finds strikingly beautiful angles.

In order to tell a story that honors your vision, I need to communicate very well. I ask questions and I listen closely, so that I can understand what matters most to you. Then I bring everything I have to the day itself.

In the end you will have your prints and your albums. Your photographs will remind you why you spent all those hours planning. They will remind you of all the help and warmth and support your family and friends brought to the occasion.

They will remind you that an overwhelming number of people care about you — and not just about you, but about your love, your partnership, and the life you are building together.

More will happen at your wedding than any one person can take in.