It all “officially” started in 2007 – that’s when I created Angelsmith Photography – but I think it really began well before then. I always loved the idea of being a wedding photographer, but fears got in the way – too hard, too scary, not practical. I needed to do something “stable.” Journalism, teaching, graphic design. Or so I thought.
I was engaged in 2005 (I was pretty young, but as they say, “he was the one”) and after returning from an overseas backpacking trip in 2007, I began researching photographers for my own wedding – and then I realised. It was quite overwhelming. I desperately wanted to be a wedding photographer – I desperately had to be a wedding photographer. And so I began my journey – a journey that has been more amazing than I could ever have expected.
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Questions & Answers: View answers to some of the most commonly asked questions here.
I’ve always loved telling stories – when I was little, it was with words. I was always writing, always observing people around me and trying to capture that in stories. I grew up as a romantic, a dreamer, an optimist.
I remember my very first wedding – I was nine years old and was a flowergirl for my auntie. It was the most thrilling experience – the hair, the makeup, the dress, the beautiful bride, the church, the cake, and my uncle standing proudly with his bow-tie, celebrating with his new wife. Of course, I was a little young to appreciate all the nuances of a wedding day. But the magic was there – I can still feel it, remember it, almost as though it’s arm’s length away – and so my love affair with weddings began.
I also remember my first camera – I’d been wanting one for a long time and it came along for my 9th birthday – a little blue 35mm film SLR. I remember taking photos of my little sister and as I got a bit older and headed into more serious studies at high school, I found all of my Art projects featuring photography. I wasn’t a good sketcher and couldn’t paint to save my life, but I could translate images and emotions in my mind’s eye through the camera. I didn’t have to push for it…it just happened, like an instinct, a seventh sense. It was, for me, magic.
So now I photograph weddings nearly every weekend. I’m a lucky girl. I’m surrounded by people who are happy, celebrating the most important day of their life, and who have somehow connected with the way I see the world and the way I capture things with my camera. I still sometimes pinch myself to think that this is the amazing opportunity I have.
Each wedding is different. Of course, there is a framework; you can anticipate some things, and at the same time, in a funny little twist of irony, you can anticipate absolutely nothing. You’re going in blind, waiting to soak in the people and their emotions and expressions and the unique events that will unfold. I like to be in the background, observing and capturing moments and details – as they unfold. Anything and everything on a wedding day is important, whether it is conventionally beautiful, whether it’s traditional, modern, poignant, or a little bit silly. I really believe that wedding photography should be a tapestry of genuine moments.
I focus almost entirely on weddings – I shoot a few portrait sessions here and there, but my passion is weddings and so it’s my full-time focus. I pour a lot of time, energy and passion into creating meaningful, beautiful, creative and natural memories for my brides and grooms. I walk out of weddings feeling warm and fuzzy, because I’ve just experienced perhaps the most special piece of their lives.
I hope you’ll allow me to share and capture yours.