Behind the Lens with Cream City Weddings

Interview with the Experts | Photography | Behind the Lens

Finding the right photographer to capture your day is such an important element in your planning process, so we created “Behind the Lens” to give you a more in-depth look at each of our photographers! We will be running a new post each month, so be sure to check back in!
Take a look below and get to know  Cream City Weddings!

How did you know you wanted to be a photographer? How did you go about starting out?

I’ve loved photography since I was kid. I had art teachers in high school who encouraged me to pursue my interest in photography. At age 15 I photographed my first wedding. At 17 I was working part time in a commercial photo studio and at 18 I was working for our local newspaper. Most of my education if from on the job training by myself and with many mentors and other studio owners whom I worked with throughout my career.

How long have you been in the business?

I opened my own photo studio in 1988, in 2011 I was a co-founder of Cream City Weddings with a colleague in Milwaukee. Our vision was to open full service wedding photo and video studio with some of the best photographers in the Milwaukee area on staff and with simple, affordable packaging to make quality wedding photography more attainable for today’s brides.

What are the qualities that make a successful wedding photographer?

First I do believe that the craft and technical aspect of photography itself has to be second nature. Weddings and those precious moments happen so fast that you can’t be thinking about your gear, you and your gear have to be one and ready all the time. Next you have to be a people person. A wedding is a very emotional and stressful event for the couple and their families, you are with them all day and have to be a comforting soul. Finally you do want to have a creative spirit to find unique opportunities and tell their story through the eyes of your camera.

Why do you love photographing weddings and engagements?

For me it’s always been the variety. No two weddings and wedding stories are the same.

How has your photography (style) changed since you started?

While I constantly work to improve my technique, I don’t feel my style and approach of creatively and unobtrusively telling the story of a couple’s wedding has changed that much. The beauty of a studio like Cream City is that we have a team of experienced local photographers, all who can beautifully capture a wedding, but each with a slightly different style.

When choosing their photographer, what should a couple look for?

Look at the images. Do you like them? Note the style and ask yourself if you’d like your images to look like that. Also ask about their approach to wedding photography, if they are a strong, hands-on director of imagery and you want a relaxed, unobtrusive person, you won’t be happy.

Is there anything you wish couples would ask?

These days most couples are very well informed and do a good job of making sure they get their questions answered during our consultations.

How do you assist in keeping the wedding day running smoothly? Do you work hand in hand with the other vendors?

As experienced photographers with the couple for the majority of their day we’ll help out in any way we can to make sure things run smoothly, give directions to favorite photo locations and assist where we can with little things like lining up for the ceremony, cake cutting, a first dance. Often we don’t have to do a thing if the couple has a planner or other seasoned pros helping them but if needed we can do our part.

What is a typical wedding day routine for you?

Simply be prepared, be aware and be creative. I have found that a little advanced planning goes an incredibly long way in making a wedding more fun and relaxed.

Do you have an all-time favorite wedding image? If so will you share it with us.

I like spontaneous and energetic images that show the joy of a couple’s day. It’s more a feeling than a specific image.

These images are some of my personal images. We have a great team at Cream City Weddings and I share the portfolios of our photographers with our clients after I get to know them and their style preferences so that our studio can provide the best fit of a photographer for that client’s needs and style preferences.