When words fail, photos speak.
My Approach
My photography is heavily influenced by storytelling with a cinematic slant. I want your wedding day to be true to life through both vivid colour and dramatic black and white images.
The four pillars of my style are: Candid, Storytelling, Creativity and Connection. Together these pillars support a compelling wedding photography experience.
01. Candid.
These are the behind the scenes moments. The natural smiles, belly-busting laughs and happy tears that take place endlessly on your wedding day. I’m always paying attention, reading the room and anticipating those smiles, hugs and tears.
02. Storytelling.
Your I Dos and first kiss are the highlights… but the real story comes together through the smaller bits woven together throughout your wedding day. The nervous excitement while getting ready through to the post-up-dance-offs at your reception.
03. Creativity.
My creative style involves unique angles, funky lighting, and playful compositions. You’ll often find me laying on the ground or creepily hiding in a bush. Things like reflections and silhouettes can add drama to an otherwise common scene… some pizzazz as my mother would put it.
04. Connection.
This is the secret sauce. When you vibe with your wedding photographer, it’s like having a friend capturing your day. Not just any friend, but one that makes you feel comfortable in front of the camera. This genuine connection leads to timeless images where love and laughter come through naturally.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Any nerves we had went away instantly. It truly was just like hanging out with an old friend, except you get stunning photos to go with it! Vaughn didn’t even question it when we asked to include our pet pig, Archie, in the photos”
- Alex + Jake | Living Water Resort
Your Wedding Day Itinerary
When you attend a wedding you only need to concern yourself with the essentials like eating, drinking and dancing. But if you’ve been part of a wedding party, you’ve played a key role and had the chance to see behind the curtain as to what it takes to pull the whole day together.
Here’s my approach to photographing a wedding day…
Getting Ready
Prep.
On a typical wedding day I budget between 1.5 to 2 hours for wedding prep. This tends to be a good amount of time for me to get photos of the details, the candid chaos, the laughter and then those finishing touches. For the most part I’m hands-off and shooting things as they happen.
Groom.
I like to start with the guys prep since they tend to get ready quite fast. That doesn’t mean they are without their own delays… oftentimes there are a few who struggle to tie their tie. I generally look for a half hour for guys prep, possibly an hour if we have room in the timeline.
Bride.
There’s a lot more going on with the girls, so I like to shoot the girls prep after the guys allowing the hair and makeup teams more time to do their thing. I like to arrive with enough time to shoot my bride’s details before capturing those final finishing touches of hair and makeup. For time budgeting, 1 to 1.5 hours is often a good amount of time to cover this.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Vaughn provided guidance by making adjustments to our timeline which helped our day go smoothly. He made us feel comfortable which was very important to us as we have never done any type of professional photos.”
- Sarah + Andrew, Trillium Resort
First Look
Just the two of you.
While a First Look (or Reveal) isn’t for everyone, they are quite popular with couples. This is an emotional, private moment between the two of you and I treat it as such. I’ll choose a nice location with the best lighting and after that, I put on my long lens and shoot the moment from a distance.
First look with your parents.
They’ve been with you since the very beginning. While it’s not always possible, setting aside just a few moments to arrange a first look with your parents is a nice, special thank you to them. I can help set the scene in a nice, well lit location before letting it unfold unscripted.
The Ceremony
This is what everyone has been waiting for! I arrive to the ceremony location about 30 minutes before showtime. This gives me time to shoot the ceremony details as well as guests arriving and mingling for the first time.
As you make your way down the aisle I’m set up at the front, opposite your partner to catch each of your reactions while also keeping an eye on your VIPs in the front row.
For the remainder of the ceremony I put on my long lens and shoot from the perimeter to make sure your guests can share in your moment without me getting in the way.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
“Vaughn was great at making sure the day ran seamlessly and captured all our special moments with the wedding party, with family, of guests, and of dancing. We absolutely LOVED our photos and had so many comments from our wedding party and guests saying how great our photographer was.”
- Jenn + Michael, Barrie Country Club
Group Photos
Family.
I recommend doing your photos right after the ceremony for one key reason, everyone is readily available! Once the ceremony ends I shoot candid for a few minutes while your family congratulate and shower you with love. Then I’ll take you off to do your family portraits - this is the best time before anyone has a chance to run off to the bar! I’ll take the lead here and arrange everyone for these photos.
Wedding Party.
It’s time to have some fun with your closest friends in your wedding party. I’ll once again take the lead and we’ll take photos of the entire group as well as breaking up into several other groupings. Finally, I like to end with a photo of you with each member of your wedding party. Time needed for these shots depends on the size of the group.
Couples Session
Think of this as your ‘you time’. I’ll take you and your partner off for candid and posed photos of just the two of you. This is a slow-paced, relaxed time where we’ll get some amazing photos of just the two of you - ideal for hanging on your wall and building your wedding album around.
The Party
Dinner.
This is the part of the day where ‘reading the room’ is the goal. For the most part, I put my camera down and eat along with everyone else. Nobody wants me taking their photo while they’re stuffing their face! When possible, I like going around to each table getting photos of your guests between courses.
First Dance.
It’s a special moment for both you and your partner as well as your parents. My approach here is again to be non-intrusive aside from perhaps my lighting when needed. The approach is the same if you’re doing parent dances.
Party time.
I’m hands-off during the party however, I love to get into the action - that’s where the good stuff is! I find guests enjoy having me join in the fun where appropriate. By the time that part of the day rolls around, everyone is ready to let loose and I’m all for it.
