There is something about a backyard wedding at home that just feels different. Maybe it’s because nobody had to transform themselves into a “wedding person” for the day.
You’re still you. Your friends are still your friends. Your mom is probably still telling you that you need to eat something. The dog is almost certainly in the way.
And somewhere between getting ready in your bedroom, walking down the same hallway you’ve walked down a thousand times, and dancing barefoot in the backyard at the end of the night, you realize that this is exactly how you wanted it to be.
That’s what I love about a backyard wedding. It feels like you. And that’s exactly how I want your photographs to feel, too.
Your backyard isn’t just a venue
When you get married at a hotel or traditional wedding venue, you’re essentially borrowing someone else’s setting for the day. When you get married at home, you’re bringing your actual life into the wedding.
It’s the house you grew up in or it’s the first house you bought together. Or it’s your parents’ backyard, where your family has hosted every birthday, barbecue, graduation, and slightly chaotic holiday gathering for the last 25 years. Maybe it’s just a little bungalow in Los Angeles with a backyard you love.
Whatever the story, the place already means something. And I want to photograph that.
The old family photos hanging in the hallway. The chipped kitchen counter. The tree everyone has stories about. The weird little corner where your friends always end up hanging out.
Those details are part of your wedding story. And someday, they’re going to be part of what brings you back to this particular moment in your life.
You probably don’t need 400 photos of yourselves looking at the camera
Okay, maybe you do want some of those. And we’ll get them.
But if the idea of spending two hours being posed, repositioned, and told to “just be natural” makes you want to fake your own disappearance, we’re going to get along really well!
I’m a photojournalistic wedding photographer, which means I’m much more interested in what is actually happening than in manufacturing moments for the camera.
I’ll give you direction when it’s helpful and make sure you get beautiful portraits. I’ll photograph the important family combinations. But I’m not going to spend your entire wedding day pulling you away from the people you invited to celebrate with you. I’d rather let you experience your wedding day. And I’ll be there watching, noticing everything.
Because the good stuff usually happens when nobody is posing
It’s your best friend crying during the ceremony and immediately pretending she wasn’t. Or your dad quietly watching you from across the yard. It’s your grandmother laughing with someone she’s known for 50 years or your partner grabbing your hand under the dinner table. Seeing your college friends sitting around the kitchen long after dinner is technically over. It’s the flower girl abandoning the ceremony to chase the dog. It’s everyone dancing when they were supposedly just going to have “a few drinks.” Then there’s the moment you look around and realize that all of your favorite people are standing in one place.
Those are the photographs I want. The photographs you didn’t know were being taken. The ones that make you say, “Oh my god. I forgot that happened!” Those are the photographs that become important.
I don’t want to be another vendor at your wedding
This part is important to me.
Your photographer is with you for a lot of your wedding day. And especially at a small or intimate wedding, there’s really no hiding from each other.
I want to get to know you and hear your stories. Tell me how you met and who your people are. I want to know what you’re excited about and what you’re absolutely not interested in doing. If you hate having your photo taken, let me know! Tell me that your dad is going to cry or that your college roommate is basically your sister. I want to know that your dog has to be included in everything. Tell me that you don’t care about getting a photograph of the cake but desperately want one of your grandmother dancing. That stuff matters.
Because when I know you, I can photograph you differently. I can anticipate the moment before it happens. I know when I need to step in and when I need to get the hell out of the way. And hopefully, by the time your wedding day arrives, I’m not some random photographer you’ve hired. I’m just the person with the camera who happens to already know your people.
You don’t have to perform for your wedding photographs
This might be the biggest reason I love documentary photography.
You don’t have to become a more photogenic, polished, romantic, elegant, perfectly posed version of yourselves. You can just be yourselves. Laugh weird. Cry ugly. Get sweaty. Mess up your vows. Eat. Drink. Dance badly. Hold each other. Get distracted. Have a moment with your mom. Have a moment alone.
Your wedding doesn’t have to look like someone else’s wedding on Instagram. And your photographs don’t need to either. I want them to look like your life, on a really important day.
This is especially true in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has no shortage of beautiful wedding venues.
But there is something really special about an LA backyard wedding. A bungalow in Los Feliz. A sprawling house in the Hollywood Hills. A garden in Pasadena. A poolside celebration in the Valley. A little piece of family history tucked behind a front door somewhere in the city.
These places aren’t perfect. That’s part of the charm. The light changes. The neighbors might make an appearance. The dog wanders through. Someone is cooking in the kitchen. The backyard looks completely different once the sun goes down. And those imperfections give your photographs a sense of place.
When you look at your wedding gallery years from now, I want you to recognize the house, your friends, yourselves. I want you to remember exactly what it felt like to be there.
Your wedding can be whatever you want it to be
This is another reason backyard weddings are so much fun. There isn’t really a rulebook. You can wear a fancy dress. Or you can wear something completely unexpected. You can have a formal dinner. Or tacos. You can have a string quartet. Or someone’s terrible-but-beloved wedding playlist. You can have a beautiful floral installation. Or the bougainvillea that’s been growing in the backyard forever. You can invite 20 people. Or 100. You can follow traditions because you love them. Or skip them because you don’t.
There is no “right” way to get married. And I don’t want your photographs to suggest otherwise. My job isn’t to make your backyard wedding look like it happened at some fancy venue. My job is to make it look like your backyard wedding.
So, why hire a photojournalistic wedding photographer?
Because you didn’t create this day for the photographs. You created it for the people. And I think your photographs should reflect that.
A photojournalistic approach means I’m paying attention to the relationships, the energy, the weird little moments, the quiet ones, the beautiful ones, and everything that happens in between. It means I’m not waiting around for everyone to look at the camera. Instead I’m watching, listening, and learning your people. And it means I’m there to document what actually happened—not manufacture a version of it that looks good on Pinterest.
And hopefully, we become friends along the way
This is probably the most important thing I can tell you. I want to know you before your wedding day and for you to feel comfortable around me. You can text me and say, “Okay, we just decided we’re getting married in my parents’ backyard and we have absolutely no idea what we’re doing.”
I want to help. I want you to trust me. And on your wedding day, I want you to feel like you have someone there who knows you—not just someone you’ve hired. Someone who knows when your mom needs a minute and who knows which friend is going to make you laugh when you’re nervous. I’ll be paying attention to know that the quiet moment you’re having with your partner in the kitchen is probably more important than whatever is happening in the backyard. I can photograph the big stuff without missing the little stuff. That’s the kind of photographer I am.
So if you’re planning an at-home wedding, backyard wedding, intimate wedding, or wonderfully unconventional celebration in Los Angeles, let’s talk!
Tell me about the house and your people. Tell me what you’re planning—and what you’re definitely not planning. We’ll figure out the rest.
And I’ll bring the camera.
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