Emma & Blaise: Documentary Photography Done The Real Way
June 6, 2026
Emma and Blaise requested a true photojournalistic and documentary approach to their wedding day with no exceptions. Most of their day was photographed on film.
There were no groupings of family photos, no posing to get a better angle in the right light. And because of their earnestness and trust, their photographs belong entirely to them: no performing for the camera, no redos or interruptions to get a better shot, a few photos a little strange, deeply personal, and full of the things that could only have happened once.
We walked the streets of New York City from their wedding venue to their reception space with their closest friends & family, fighting the wind from an incoming storm and dodging cars that don’t pay attention to pedestrians.
A True Documentary & Candid Approach to Wedding Photography
Most of my couples hire me because they’re drawn to the word candid and documentary in their search for a wedding photographer. But the truth is a lot of engaged couples don’t actually know what it looks like to work with a true documentary photographer on their wedding day.
They want photographs that feel unforced, but they aren’t willing to let go. That’s okay, I get it! It’s vulnerable and uncomfortable to be in front of a camera all day. That’s what most of my couples still seek direction throughout the day, just as little as possible. However, Emma and Blaise are the second couple in my wedding photography career to request a true 100% candid photography approach to their day with no exceptions. No groupings of family photos, no posing to get a better angle in the right light. They wanted to remember the day as it actually happened—not as a series of moments carefully arranged for my camera. So that’s exactly what we did. There’s so much bravery to me in their choice to trust me fully! When you remove posing and direction, you also remove a certain sense of control. There’s no guarantee that everyone will look at the camera! No promise that every photograph will be perfectly composed! There are no opportunities to recreate a moment because it didn’t happen quite the way you imagined it would. How beautiful.
This are what I mean when I talk about a embracing a candid approach. Maybe you want a documentary heavy photographer, or a documentary leaning photographer, or maybe you don’t want a documentary photographer at all. And then there’s what Blaise and Emma asked for… a real photojournalistic approach to their wedding day reportage.
And because of their earnestness and trust, their photographs belong entirely to them: unperformed, completely unscripted, a few a little strange, deeply personal, and full of the things that could only have happened once.
Thank you, Emma & Blaise, for trusting me enough to let your wedding simply be your wedding. Xoxo
