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If you don’t end up with amazing wedding pics, did your amazing wedding even happen? Top Christchurch-based special-occasion snapper Tamara Butterfield of Koru Photography talks us through what makes her work so special and what couples need to think about when booking for the big day.
What do you love about shooting weddings?
I love that everything is always different and nothing is ever the same. It’s an ever-revolving door spinning around. The anticipation and excitement of everyone involved is an adrenaline rush. It is very much like being backstage at a theatre when the show is about to start!
Do you have a favourite kind of wedding to shoot?
I love it when each couple brings their own personality into the day, that’s what makes it so unique. I always love being outside in nature with big sweeping landscapes, so if I get to hang out in a forest, on a hillside or mountaintop I’m in my happy place.
What are your favourite kinds of wedding photos?
I love the epic landscape shots with the couple, they are always so much fun, but I’m constantly looking for different kinds of light, the way it falls, the pockets of light and reflective light that makes for interesting form. I love to be creative, so anything different or out of the box, but of course my favourite images are always those that capture the emotion of the day. The raw, the gritty, the stripped-back, the reflective – they’re the ones that will tell your story best.
What should couples expect when booking a photographer?
Firstly, make sure you look through a variety of images from the photographer you are considering – you want to see if they are capturing the story the way you would want yours told. Are they consistent in what they deliver? Are they capturing the joy, love, the excitement of the day? Long after the wedding day itself, this will make all the difference to look back on.
Secondly – meet with the photographer. Do they understand and share your vision of your wedding day? Are they ‘your’ kind of people? Are they on the same page? The photographer you choose will be with you for the duration of your wedding day so make sure they make you feel comfortable and that you’ll have fun! Make sure you find someone you trust to make the day as smooth and relaxed as possible.
For more information, go to koruphotography.nz
