the blog
How to Actually Get Candid Wedding Photos
How to Actually Get Candid Wedding Photos (Without Pretending Your Photographer Isn’t There)
Tips for real weddings.
The Wedding Advice I’d Give You After Photographing Weddings for 13+ Years
The Wedding Advice I’d Give You After Photographing Weddings for 13+ Years
After photographing weddings for more than a decade, I have seen a LOT.
Perfectly planned timelines. Timelines that immediately went off the rails. 90-degree ceremonies. Snow. Missing boutonnieres. Champagne explosions. Veils with minds of their own. Flower kids who absolutely refused to participate.
And some really, really incredible wedding days.
So if you're planning a wedding in Pittsburgh, here's the advice I wish I could give every couple before their wedding day:
First Look or No First Look? A Pittsburgh Wedding Photographer’s Actual Advice
First Look or No First Look?
First looks are one of those wedding decisions the internet has somehow turned into a VERY BIG DEAL.
So, should you do one?
My deeply unsatisfying photographer answer is:
It depends.
I'm not going to tell every couple they need a first look because it's "better for photos."
Your wedding isn't a photoshoot, remember?
But after photographing weddings for years, there are definitely situations where I think a first look makes the day significantly easier.

