Love. What a concept. It’s an idea, expression, gesture, and emotion that has intrigued humankind for aeons. Our greatest thinkers have pondered and theorised on the idea of love, all coming up with varying and often complicated philosophies. The thing about love is that we each experience it in different ways. What some may consider love, others may consider lust. How you express love may not be enough for some or too much for others. Something as elusive and mysterious as love will probably always astound, amaze, evade and surround us. Capturing love is almost as difficult as understanding it. That’s why we sought the help of the Orms community and asked them to show us how they capture love and their favourite gear with which to do so.
“Love is a fierce force that I and many others claim they can’t control… and as a photographer that has to capture the crescendo of a love story – the wedding day… I often want to get in and “Direct” to make sure the love looks its best… but that’s when the authenticity of visual love becomes too fragile to last. So my tip is to let the love blossom in its perfect state (the couple only) cause 3 is a crowd. So I give some thoughts and instructions, step back, and let the magic unfold. Some things I say are: “Say I love you with just your eyes”, or “Lock eyes and try to see into each other’s souls”, or “Get your heads close and with your eyes closed and just try to emit your love for each other”… it’s soppy, I know, but it makes for incredibly intimate images.
I’ve heard Jonas Peterson instruct like this: “Imagine you’re about to get on a train, and you’re saying farewell to each other, but you don’t know when you’ll see your lover again.” I’ve tried it, and it’s really powerful when you let people reveal their hearts without your hands getting in the way. Obviously, my vibe is not just intense, so I mix it up with some funny moments to break the intensity and bring relief and laughter to balance out what their love really is.
One piece of equipment that I can’t go without is my beloved Silver Fujifilm X-T4. It does all the hard work for me, and it’s a tool that I can trust every time… plus it looks like a smaller vintage camera, so it is less obtrusive than a big black box covering my face, and therefore a little disarming when capturing love stories.
“By connecting with the couple first and sharing a bit about myself, they feel open to doing the same. I love good conversation and keeping things real by giving them the space and freedom to be themselves but also guiding them into creating beautiful photographs that showcase who they are as a couple. I enjoy making people feel comfortable, and I do that by knowing how to engage in a conversation that flows naturally. This helps me to keep the energy positive and entertaining while keeping everyone engaged. Music is always a great idea to set the tone!”
“I absolutely love and don’t go anywhere without my Sigma 50mm f/1.4 DG HSM Art Lens. It really is such a beautiful and versatile lens.”
“Let’s face it, a large percentage of people feel awkward in front of the camera; I am definitely one of them. So I know exactly what you’re feeling when you’re standing in front of my camera. I LOVE taking people on adventures, which usually means a nice scenic hike (another way to chat with your couple, making them comfortable with you). I also LOOOOOVE making people laugh and doing strange things. These methods of madness might seem silly when you’re doing them, but they make you laugh naturally, which means you’re moving your body naturally, and that is when I shout BANGER, BANGER and BANGER. Those are my absolute favourite photos.
I never leave the house without my favourite lens, the Sony 85mm 1.4! And my Mavic Pro 2 drone I just can’t live without. I love creating images from different viewpoints and incorporating more landscape. We live in such a beautiful country!”
“Each couple is unique, and some display it openly; others need a bit of assistance with posing. From there, we let them be themselves. To us, it’s very important to get authentic moments and not always posed. Sometimes we would ask the groom to whisper something in the bride’s ear, and the majority of the time, it would turn into a real laughing moment, making it a natural moment for us to capture – getting that real joyous moment.
We like to find out what type of couple we’re shooting beforehand. Do they enjoy being out in nature, the city or walks on the beach? If they feel more comfortable in buildings/places, this would generally make them more at ease on our shoot day.
The Canon 24-70mm is something we cannot go without. 70-200mm as well; for the very important portraits and candid moments. Our good-standing relationship with Orms makes having these lenses at hand possible.”
