We’d seen Scott’s work in the mags (a lot) and had heard other people in the industry give him a good wrap. But then we met the guy. And quickly realised that noone had warned us just how damn nice he was. This man kills it on so many levels.
The truth is, Scott recently took our photo for a special media opportunity (lips sealed for now). ‘Natural’ and ‘effortlessly cool’ aren’t the words we’d use to describe ourselves in front of a camera or perhaps in life. But Scott has an amazing ability to make you feel completely at ease, despite the fact there’s a lens in your face. I think we laughed the whole way through the shoot and we’ve seen the results: we actually look normal, which is a huge testament to Scott’s skills given how bungling we were to begin with.
How did you get into wedding photography?
I went to a ton of weddings as a guest around the time I was getting into photography and thought that I could do a better job than half of the photographers my friends had hired. There were so many horrible stories of bad attitudes or bad photographs and I thought I could help turn that perception around.
Plus I really love weddings. I love the pressure of making sure all the key moments are captured and the couples that let me do it in a creative way.
How would you describe your style?
Natural, real, relaxed, creative and fun. Being a great photographer isn’t just about taking great photos, it’s also about the person you are and how you conduct yourself on the wedding day. I think those words describe my photography style and my character. A bloody good sense of humour also helps!
What’s your take on doing wedding photos before the ceremony? Yay or nay?
I’m up for whatever the couple wants to do. If you’re getting married in winter, the ceremony is quite late and we’ll run out of light to have photos afterwards – YAY to photos beforehand.
If you’re getting married in summer and you think it’ll be nice to have photos beforehand in the super harsh sunlight during the warmest part of the day – NAY. Unless there is a mega good reason for it, I’ll try to convince you otherwise. During the months of daylight savings when the sun is out, the light is super harsh and unflattering during the hours of 10am – 4pm. So if you want to do photos between these times, I’ll be looking for the shadiest spots around.
Do you have any advice for couples who are a bit awkward/nervous in front of the camera (ahem, like us)?
Just be yourselves. I’ve got lots of techniques and things for you guys to do that will make it seem like you’re not having your photo taken and I just take photos of you being you.
An engagement session also really helps you to get more comfortable in front of the camera and for us to really get to know each other so when the wedding days rolls around you are serious pros with nothing to worry about.
Sunshine or overcast? What would your ideal wedding weather be
Overcast is easy and everyone looks good. Sunshine is harder to shoot in, offers more challenges and but also so many rewards. You can’t beat that beautiful sunshine really late in the day. My ideal situation would be lightly overcast for an outdoor ceremony with the sun coming out for portraits an hour before sunset. Perfect!
Any awesome wedding day ideas you can share, having seen a fair few yourself?
I’ve seen so many but the best ones are when couples just do what they want. Think outside the box and do something different to what’s traditional or what been done before, but also reflects your personalities. It’s your day and you should do it your way.
What’s your favourite moment to capture at a wedding?
Too many to choose! When the couple see each other for the fist time. When FOB sees his daughter in her dress for the first time. When the couple are walking back down the aisle together as husband and wife with pure joy on their faces. When excited family and friends hug and kiss the hell out of them after the ceremony. The quiet moment when it’s just the couple and me taking photos and they get time to chill out and reflect on whats just happened.
Any advice that you can share to help couples choose their wedding photographer?
Go with your gut. It’s important that you like their photos but it’s equally important that you like the person behind the lens too because their character and personality is injected into everything little thing they do. Price is also a consideration as it is with everything but this is an area where you do really get what you pay for. You can’t exactly re-do everything if you’re not in love with your photographs.
If you could get married again, what would you do differently this time?
So many things. When I got married almost six years ago now, I knew nothing about weddings. If my wife and I could do it all over again it would be on a beautiful property a couple of hours from Sydney where the getting ready, ceremony, photos and reception all happen in the one location. We’d make a weekend out of it because the celebration shouldn’t be limited to just a single day.
There’d also be a piñata cake, a giant bonfire and maybe some fire twirlers for good measure.
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Find Scott on Facebook and Instagram (@scottsurplicephotography)
