INTERVIEWS - SOPHIE EPTON PHOTOGRAPHY

Credits: Sarah Kate Photography

Sophie Epton – Wedding photographer

1. Sophie Epton Photography.

I am so honored to be included in the Prestige Weddings blog!  My name is Sophie Epton and I’m a fine art wedding photographer based out of Austin, TX.  Together with my husband Jordan (we are a husband + wife team) we have been shooting weddings together for five years now, and our specialty is destination weddings.  We have photographed couples all over the world and US including Italy, France, Mexico, California, New York, Arizona, Tennessee, Colorado, Chicago and Florida.  We absolutely love what we do and feel it is such an honor to meet so many amazing couples and document one of the best days of their lives.  It’s so important to us that we not only produce timeless, romantic, emotive photos for our clients, but also make it a fun and wonderful experience for them where they feel comfortable in front of the camera- there are a lot of laughs had by all!

One of the stories that our couples love to hear about is how I became a wedding photographer.  I had grown up loving photography- when I was 13 years old, my parents gave me a 35mm film camera that I never put down.  I was constantly taking photos, I learned how to develop all of my pictures in a dark room, and I took many photography classes throughout high school and college.  However, when it was time to pick my major, I never thought I could make a career out of photography, so I played it safe and chose Interior Design.  After college, I was working at my first professional job as an associate interior designer, and I just knew it wasn’t the right fit for me.  I decided to create a blog on the side where I showcased all of my photography work and latest photos, and started shooting again with any free moment I had.  The blog was picked up by several businesses in Austin, and within a year I was photographing corporate events and parties, musical acts, and SXSW showcases.  Then six years ago I had the opportunity to photograph a dear friend’s wedding..and I knew this was what I was supposed to do with my life.  Jordan is also an incredible photographer, and together we decided to launch our business in 2011.  It has been an amazing whirlwind, and there is nothing we love more than to connect with incredible couples and document their wedding day…and I feel so lucky that I was able to turn my childhood passion into something I get to wake up and do every day!

2. What aspect of a wedding do you like to photograph the most?

We love “love,” and so spending time with our couples during the bride and groom portrait session of the wedding is our absolute favorite.  Couples are so giddy with happiness and excitement from the wedding day, and it’s just so much fun to capture!  We are also a huge fan of DETAILS- it’s incredible to see how each couple chooses the details, colors, and decor that are special to them and represent their own unique relationship and who they are.

3. What feelings do you like to bring out in your weddings?

The most important thing we can capture during a wedding is the full story of the day.  We love to be there for every moment, whether it’s tears of joy from a father seeing his daughter in her dress for the first time, the joy and laughter between family and friends during the ceremony, the tender and sweet emotions of a bride and groom after they are married, and the fun celebrations of the reception. When clients receive our work, we want them to feel like they are reliving the entire day through our lens and be flooded with waves of the same emotions they felt during their wedding.

4. What advice would you give to couples to achieve the photos they want for their wedding day?

Always have strong communication with your photographer, and start planning early!  One of the most important aspects of the wedding day is the timeline.  As we know, good lighting is absolutely key to getting great photos..and the best way to achieve this is to talk with your photographer first about a timeline that is timed perfectly with light and especially sunset.  Also, leave more time than you think for capturing photos, especially portrait and family photos.  Weddings are already a very fast-paced day and things like a makeup artists taking longer or a bridal party running late can throw off the timeline of the day..but if you leave more time than needed, everyone has more space to breathe and feel relaxed for photos.

5. Tell us about some of your aspirations in photographing a wedding?

We want to make sure three things are always happening when we shoot a wedding- 1) We are present in the moment to make sure we capture beautiful and emotive images throughout the day 2) Make sure our bride and groom as well as their family and friends feel special and comfortable around us and 3) Have fun- we love what we do!

As always, plan ahead and have good communication with your photographer and planner!  It can be daunting for a bride and groom to plan a wedding halfway across the world, but if you rely on the vendors you hired and start planning early, it’s actually not that different from planning a wedding locally in terms of creating a great timeline, discussing your must-have shots and figuring out exact locations for photos.  Also, we HIGHLY suggest adding on more time for a day-after shoot with the bride and groom. Not only is it a great excuse to wear your wedding dress and suit again, but it takes the pressure off of getting all your bride and groom portraits on the day of when you want to spend time with out-of-town guests, and it’s a fantastic way to explore the city or countryside of wherever you have traveled to capture some really epic shots with just the two of you.

Visit website:  Sophie Epton photography