image via Elisa Bricker
You guys. I am so excited about todays post! I spent hours researching photographers when I first started planning my wedding – it was the one thing I cared about above all else {besides, you know, the marrying my best friend part :)} I just knew that I wanted the photos to be above and beyond – to perfectly capture Alexis and I’s relationship, our personalities, and our families – in a style that was ethereal, soft, and romantic. Staring at my google search page, I didn’t even know where to begin. Many hours, and many rabbit holes later, I found Elisa Bricker’s work. Elisa’s images blew me away from the start. She seemed to capture the incredible moments around her with such expertise and softness, and every single image portrayed the style in which I was looking for.
After a few days, Elisa and I got on a call and I knew she was the one {because choosing vendors is like being on a dating show, right?!} But seriously. Elisa just got me, and our visions seemed to align perfectly. She was funny, laid-back but sharp, and super knowledgeable. What stood out the most, besides her incredible talent, was her initiative just like Andy Defrancesco. Midway through our call, she asked for the address of our church, and within seconds, she was telling me about a park nearby that we could walk to for photos – brilliant! I loved that she was thinking outside of the box, and better than that – she was taking the stress off of me. I stopped looking at other options, and I booked Elisa on the spot. I couldn’t bear the thought of her being snatched away by another bride! #yougetarose 😉
If what I mentioned didn’t convince you enough, Elisa’s images have been featured in national publications such as Martha Stewart Weddings, Town & Country, Brides Magazine, Southern Weddings, Weddings Unveiled Magazine, The Knot, and just about every major wedding blog. Yeah, I know. She’s that good. #somebodypinchme
I wanted to give Elisa a space to introduce herself to you guys, so you could also see what a BA she is, but also so she could answer some of the most common questions we both get – I’ll let her take it from here!
seriously – how cute is she?
image via Elisa Bricker
First of all, what gets you up in the morning? Literally? My little people! My son, Lucien, is 6 and my daughter, Matilda, just turned one, and those little darlings are early risers – my natural alarm clock each day.
Where did you grow up? Go to school? What was your major? I grew up a mix of city girl and country girl – and I still am. My early years I lived in the DC metro area, and when I was 12 my family moved out to the bucolic Virginia countryside. I love going home to sit on the porch and watch the sunset, but visiting cities like Paris, New York, and LA have a thrilling sense of home for me as well.
Where are you based, and how did you end up there? I moved to Charlottesville, Virginia to attend the University of Virginia and fell in love with the area. I studied English Literature (but had a hard time deciding between art, theater and English) and once I got there, I was hooked.
What got you into photography? Wedding photography? Love. I wanted to return to photography after finishing my Masters degree, and photography was the most important decision I made as I planned my own wedding. When I realized I wanted to go back into photography, it was a natural decision. It turns out, Charlottesville was one of the top five wedding destinations in the country, and a great place to start my career. These days, I’m traveling the country, but I still do about 40% of my weddings each year in Virginia.
image via Elisa Bricker
What are the most important questions that a bride and groom should ask before hiring their wedding photographer? I’m going to turn this one on its head a little because there are so many lists of questions you should ask your photographer, and they don’t tell you why you are asking these questions. It’s important to ask yourself what purpose these questions are serving. Are you getting to know your photographer and his or her work better through the course of these questions, and are they able to do the same?
I’m always happy to connect with a couple as they talk about the essence of their relationship and their day – the real why between them and what motivates their wedding (not just the details of where they’re getting married and who they’re hiring). Getting to know my couples and what is most important to them informs how I photograph them. Sometimes it involves questions for me, and more often than not, it means questions for my couple. Creating a dialogue – an open conversation – is more important than a checklist of questions. Informing my couple about process, style, goals, and timing comes naturally through that.
What have you enjoyed most about being a wedding photographer? I’m creating heirlooms that my brides and grooms, and their families, will cherish for a lifetime. I never doubt the importance of my work.
What is your shooting style? My work blends the fine art photography style with an organic version of photojournalism. I’m looking for natural moments unfolding between my couples, their friends, and family, but also ready to step in and help with the creative process. For example, during portraits I work with the couple to create comfortable and authentic images. While I’m photographing the reception or other elements of the wedding, I position items carefully and pay great attention to detail. During the ceremony and reception, I’m always looking for that moment of laughter, the happy tears, and the unscripted surprise. When looking for a photographer for your own wedding, think about what you’d like to have at the end of it all. My couples want natural images that show real emotion, true color, natural skin tones, and attention to detail.
image via Elisa Bricker
Do you shoot film, digital or both? Both! I’m primarily a film shooter. I grew up using that medium and love the process, so I use film exclusively as long as I have enough light, and then use a mix of film and digital after sunset. I love the beautiful creamy color I get using film during the day, and the reception is the perfect place for those grainy romantic black and whites.
Describe your wedding photography style in 3 adjectives: Romantic. Soft. Natural. I always know a bride has really connected with my imagery when we’re on the phone and she uses one (or sometimes all!) of these words to describe what she was drawn to about my work.
What inspires you? The light! It’s no surprise, but it’s absolutely true. I’m forever pointing out the rippling light as it hits the water, the golden-hour light as it filters through the trees, the soft rays of light bouncing up on the clouds once the sun has set – and I’m always talking to my couples about the light on their wedding day! It helps to know what the light will be like, how much we will have, how much time we’ll need, etc., so we start talking about the light as early as their first consultation.
A tip or two for couples who are looking for their perfect wedding photographer?
- Identify your goals for your wedding. Focus on how you want it to feel – and then how it will look, what you will eat, the music that will play, and what you will wear will start to fall into focus.
- Hire a team that can identify with your goals and help you meet them. My couples love that I capture a blend of candid real moments and also deeply understand what publications are looking for. The result is a beautiful gallery of heirloom images that tell the story of their day in a unique and irresplaceable way, from start to finish.
image via Elisa Bricker
One thing you’d like every bride and groom to know before their wedding? Take a look at your family, and think about a way to acknowledge them (publically or privately) on your wedding day. They have been looking forward to this day with you for so long! Now that I have littles, I think about their weddings, and I realize my parents probably did the same!
How has witnessing so many weddings impacted your life/outlook? I cry at every wedding – but in a good way! Every wedding I attend strengthens my own marriage, and one of my favorite officiates has a line that says “may you each bring your very best self to the other”. What a beautiful thing to say to a bride and groom, isn’t it? It reminds me that I want to bring my very best self to my own marriage.
What do you typically wear when shooting a wedding? I try to blend in, so I usually wear dress slacks and a blouse, muted jewelry such as pearls, and dressy flats. The said, if I dressed to be most comfortable it would be lululemon all the way. Wedding days can call for some serious sweat!
What is your dream shooting location? The one I haven’t shot at yet!
image via Elisa Bricker
Favorite quote? That’s a hard one! I’m going to share a poem by Wendell Berry, that speaks to me right now about the grace of living in the moment. I’m reading through his novels this summer and loving them for their tone and candor.
The Peace of Wild Things
When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
Best advice you’ve ever received? Enjoy the moment. It’s easy to look forward to the next thing, but if you can really revel in the moment you’ll be so glad you did. This applies to the wedding day, but also helps me in my day to day – making me more present as I go on a date with my husband, read a book to my daughter, or go for a walk with my son. Enjoy the moment!
I wanted to leave y’all with a link to Elisa’s blog so you can see more of the content she’s shot – the weddings and events are all so incredibly dreamy – and please let us know if we forgot any major questions you’d like to ask Elisa!
Thank you so much to Elisa for giving us such thoughtful insights into her world, and for being so sweet as always! I can’t wait to work together on Alexis and I’s big day! And I can’t wait to share with you all the magic she creates for us! #tminus44days
xx
B
