Picture That Photography

As promised earlier, here is my 'interview' with Edmonton-based wedding photography team, Picture That. I love how they capture their subjects against amazing backdrops. Without further adieu, I introduce you to Susan and Krister, aka Picture That!

How did ‘Picture That’ come about?
Picture That came about as sort of a therapy. I (Susan) was married in 2004 (now single), and the photographs were horrible. There were also very few of them. I was really depressed, until my best friend (now business partner, Krister Temme) bought me a digital SLR camera. I began photographing my family and friends and doing free wedding photography for brides for whom professional photography was not a priority (or for those who could not afford it). I took classes and studied under some other photographers in my area, and that snowballed into my own business! Krister and I started getting so busy we could no longer keep our day jobs, and went into photography full time! Now, about 5 years later, wedding photography is basically all we do!

What would you say is Picture That’s style?
Picture That style is romantic, fun, fashion-y, but mainly we strive to capture "real" moments and connection between couples. We believe that less isn't more, and like to capture guests on the dance floor, kids, details, anything that tells the story of a wedding - not just the bride and groom. For picture time (formals) we strive to make our photos stand out by using studio lighting and making people "pop" from the background.


Do you have a favourite location that you like to shoot at?


We don't have one favorite location . We love Fort Edmonton Park, Devonian Gardens, urban scenes downtown and rural scenes in the country. Really, we are happiest mixing it up and not always shooting in the same places! New places provide a new sense of creativity.

( The Professional Bridesmaid's note: This is the photo that caught my eye and led me to contact
Picture That!)

What type of portrait session do you like to shoot the best (e.g. weddings, maternity, boudoir) and why?

Weddings are our favorite thing to photograph as we thrive on the energy of a wedding day. It seems like such an accomplishment to document such an important (and usually quite long) story. We feel we get to know the couple and their families and friends by the end of the wedding. We love that deeper connection achieved by photographing a couple's wedding. We enjoy all other types of photography too, but weddings are a definite fave.

What has been your favourite wedding to date that you've shot ?

Our favorite wedding photographed to date was of Lea & Leo in the Dominican Republic. With a smaller guest list, and the nature of this destination wedding, we were really able to connect with everyone there. The ocean was inspiring and gave us many new creative ideas. The trash the dress session the next day was a blast, and we loved doing our first underwater bride & groom photos!


What is Picture That’s take on "Trash the Dress" sessions? Can you give a brief description of what happens in a TTD session?

Our take on "trash the dress" is to treat it like a fashion/romance session in which the couple can choose some amazing backdrops that they wouldn't have been able to use for their wedding, and spend the required amount of time to get the lighting just perfect so each photograph is like a magazine cover! We don't focus heavily on the actual "trashing" of the dress, but at the same time we don't worry about the dress getting dirty or wet either. The most fun sessions we've done so far have been in the ocean, at a fair on the rides, in pools, and in cool picturesque locations a few hours out of the city. So far every bride has been able to clean her dress without issue. We have some rockin' ideas for some new sessions, some of which would not leave the dress cleanable!

What is your favourite part of living in Edmonton?

Our favorite part of living in Edmonton is the diverse cultures in our city. We love eating food from all over (Indian, Thai, Chinese, Vietnamese, etc.) so this is a great place for that! We love that we are city enough to get some great urban settings for pictures, but close enough to farms to have some great rural locations too! Snow adds a fun element to photographs that not every photographer enjoys too!

Do you have tips for brides and grooms for their big day?

• Leave 3 hours for photographs if you have a larger family and want all of the standard combos for family photographs.
  
• Remember to factor in travel time when estimating your photography sessions . The more places you travel to, the longer your photography session will be.
  
• If you have photographs that are a must for you, ask your photographer for their standard list of photos they take, add in any you don't see, and cross off any you don't want. Try not to take redundant photographs (the same people grouped 10 different ways).
  
• Bring food and drinks, or schedule in a break time. Hungry people aren't happy people, and the photographs will show this.
  
• We carry an emergency kit with us. If your photographer doesn't, ensure you have everything you need to deal with any issues that may arise (bug spray, tide to go pen, floss, and band aids, lip gloss and a translucent powder are just some of the things you should bring with you).
  
• Make sure that you and your partner have at least 1 whole hour of photography to yourselves. If you feel that for whatever reason you can't schedule the time you need for photographs on your wedding day, consider a day after session with just you two where you can relax and take photographs wherever you wish, with better lighting (in the evening) and no time limit. You can (but don't have to) trash your dress at this time as well!

We believe photography is one of the most important wedding decisions to be made as it will be the main memento of all of the other decisions made (the dress, people, the favors, the cake and decor will be remembered forever in these pictures. Choose photographers who do not limit the photographs they take or give after the wedding, ones that are artistic and capable of adding that "extra something" to photographs once they are taken, and ones who actually LOVE weddings (and are not just there to make money, but prefer photographing bands or something else). Look at entire weddings when selecting your photographer. Choose someone flexible who doesn't put you into a cookie-cutter package where you will be paying for extras you don't want. In the end, ensure you are comfortable with the photographer you choose, that you feel they understand what you want and are capable of providing it! It's your wedding- you call the shots, we just take them!


Thank you Susan and Krister! For more information on Picture That, click here to visit their site and blog.