In Conversation With Wedding Photographer Forever and Always
Rachael of Forever and Always Photography stands as a beacon of passion and authenticity. From defying conventional career norms to embracing her calling amidst the challenges of the pandemic, Rachael's journey is a testament to the transformative power of following one's heart. With an unwavering commitment to her couples and a deeply personal approach to storytelling, Rachael captures the essence of love in its purest form, weaving together moments that transcend time and leave a lasting legacy of joy and connection.
Interview Alexander Ross
“For me, it's the personal approach. From the first call, to even after the day I’m always communicating with my couples…”
How did your journey into wedding photography begin, and what drew you to capturing the magic of weddings?
I was always told exploring a creative field was not possible in the workforce, you need to get your university degree first, you need to get work first, and you need to get a better job. But wedding photography was always a passion of mine, and I decided to finally listen to my husband’s advice and just to start and so I did. I was lucky enough to have work throughout COVID-19, but I figured I got nothing to lose to start my photography journey through covid. To my surprise and delight, people loved my vision, and I realised very quickly that this is something I can do, and I’ve never looked back since!
Can you share a special moment early in your career that ignited your passion for telling couples' love stories through photography?
It's always the first call, where I have a chance to chat to my couples - and I hear similar phrases to how I say them, or I hear them get excited at an idea, or we share a love for dogs. Then it comes full circle when they feel safe and comfortable with me on their wedding day. Makes me feel so special, that they will print my photos, buy albums of my photos of them to keep for generations. It's a deeply personal connection and one that I don’t take lightly.
What makes your wedding photography style unique, and how have you evolved creatively over the years?
Having been a bride myself and been with my husband in our marriage for 11 years now and counting. We broke a lot of rules in getting married “You got married too young”, “you should invite x person”, “can you do x to accommodate us?” and sadly I remember more negative from our wedding day than positive (besides the fact that I married the love of my life). When I think back now, I think, there’s no rule book, why did we do all these silly rules and others expectations? Why didn't we just do what we wanted? So I’m a happy advocate for my couples first and foremost, to make their day authentic to them and what they want, I’m here to guide them every step of the way. I have a very personal approach - in a lot of weddings I am not only photographing the wedding but I act as planner as well (a lot in elopements too especially with multi-day elopements) to connect them with vendors, scout locations, plan their timeline with them and much more. My style in terms of editing is very true to life colours, and bold black and whites to make a statement, or commemorate an emotional moment to give it the attention to shine. My style in terms of shooting, is editorial, mixed with documentary, mixed with candids. What this means is iIpay attention to the details, whether that's styling, or moments. I provide gentle guidance in certain parts of the day thats needed e.g. family photos, sunset photos, doggo photos, but for the most part because we’ve talked before hand several times, I know what’s important to them for me to document. So ceremony I’m there to just document, first look, I’ll guide a little before the look and once you two see each other I just capture and document the moment, there's a lot of these throughout the day and they are magic. I used to structure my portfolio to a pinterest board, and while I think it's good to have inspiration I’m here to document a day that represents my couples stories - not someone elses. Now instead of a pinterest board, I have collection of stories, and moments which is far more powerful. I have now a collection of stories and memories of my couples days.
In your experience, what's the secret to capturing the genuine emotions and essence of a couple's big day?
For me, it's the personal approach. From the first call, to even after the day I’m always communicating with my couples, to send out questionnaires, to pre-plan, to have access to me, I like to meet at least once (more if they have time - we will do doggo catch ups!) before the big day and if the couple wants to have an engagement session to get more comfortable, they can but I don’t need an engagement session to make amazing photos and make them comfortable. It is through these points of communication that they become my friends and I theirs, and it's not a camera in your face it's “oh that's Rachael, she's our photographer” it's so easy, so natural, but most importantly so comfortable. It's that comfortable ease that we can play, I can get in close to capture the laughter, the tears, the joy, all of it, and I can create the magic.
How do you connect with couples to ensure your photos reflect their true personalities and the authenticity of their relationship?
Only taking a limited amount of bookings per year, this allows me to create real connections with my couples, and have the time to invest in them. After all, they’ve invested in me. So to me, it's worth that I take the time, so I can do doggo catch ups, walk with them and scout with them (or I can do it solo), depending upon their availability some couples are happy with calls and emails. If I’m in their area, I’ll organise a catch up, if they’re in my area I’ll reach out, keeping my texts open, my social media open. They know they have access to me, and I genuinely have the time to give to them. Weddings and elopements are planned usually quite far in advance, so it's important to me that they can reach out to me whenever needed throughout the process of planning to make it easier and save time on their end. This allows them to have the peace of mind and reassurance that no matter how far in advance they book me, I’m still here and I still have the time to give to them.
Reflecting on your journey, what advice would you give to couples planning their weddings to ensure they get the most out of their photography experience?
Make sure you genuinely like your photographer - would you be-friend them? Do you like their vibe, their energy? Don’t judge a photographer just by if they’ve worked at your venue or not. I know it's easy to do so when you’re scrolling social media and it's overwhelming planning because you just want to tick another thing off your list. But photos are one of those extremely important things you should take care in booking, because when you are old, and lying on your death bed these photos when your beloved passes away will be all you have left. This is all future generations will have to remember you by. Just because they haven’t worked at your venue doesn’t mean they’re not extremely talented. For example, I travel overseas for weddings and I think that if you’ve never been to a venue before and as the photographer can still create magic it shows how extremely talented they are. They often showcase a new perspective that local photographers may not see. Check for full galleries, I have full galleries on my website for this reason. So they can see every day start to finish and very quickly learn how I like to shoot. Look at their editing style is it consistent? You’ll see across my galleries, my edit style is consistent no matter the lighting. See a gallery that's a similar vibe to the venue or location you’re getting married. E.g don’t book a photographer seeing only golden hour photos when you’re getting married in a dark church. The vibes don’t match. You want to know that your photographer can shoot in any sort of light, as weddings move quickly and light changes sometimes multiple times a day. Do they have back systems in place for your photos? I personally do because I know my couples invest thousands in me and I will happily go that extra mile to protect their memories in case of moving, fire, flood , etc. Don’t waste thousands, (instead, invest thousands in someone you LOVE), I know it's easy to think cheap is better, because for most of them- if they’re cheap ($0-4k mark although it's subjective) it's for a reason that they aren’t letting on, something they arent telling you, maybe they don't have back up gear, maybe they lack experience, etc etc and while everyone's budgets are different that's fine but when all is said and done photos and video are the last things you two will have (that will out live you both) so its important to make them a priority in your budget.
Can you recall a particularly heart-warming or unexpected moment you've captured during a wedding that stood out to you and the couple?
I captured Jess and Nathan's full day elopement back in June of 2023 on their 10 year wedding anniversary, and their first look was full of emotions and tears when they went into it confident that they wouldn’t cry at all, and their ceremony that followed was just constant tears. I had created a safe bubble where they could let down their guard and trust me to give them a safe space to document their emotions in their most raw forms - to this date they’re some of the most powerful photos I’ve ever taken. It rained tears that day when it was supposed to rain in the weather, but I felt so proud and my photographer heart sung (but my friendship heart blossomed) for me to be there for them during this extremely intimate time.
Thinking back on your favourite wedding project, what made it special in terms of capturing the couple's unique story and creating lasting memories?
When I was invited back 3 times to document Jess and Nathan's lives, (engagement, elopement, and post-elopement party), over a year of adventure, the post-elopement party 4 months after their elopement, the post-elopement party ended after 6 hours at midnight, and we stood outside and hugged and I went to my car and cried with joy. It was emotional and so special because I was able to help them through their journey but more than that I was an advocate for them from the very beginning and when they believed it too they could have a elopement. I saw their reactions to their elopement gallery when they recorded their reactions of laughter and tears, and then at the post elopement party they stood up in front of their family and friends some of which weren’t supportive of the idea of them eloping. To see them there so in love, so confident in their choice, that it made everyone else confident, in awe and love for them. The group hugs that were captured were something else, and then Jess and Nathan stood there and gave an emotional speech telling everyone who judged them initially on how much I documented and supported them. I stood there with about 80 eyes on me beaming with love for them, ready to cry.
Forever and Always Photography can be found online at foreverandalwaysphotography.com.au or on Instagram at @forever_andalwaysphotography
DISCLAIMER: We attempt to credit the original photographer/source of every image we use. However, in most circumstances, the images we use are provided by the brands spoken about, and we rely on them to inform us of the image source. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@theodoremagazine.com
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