In Conversation With Louise Treacy: Melbourne Wedding Photographer

With a keen eye for emotional moments and a knack for storytelling, Louise Treacy thrives on crafting unique narratives for each couple’s special day. From heartfelt first looks to candid sunset portraits, Louise’s goal is to encapsulate the essence of love and authenticity, ensuring couples feel comfortable and cherished throughout the entire experience.

Interview Alexander Ross

“When planning your wedding do things that bring you joy and represent ‘you’. Gone are the days where you need to adhere to a strict old-fashioned formula or keep other people happy. Add in things like personal vows, getting ready together or sweet heartfelt moments etc.”

How did your journey into wedding photography begin, and what drew you to capturing the magic of weddings?

I've been a professional photographer for over 15 years now specialising in the newborn/family space. I’ve always loved weddings but with a young family and a lot of weekend work, it just wasn’t possible. 

Now that my three boys have grown it felt like the right time and I’ve absolutely loved it. From my many years of experience, I find I am very good at working with people and holding space to allow my couples and their families to feel natural and share their emotions in front of my lens. 

The most special part of capturing weddings is crafting a story of each couple's unique day - from the anticipation and nerves of getting ready, to seeing your partner's reaction as you walk down the aisle, to all those beautiful hugs and congratulations to getting loose on the dance floor with all your favourite family and friends. I go into each wedding having a clear idea of the couple's day but also looking for those beautiful moments that may go unnoticed - those moments are sometimes the best ones and will be cherished forever. 

Can you share a special moment early in your career that ignited your passion for telling couples' love stories through photography?

A stand-out moment for me was capturing a beautiful and heartfelt first look with a bride and her beloved father. He was experiencing a few health issues and getting older so this moment was just so raw and real - there were definitely quite a lot of tears in the room! The images I captured of that moment I know, in years to come, those photos will become some of her most priceless memories. That's the gift of photography - not only is a wedding day about a couple's love story but also includes all their favourite people in the world that mean the most to them - it's just so special to be a part of.

What excites you most about a wedding, and what parts of the day are your absolute favourite to shoot?

Every wedding day is beautiful but my absolute favourite part to shoot would definitely be sunset photos. This is a small window of time that I steal you away from your guests for 20 mins or so around sunset. It’s just the two of you and it’s probably one of the first times that you have had some time way just to enjoy each other take a break. Couples are generally super relaxed with all the nerves and anticipation of the day behind them and these portraits are always the most heartfelt and meaningful. I allow my couples to enjoy this time and be in their love bubble - it’s the best!

Who inspires your photographic style? 

My style is a mix of editorial moments and beautiful portraits - captured and edited in a timeless and classic style. You will find though when viewing my portfolio that all of my weddings are very different and this is because I view myself as a storyteller of your unique day. No two weddings are the same and I try and encapsulate that so your wedding photos are a true representation of ‘you’ and your love story.

What style of weddings are your favourite to shoot?

Every wedding day is special but if I had to choose I adore modern country weddings. Held at picturesque wineries, historic homesteads with stunning gardens or private residences these types of weddings definitely have a more relaxed vibe.

With your ceremony and reception held in one place, it also allows your guests to really enjoy your day without lots of travelling to and from or worrying about parking etc. These weddings are also spoilt for choice with wedding photo locations and it really allows me to capture the feel of your day.

I also adore weddings that have been infused with the couple's personalities and are a true reflection of who they 

How do you keep yourself up to date with current wedding trends and what's happening in the wedding market?

I love scrolling through Instagram and keeping up to date with fabulous publications such as Theodore etc - it’s inspiring to see what other photographers and couples have planned for their day. Being immersed in art and fashion also plays a part - you can learn and be inspired by many different genres.

Creating a styled shoot is also a great way for me to be inspired. The whole process of coming up with a concept and then designing the look and feel of the shoot is highly creative and keeps things fresh. It also allows you to collaborate with some amazing and talented vendors in the industry. I'm currently in the process of organising another styled shoot later this year so watch this space - it's going to be gorgeous!

In your experience, what's the secret to capturing the genuine emotions and essence of a couple's big day?

Building trust and giving space is probably the biggest secret to capturing genuine emotions. If your couple has complete trust in their photographer it allows me to truly capture the day and how it felt. Part of building trust is getting to know you as a couple - that way by the time your big day arrives there will be no awkwardness and it will feel like being captured by a friend. 

Giving space and gentle direction when necessary is a big one too - I allow my couple enough direction so you know what to do with hands (ha!) but also allowing you the space to be just as you are - without feeling the need to pose or feel staged or unnatural etc This might come down to giving gentle prompts or allowing you to walk ahead and have a quiet moment etc 

Being someone who turns into the most awkward person when a camera is pointed in my direction, I completely understand firsthand what is needed to get my couples to relax and feel comfortable - I believe it’s one of my super powers as a photographer - we will have a great day together I promise! :)

How do you connect with couples to ensure your photos reflect their true personalities and the authenticity of their relationship?

It’s an important part of my booking process to get to know you as a couple. This ensures that by the time your wedding day arrives, it will feel like being photographed by a friend.

We will get to know each other by scheduling a few phone or zoom calls during the planning process and answering some detailed questionnaires to build a picture of your day and what’s important to you as a couple. 

Your photographer will be the one person, other than your partner that you will be spending the majority of the day with so it’s important that you both feel comfortable and vibe with, as this allows those beautiful natural emotions and expressions to shine through.

I love making everyone feel comfortable and loved in front of my lens, by getting to know you and your love story, the end result will truly feel like ‘you'

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?

When planning your wedding do things that bring you joy and represent 'you'. Gone are the days where you need to adhere to a strict old-fashioned formula or keep other people happy. Add in things like personal vows, getting ready together or sweet heartfelt moments etc. Don’t really want a huge group photo - then let’s not make it part of your day. Prefer a smaller intimate guest list - then do that. Want more time for dancing rather than formal formalities - then do that. If you place importance on what you want your day to feel like then the end result will ultimately be amazing.

By only including things in your day that are really important to you it allows your photography timeline to be more relaxed and enjoyable - rather than a big huge list you just need to get through.

Louise Treacy can be found online at louisetreacyphotography.com or on Instagram at @louisetreacyphotography

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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