In Conversation With Wedding Photographer Translucent Photography
Lucy of Translucent Photography captures the essence of love with her authentic, colourful, and relaxed style, guiding couples through every step with her warm demeanour and unbridled passion for creating unforgettable memories. Dive into her world and discover why every moment she captures is a testament to the joy and authenticity of love’s timeless celebration.
Interview Alexander Ross
“Really consciously think about what you value out of your wedding day, and base your decisions for everything on this.”
Tell us a little about your journey into the world of wedding photography?
My journey into wedding photography came about by chance!
I started out as a girl with a camera photographing the landscapes and factors of life in the world around me. This progressed to photographing people in their finest - I became a nightclub photographer at a club in Sydney CBD, as well as live music of both small gigs in clubs & pubs around Sydney, as well as festivals such as Groovin’ the Moo which I photographed twice. I then moved to Townsville in FNQ, where I went to uni to study Marine Biology, and throughout my time in Townsville, I was photographing family sessions on the weekends. Every season-break from uni, I’d fly back home to NSW and take up casual employment for my time home in hospitality. On my first trip back, one of my co-workers and I got to talking. I’d mentioned that I was a photographer, as by this time I was shooting family portraits like I mentioned but this was the extent of my portrait portfolio. He asked me if I photographed weddings. Now without hesitation, I responded with “yes”. Know me well, and you’ll know that I am a massive overthinker, so the fact that I spoke with such confidence here is not typical for me! But it was that two seconds of confidence, that led to a great conversation, and here we go, I’d quoted on my first ever wedding - and it was accepted!
On the day of the wedding, I actually took along my best friend for support. I was so incredibly nervous. But. It. Was. Awesome. Things went wrong, things went right. It rained. I was apprehensive and nervous about everything and tried not to let this show. I shot my heart out, and it was an amazing day, I already couldn’t wait to shoot more.
That was in 2015, so here in 2024 I’m entering my 9th year as a wedding photographer. I continued to photograph weddings & portraits both in NSW and in QLD alongside my studies. I moved back to my hometown in NSW after graduating from university in 2016, moving my business home with me and had to start from scratch with marketing a business in a different state. It took time. It was frustrating. I started working in administration full-time as I needed money for rent, and marketed my business to photograph weddings and families in any spare moment I had after work hours. I had “deals” on offer almost constantly, to get my name out there, advertising in groups on social media & Gumtree.
Soon enquiries were coming in where people had seen my work not generated from a cheesy advert I’d popped up somewhere. I stopped the ads, worked on a website, posted my work to social media frequently, and enquiries continued. I left my full-time administration “safety-net” job, and took the plunge into being full-time in my business in 2019, and this was the best decision I ever made. I went in with the mindset of “sink or swim” and if there came a time I felt I was starting to go under, I’d start looking to work for an employer again and balance both again, like I had for so many years prior. Thankfully, even through a global pandemic - this still hasn’t been a bridge I’ve needed to cross, and I’m incredibly grateful for that.
Over the years I have changed and grown. From my style, to how I shoot, to my gear (I now shoot a Sony mirrorless camera kit), to my workflows and operation - every element of my business is fluid, and constantly growing and adapting as I learn, tweak & trial new things. I continue to undertake workshops and research to better myself as a photographer and as a business. I will never know everything about photography, never be a master, and will absolutely never claim to be. More recently, my husband Dean also went full-time in the business too, so our business now is a husband-wife team. I’m still the sole photographer, and Dean assists with marketing, culling and other behind-the-scenes roles. Him being in the business has been astronomically beneficial with how everything is run and streamlined a lot of processes!
I’ve photographed weddings overseas as well as around Australia, and won awards both domestically and internationally. I went from shooting 1 wedding in 2015, to continual growth in bookings over the years since. I now photograph 70+ weddings & elopements a year as well as 2-3 portrait sessions on average, a week.
How would you describe your style of wedding photography?
Authentic, colourful, relaxed and real. I like to keep things really light & fun, whilst also capturing the essence of a couple and the relationship they share between themselves as well as their loved ones. I like my images to be colourful and punchy, to be a relatively true reflection of how their day looked and felt.
How do you approach getting to know the couples you work with, and how does this personal connection impact the quality of your wedding photography?
I’m a bit of an oversharer and I think this somewhat benefits me and my marketing! I try to keep pretty active on social media and share a few stories here and there about my personal life and my obsession with my mini dachshund, Winston. I love animals, and dogs are a huge part of weddings these days. I like to think I pick up what I put down - I’m a little bit weird, a little bit wild at the same time also quite reserved (yeah, weird combo I know!), but I showcase a lot of my personality and what I value out of a wedding (eg. Including your four-legged love, and really focusing on what a couple truly values in their day and wedding coverage, rather than a cookie-cutter “we have to have this because that’s what weddings have” outlook), and I tend to engage couples with the same values. I also have 2 questionnaires that I send through to my couples throughout their booking process, one is an onboarding to get a feel for who they are and where they’re at with their plans at the time they’ve booked in myself, and then later a much more thorough questionnaire that breaks down their wedding into sections of their day and dives into things like the who/what/when/where (eg. A hybrid of timeline, location) but also knowing things like family sensitivities that are super beneficial to how I photograph a wedding.
What steps do you take to make couples feel comfortable and relaxed in front of the camera, especially when they may not be used to being photographed professionally?
Hand on heart, I’m yet to find a couple more awkward in front of the camera than I am myself! No joke!
None of my couples to date have been professional models, and every single one of them has confessed that they’re “not photo people” or are awkward in front of the camera. I simply just be myself, and find that conversation actually helps to relax a couple. Just being human, I know, simple right?! I also however keep things light and fun, be a little silly and play a few games with my couple and the wedding parties. Basically, these games/prompts/activities essentially form the art of distraction, where the focus is more on the task at hand, rather than the fact that there’s a photographer in front of you taking your wedding photos. I know how daunting that can be!
How do you capture candid and emotional moments between the couple and their guests, and what do you believe makes these moments so important in wedding photography?
These moments are what shows photographically how a moment felt. Unlike video, we can’t showcase movement or audio in static images. By capturing candid, authentic moments, this tells the story of how a wedding day, a particular moment, a tiny element often overlooked felt, all contribute to the overall story of a couple’s wedding day. I focus a lot on these moments during the ceremony and speeches, but my favourite is the post-ceremony congratulations. Completely unscripted, entirely unposed, zero interaction/prompts from myself. I take a step back and just capture their loved ones who have been bottling up their emotions and excitement for the couple all ceremony, finally unleashing them in an embrace of a handshake now that the couple have walked back up the aisle as newlyweds. It’s the most special part of the day to witness at any given wedding, and my absolute favourite moments of a wedding to photograph.
Do you have any favourite locations or settings that you recommend to couples for their engagement or pre-wedding photoshoots? What makes these places special for capturing meaningful moments?
The best setting for an engagement session is one that’s relevant to the couple! Eg. If a couple absolutely hate the feeling of sand between their toes, then holding their session at the beach would be super weird. But, if the couple say, love to spend their weekends bushwalking - then a forest/country/bush kind of setting maybe even with a hike kind of theme would be great! Or, they may have shared their first date at a local coffee shop or Gardens - so returning to these locations for their engagement session would be super special to tie this in.
Some couples may have specific requests or creative ideas. How do you incorporate their input and preferences into your photography while maintaining your artistic style?
I’m super open to hearing a couple’s creative ideas for their wedding day! I’m not talking about a 5-page double-sided detailed shot list (please don’t do this) but if a couple wants to include a “different” shot with Dad’s car that holds sentimental value to them. I like pushing myself creatively as a photographer so definitely open to creative ideas in this regard!
After the wedding day, what is your process for delivering the final images to the couple, and how do you ensure that they are satisfied with the results?
Following the wedding, I deliver a sneak peek of images from the day within 72 hours. I then have a turnaround of 6-8 weeks (slightly longer in busy seasons) and deliver a password-protected online gallery to the couple of all their images from their day divided into scenes (eg. Ceremony, Portraits, Cocktail Hour etc.). All of those images are downloadable in both high-resolution and web-resolution. I also give a link to my Google review page with this delivery and love receiving feedback on their experience with myself as their photographer as constructive criticism is always beneficial to continually improve my service and enhance my client experience.
Where are you based and what areas are you available to shoot weddings?
I’m based on the NSW South Coast, just south of Wollongong. I photograph weddings across the Illawarra, Southern Highlands, South Coast, and Canberra, as well as occasionally Hunter Valley, Sydney and the Blue Mountains.
And finally, your number one piece of wedding planning advice?
Really consciously think about what you value out of your wedding day, and base your decisions for everything on this. If you don’t have a sweet tooth, then maybe have a cake to cut probably could be something you do without! Don’t want to sit for ages listening to speeches? Perhaps cut down the number of speech givers and maybe hold them during cocktail hour to leave the night for mingling/dancing! It makes a huge difference when elements of your day are thought about with this consideration.
Thinking back on your favourite wedding project, what made it special in terms of capturing the couple's unique story and creating lasting memories?
The love that was shared between this particular couple in March of 2023 stands out to me, everything about the way they conducted themselves, incorporated their friends into the day and even the location in Kyneton at an old homestead. Everything came together so perfectly and the way it all intertwined and flowed so effortlessly helped create memories that I'm sure each and every person will remember for a lifetime.
Translucent Photography can be found online at translucentphotography.com or on Instagram at @translucent_photography
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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