There are so many decisions to make when you’re planning a wedding, but few carry as much weight as choosing your photographer. Once you’ve pored over portfolios and compared editing styles, what you’re really deciding is who will be by your side for most of the day. This is the person who’ll be with you while you get ready, through your most emotional moments and among the people you love most in the world. It’s a role that asks for far more than technical skill alone.
It’s also why I love introducing photographers to you here on Love My Dress. Each one sees weddings through their own eyes, and those differences are worth celebrating.
When our recommended supplier, Marta May Photography, talks about weddings, she barely mentions photography at all. Instead, she talks about grandparents, friendships, nervous excitement, family dynamics and couples who would far rather spend their day celebrating than posing for endless photographs. Her philosophy is a simple one: weddings shouldn’t feel like photoshoots. They should be enjoyed for exactly what they are, with the camera fitting around the day and never the other way round.
Working across both wedding photography and videography, Marta describes her approach as ‘docu-art’, blending honest documentary coverage with naturally romantic portraits that never ask couples to become somebody else. Alongside digital, she also shoots on beautiful 35mm analogue film, drawn to the richness, softness and character it brings to a gallery. The combination means couples receive every fleeting, fast-moving moment of their day alongside photographs with all the charm of an old family album.
Whether you’re completely at ease in front of a camera or already convinced you’ll be awkward, I think you’ll enjoy Marta’s perspective. We talk about building trust long before the wedding day arrives, photographing and filming side by side without turning a celebration into a production, why she still shoots on film and how her DOCU-ART philosophy shapes every wedding she documents.
How would you describe your approach to photographing and filming a wedding, and what matters most to you when you are documenting a couple’s day?
Our approach is what we call DOCU-ART: real documentary storytelling with a little cinematic magic when the moment asks for it.
For most of the day, we are watching, listening, feeling the energy in the room and capturing what is actually happening – the nervous hands, the wild hugs, the little glances, the chaos, the calm, the people who matter most. We do not want a wedding to feel like a photoshoot. We want it to feel like a wedding.
What matters most to us is honesty. We want couples to look back and think, “That is exactly how it felt.” Not a polished version of the day that could belong to anyone, but their people, their humour, their atmosphere, their way of loving each other.
And then, when the light is beautiful or the scene needs a little space, we gently step in to create portraits that feel cinematic, romantic and still completely like them. Real first, artful second – that is the balance we love.
You are known for creating lively, heartfelt images that feel very real. How do you help couples relax so they can be themselves in front of the camera
Honestly, we do not expect couples to “perform” for us. Most people tell us they are awkward in front of the camera, and we always say: perfect, you are normal.
The biggest thing is the relationship before the wedding. We chat, we get to know what matters to them, what they love, what they hate, what makes them feel awkward, and what kind of day they are planning. So by the time we arrive, we are not strangers with cameras – we are familiar, calm people who already understand the vibe.
On the day itself, we keep things light. We talk, we joke, we give tiny prompts rather than stiff poses. Things like “walk together”, “hold each other”, “look at your people”, “have a little moment”. Nothing dramatic. Nothing cringe. Just enough direction to help them forget the camera and come back to each other.
And if they laugh at how awkward they feel? Even better. That usually becomes the good stuff.
Your work blends digital and 35mm ANALOGUE FILM. What does film add to a wedding gallery and how do you decide when and where to use it?
Film adds feeling. Digital is amazing for pace, detail, low light, fast moments and the full story. But 35mm film has a softness and soul that feels different. It has grain, warmth, imperfection, and this nostalgic quality that makes an image feel like a memory almost instantly.
We don’t use film as a gimmick or just because it’s ‘trendy’. We use it when it adds something emotionally. Quiet morning moments, beautiful light, confetti, portraits, little in-between scenes, emotional speeches, candlelight, dance floor atmosphere – those are the places where film can be gorgeous.
Because every frame matters, film also slows us down in the best way. It makes us even more intentional. We shoot the full story digitally, so nothing is missed, and then film becomes this extra layer of magic woven through the gallery.
Also, real analogue imperfection is beautiful. A little grain, softness, movement, or wonkiness from an actual film camera has soul. That is very different from making something look fake or messy afterwards just because it is fashionable.
You place REAL VALUE on getting to know couples before the wedding. What does that process look like and how does it influence the final photographs and film?
For us, the experience starts long before the wedding day. We want to understand the couple, not just the schedule.
We usually chat about the feeling they want from the day, the people who matter most, family dynamics, timings, worries, priorities, and what they absolutely do not want. Some couples want loads of dance floor madness. Some want quiet, emotional, intimate storytelling. Some want both. That matters, because it helps us focus on the right things.
It also means we can give proper timeline advice. Not to take over, but to protect the day. We help couples create space for the moments they care about, without turning everything into a military operation.
By the time we arrive, we already know what is important. So the final photographs and film feel more personal. We aren’t just photographing ‘a wedding’ – we’re documenting a couple’s wedding, with their people, their rhythm, their humour and their heart.
What inspires your style, particularly the vibrant, FULL OF LIFE QUALITY that runs through your work?
People inspire us most. Real people being fully themselves. Laughing too loudly, crying unexpectedly, dancing badly, eating canapés, hugging their grandparents, losing themselves in the day. Weddings are full of these tiny human scenes, and we love that.
We are also very inspired by cinema – not in a “make everything look staged” way, but in how films use light, atmosphere, emotion and contrast. A wedding can move from quiet morning nerves to pure dance-floor chaos in the same day. That contrast is magic.
Colour matters to us too. We love galleries that feel alive – rich, warm, emotional, full of energy. We are not chasing trends that will disappear in a year. We want the images to feel current, joyful and artistic now, but still make sense in 20 or 30 years.
Mostly, we are inspired by the idea that weddings do not have to be stiff or performative. They can be fun, romantic, messy, elegant, hilarious and deeply emotional all at once. That is the world we want our work to live in.
When you arrive on the wedding day, how do you move through the day and balance BEING PRESENT with being unobtrusive?
We arrive with a calm plan, but we do not arrive with a script. Weddings have their own energy, and we pay attention to that.
In the morning, we usually keep things gentle and observational. We capture the details, the people, the atmosphere, the nerves, the little moments happening around the room. As the day builds, we move with it – sometimes close to the action, sometimes quietly in the background.
Because there are two of us, we can cover different perspectives without making the day feel crowded. One of us might be with the couple while the other is catching guest reactions, parents, children, or the little bits happening elsewhere. That gives the story more depth.
The balance is knowing when to disappear and when to gently guide. During emotional moments, we stay quiet. During portraits or group photos, we take control just enough to keep things relaxed and efficient. During the party, we get right into the energy, because that is where the real celebration shows up.
We like to think of ourselves as calm, friendly ninjas with cameras. Present enough to catch the story, unobtrusive enough that people can forget about us.
Couples often worry about timelines or feeling rushed. How do you ensure portraits feel NATURAL and never take over the day?
We are very protective of the couple’s experience. The wedding day should not disappear into portraits. Our portrait approach is quick, relaxed and flexible. We usually need short pockets of time rather than a huge chunk of the day. Sometimes 10 or 15 minutes in good light is far better than dragging a couple away for an hour when they really want to be with their guests.
We also plan around the energy of the day. If everyone is having the best time during drinks, we do not want to steal the couple away for ages. If golden hour appears and the light is beautiful, we might say, “Come with us for five minutes.” That is often when the magic happens.
The portraits themselves are not about stiff posing. They are about movement, closeness, breathing, laughing, holding hands, walking, having a little moment together. We guide lightly so couples feel safe, but the emotion stays real.
Our goal is simple: beautiful portraits, without sacrificing the party, the people or the feeling of the day.
Your films capture SOUND, MOVEMENT and ATMOSPHERE. How do your films work alongside your photography and what do they add to the story of the day?
Photography freezes the feeling. Film brings it back to life.
A photograph can hold a moment forever – the look, the light, the expression. But film adds the voices, the movement, the music, the way someone laughs, the tremble in the vows, the atmosphere in the room, the madness of the dance floor. Some things are just different when you can hear them and feel them moving.
Our films are designed to sit alongside the photography, not compete with it. Because we work as a photo and film team, the day stays calm and personal. It does not feel like a big production crew has arrived. We are still looking for the same things: real emotion, connection, atmosphere and story.
The film becomes another way of remembering. Especially the sounds – vows, speeches, cheering, laughter, a parent’s voice. Those things become more precious with time.
For us, photo and film together tell the fullest version of the story. One gives you the frames you will print. The other gives you the heartbeat of the day.
After the wedding, what does your DELIVERY TIMELINE look like, including when couples can expect preview images and how long it usually takes to receive their full gallery or film?
We know couples are desperate to relive the day, so we always send previews quickly. Usually, our couples receive sneak peeks within 24–48 hours, often with a little reel too, so they have something beautiful to share while the excitement is still fresh.
The full photography gallery is usually delivered within 4–8 weeks, depending on the season and the size of the wedding. We edit carefully, image by image, because consistency and storytelling matter. We do not believe in rushing a gallery just to tick a box.
Films usually follow in a quality-first timeframe too, and we always confirm the expected timeline clearly with each couple. If analogue film is included, that also depends on lab processing and scans, but it is always worth the wait.
Our priority is that the final gallery and film feel considered, emotional and beautifully finished – not rushed, not generic, and definitely not a one-click edit.
For couples considering you as their photographers, what would you most like them to know about the EXPERIENCE of working with you?
We would love them to know that we care – properly care.
We care about the photographs, of course. We care about light, composition, colour, storytelling and all the technical things that make a gallery strong. But we also care about how the day feels while it is happening.
We want couples to feel safe with us. Relaxed. Understood. Like they can be silly, emotional, quiet, wild, romantic, awkward, completely themselves – and we will know what to do with it.
We are not there to turn their wedding into our photoshoot. We are there to help them stay present, enjoy their people, and then give them a story that brings it all back: the beauty, the madness, the tiny moments, the big emotions, the things they saw and the things they missed.
So if a couple wants perfect-looking perfection, we may not be their people. But if they want photographs and films full of life, feeling, humour, movement, colour and real connection – then yes, we are absolutely their people.
Connect with Marta May Photography
Email Marta May on [email protected]
Follow Marta May Photography on Instagram at @martamayphotos
