Interview: Kirsty Mackenzie

Today we catch up with wedding photographer Kirsty Mackenzie, where we chat to the professionals who are taking the photos on your wedding day.

How long have you been photographing weddings for and how did you get into it?
I guess I’ve always been on the arty side of life, constantly with a paintbrush or camera in hand, so I made my way through school, college and university always experimenting with a camera. While studying my degree in photography I assisted on lots of different kinds of photo-shoots. Then once I graduated I assisted a few different wedding photographers and absolutely fell in love with it. I have been photographing weddings since 2013 and haven’t looked back.

What do you particularly like about photographing weddings?
There are two things that I love about photographing weddings. The first one is the people. I get to meet so many wonderful people. It’s almost a feeling I can’t put into words, but being able to photograph people celebrating something so pure, fun, and awesome is completely humbling and amazing all at the same time. I mean who doesn’t love going to a wedding?!

The second thing I love about photographing weddings is the variety. Every wedding is so different and unique, with a whole mix of different personalities, and I love to capture this through my lens. I always like to approach each wedding with something different in mind to really show off the different personalities I meet.

How would you describe your style and approach?
My style is a mix of fine art and documentary. I love to capture beautiful and natural moments. I think having a background in fine art makes me look through the lens slightly differently too; I love to capture the feeling of a moment.

I’m pretty relaxed about my work and try to capture a wedding without disrupting the day. I’m also a big believer of the smaller details. I love to capture those little things that my couples have spent the past 6 months (at least!) planning and putting together.

What advice would you give to couples looking for a wedding photographer?
My advice would be to have a look around, look at lots of portfolios and make sure any photographer you look at is willing to show you a start to finish example of a wedding. That way you can see exactly the type of work the photographer does (not just the best shots on his/her website).

What tips would you share with couples to help their day go more smoothly?
I think the only thing I can say is have heaps and heaps of fun! Let your friends, family, and even your photographer run errands and make sure the day goes smoothly; your job is to enjoy the day. Also don’t sweat the small stuff: things tend to always over run, and sometimes things don’t always go to plan, but they’re never the things people remember.

Finally… What’s the best moment you’ve had as a wedding photographer?
I can’t really pinpoint one particular moment, but at every single wedding I’ve been at, when the bride and groom see each other for the first time, it’s always such a beautiful, emotional moment. Nothing beats that first look.

What can I say – I guess I’m a bit of a hopeless romantic!