Interview: Shireen Louw

This weekend we catch up with Cape Town based wedding photographer Shireen Louw, we find out about her and how it all began.

Hi Shireen, first off how long have you been photographing weddings for and how did you get into it?
I have been photographing weddings for 8 years now. I studied Public Relations of which Photography was a subject major for 2 years. I started by assisting my father at weddings (which he did as a hobby) and fell in love with it. 6 months after I officially started assisting I photographed my first wedding and since then I have never looked back.

What do you particularly like about photographing weddings?
I love shooting weddings, firstly because I love all the detail, emotion and overall prettiness a wedding day offers. Secondly photographing weddings lets me be creative, keeps me on my toes (since no wedding or location is the same) and I get to photograph amazing one of a kind memories for my clients.

How would you describe your style and approach?
I would describe myself as a photographer that approach a wedding day as if it was my own wedding, in the sense of what I would like my photographer to do, to photograph or to treat me. This normally allows me to be hands on, to be creative and lend a helping hand if needed. My style of photography is relaxed, candid and I try my best to capture the emotion, a couple’s natural chemistry, and the overall joy of the day through a creative and unobtrusive way.

What advice would you give to couples looking for a wedding photographer?
When looking for a photographer, make sure you have seen enough of their previous work to be familiar with their style of photography. If you don’t see the kind of images on their website or portfolio you most probably will not get them at your wedding. Popular photographers are booked well in advance, so booking and confirming your photographer should be the next thing to book after setting your date and venue. Communicating with your photographer is essential…however bombarding them with pinterest images that you want replicated is not the way to go. Trust your photographer enough to give you your own set of dreamy images.

What tips would you share with couples to help their day go more smoothly?
Relax!! This is the one day you should not stress the small stuff! take time to appreciate the day, your partner and the commitment you are making to one another. Some couples get so carried away by putting on a show (for a lack of a better word) for their guests that they almost forget to enjoy the moment and each other.

Finally… Whats the best moment you’ve had as a wedding photographer?
Every wedding to me is special since there is almost always certain moments or images that stands out…however what really makes a wedding special is when a couple go out of their way to thank me either on the day or after receiving their images. To me photography is not just a job…every single image is something that I have created and it feels like a very personal gift every time I deliver a couple’s images to them. To get a heartfelt thank you and appreciation from the couple is what really makes me smile.

Many thanks for Shireen for chatting with us, if you would like to get in touch with her or view more of her work then you can do here.