Text and Photos by Sarah Pukin

Biography
Sarah Pukin Photography is a modern, edgy & fashionable Wedding & Boudoir Photography boutique located in Calgary, AB.  Recently Sarah was recognized for being in the top 5% of wedding photographers in the world and received the Brides Choice award 2010 from Wedding Wire. Sarah believes that every couple has a different love story, and a different style. She will capture your wedding discreetly and professionally while bringing her considerable expertise and experience within the worlds of weddings, high fashion and photojournalism. Sarah shoots both locally and internationally.

Every Bride and Groom wants to have a worry free day full of memories, laughter and love. It’s my job to capture and immortalize all of those emotions. Every wedding is different and every couple has their own unique love story. Because of this, I personally strive to capture every unique emotion in the most natural way possible with out being obstructive and distracting.

The way a Bride’s eyes catch her Groom’s as she walks down the aisle. The way the Groom nervously takes his Bride’s hand after shaking her Father’s.

My top two favourite parts of a wedding are when the bride and groom are just about half way through their vows and that look of excitement and love is written all over their faces. My second favourite part is when we go off to shoot the formals.

Shooting the formals gives the couple time to enjoy each other and forget, if only for a moment, about their hectic schedule. I set up my couples in a situation and tell them to enjoy one another – I tell them to ignore me and just have fun. This allows me to capture a before, during, and after. The ‘before’ is the most formal shot, the ‘during’ is always full of laughter, and the ‘after’ is serene.

Top 5 Ways to Get the Photos You Want from Your Photographer:

Be Clear.
Sometimes things can get mis-communicated. The best way to really show your photographer what kind of images you want is to show them examples. Check out your favorite bridal blogs, magazines, and be sure to check out the photographer’s portfolio. Print or tear out some of your favourite images and bring them as examples. Remember, just because you think you have explained what you’re looking for doesn’t mean your photographer perceived it the same way.

Style.
Before selecting a photographer you should decide on a style you want your images to have. Talk it over as a couple and decide what you both want. Then approach photographers for consultations, and find someone who has experience taking the style of photos you’re looking for. If you’re looking for bright vibrant images, you wouldn’t want to select a photographer who has nothing like that in their portfolio. Keep in mind that all photographers have a different shooting style & editing style. Look for a photographer who has examples of what you want. The style you’re looking for should be something your photographer does, not something they could do.

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