How I Work as a Wedding Photographer
How I Work
I am Simone Goglia, a wedding photographer with a documentary approach.
I do not have a list of rules.
I have a few principles that guide every choice I make during a wedding, whether it takes place in Milan, on Lake Como or elsewhere in Italy.
The first is also the simplest: I photograph only one wedding each day. On that day, your story is the only one that matters.
You will find the other principles below.
They explain why I work this way and they are the best way to understand whether I am the right photographer for you.
Getting to know you.
Then photographing you.
A wedding begins long before the wedding day. That is why I like to take the time to get to know you, to hear how you met, understand which people matter most, who is more reserved and who will probably get the party started.
On the wedding day I do not simply arrive with a camera. I arrive already knowing part of your story.
I ARRIVE ALREADY KNOWING PART OF YOUR STORY.
A photograph taken by Alessia, one of the photographers I work with. While I was waiting for the right moment, she photographed me. I like it because it captures how I experience a wedding day: observing, waiting and enjoying the company of the people around me.
Observing.
Before stepping in.
Every wedding has its own rhythm. At first I prefer to understand how you move, whose eyes you look for and which people make you feel truly at home.
These details cannot be planned. The better I understand them, the more naturally I can tell the story of the day without changing its balance.
Offering guidance.
Only when it helps.
“We do not feel comfortable in front of the camera.” I hear this often, and that feeling usually disappears within the first five minutes.
Couple portraits generally take between twenty and thirty minutes, not two hours. I will offer just enough guidance to help you feel comfortable, then you can return to your guests.
Letting you live the day.
So I can photograph it honestly.
For the rest of the day I prefer to take a step back. I will not interrupt you whenever the light changes. I will not ask you to repeat a gesture or keep taking you away from your guests.
Giving you the freedom to experience your wedding does not mean giving up carefully composed photographs. It means finding elegance and authenticity without interrupting what is happening.
Seeing what you cannot see.
Dozens of things happen at the same time during a wedding. While you are getting ready, someone arrives full of emotion. As you enter the ceremony, your parents are watching you. While you toast with friends, your grandmother looks on from across the room.
These are moments you may never see for yourselves. That is exactly where I try to be.
Selecting.
Before delivering.
My work does not end when I put the camera away. Every photograph is reviewed, selected, edited and refined individually.
I do not deliver every frame I take. You will receive a carefully chosen collection of around 800 to 1,200 photographs, arranged as a story with rhythm, important moments, quiet details and space for the people you love.
In the end, it is about finding the right connection.
THERE IS NO SINGLE RIGHT WAY TO PHOTOGRAPH A WEDDING. THERE IS THE WAY THAT FEELS TRUE TO YOU.
This approach is for couples who want to experience their wedding without turning it into a production. It is for people who would rather spend time with friends and family than disappear for hours to take photographs.
I may not be the right photographer for you if you imagine spending a large part of the day away from your guests for long portrait sessions.
If reading this page made you think, “This is how we want to experience our wedding,” then we probably already have a good starting point.
