As photographers our ethos is built around taking natural, unposed photographs throughout the full course of a wedding day, all in our own artistic style. This ethos has led to us being recognised internationally for our documentary photographers (at the time of writing, we’re the only photographer to have won the This Is Reportage International Photographer Of The Year twice).
We want our couples and their guests to forget about the presence of our cameras. So if we’re photographing your day, you can forget about us as we capturing moments for you. But how does this approach fit with taking portrait photographs, those photos of you both on your own? As you will have seen from our website and social media, most of our couples do want some photographs of just themselves on their day. We do choose our words carefully though. We call them ‘couple shots’, not portraits. This is because they are all about our wonderful couples – whereas ‘portraits’ suggests something entirely set up by the photographer.
So, as one of the world’s leading documentary wedding photographers, we have our own way of approaching these couple shots. That means we never copy another photographer’s work. All the images you see below are unique to our couples and their wedding day. Also, a thing to consider when thinking ‘do I want some couple shots?’ is this: couple shots give you time together, even if it’s for five minutes, just the two of you. And that really is a rarity on a wedding day. Weddings go by so fast and they’re wonderfully unpredictable and busy (in the best way!) so to have a few moments just between the two of you is really priceless.
Natural couple shots
We never want your couple shots to suddenly feel like we’ve changed into a more traditional photographer who takes over your day. So we keep them as relaxed as possible.
Working in an authentic way
For 99% of the wedding day, we work with a pure documentary approach. No posing. No direction. Of course, we do have an impact on the wedding. Like dipping your toe into a pond and creating ripples, a professional photographer arriving at a wedding will always influence the environment in some way.
However, we want this impact to be minimal. So, we try to be unobtrusive, but we cannot be invisible. Trying to hide away or shooting everything from a distance would actually work against what we want to do. So from the beginning you’ll see we are a real part of the day. We get close when we need to, step back when we need to. Naturally, we’re quiet on a wedding day. However, we’ll chat with people if they want to chat with us – but if people are quieter, we respect that, too.
And by working in this way with complete confidence (it’s an approach we’ve developed over hundreds and hundreds of weddings), with empathy and care, you and your guests will quickly get used to us and our cameras. We’ve lost count of the times a wedding guest has told us: “we love the way you’re working today, it feels really relaxed – usually the photographer is so fussy and getting in the way, posing everything!” That kind of feedback always makes us feel very proud. So, by the time your ceremony arrives we’ll feel like part of the furniture for you and everyone there.
Photographing the world around us
If we go for a walk in a village, town or city, we will keep shooting the whole time. Of course, we will take some beautiful photographs of just the two of you. But we will also naturally capture moments within the world around you. People passing by, the atmosphere of the place you are in. It’s all part of your story.
Fitting in with you and your wedding guests
We allow people to become used to us being there. As the day unfolds, quickly people relax. They stop noticing us and begin to be themselves even when we’re photographing them. This allows us to move freely, to get close, to step back, and to shift perspective when needed. All the while, we are focused on composition, light, and storytelling. And everyone else can focus on having the best day possible.
Just a relaxed walk
We do all we can to make the ‘couple shots’ we take feel like an extension of our documentary approach and flow seamlessly on from the previous part of the day. So, on your wedding day, we will simply go for a walk with you – and take photos of you, being yourselves! As you can see from our photographs any location will work – whether it’s a dramatic landscape (like the Aegen sea above) or a walk down the street outside the pub or registry office. Also it’s crucial to say, we don’t stage things. If a couple is seen doing a Hollywood like dip as they (like in the confetti photo below) it’s not been suggested by us. We love a Hollywood dip don’t get us wrong! But we never want to be the ones to suggest it. As to some people that would feel natural, others – really awkward.
It’s not all Hollywood kisses though – some couples just want to go for a walk and a chat. It really is down to you as a couple. As we’ll say several times in this blog, you just need to be yourselves. Then, it’s down to us to find the angles and compositions that will create the best set of images. Sometimes we might go for for one or two short walks (taking advantage of different lighting conditions) to get some couple shots, maybe even three. It’s completely up to you.
These are always fairly short though and you will be back with your guests before you are missed (unless you want to dwell on your couple shoot longer, of course!). Sometimes the couple’s children – or a dog! – might join us. There are no rules – it really is all about what you want from your wedding day. And that’s always the most important thing to us, at every step of the way.
We can’t promise you a red sunset like the one below unfortunately – but we can promise we’ll always make sure the couple shots will be as beautifully relaxed as the ones on this page, whatever the weather and whatever the location.
Our own wedding day
On our own wedding day, we wanted some couple shots ourselves – we also wanted to spend some time, just the two of us. So, at a quiet moment we walked out around the village and then later into the garden (we got married at Patrick’s family farm – that’s us below!). Our amazing photographers followed us and without direction from them – or us! – they took images that were felt intimate and very lovely. So, we take our own experience into the way we photograph other people. Every kiss, gesture, expression – every laugh, smile and tear – are real. Emotions are often amplified. But not by us, it’s simply by the wedding. All in all, we shoot the way we’d like to be photographed ourselves.
Our couple shots aren’t pure documentary – but they are natural
While these ‘couple shot’ moments are not pure documentary, we want them to feel as close to this as possible. Perhaps we should say, not every couple wants to go for ‘couple shots’. And sometimes it happens quite spontaneously; a couple will approach us, very casually on the day and say they’re going for a walk and invite us along.
That’s an ideal situation and allows the whole experience to feel even more natural. But whether a walk around the grounds is prompted by us or you, our approach is the same – no posing, no directing, no staging.
Of course, we also take photos of couples together, completely naturally, throughout the wedding day. We take beautiful images of our couples on their own – but also surrounded by the people most important to them. Confetti (like below), during the wedding ceremony, the first dance, the first kiss (like above) – plus so many unexpected moments through the day. When you’re together, you’re getting ‘couple shots’ all through the day.
Original and unique moments with our couples
The way we photograph our couple shots is a big part of who we are. It is something we often speak about at wedding photography events (we’re lucky enough to be asked to speak at events all over Europe) because it sits at the core of how we see a wedding day and how we want our couples to experience it.
Over the years, we’ve developed an approach that feels natural to us and to the people we photograph. It’s not built on poses or prompts designed to recreate something we have seen elsewhere. It is built on trust, observation, and giving moments the space to unfold. As we said above, we never copy another photographer’s work. Trying to recreate something removes what is real. Our skill is in responding to what is already there and photographing it in a way that feels true to you and your day.
Just be yourselves
We will always let you be yourselves on your wedding day. That goes for your couples shoot, too. So if there is anything you want to do, a certain pose, a dance at sunset, anything at all, just go for it. We will not pose it or try to recreate it, because that would change how it feels. Instead, we will let it happen naturally and be ready to photograph it as it unfolds. And if something spontaneous happens, even better. Like we said before – just go for it! If you want to jump on a train and have fun like below, then do it. We’ll be right there with you, capturing it exactly as it felt. And then the moments we capture will always feel exactly like ‘you’.
Letting moments happen
Rather than directing you into a fixed idea of a shot, we help create an environment where you can just be you. Sometimes that means giving you space. Sometimes it means gently guiding you towards better light or a location we know will work well. But the intention is always the same, to let something real happen.
Photographs that feel like you
No two couples are the same, so no two sets of images should be either. We are not looking to recreate something we have seen before. We are looking for something that only exists because of you and your wedding day. When you look back at your images, we want you to remember how it felt to be together in that moment – not to remember being posed or told what to do.
Some of our favourite couple shots
On this page you can see some couple shots of our lovely couples together – so many beautiful moments that were an absolute pleasure to photograph. Some are funny, some are poignant, some are striking, but all have a unique feel to them that is a reflection of the couple and their wedding day. If you book us to photograph your wedding day, you can expect the same natural and relaxed approach for your own ‘couple shots’, shot in our trademark style – showing you, being you.
Images taken with our trademark natural approach
All the images below have been taken using the approach we have described above. No posing. No staging. The only guidance we will ever give is to stay close together – and perhaps, to stop walking if we know a location ‘feels’ just right. That really is all. If you see couples kissing, it is because it felt right for that couple in that moment. If you see couples laughing, those laughs are real. The same goes for every image. Because we know you do not need to pose people to create beautiful images on a wedding day.
A note about group shots
People choose us for our relaxed approach and the natural, authentic moments we capture. But just like some couples would love a few photos of the two of them together (as we’ve shown in our couple shots above), many also want some group shots, too. And that is absolutely fine – we are very happy to take them for you. We take group shots at most weddings we document in fact.
But because people choose us for our documentary approach, our couples tell us: ‘we don’t want to be taking group shots all day’ and we’re sure you’re the same, if you’ve chosen us as your photographers. Our couples also recognise the more time we’re staging group shots, the less time we’re spending time capturing real moments. We’re sure we’ve all been to weddings where the photographer seems to take over and take a hundred group shots. We can promise you this is the exact opposite to how we approach weddings.
And though we do take beautiful group shots, we don’t share them on social media or our website. Why? Well, this is because group shots do tend to only be really meaningful to the couple and their family – they don’t catch the eye like a real moment does, they don’t tell a story like documentary photography does.
So we much prefer to share our trademark documentary moments on our socials and on our website, the kind of images that only we take (like the one above, of a bride arriving by horseback to her wedding reception). These moments are unique to us as photographers and most importantly, unique to the weddings we photograph. However, as we’re talking through our group shot process, below you will find a few examples of group shots we’ve taken – plus a few ‘in between moments’ taken at the same time as the groups.
As you’ll see you get some funny things happen during group shots. For example, the image below shows there is often that one person who makes taking group shots take much longer than planned. But that’s fine, don’t worry – we’re used it! You might get a little tired of it though and it’s exactly why we recommend keeping your group shot list manageable.
Like couple photos, group shots are completely optional. You might want some, you might not – the choice is entirely yours. If you do, we’ll ask you to send us a list ahead of the wedding. There is no rush with this and no need to do it now. We will be in touch around a month before your wedding to gather all the details we need – so please just wait until closer to the wedding and we’ll get it when we need it.
How do we keep your group shots relaxed?
Ok, so this is key. We never let group shots take over your day. We know you want to spend your time actually enjoying your wedding – with your friends, family – not standing around waiting for photos. We also know your guests want to remember having fun on your day, they want to remember you and everything you planned – not remember waiting around for photos. So, we want your group photos to feel relaxed, like the ones on this page.
So we keep things simple. We take all your group shots after the ceremony, all in one go. We don’t rush into it either. After the confetti is thrown we know then you’ll want to have a drink and enjoy time with your guests. So, unless we’re racing against the weather, we wait a little until the right time arrives.
Because we know from experience that this is the most relaxed point in the day. Everyone is already there, the most formal part of the day is done and everyone is on a high watching you say your vows. It means we are fully in control of the location for group shots (more of that later). It also means your day flows naturally, without that stop-start feeling or the sense that you need to be somewhere at a certain time for us. That is really important. We want you to stay fully in the moment – not feel like your timeline is all about your photos (it’s the opposite with us – your photos are all about your wedding).
We know if you want some groups, they’re incredibly valuable to you. And we want you to know you can still be yourselves during the groups. We’ll ask you to look at the camera and smile – but then, if you start chatting, laughing, having fun naturally, we’ll carry on photographing that, too. And if someone picks you up and drops you – well, we’d never pose something like that! But we will be there to photograph it for you if it happens (no brides were harmed in the making of this picture, we can happily confirm).
We also do not fix a location in advance. Where we take your group shots depends on the day itself and we’ll always pick the best location. The ‘best’ location doesn’t depend on the backdrop. It will depend on the light, the weather, the flow of your wedding. Bright sunshine will mean we will try to find some shade (if there is some) so no one is squinting. Rain might mean we move things indoors (we’ll work with your venue to make sure a suitable space is available). If it is overcast, we have more flexibility. We will make those decisions on the day so everything feels easy and looks right. Every decision we make is always to make sure we take the best photos for you – while ensuring you have the best day ever. Here is an example of a group shot where the group of friends wanted to take ‘a band photo’. For some people this would feel fun and natural – others, awkward and add odds with how they want their wedding to be. So, we’ll never suggest it. But if you want to bust out a ‘band pose’ in front of some graffiti, just go for it!
As mentioned before, we do always suggest making sure you don’t have a list of hundreds of group shots. The more you have, the more time it takes away from your day and from the natural moments happening around you. Also, the less time we’re spending taking group shots, the more time we spend capturing real moments for you. But it is completely your choice. If group shots matter to you and you want a few more than we recommend, we will make sure you get them. We’ll just make sure we let you know the impact this might have on your timings.
And, if you would rather keep things minimal and spend as much time as possible just being present with all your guests, we have a way of working that allows us to focus almost entirely on real moments, while still taking the key group shots you need. As with everything, you can trust us to use all our experience and skill to ensure everything (with regards to photography) flows perfectly on your day. We will talk you through it all as your wedding gets closer, too. We cannot wait!
The Mateers – award winning wedding photography
If you’d like to learn more about what we offer, please contact us here. If you’ve already booked us for your wedding – we’re already counting down the days. All images copyright Hollie and Patrick Mateer, otherwise known as The Mateers. Two time winners This Is Reportage Photographer Of The Year. Also winners of: TWIA UK Photographer Of The Year, Masters Of Wedding Photography UK Wedding Photographer Of The Year, PKIR International Photographer Of The Year and Rangefinder Magazine Rising Star Of Wedding Photography.