When you’re planning on hosting a wedding, knowing what decisions to make about all the different aspects of the day can be overwhelming. This couldn’t be more true than when it comes to deciding on a photographer.
I was very fortunate that when I began to plan my wedding in 2019 I immediately knew who I wanted to come on-board the team (and yes, working with suppliers on a wedding really is a team effort). That person was Ana Galloway.
I first found out about Ana when I saw the wedding photographs of Jessie and Sam from ‘We the People’ blog. I had bookmarked her name back in late 2017 (and followed @anagalloway) hoping that one day she would shoot my special day, sprinkling her magic fairy dust on those personal, everlasting photos. Happily, she did.
Ana’s approach is lively, soft and heartfelt. She documents what’s happening, in each and every moment of your special day. Ana strives to have fun and takes pictures from the heart. Besides your typical portraits, she captures an abundance of intimate interactions. “I try to curate all my photos to serve the story, sharing spontaneous off-script moments” she explains. “I want people to feel like themselves when they’re in front of the camera. It’s all about those moments. Often after I've given some direction, suddenly the couple will have a laugh and relax into their love language. Then I go bam-bam-bam-bam-bam, those are the moments I look for.”
Photographing A Wedding
Ana Galloway got into wedding photographer three and a half years ago when she was doing a short photography course at a local Nelson Polytech. “A friend asked me to photograph their wedding. At that stage it was more of a hobby. I had more friends who wanted help photographing their weddings and it evolved from there. That was my first Summer - 6 weddings. My next was 14, and now it’s around 30 per summer. At the start, I worked making coffee at a cafe too.” she says.
While it might sound like a lot, Ana is selective about the weddings that she does (she receives many more enquiries that she can take on). “I want to connect with my couples. I'm always very involved in creating the timeline for each wedding so that people aren’t rushing, allowing time for travel to and from the venue as well as a bit of buffer time. On your wedding day, time is vital, and there’s always something ‘unexpected’ that happens, it's quite normal. It’s about guiding each couple through the process” she explains.
On the day of the wedding, Ana always has a big, hearty breakfast to take her through the day. “I then pick up some salami sticks to keep me going and I often don't find time to eat until dinner” she says. “I also take a wide-brimmed hat to keep the harsh New Zealand sun off me.” Ana has to make sure she nurtures herself to keep up the stamina on long, busy shoots. “I don’t stop all day, my mind is always switched on” she says.
Ana takes care to read the relationships between family members, and respond appropriately if need be. Occasionally, her role extends to becoming a counsellor in tense situations. “I have to walk in as the professional and have empathy for people’s situations” she says. “Most weddings however, people are having the best day of their lives. And that’s just incredible to document.”
After each wedding, Ana prepares a wide range of imagery for the newly married couple. “Once I’ve shot the wedding, I send my couples a preview of around 70 of my favourite images that encompass the story of the day. I then edit the rest of the photos and then send every couple about 700 images of the day. I also include a short slideshow of highlights from the wedding, which is set to music. It's nice to give people something shorter and punchier to show their friends and family” she says.
Her clients can order fine art prints through their online gallery. “The quality of the images is amazing and is so much better than printing at Harvey Norman or similar printing services. The fine art ink is rich, doesn't fade over time and the museum-quality cotton paper stock is designed to last generations. It makes it much nicer to show people a printed image, rather than just sharing what’s on your phone.” She also gives the option to get an album printed.
Everyone needs a role model, even Ana. Photography-wise, she looks up to Si and Soph from Bayly & Moore Photographers.
It was Si and Soph who introduced Ana to the company that now produce the printed wedding albums she offers on her website as an additional add on to her services on the wedding day (shown above). “For Si and Soph, story and light is everything and I've learnt so much from them” she says. “They recently held a photography workshop and invited Kate and Paul from Atkins Pro-Lab who make the photo albums, it was so nice to meet them in person. I instantly loved their albums, the quality is incomparable. In previous years, I had printed albums from another company and it was sub-standard. Kate and Paul have such a good thing going on, so much care is taken and I love receiving the finished product from them, as do my couples.”
Although a considered purchase, Ana frames the wedding album option as a ‘modern heirloom’. “It’s about the whole experience; you can sit on the couch with a wine and share a moment, taking the time to look through printed photos together. It’s a gift that keeps on giving” says Ana.
She is attending as a guest mentor for an upcoming workshop and has also been going through her photos to submit them for a competition. Going through this process, breaking down the steps I've taken to get to where I am and critiquing my work has been incredibly rewarding yet oddly confronting. It is not something that we often put aside time to do, actually looking back at my work and my style of photography and critiquing it, it's challenging. Most people never find time to do that. I've identified areas of strength and areas of weakness, areas where I can focus on improving and areas that I can solidify. Pete, my husband, said to me the other day that when you finally figure out what your style is, that's when you’re growth stops... food for thought! I just want to keep pushing myself further, I’m always striving to learn more, improve, look at my work critically and grow.”
