StyleSchool

Jeffrey and Julia Woods (jeffandjuliawoods.com) have a special advantage in the world of wedding photography—they've been married for 18 years! Perhaps that makes the two so good at what they do. Here's their best advice for brides.

What influences your work?
Most of our influence comes from outside the wedding industry. French photographers Henri Cartier and Robert Doisneau and the painter Jack Vettriano are just a few of our favorite artists. If we had to choose a wedding photographer that really inspires us, it would be Parker Pfister. He challenges us daily in our work to find light, texture, and emotion.

What makes you different other wedding photographers?
How we treat people really distinguishes us. We love to have a relationship with our couples so we understand them and their style. With that understanding, we can capture their wedding day based on their relationship. Brides really appreciate that because their wedding pictures won't look like any other bride's. Weddings are about relationships, and our goal is to capture those relationships in many forms. We make every effort to be in the right spot at the right moment.

Film or digital. Why?
Well, to be honest, we still love film. We used film for the first 8 years of our career. However, in today's wedding market, with all the technology available and opportunities for social marketing like blogs, Facebook, Twitter and working with vendors, today's web-savvy brides seem to appreciate those benefits more than those of film.

This year, though, we were really nostalgic and started shooting super 8 film alongside our digital stills. By showing an image and then adding a few seconds of film footage, you get more holistic documentation of what happened in those moments. We have a vintage aesthetic that meshes well with great cinematography. Click here for a sample.

What advice can you give to couples looking for a wedding photographer?
Well first and foremost, don't get caught up in all the fluff. Make sure you have a connection with the photographer/photographers and connect with their style. It's a long day, and you will spend a lot of time with them. 

Every bride has a budget so make sure you know what you're getting up front and that there are no surprises on the back end after the wedding. Just because a photographer's price is less than others does not mean you're getting a great deal.

Also, many brides don't think about the wedding album at first, because they're worried about the price. However, your album will mean so much to you in the years to come; it tells the story in a way that images by themselves cannot.

What are some of the new wedding photography trends you've been noticing?
We believe there is nothing new under the sun. However, with new technology comes the ease of creating some new products. One is ability to capture HD video with an SLR camera. This has a potential to completely change wedding photography and wedding cinema-photography.

Album options continue to exceed the possibilities. With the use of vellum, metallic papers, environmentally-friendly materials and endless cover options, the wedding album can be anything you can dream up these days. It is very exciting as photographers, but also for clients.

What are your top five must-take shots?
Only five? This is a tough one...

To see more of Jeffrey and Julia's work, visit jeffreyandjuliawoods.com. 

—Jessica Derschowitz