2. How did Wiler Photography come to be? Who is Wiler Photography?
We are a husband (Luke) and wife (Nadia) team known as The Wiler’s. We fell into the stress of planning our own wedding and along the way we had to meet with vendors of all types. It was the time for us to meet with wedding photographers and the process was one of the most challenging for us. We had champagne taste on a beer budget. We noticed that the photographers we liked and styles we loved were out of our price range and some of the people we were left with didn’t seem to care as much about our wedding as we did. It was stressful to say the least. After countless days of searching we found a photographer who was affordable but also had great photos to go with the price. We met with her and she was so easy going and it felt like we were talking to a friend and not just a stranger wanting our money. We walked away from that meeting saying how nice it would have been if others were more like that.
I was so involved with what I liked and didn’t like in photography and inspired by the photographer we just met. Luke said he could see me being a great photographer because I had such strong opinions and passion for great photos. When Luke gets his mind on an idea he runs wild with it. He spent the next month researching cameras, lenses and other equipment to give me everything I needed to get started. Meanwhile, I was becoming self-taught through “YouTube University” studying and learning everything I needed to know about cameras and photography.
Before we knew it, we had purchased our first camera and I started shooting and practicing every day. We could tell I was getting really good at this. I was so in love with it. My first wedding was a friend who invited us to be guests. I asked her if she would mind if I photographed her wedding just to practice. She was more than obliged to have me. At the end of the day, I had so much fun taking pictures at her wedding that I wanted to do more. I knew I wasn’t ready to tackle a whole wedding on my own yet. I needed more experience. As fate would have it, the photographer from my own wedding had recently posted online that she was looking for someone to 2nd shoot with her. I could not have called her any faster. Somewhere between July-October I had shadowed her and worked with her almost every weekend on a wedding. I asked for more experience and I got it!
My portfolio grew so quickly and I was having so much fun that my husband decided he wanted to get in on it with me. His interest however was in video. Of course his mind was set, and for the next month he was online, vigorously researching everything he needed to know about videography. Just as myself, he needed experience. At this time, I was booking entire weddings on my own for myself. Our first bride that Luke was able to shoot video for had no idea what she was actually getting. Luke was so excited and put everything he had into making his first video. The bride was blown away! It was more than what she imagined.
Between my photography, and his now video, we knew we had a winning combination. We were hooked! We have completely devoted ourselves to our work and we let the passion and excitement drive us. Our goal since having dealt with wedding planning on our own, was to remain ourselves. We wanted to come off as a friend and be honest about everything involved with our client’s weddings. We always do more than expected, because we love what we do and we want our clients to love us too.
3. How would you describe your wedding photography styles?
I like my style to reflect my clients. It’s not about me when I am photographing a bride or groom, it’s about them. I let my clients be themselves and in the process we get some great documentary, or lifestyle, type photos. My photos tend to be brighter and crisp, and in the industry my style is considered light and airy. I love the natural beauty of the daytime and I try to draw in as much light and happiness into my work.
