In a recent video, photographer and YouTuber Jamie Windsor shared some insightful thoughts on wedding photography: why so much of it looks the same (read: boring) and how wedding photographers like himself can help change that with each new couple they shoot.

If we had to sum up the point of Windsor’s 12-minute video in one sentence, it would go something like this: take time during each wedding to ditch the tropes and formulaic shots that dominate Pinterest, and try to capture this couple’s real experience so that the photos you create are unique to them.

After elaborating on this solution for a bit and explaining where he thinks the problem comes from, Windsor ends the video by showing some examples of his work that he believes live up to this ideal. Images that you’re less likely to find copied over and over and over again, like the examples that scroll across the screen at the 7:40 mark:

Of course, some clients will ask for and expect some tropes, and Windsor admits that “it’s important for the couple to receive a bank of shots they’re expecting.” But if you want your wedding photography to stand out, it’s crucial that you occasionally try to capture something candid and authentic and different—something that shows “the uniqueness of the people involved.”

If you have time to listen to watch Windsor’s full video, we certainly recommend that you do. There’s no escaping the Pinterest-amplified stereotypes of wedding photography that we’ve all seen (and will continue to see). But taking time on each assignment to trust your intuition and “look for the real moments” will not only produce a more varied portfolio, it might just help keep you creatively fulfilled.

(via Reddit)