MATT BLUM IS THE REAL DEAL ALRIGHT. Along with his wife Katy, Matt owns Matt Blum Photography, a full-service photography studio shooting “half-local and half-destination weddings” around the world. They shoot everything digitally but provide their clients with custom-designed hand-made fine art albums, as well as prints made by hand in their studio. Their clients collaborate with them on the photography, committing themselves to making beautiful, timeless photographs that value the authenticity, depth and joy of the moments captured. Real moments, real emotion.

As they do travel the world and spend more than 10 hours at a shoot, Matt and Katy keep their schedule pretty tight, shooting around 10 events and 40 portrait sessions a year to ensure that each client gets the level of service they deserve. Really, these personable, down-to-earth artists prefer to spend time getting to know their brides and grooms, simply because the intimacy fosters a trusting relationship that is reflected back in the images taken. It’s a win-win for everyone.

But enough of that, let’s meet the photographer every celebrity wedding planner is using these days. Introducing, Matt Blum.

WHAT IS YOUR MATT BLUM PHOTOGRAPHY ELEVATOR PITCH?

Hi. You look great. Let’s make some beautiful images together.

HOW AND WHEN DID YOUR LOVE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY BEGIN?

When I was 21 I made some t-shirts to sell in college and, for the first time, had a few hundred dollars, so I decided to buy a camera. The first photograph I ever took was a closeup of an Irish ring on my now-wife’s finger. It was a terrible photo, but I fell in love right then and there with photography.

WHAT THREE WORDS BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY STYLE?

Clean, simple, and approachable.

WHAT’S YOUR IDEA OF THE PERFECT COMPOSITION?

It has to do with trust. The perfect composition is any in which my subjects allow me to shoot who they really are, even if just for a second. Willingness to be present and confident are the most important things to being photographed well.

ARE YOU AVAILABLE TO BRIDES AROUND THE WORLD?

Absolutely. We’ve been a lot of places to shoot weddings from Brazil to the Bahamas to Mauritius.

WHAT INSPIRES YOU, IN TERMS OF LIGHTING, BACKDROPS, MOMENTS YOU LOOK FOR, ETC?

People inspire me. Backdrops, lighting, etc… are all important but the thing that makes my photographs meaningful is the personality of the subjects. The only thing I have to offer as a photographer is the way I work with the people I’m photographing – the rest is just button clicking.

WHAT DO YOU DO TO MAKE THE BRIDE & GROOM, AS WELL AS THEIR FAMILIES AND BRIDAL PARTY, FEEL COMFORTABLE IN FRONT OF THE CAMERA?

I’m pretty self-deprecating so that usually helps as an intro. Aside from that, I treat every person like they are somebody I’d like to know. I don’t like fake smiles, expressions that can be held for a long time, or forced poses, so we just don’t do those things.

KNOWING YOU WORK WITH THE WEDDING INDUSTRY’S BEST PLANNERS, HOW DOES THE RELATIONSHIP WORK, WHAT DOES THE PLANNER DO TO HELP YOU GET WHAT YOU NEED, ETC.?

The best thing a planner can do to allow us to do our best work is work with us on the timeline. If possible, it’s also really nice to meet the couple before the wedding and grab a drink or, in ideal circumstances, shoot together just for a little while.

WHAT LESSONS HAVE YOU LEARNED AS YOU’VE PHOTOGRAPHED WEDDINGS OVER THE YEARS? (GOOD OR BAD)

You can never, ever, ever be too prepared (in both knowledge and equipment), but don’t carry too much gear or you’ll get bogged down. We’ve been refining our setup forever.

WHAT’S YOUR BIGGEST FRUSTRATION WHEN PHOTOGRAPHING WEDDINGS?

I get frustrated when people refuse to believe they’re beautiful and wonderful. When someone says to me “I only look good from this angle, like this, with this smile” I know I have to work extra hard to capture something real. It’s a frustration that comes with photographing people who have done a thousand shoots and/or people who have been told, all their lives, how they don’t quite measure up.

HOW HAVE YOU EVOLVED AS A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER FROM YOUR FIRST DAYS AT THE CRAFT?

I’ve learned how to make sure the couple is happy while still trying to satisfy the parents, family and friends as well. I’ve also learned that you need to be 100% clear about everything you’re thinking, contracts, etc… before you take anyone on as a client.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WEDDING PHOTO YOU’VE TAKEN RECENTLY, WHAT WAS THE CREATON PROCESS BEHIND IT AND WHAT MOVED YOU ABOUT THE IMAGE?  

The bridal party and parents were waiting for the bride and groom to head to the ceremony; everybody noticed them at the same moment, and swung around to toast them. We love to see people having real emotion—sometimes it’s nice to have permission to emote, and a wedding is a day when you can laugh and cry about everything. {That very image is right below}

FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE, HAVE YOUR BEST SHOTS COME FROM PERFECT PLANNING OR HAPPY ACCIDENTS?

Both, and sometimes a combination. One of the shots that we have printed huge in the studio and headlines our site happened because I asked someone to hold the brides veil and that person pulled it back and up really hard, causing it to dig into the bride’s scalp. She threw her hand up and laughed because it hurt, I shot it, and it’s amazing. You’d never know that’s what happened.

NAME THE PHOTOGRAPHER WHO HAS INSPIRED YOU THE MOST.

Edward Weston—his work is so classy, timeless—full of beauty and personality.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MATT BLUM PHOTOGRAPHY? ANY NEWS TO SHARE, FABULOUS WEDDINGS OR TRAVEL COMMISSIONS WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT?

We’ll be publishing a fabulous wedding in the Bahamas shortly and I’ll be travelling to South America to promote our new book. After that we have a few commissions this summer and a 2 week shoot in Spain and Portugal this fall. It’s going to be a hectic (and awesome) year.

IF NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER WHAT CAREER WOULD INTEREST YOU?

Probably web design/production.

WHAT IS THE MOST CHALLENGING AND/OR FAVORITE WEDDING SHOOT YOU HAVE BEEN ON?

We had a wedding in Mauritius where we had 15 minutes to shoot family groups, the bridal party and the couple. And, it was about to storm. It was really challenging but also awesome because we got everything done and made some really beautiful images. That couple was so fantastic.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOU THAT NOBODY WOULD EVER SUSPECT.

I love rap music and I karaoke it on a regular basis. My favorite artists to cover are Notorious BIG, Snoop and Jay Z.

YOU HAVE 30 SECONDS TO LEAVE FOR A WEDDING SHOOT AND CAN ONLY BRING ONE CAMERA AND LENS — WHAT WOULD THAT BE?

A 5D Mk III and a 35mm prime lens.

YOU HAVE JUST BEEN GIVEN A BLANK CHECK TO SHOOT A WEDDING ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD– WHERE WOULD THAT BE AND WHY?

India. The colors, culture, settings, etc… it would be absolutely breathtaking.

WELL THAT WAS A FUN WINDOW INTO YOUR WORLD MATT! THANKS FOR SHARING AND WE WILL KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR YOUR BOOK!

To learn more about Matt and his photography studio, Matt Blum Photography, hop on over to his newly re-launched website. You won’t be sorry you did…