As soon as we tapped Derek Hough and Hayley Erbert to be the quilt stars for our latest digital drawback, we knew we needed to enlist photographers who might be uniquely geared as much as seize their love story. In any case, the record-breaking expert dancer and his fiancée’s relationship spans a decade, and we felt strongly that one different husband-and-wife crew might be best-suited to visually inform their story. With that in ideas, we enlisted Amy Gayeski and Stuart Bunton, the married couple who runs Amy and Stuart Photos, to make the shoot—and Hough and Erbert’s distinctive dynamic—come to life. With virtually 30 years of experience photographing weddings collectively, Gayeski and Bunton utilized their very personal expert and marital expertise to make these nonetheless images of the long term newlyweds actually really feel alive.
The Los Angeles-based photographers first crossed paths on their first day of college at a photographs faculty in Santa Barbara, the place they immediately hit it off. Not solely did the two bond over their mutual affinity for capturing moments on digital digital camera, nonetheless as well as they detected a pure compatibility. After collaborating with one another at school, Gayeski and Bunton decided to start their careers aspect by aspect after graduation. They every began working inside the enterprise, development, portraiture, and film sectors, which then turned capturing their very personal enterprise duties.
As a result of the duo fell in love with the wedding world and the creative freedom it supplied them after documenting their first one at school, they decided to {{photograph}} completely different {{couples}}’ specific days as a aspect gig. “As our experience grew whereas capturing commercial-type work, we realized that our hearts had been in weddings, and we made a conscious shift in focus,” the couple shares. After working behind the lens collectively for almost a decade, Gayeski and Bunton turned enterprise companions and life companions in 2006. All through that milestone yr, the pair tied the knot and launched their very personal photographs enterprise, Amy and Stuart Photos.
Practically 20 years later, Gayeski and Bunton credit score rating the assistance they supply one another—plus their pure current—because the muse of their worthwhile enterprise and the gasoline that runs it. “There could also be power in partnership, and we temper each other reasonably nicely,” the duo expresses. The pair has mastered the paintings of residing and dealing collectively partly on account of they actually really feel comfortable voicing their imaginative and prescient, which creates a safe ambiance for his or her craft to thrive. “Neither one in every of us is shy to speak up if we actually really feel that the alternative is approaching one factor from the flawed angle,” they observe. This mutual respect and understanding trickles into their residence lives as successfully. Furthermore, Gayeski and Bunton divide and conquer completely different business-related duties, so neither companion assumes the vast majority of the accountability. Whereas Bunton takes on shopper interactions and edits photographs, Gayeski runs the enterprise and objects collectively the albums. As a result of it’s easy to get slowed down inside the particulars, the photographs crew often flexes their aggressive sides by treating every shoot like a sport. “We always declare a winner after every marriage ceremony ceremony,” they chortle. “This has always helped us maintain pushing our work forward and retains it really pleasurable.”
Establishing their enterprise from scratch and dealing within the course of a typical goal is what motivates them to excel. Every time they shoot a wedding, they function to create timeless images that may resonate with every present and future generations. Although Gayeski and Bunton scout the venue earlier to the event to hunt out the most effective lighting and {photograph} locations, they let the couple data the photographs that they take. “We actually really feel strongly about not turning a wedding proper right into a photoshoot,” they make clear. “We cherish these little sudden and imperfect moments and don’t want to direct an extreme quantity of besides it’s utterly wanted. Our job is to doc what is going on beautifully pretty than establishing ‘moments.’”
The husband-and-wife duo had been ready to use that exact same method whereas photographing our cowl stars. Sooner than the shoot, they toured the positioning, so they could conceptualize a plan of movement and accumulate the suitable instruments. In its place of following a set agenda as quickly because the day acquired right here, Gayeski and Bunton let the themes’ love for one another data each snapshot. “Their passion for each other was clear from the first physique,” they remark. “When attainable, we merely permit them to be them. We beloved the quieter moments with Hayley and Derek, nonetheless capturing them transferring collectively was undeniably spectacular.”
Not solely do Gayeski and Bunton have a few years of experience as colleagues and romantic companions, nonetheless they’ve moreover collaborated on their very personal nuptials. To them, planning a wedding is a crew effort that strengthens your relationship. “You study to listen to and how one can possibly yield to an opinion that you can be not primarily share,” they level out. For individuals who’re inside the thick of mapping out your enormous day collectively along with your vital completely different, the photographers advocate acknowledging your future accomplice’s perspective and tuning out the alternative noise. “Decide what’s de facto very important to you, nonetheless be ready to compromise,” they advise. “Weddings could also be troublesome when navigating all people’s needs. Most importantly, stick collectively and make it your marriage ceremony ceremony.”