What everyone says is true: one of the best days of your life will be over in a blink of an eye. That’s why investing in an experienced wedding photographer to document it all is so important; their work is what will allow you to reminisce the big day over and over!
How to find your wedding photographer
When searching for a wedding day photographer it’s important to find someone who can support your vision. Someone that knows to put you at ease amidst the chaos. (and of course, someone who effortlessly captures all the details- big and small- that you’ll swoon over for years to come)
No one checks all of those boxes quite like Gabriel, the Vermont wedding photographer behind Rowan Oak Studios.
We recently sat down with Gabriel to learn about his photography style, favorite moments at a wedding, and everything in between. Continue reading to learn more about Gabriel and view the gorgeous, ethereal work Rowan Oak Studios is known for!
How did you get into wedding photography?
I started my professional life as a journalist (after attending Northwestern University’s Medill School of Journalism) following the threads of narrative that connect our day-to-day.
While I sought out in-depth profiles and investigative work, my first jobs relegated me to covering advertisers’ events and restaurant openings. Obviously disappointed, I looked for other avenues where I could engage with humans at a deeper level, and witness meaningful moments.
After stumbling into my first wedding clients while trying to fund a documentary project, then spending 4 hours talking like old friends in what was supposed to be a 30 min coffee meet-up, I was hooked.
How would you describe your photography style?
My style is calm and intentional, attentive and human-centric. It starts with trust and relationship building, which I view as indispensable throughout the wedding process. I don’t impose, I don’t make people into something they aren’t. I give them room to breathe and encourage clients to be themselves – whether that’s loud or subtle, expressive or reserved. I ask them to focus on how they feel, not how they look, and let me take care of the rest.
What inspires your work?
I draw inspiration from two main sources: my clients’ stories, and the world as I find it (intersections of environments, people and light). My best images have aspects of both, and allow clients to immerse in the memories of them – remembering the warmth of their partner, the breeze off the mountains, the sense of relief/joy/expectation for what was coming next.
Any special tips for couples for choosing a wedding photographer?
Set aside price, set aside logistics, and focus on personality. Find a photographer who makes you feel seen because a full day of deeply emotional moments is going to be uncomfortable if you’re being photographed by someone you don’t trust and who doesn’t know when to push the shutter, or drop the camera and lend a hand instead.
What’s your favorite moment during a wedding?
The first time I get the couple alone for portraits after the ceremony, they let out the biggest smiles of relief and realization. Seeing the looks on their faces gives me a feeling of aspiration for everything that comes next.
What’s your favorite thing to do in VT? / Local spot to visit? Etc.
I’m relatively new to VT and still discovering new spots daily. I’m very partial to several experiences as of late – Kestrel coffee for an afternoon of editing, Grand Isle’s farmer’s market for fresh produce, Green Mountain Nat’l for mushroom foraging…and when I need to just sit on a rock and stare at beautiful things, Red Rock point and Oakledge Park really fit the bill.
If you weren’t a wedding photographer what would you do?
It would be hard to replace the peculiar cocktail of client relationships, art, and world discovery that wedding photography offers, but I have branched out the past year into floristry, mushroom farming, and contract work as a researcher for an AV company, so who knows where’d I land!
What’s a fun fact about yourself?
I always struggle with this question! I think I have an undeniable compulsion to learn everything all the time (whether that’s fun, you be the judge) – how to juggle, fiddle, embroider, code…I’m endlessly fascinated by most things and can find meaning and value in even the most overlooked.
Thank you Gabriel! Learn more about Rowan Oak Studios in the vendor guide.
