At Wild Hearts, we are so fortunate to work alongside the nation’s top creatives in the wedding industry. They work so hard to help to create their client’s dream day and they are an endless source of inspiration for us. With so much talent behind these brands, we are spotlighting some of our favourites and sharing their insights.
We’re elated to chat with Phil this week, one half of Heart and Colour. He and is wife, Bek, are wedding photographers and together they make one of the most thoughtful, soulful photography duos out there.
Capturing people in their “realest moments” is what they do best, and documenting the heart is a job that’s taken them across the world. We talk to Phil about his favourite moments when capturing weddings, musical inspiration, family and community, and challenges in the Covid-19 landscape. The small things really are the big things, and the gravity of their job is not lost on this pair; Phil and Bek will pour their hearts into your day.
Honest, emotive, timeless photography. Tender insights into Phil and Bek’s philosophy below.
Give us a classic, ‘First Day of School’ introduction of yourselves!
Bek and I (Phil) began dating back in year 10, were married at 21, and just recently celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We were blessed to be able to travel and experience a whole lot from a young age, as our jobs took us all over the place. We knew we wanted to be a young family. We had our three little kiddies by the age of 30, and just recently introduced a golden retriever into our clan. Family is everything to us. They all bring so much joy into our lives.
Tell us your story and how your business came about?
Bek began shooting weddings back in 2010, while I was studying to be a teacher. Two years in I went along with her to a wedding to second shoot with her. That was it. I knew this is what I wanted to do. I delayed my studies, put N/As in for every weekend at the cafe I was working at, and threw myself into it. After two years shooting together we decided to rebrand and create a business that would represent both of us and who we are. Heart and Colour.
How would you describe your style of photography?
In an industry where trends are constantly evolving and changing, one thing we wanted our photography to do was to stand the test of time — we love the beauty of fine-art photography and the raw emotion of documentary photography. Our style would be a mix of these; our aim is for our photos to be timeless.
How has witnessing so many weddings impacted your life and outlook?
We are of the belief that one of the antidotes to unhealthy and broken societies, is the well-functioning family. Our society desperately needs healthy marriages, loving parents, and a warm home. It is such a beautiful thing every time another couple is willing to publicly commit their lives and hearts to one another. It is worth celebrating. It is worth photographing.
And of course, every couple is different, so capturing their story and their love, is always so magical.
How has your business shifted, and evolved in response to Covid-19?
It is definitely new to have a 5-month-shaped hole in our calendars. The extra family time has been amazing though! It has been very much a case of taking everything one day at a time and rolling with the punches.
2021 will be a strange year for the wedding industry – all these postponements from 2020 taking up dates in the 2021 calendar that newly engaged couples would be looking at. I think midweek weddings will have to become more of a thing. When all this is over the celebrating is going to be that much brighter and sweeter.
What’s your favourite moment during a photoshoot? Which moments are you looking for on a wedding day?
Oh there are so many!! The anticipation during the getting ready phase… the first time they see each other at the aisle. The bride and groom portraits are always such a sweet, sweet time; when we get the two of them on their own away from the guests and bridal party, and can just snap up all the feels. Letting the couple be — its always so magical.
I think photographers can fall into a trap. They’ve seen an image they love on instagram and want to recreate it with the next couple. That’s definitely not a bad thing, but that’s not always going to be possible. You have to think how the photographer got them there, looking so comfortable and natural, so the image is alive and emotive. I can promise you, that is because the couple was in fact feeling comfortable and natural. That’s step one in getting raw and emotive images, and that is something we strive for.
Is there an aspect of wedding photography that you find consistently challenging?
There’s the obvious stuff like bad lighting situations and terrible weather, but the most challenging part of wedding photography can often have nothing to do with photography. Makeup or hair going wrong, things running excessively late, wedding cars breaking down, dresses not fitting how they should or ripping, blood or food staining the dress, tensions between family members… often the challenge is being a calm comforting voice when things go wrong and steering things back on track.
What really gets to you at weddings? Makes you emotional? Makes you laugh?
Ever since becoming a dad, the father of the bride speech always gets me in the feels. The best thing at a wedding will always be as the groom sees his bride coming up the aisle, and the moment she reaches him and they both take each other in. I love when kids are involved in the wedding – its super cute if they do what they are meant to in their part of the wedding, but its hilarious when they go a little rogue and everyone just goes with it, that’s always hilarious and to me I secretly like that more.
We are proud to have Heart and Colour apart of our Wild Hearts Vendor Collection check out more of their beautiful photography here. You can also follow them on Instagram at @heartandcolour_photography and Facebook.
