If you’d told me 12 years ago that I’d photograph over 800 weddings (yep, eight hundred!), I probably would’ve laughed nervously and said, “Me? No way.”
Back then, I was obsessed with learning every pose under the sun. I had Pinterest boards full of “must-have shots,” little cheat sheets tucked into my camera bag, and this belief that if I just memorised enough poses… I’d be a great photographer.
Spoiler: I wasn’t.
The Pinterest Phase (aka my awkward photographer era)
I’d rock up to weddings full of enthusiasm, but inside I was sweating.
Okay, pose number 7… hand here, chin that way, fake laugh, twirl…
And sure, the photos looked fine. But my couples? They looked stiff. Uncomfortable. Like they were performing, not living their wedding day. And the kicker? They’d apologise to me after their session:
“We’re just so awkward in front of the camera, sorry!”
That crushed me. Because I knew it wasn’t about them being awkward. It was about me not creating an environment where they could relax and just be themselves.
The moment it clicked for me
I’ll never forget this one wedding back in 2017. The couple were nervous as hell. I could see them looking at me like, “Okay, tell us what to do. Make us look good.” So I pulled out my usual set of poses… and it just wasn’t working. They were doing everything “right,” but the photos felt flat.
So I put my camera down, took a breath, and asked them to tell me about their first date. Suddenly, their shoulders dropped. They laughed. They looked at each other differently. Within five minutes, I wasn’t directing poses anymore, I was just capturing them being them.
And when they got their gallery back, they said:
“These don’t just look like us… they feel like us.”
That was it. The moment I realised: connection will always beat a pose list.
The lesson I wish I knew sooner
If I could go back and tell “baby photographer Ash” one thing, it would be this:
👉 Your job isn’t to copy poses. Your job is to create space where your couples feel comfortable enough to be real.
Because when your couple feels safe and seen:
- Their body language softens.
- Their dynamic shines through.
- The “awkward” melts away.
And suddenly, you’re not just taking photos, you’re capturing their relationship.
That’s the difference between a gallery that feels like a Pinterest board… and a gallery that makes your couple cry happy tears when they see it.
800+ weddings later…
This one lesson changed everything for me.
It’s why I stopped obsessing over trends and started leaning into connection.
It’s why my galleries feel intentional, not just like a “photo dump.”
It’s why couples trust me, not just to capture pretty pictures, but to capture them.
And if you’re in the messy middle of figuring this out right now, let me reassure you: you don’t need more poses. You don’t need to chase what every other photographer is doing on Instagram. You don’t need to keep second-guessing yourself.
You need intention. You need connection. You need to build confidence in your own way of seeing the world.
Why I created Beyond The Pose
I built Beyond The Pose because I don’t want you to waste years stuck in the same spiral I was.
Inside, I teach the exact framework I wish I had when I was starting out — the things that actually made the difference between “fine” photos and “holy sh*t” galleries.
You’ll learn how to:
- Find your unique creative voice (without chasing trends).
- Connect deeply with couples so they trust you fully.
- Direct in a way that feels natural, not forced.
- Curate galleries with intention so every wedding tells a story.
It’s everything I’ve learned from 800+ weddings, 12+ years in the industry, and a whole lot of trial and error… so you don’t have to.
Ready to skip the guesswork?
If you’re tired of feeling like you’re doing “all the things” but still not confident in your work, I get it. I’ve been there. But you don’t have to stay stuck there. Join Beyond The Pose and start building a business that feels aligned, intentional, and uniquely you.
