This month, our Photo of the Day series will be taken over by Rangefinder‘s 30 Rising Stars of Wedding Photography of 2018. The honorees can be found in our freshly published November issue, as well as in our full online gallery, which shows each of their submissions. For more behind-the-scenes insights on how they created some of their shots, follow us on Instagram, where the Rising Stars will be taking over @rfwppi all month long.

I love photos that show movement. The bride’s dress was super flowy and I wanted to portray that, so I asked them to practice their first dance and for him to lift her up at the end and spin her around a few times. I often tell my couples to not think, just do. I’ll usually say it several times, right in the middle of whatever action I’ve directed them into. “That’s great, don’t think about it, just do it! Keep going! Don’t think!” It gets them out of their own heads and always makes them smile. That’s how I got this genuine reaction. I’ve found the more energy I pour into getting genuine reactions out of people, the more they give me in return. I think it really creates a fun experience for them instead of feeling like they’re standing around for a bunch of stiff poses.