Devic Fotos captures the emotions and excitement of Becca and Joel’s unique, stylish love filled Berkeley Fieldhouse Wedding.

Your photography effectively captures and communicates the interactions and the emotional responses throughout the wedding day of the couple and their guests. What is your process for achieving this?

On the day of the wedding, I have to earn peoples trust very quickly. The goal is to have everyone feel comfortable enough to be vulnerable in front of the camera. It’s my responsibility to be respectful of everyone, their space, and to remain unobtrusive. That way, people can feel less concerned of how they might look in front of a camera, and more concerned with being in the moment. Once I set the precedent that I will be discreet, people are more comfortable with being open. Then I just need to be alert and ready for those moments.

How would you describe the wedding style Becca and Joel created for their day?

Their wedding was very classic and timeless. At the same time, it was like a wedding I hadn’t seen before.

The emotions and excitement of everyone made it one of the most unique weddings I’ve photographed. In that way, I’d say their wedding was entirely them. Not so much defined in the details, but in the atmosphere.

Matt Stuart talks about the focus of taking pictures brings a heightened awareness for the photographer. “You can lose yourself when you’re doing it and almost forget you’re there. You’re like a floating pair of eyeballs, and I really do find it meditative.” What are your thoughts on this concept?

I agree that it’s a completely meditative process. Taking photos forces you to move slow and be observant of your surroundings. It can make you empathic to people and situations. When I get to move slow like this, my mind can wander. It is sometime difficult to converse and photograph simultaneously, because you can become consumed by a moment. I assume people forget that I’m there because I have a feeling that I’m not there. Like a wallflower at a party. I’m watching everything but have a sense that no one can see me.

You chose to share the following quote, how does it communicate to your couples how you will show up for their wedding day with your process. “You don’t see the power and the poetry of not being perfect?” Peter Lindberg

I use this quote on my site pertaining to film. Film is unpredictable, and there is no second chance with the moment. If it comes out imperfect, that’s ok, because that’s how real life looks. But I carry this idea in photographing the entire day. I often don’t lay out the wedding invitation with the shoes and the jewelry unless that concept is extremely important for the couples. I will still photograph those details but in the setting that I found them in. If the shoes are thrown on the bed with a bunch of wrapping paper, that’s how I will photograph the shoes. If the invite is on the fridge, I’ll photograph the entire fridge door, with all of the other photos, saved receipts, and magnets. I like the idea of “that’s how the fridge looked on that particular day.” It’s no longer just a photo of the invitation, but tells more of a story of how all of these experiences lead up to that day.

I want to photograph the day accurately so the couple can remember their day accurately.

What does adding your process of film photography add to and influence the album you create for your couples?

It adds an element of nostalgia. I grew up looking at my parent’s photo albums. I was, and still am, very obsessed with going through their photo albums. There is some kind of warm imperfection to those photos. People should have a sentimental keepsake like that for one of the most important days of their lives.

What were the priorities that Becca and Joel communicated they wanted for their wedding day and how did you synch up with these priorities?

Candid was really important to them. They wanted their overall album to be photos of them and their families in genuine moments. So I just made sure to be alert the whole day, looking for those moments that they would want to remember. They were also nervous about being in front of the camera. Having a natural process to posing, and photos that accurately reflected them was important. An engagement session gave me insight to how they interacted with each other. This gave me direction on how to approach their posing on the day of.

They were quite playful, and creative with how they stood and interacted with each other.

“We believe in photographs that encompass genuine emotion, that embody the feel rather than manufactured poses; inspired by you.” You share this on your profile. How does this work to create the brilliant results for your couples.

People might not realize how much “inspired by you” means to me. The movements and personalities of people is where I get my ideas from. I never want to mold anyone into a preconceived idea or to create a mood that isn’t the personalities of the couple or the wedding day. I want to be intuitive enough to peoples movements, interactions, likes and dislikes, and have the “posing” create itself. The posing then becomes a collaborative effort. For example, I might be in conversation with the couple, and the girl will fold her hands together and hold them on her chest, because it’s how she stands when she’s comfortable. I’ll ask her to hold it, and use it as a pose.

Photographer : Devic Fotos

Venue: Berkeley Fieldhouse

Wedding Dress Shop: Everly Bridal

Wedding Dress Designer: Jenny Yoo

Hair and Make-Up: Jen Envoy Makeup Studio

Groom’s Suit: Indochino

Flowers: Pape Flower Market

DJ: DJ David Alcaniz

Late Night Snack: Kettleman’s Bagels