With a documentary meets editorial style, Perth based Alice André takes a relaxed and non-intrusive approach to make her clients experience seamless and most of all, enjoyable and fun. She tells the story of your day as it was, whilst painting you and your love in the most wonderful light. Alice André travels throughout Australia and Europe to capture weddings.
Tell us about your business!
I’m Alice, a wedding, editorial and portrait photographer living in Perth, Australia. Originally from the South of France, I now get to call the beautiful west coast of Australia home.
After photography was a hobby for most of my life, I finally started my wedding photography business at the start of 2020. I have now shot over a hundred weddings, been published multiple times, and I am so proud of how much my business has grown in the past few years, despite the challenges along the way (nothing like a global pandemic to test your will to run a business!). I strongly believe I have the best job in the world.
What would you like couples to know about Alice André Photography?
Emotions are tied to photos, so when you look at yours, I want you to be transported back to the very moment this picture was taken and relive it all over again. This is why the experience is just as important as the end result, your photographs. No matter how beautiful your final images are, if you didn’t enjoy yourself throughout the day or things felt forced, this is what you will remember whenever you look at your wedding gallery.
I thrive to create a safe and relaxed environment to encourage my couples to be who they are and to interact with each other in a natural way. Connection is at my core. It is the centre of my personality, my approach to photography and the way I view the world, so building a connection with you and understanding your relationship is very important to me. My understanding of your journey together fuels everything we create and fosters a space for me to capture your most loving moments on the day. It is this feeling of getting transported back to a certain moment and place in time whenever you look at a photograph that made me fall in love with it in the first place and what keeps fueling my passion over the years.
Where are you based?
I am based in Perth, Western Australia.
Do you travel for weddings?
Absolutely. I will travel across the state, the country, and the world to document love stories.
I have several bases across Europe, and I cannot wait to photograph more weddings over there in the coming seasons during the warmer months.
How would you describe your style?
My photography is heartfelt, elegant and timeless. My wedding galleries are made of a mix of documentary and editorial imagery, classic portraits and spontaneous moments, vignettes of details and candid frames, with a clean and natural edit that will outlive trends and survive the test of time.
What is your most memorable career moment?
Shooting a wedding in Paris. I started my business in Australia in 2020, but my goal was always to book some weddings in Europe during their summer so that I could go back and visit every year. So, shooting my first destination wedding back in my home country was a full circle moment and huge career highlight/goal that I didn’t think I’d achieve this early on.
What inspires you?
Any form of art really. I feel inspired by cinema, music, paintings, sculpture, and of course, photography. I actually love looking at my peers’ work. I know some wedding photographers avoid doing so because they don’t want to get influenced or fall into the comparison trap, but I really enjoy drawing inspirations from talented artists from around the world.
I am also hugely inspired by travel. Whenever I start feeling burnt out or sick of my surroundings, I know a trip and a change of scenery will most likely be the cure. Light is also a big part of my work and I love looking at the light and how different it is everywhere I go.
Last but not least, I am inspired by connections and emotions, and the way couples and humans interact with each other. That’s why two weddings or sessions are never the same and I never get tired of documenting love.
What motivates you to do what you do?
Most days, I don’t need motivation, I love my job and I never get sick of learning or finding new ways I can better myself, my skills, or my business.
When I feel down and need a little reminder, I think about how special it is to be a part of two people’s most important day, and what an honour it is to create tangible memories for them in the form of photographs. I never want to take that for granted.
How would you describe your working style?
I am very relaxed, non-intrusive and easy going. I will never force my couples into poses that feel unnatural to them or insist that we have a minimum of two hours for couple portraits (yikes!). Your wedding isn’t a photoshoot. I don’t believe in manufacturing moments, instead, I go with the flow, capturing split seconds as they unfold in front of me throughout the day.
That being said, I will step in during your portrait session, gently guiding you through prompts and basic poses, and creating a space for you to let your love and personalities shine through. I love to play music and start with a bit of chat so that it just feels like we’re all hanging out. And I also do a lot of preparation prior to the wedding day: I help my couples design their timeline, scout for photo locations, and send them a questionnaire prior to the day so I can gather all the information I need in order to show up in the best way possible on the actual day.
Where would you love to travel to for work?
There are so many places I dream to travel to for weddings! Here are three of them (but honestly, there are so many more!)
The first one would have to be Provence. There are some incredible venues there, and it would be oh so special to shoot a wedding back in the region of France where I was born and raised.
I’ve also recently been to Puglia and have fallen in love with the place, so I would love to shoot a wedding there.
Another on my bucket list in New York city. I can’t wait to go back there one day, so hopefully, it’s to photograph love!
Who is your dream client?
My dream client is simply someone who appreciates art and values photography, and for who a wedding photographer isn’t just another item to tick-off a ‘to-do’ list. They have a strong sense of who they are and what they want and aren’t afraid to do things their way.
I am so lucky to work with so many of my dream clients already. They are kind, easy going, they trust their vendors, and although they appreciate beautiful things and have a great sense of style, they don’t lose track of what truly matters: that their wedding day is about what it feels like, not what it looks like. They are at home with each other, cheer each other on and feel comfortable in each other’s presence.
What is your advice to couples getting married?
Make sure you spend time together on the day! Whether that’s getting ready together, exchanging a first look before your ceremony, or disappearing for 10 minutes in the middle of your reception to take it all in.
Trust your vendors – we got you. Also, it’s your day, so don’t worry about pleasing so and so, just focus on yourselves and your relationship. All you need to worry about is to have fun! The day goes so fast, so remember to pause and enjoy the moment. Hug your guests, eat the cake, drink the champagne, dance the night away! This is probably the first and last time you’ll ever have all those people who you love in the same room, so make the most of it.
Comments