PHOTOGRAPHER | Liz Barnes

9 hours ago

3 min read

Liz Barnes is an analogue and digital photographer with over a decade of experience. Her style is honest and documentary-based, focusing on light, composition, and capturing genuine moments. She gently directs as needed, and ensures everyone looks their best without feeling like they are performing. Liz Barnes is based in Melbourne and travels worldwide to capture weddings.

Tell us about your business!

My life has been revolving around weddings for a decade now and I can't imagine it any other way. I read rooms, I softly direct, I create ease and most importantly, I'll make you look good without feeling like you're performing.

How would you describe your style?

Honest, but never accidental. My approach is rooted in documentary, but I care just as much about light, composition and how a frame feels. A dad pretending he isn’t crying, the whole table losing it at a joke I didn't hear. Sometimes tender, Sometimes ridiculous.

What inspires you?

So much. I’m an avid cinema-goer, you’ll find me there about once a week, and directors like Sofia Coppola, Yorgos Lanthimos and Terrence Malick have shaped the way I see. Light is a constant inspiration, its softness and the way it renders a scene. But ultimately, it’s my couples. A good film lets you into someone else’s world for a few hours, and a wedding day does the same. Their connection is what makes me buzz.

Do you shoot digitally, on film or both?

I work across both film and digital. Each does something special. A lot of the work you’ll see across my website and Instagram was shot on film, and those frames have a habit of becoming favourites. Analogue photography has its own softness, colour and depth that digital just does differently.

How would you describe your working style?

The day is yours, and my aim is always to photograph it as it truly happens. That means creating enough ease and warmth for everyone to forget they’re being photographed in the first place. I’ll guide portraits, wrangle a group photo and gently direct when needed, but my approach is mostly rooted in documentary. I’m there to recognise the moments that will mean the most as they occur.

Where are you based?

Melbourne, Australia.

Do you travel for weddings?

Melbourne is home, but I’m very happy to pack a bag. I photograph weddings across Australia and overseas, from New York to Italy and wherever the next celebration calls.

Who is your dream client?

Couples with a really clear sense of who they are and how they want their day to feel. They care about the details, but they care about their people more. They trust me completely to immortalise these memories for them. I'm still a little amazed that I’m let into one of the biggest days of

people's lives, and I never take it for granted.

What is a favourite product or service that you offer and why?

My albums. A gallery lives on a screen, but an album lives on your coffee table. It comes out at christmas, gets passed around at birthdays, and one day ends up with your kids. Each one is designed around the pace of your day, so it reads the way the day felt. It's the part of what I do that outlasts everything else, and the one i love most.

What is your most memorable career moment?

Photographing one of my best friends' wedding in New York is definitely up there!