The TOP15WEDDING community brings together many talented photographers from all over the world, each with their own unique style. Today we have the pleasure of introducing you to Julia Kaptelova, known for her stand-out use of pure color, relaxed atmosphere, and attention to detail. For 7 years now, she and her partner Vladimir have been photographing exquisite celebrations in Italy, France, England, and many other parts of Europe. Julia told us all about how she discovered photography thanks to her artistic education, what she considers important in organizing a wedding, and what moments she especially loves in her work.
The beginning
I have always felt a calling to the world of art. Ever since childhood I loved to draw, so when it came to choosing a profession, it was not difficult for me to decide — I wanted to study graphic design. Over the 6 years that I spent studying at an art university, I had the opportunity to experiment with different directions of art, and I got interested in portrait photography right away. Since then, I have had the opportunity to work in different fields: I have shot the food images for recipe books from a popular publishing house, still life for magazine covers, and intimate female portraits. However, nothing fascinated me the way the dynamic and varied wedding industry did. I do still enjoy looking through magazine covers and cookbooks that I worked on earlier in my career, especially when I want to cook a delicious dinner for family and friends.
The inspiration
There are many talented photographers in our field, and I enjoy following their work. I try to keep up with new fashion trends and photoshoots, as well as the work of colleagues engaging in different styles of photography. Traveling the globe and the exciting opportunity to work in new locations with couples from all over the world, give me my greatest surge of inspiration.
The wedding preparations
Most of the couples that we work with prepare for their celebrations remotely, so before the wedding, we usually have several Zoom calls and exchange emails to discuss every tiny detail. Based on our industry experience and their vision of how their wedding should look, we create the perfect plan for the wedding day together.
Before the wedding, we always try to arrive at the shooting location in advance, especially if we are working at this site for the first time. Usually, this is a great chance to meet up with the couple beforehand, in a relaxed atmosphere, to discuss the details again, choose the best locations at the venue for shooting, and just get to know each other better, because a comfortable environment on your wedding day is one of the keys to creating sincere pictures.
Intimate and large celebrations
We're equally attentive and responsible when working at large-scale events, where hundreds of vendors are involved, a rich program has been prepared, and we are required to work as a team and make decisions quickly. We also thrive when working at intimate weddings, where the most important things are warmth and honesty. Both wedding types allow us to develop and fulfill the couple’s creative ambitions in our own way, to discover and celebrate the unique attributes of each couple, and to show their wedding day through the prism of artistry and aesthetics, regardless of the scale of the event.
The perfect wedding
I enjoy working on completely different projects. Every wedding is memorable whether you have chosen a small ceremony for your closest loved ones when you're exchanging the vows at the top of the Alps, or an intimate wedding in an old Italian villa with a cozy candlelit dinner, or even a larger-scale wedding celebration in Morroco or in the south of France. At the same time, the main elements of each wedding day are the sincerity and openness of the couple, the happiness and enjoyment of the guests, and the parents’ tears of joy. Of course, competent preparation and professional work of the wedding planner’s team on the day, aesthetics, and decorator's sense of taste are important too. All these factors make up the ideal picture of a wedding celebration.
The pandemic
For us, customer convenience always comes first. In 2020, realizing what difficulties people were facing due to the postponement of weddings and restructuring of plans, we tried to find the best conditions for each couple, to meet halfway and smooth out the rough edges. Also, this year, we had more opportunities to spend time on self-development and to study, to work on new branding, renew our website, and improve our customer service process.
Future plans
In the future, I would like to expand our shooting geography and work with even more couples from different parts of the world. I am especially attracted by weddings at the intersection of different cultures and nationalities, and unexplored, impressive locations — this is what always gives me a boost of energy. In photography, I want to go beyond familiar genres, find inspiration in the fashion and film industries, while continuing to shoot simple and sincere stories about people and the happy moments with their families.
