One On One - Zosia & Jakub - Aparat Photography

For many of us our wedding day is one of the most important events in our lives, which is why it's so important to find a photographer that understands you and can capture the unique feeling of that special day.

There are so many amazing wedding photographers out there, but we think Zosia & Jakub the brother and sister duo from Aparat Photography are an up and coming team, that you should definitely check out.

Ted's "One On One" let's you find out what makes these great photographers tick, so read on, enjoy the photos and don't forget to let us know what you think :-)

Please introduce yourself
We are Zosia & Jakub of Aparat Photography, a brother-sister duo who specialise in documentary style wedding photography.

We're based in Melbourne which is a wonderful city for any creative to live in. We've also been lucky enough to document destination weddings in places like Italy, France, New Zealand, Sweden and the UK. Hopefully that list will continue to grow.

What defines your photography style?
Our style is very unobtrusive while we shoot. We attempt to get as many candid images that show the true emotions on the day. From nervous tension, to excitement, joy, relief, quiet moments and drunken dancing high-jinks at the end of the night. The end result should be a collection of images that tell a story.

How did you become interested in photography?
We were surrounded by cameras growing up. Our dad was a amatuer photographer and pretty much invented the candid family photo. He had a number of old film cameras stored away which got our curiosity started.

Zosia started by shooting bands and late night gigs at dodgy pubs.

Jakub was into street photography from early on.

Do you have any formal training?
Yes, Zosia studied the Bachelor of Arts (Photography) Degree at RMIT.

However much of what we learnt was through experience by simply shooting and setting up this business. We started 4 years ago and the first year or so was a major learning curve. The first wedding we shot with no prior experience shooting weddings, we just jumped right in.

The biggest influence on our business was a workshop we did with Nordica Photography in NZ who opened up our eyes to the importance of branding and marketing in photography.

What do you think were some of the key elements to the development of your photography?
Definitely a wide range of inspiration. Not just photography, but cinematography, music, art, architecture, graphic design. The list goes on.

We've also learnt a hell of a lot on the job. Shooting constantly develops your skill and style. Looking back at some of our earlier work, we've definitley seen significant growth.

What type of lighting do you use most within your photography?
All natural light on the day. We aim to shoot our portrait sessions during "golden hour" which is the hour or so before sunset. We also love moody light indoors and find whatever ambient light we can, trying to avoid any artficial lightsource which is why it's important for us to have cameras that handle low light well. We'd hate to ruin the atmosphere of a beautiful candle-lit reception by using on camera flash for example.

We do however use flash during the dance/party shots at the end of the evening.

How has social media helped with the success of your photography business?
Social media is very important in getting our brand out there. Instagram is probably one of the stronger platforms for us. We've received a fair few enquiries thanks to both Instagram and Facebook over the last couple of years.

It's also an important way of networking with other people in the field. We have the support of some of our fantastic peers, all thanks to connecting through social media.

How important is post-processing to your work?
We don't do any major editing or manipulation to our images. Our post processing is all about the colour, tonality and "look" of our photos. Our editing style (constantly evolving) is part of our overall unique image as Aparat. We're hoping that people see an image and go "Oooh, that's definitley an Aparat photo".

What’s on your gear buying list for 2015?
We have most of the gear we need at the moment however we're interested in the Nikon D750 Bodies. Much lighter than our D3s bodies and apparently a super-performer in all lighting conditions. The Sigma 24mm ART series lens is also on the list!

Any big plans for the future?
Hopefully more travels around Australia and the world shooting amazing weddings and what else gets thrown our way. Follow us on our blog to see what is happening in our corner of the universe.

Any advice for novice photographers?
Shoot as much as you can. Try and figure out what makes that iconic image you love, work and then try and apply that in your own practice. Find a mentor whose work you admire and hopefully they can set aside some regular time to critique your work and offer advice.