GTKY sessions, short for Getting To Know You, are one of my favorite things to photograph. Every session starts with a real conversation: we talk about clothing choices, the location, the time of day, and little details that mean something to the couple. From there, everything happens organically, driven by light, weather, and the natural energy between two people. Sessions are fun, lighthearted, and personal. Here are some of my favorites from 2016.
What I love most about GTKY work is that there’s no script. We pick a location together, and I follow what’s happening in front of me. Some couples are quiet at first, others are laughing before we even park the car. Either way, by the end of the session, the photographs are completely their own. They don’t look posed, because they aren’t. The best frame from a GTKY session is usually the one that happens between the ones we planned.
In 2016, I worked with couples all over the Philadelphia and South Jersey area. Some sessions happened at parks, others at urban streets, rooftops, or spots that carried personal meaning for the couple. Every session looks different because every couple is different. One thing stays consistent, which is that by the end, the couple always says they didn’t feel like they were being photographed.
One of my favorite stories from 2016 involves Kieran and Emily. They’re getting married at a Philadelphia Phillies stadium, and they are serious Phillies fans. My studio manager found a spot where Harry Kalas, the most beloved Phillies announcer in the team’s history, is buried. We photographed there. That kind of specific, personal location choice turns a session into something the couple will remember beyond the images themselves. It connects the photographs to something that actually matters to them.
A GTKY session before your wedding is worth considering, not just for the photographs, but because it gives you a chance to get comfortable in front of the camera before the day itself. By the time your wedding morning arrives, you already know what it feels like to work together. That makes a real difference when the stakes are higher. You can see more of my Philadelphia and South Jersey wedding photography here.