People often describe elopements as 'small weddings' or 'intimate ceremonies' — like they're a scaled-down version of the standard event. I think that framing misses what makes an elopement what it is. A wedding, however small, is still a performance for an audience. An elopement is something you do for yourselves. The difference is not about headcount. It's about intention.
That distinction matters to how I photograph. A wedding requires coverage — you're documenting an event that other people need a record of. An elopement is documentation of a private experience. The camera's job is different. There's no first look for parents, no reception table shots, no timeline driven by catering. There's just two people and a place they chose because it means something to them. That's a harder thing to photograph well and a better thing to have photographs of.
— Michael