All About Stef
Q&A with Stef
What does your day to day look like at Rosewood?
Day to day is always different, sometimes it’s a shooting day, sometimes it’s an editing day, sometimes it’s all the not fun stuff (accounting, admin, backing things up) day. I can tell you what my constants are though: A tea in the morning (in the largest mug I have) and about an hour or so of just me time (watching the news, reading for a bit, mentally making a list of my to do list) before jumping into things. Lately I’ve been trying my best to work out (a term used loosely here haha) because let’s be real, we spend so much time inside/on our computers that moving your body is so important!
I make sure our Instagram and FB post for the day is up, then I’ll lurk around IG and see what people have been up to while also trying to update our stories with our own personal posts, or by sharing a recent photo session. I also batch queue a bunch of new posts and draft up some blog posts; for both of these I find I have to be in a specific mood so I’ll start these things at one point and usually finish up at a different time. I tend to our inbox, so I’ll follow up with people, schedule meetings etc. I’m obsessed with spreadsheets (as any and every Type A person would be) so I always like to make sure ours is as up to date as possible!
What are you most looking forward to this wedding season?
There isn’t one wedding in particular (yet) that I’m looking forward to, I’m more excited about the overall season! I love being super busy all the time, I love back to back wedding weekends and shooting as much as possible! When the season’s over I’m mostly sad that I’m not shooting anymore and have to spend more time on my computer than behind my camera hahah.
Your dream wedding: Who, What, Where?
Lately I’ve been obsessed with the idea of a European chateau wedding with a really fun and chic couple.
Tell us about what you do to prepare before shooting a wedding day!
Like Ethan said, have a big breakfast, like so big I want to take a nap afterwards! We’re always on the go and never really know when we’re going to have enough time to eat (even at dinner we usually will only squeeze in a couple of bites then get up to shoot speeches or group photos). I like to pre-pack my camera bag the night before so in the morning I just double check and go. I’ll print off our timeline/shot list/info package beforehand too and if I’m not driving I’ll review it on the way, or if I’m driving then I’ll go through it before we leave.
Who are some of your biggest photography influences?
I interned with Peter Ash Lee in NYC back when we were in college, and I learnt so much from him- he’s also such a great and down to earth guy, it makes me love his work more! He taught me a lot about shooting fashion/portraiture and interacting with clients on set. Other photographers I’ve really really been into lately are: Sasha Arutyunova, Ike Edeani and Eric Chakeen
Do you have any career goals?
Ever since I started getting into photography I’ve wanted to make it onto PDN’s Top 30 Under 30— which later turned into just ‘Top 30’— which shortly after that folded all together, so I don’t have any specific career goals like this for the time being. I think overall I just want to be consistently shooting, have a roster of great publications to shoot for, maybe someday get an agent (so they do all the backend work haha). Wedding wise, I’d love to get us featured on Brides or Martha Stewart Weddings, I’d love to shoot someone super fashionable and get it featured on The Coveteur too.
Really, my ultimate goal is just to shoot work that I love as much as possible, and to be successful with this; I really cannot imagine myself on a different career path.
what are your faves…
Favourite movie:
Austin Power’s Goldmember or Christmas Vacation (I can recite both movies beginning to end)
Favourite food:
This is a tough one because it always changes! I think right now my fave. food/meal is a carbonara with a nice bottle of red wine (which is pretty much what Ethan and I survived on the first time we went to Europe)
Favourite lens:
85mm f/1.4
Favourite part of a wedding day:
At the end of the night when the dancefloor opens! I love everything that happens throughout the day, obviously, but most of the morning is high stress so when we get to dancing everyone is finally relaxed and just letting loose! I also love wedding playlists so while shooting I’m mostly just singing and dancing along with everyone too!
Favourite local getaway:
Ethan’s cottage!
Favourite drink:
Wine. All the wine. All the time. I also enjoy a nice glass of whiskey in the tub after coming home from a long day of shooting, that’s my post-shoot go to
If there's anywhere in the world that you could be right now, where would it be?
Swimming at Ethan’s cottage on that one abnormally hot day in September when the lake is the warmest it’s been all season, BBQ going, with a face that’s been out in the sun for maybe a touch too long (very specific, I know haha)
What’s one of your favourite photos that you’ve taken and why?
I think this one of Lauren, Dan, and their newborn baby girl Stella will forever be one of my favourites! This whole shoot actually! I shot Lauren’s maternity session a few weeks before she gave birth and I loved it- it was intimate, honest, and genuinely them. When they called me the following month to “do it all over again” I was so thrilled! It was nice to take a few formal photos of them together but most of what we were shooting was their everyday life, hanging at home, even a few photos of Lauren breastfeeding! After shooting both of these sessions I realized the gravity of what we do; being able to document these incredible milestones for families and to capture so much emotion really struck me.
Okay, last question- what's your favourite aspect of being apart of the Rosewood team?
Honestly, the fact that we do this for a living! I get to do my favourite thing in the world (shooting/photography) with two of my best friends in the world, while meeting some of the most incredible people and families in the world- what’s not to love about that?!