Wearing Pants Again
"Wearing Pants Again" is a podcast about creative identity, courage, and the imperfect process of reconnecting—with yourself, your work, and the world. Through honest conversations and personal reflection, host Lauren Siegal explores what it means to find your footing and move forward, even when things feel uncertain.
Wearing Pants Again
Making Art That Lasts: Christian Noble on Film, Trust, and Creating Meaningful Work
There’s something timeless about photos that feel real instead of posed or perfected. Documentary wedding photographer Christian Noble has built his career on capturing authentic, emotionally honest images that stand the test of time—and he does it primarily on film.
In our conversation, Christian reveals how an impulsive camera purchase during a period of boredom transformed into a creative calling that now defines who he is. Having shot weddings professionally for nearly seven years, he's developed a distinctive philosophy that views weddings as sacred celebrations that deserve to be documented with minimal interference.
While many photographers arrive with elaborate shot lists and time-based packages, Christian takes the opposite approach. He calls it "entering empty," allowing each wedding to unfold organically while he captures the genuine moments between people.
Beyond technical insights, Christian shares candid wisdom about maintaining artistic integrity in a social media-driven industry, his approach to making people feel comfortable in front of the camera, how he stays creatively inspired, and much more.
Whether you're a fellow creative, planning your own wedding, or simply appreciate the art of storytelling through photography, Christian's thoughtful approach offers valuable lessons about authenticity, creative risk-taking, and making work that truly matters.
Christian's website: https://noblephotoco.com/
Welcome back to Wearing Pants Again, a podcast about creative identity, self-discovery and showing up for yourself, your work and the life you want to create. I'm Lauren Siegel and each week I sit down with people navigating their creative paths to talk about the process, the doubts, the wins and everything in between. My guest today is Christian Noble, a documentary wedding photographer and the founder of Noble Photo Co. Christian shoots on film and brings an authentic, storytelling-driven approach to his work. In this conversation, we talk about how he got started with photography, why he chooses to shoot on film and how he captures moments that feel real and emotionally honest. We also get into what it means to be a creative and how to keep showing up with intention. Hi Christian, thank you so much for joining me today.
Christian :Hi, I'm stoked to be here.
Lauren:I've been following you on Instagram for a little while now and I'm a really big fan of your work. How did you get started with photography?
Christian :You know, anytime my work resonates with someone, it's cool, you know, because I'm just a guy on a couch, so it's nice to hear that it meant something to somebody. I got started because I was bored. I was living in a city and I knew I was going to be there for only a little bit of time and I had moved around a bunch for college and stuff and was like, well, I kind of have friends back home, my friends where I went to college, and I'm only going to be here for like two years, so I probably shouldn't put down roots here. And that was a good idea, because now I don't have to go back to that city anymore and visit, you know, people.
Christian :But I got so bored and so I was like I need to pick up a hobby and it just so happened to be photography. I had some friends in college that took really cool pictures and I just always thought that was cool and so I picked up a camera with my tax return and just wanted to see. Like, picked up the camera with my tax return and just wanted to see, like you know, can I do this? And through like eight or nine years, here we are.
Lauren:And how did you get started with film photography specifically?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, I shot my little sister's wedding and I cut her quite the deal. I did it for free because she's my little sister and, uh, to say thanks, she actually got me a film camera and this was like I think every, every film photographer feels like they started shooting film before. It was cool, uh, but I think I really feel like it was before, like every wedding photographer offered film, you know, and she got me an old film camera to say thanks for shooting my wedding. And, uh, and that kind of just ignited it from there, there's a film lab that I'm coastal film lab that I'm lucky to live like five minutes from Uh, and so I think getting my hands on a film camera and then having, uh, you know, access to such a wealth of knowledge and this awesome lab helped me, helped me, like, go beyond shooting my first two or three terrible roles, you know, where I ruined everything and it had to be garbage, so, so, yeah, I actually recently got a film camera.
Lauren:It was the one that I had asked you on Instagram what you would recommend. And I got the Canon. It's actually behind me, right here, I've only had one roll developed and it was. There were a few good photos, but, yeah, a lot of bad ones.
Christian :That's how it goes. For sure, I tell everyone that gets a camera I'm like just be prepared to hate like the first. You know couple hundred dollars that you put through it, but then you'll get good, and then you'll have like entire rolls or you're like no, I nailed it then you'll get good and then you'll have like entire roles or you're like no, I nailed it.
Lauren:So now you are the owner and operator for your own business, Noble Photo Co. How did that come to be, and how long has that business been going for?
Christian :Yeah, I wish I had a really cool answer for you, but I kind of only have like a grimy one. When I got into photography, I bought a camera, thinking I can make money with this, and I was just I just a little entrepreneur, you know. I think growing up my whole life I would like go to yard sales and buy you know old Nintendos and flip them and stuff like that. And so when I was bored I was like, let me see if I can make some cash doing, um, you know, like senior photos or just, you know, shooting for friends and stuff, and it's.
Christian :It seems weird to me now that it's like my life and I like truly genuinely love it and I'm so thankful for photography because it's, it's become so much more than just like how I pay my bills. You know what I mean. It's it's probably one of the bigger parts of who I am as a person. Um, but I just started out cause I was like, hey, people are paying how much for senior photos and uh, and family pictures and Christmas card photos and stuff, and so I started off just trying to as a little, a little side hustle, uh, you know thing, and then really fell in love with weddings specifically. Um, and that's kind of where it evolved from like okay, I'm going to make a couple hundred dollars, you know, a month. To like okay, I want to do everything I can to make this how I spend all of my time.
Lauren:So did you have a traditional nine to five at one point? And then, and then, when did you decide, hey, I'm going to take the risk and just do photography full time?
Christian :Yeah, I'm so sorry if you didn't hear my talk, hold on. Yeah, I had a horrible nine to five. I had this marketing analytics background and so I had a job where I woke up from at 5am, I'm sorry. I got to work at 5am and worked five to two making very boring market analysis decisions for this website that is no longer a thing and was taking pictures while I was doing that and then got laid off twice in 10 months and was like all right, screw it, I'm not applying for another job. So I kind of slowly built it up from there, I'm sorry. I slowly built it up while I had, you know, this full time job that supported me and then when I got laid off twice back to back, like that, I was like no way, I'm just gonna make this work, you know.
Lauren:So how long has it been that you've that you've been doing this full time.
Christian :Yeah, I've been full time for six years. Maybe I might almost be at seven now.
Lauren:One of the things I really love about your photography is your approach and kind of the focus on just capturing candid moments. Can you tell me a little bit about that approach?
Christian :Yeah, for sure. So I feel like, in order to explain my approach, I kind of have to explain how I feel about weddings in general. I think that you know this is my job, so I I I get that there's a certain layer of like well, you have to say that, but I really believe that weddings are probably the greatest human invention, maybe after, like the wheel. Uh, just because how often do you do people come together to celebrate love and, like you know, it transcends most cultures and that sort of thing. And you know you have, maybe your funeral is the only other time that people will come together to like embrace you and your life and your choices and stuff. And so I just think weddings are this like beautiful, sacred event and it's it celebrates the best of humanity, you know. And so because of that, as a photographer, I hold this, this event, in like such a high regard and it that led me to wanting to to capture these weddings, um, as authentically as possible. It went from being like okay, you know, these photos are cool and like I can get paid to take them, to like I kind of feel like I have responsibility, you know, to like to not turn someone's wedding into, like the launch of their influencer career, but instead as, like a genuine documentation of of their love, their love of this, you know highest of days that they're going to experience. And so, because of that, um, you know, I I had to quickly put together a way to like put one foot in front of the other and show up at these weddings and make awesome pictures that that mean something and that are meaningful, and so that that kind of led me to um, to my approach, you know, which is to try to give couples a chance to have the most authentic and, you know, truthful day that they can, with as little of my fingerprints on it as possible.
Christian :Obviously, as a photographer, you know, I have a certain eye and I use certain gear, so my photos will have a certain look to them, but, as much as I can, I want my couples to feel like, okay, that's what it actually felt like on my wedding day, and so for me, what that looks like in a practical sense is just removing as many barriers as I can, uh between myself and the, the subject and the and the day, the the experience, um, and so that looks like like I don't have a uh offering that's like time-based. You know I don't for 99% of the time. Every so often something comes along where it just has to be that way, but 99% of the time I don't shoot weddings with, like um, a strict timeline for photos. You know, obviously a wedding will have a schedule, like food needs to know when to be ready, guests need to know when to arrive. But from a photography perspective I'll keep it like as loose as I can, just because I feel like that's how you actually experience life.
Christian :You know, if you've ever been to a party or hung out at the beach, if there was like a person there that was like all right for the next 15 minutes, you know we're going to eat our sandwiches and then we'll spend five minutes in the water and then we'll come back out and reapply. So you know what I mean. Like that's not fun, that's not enjoyable, that's not organic. If you're at a, if you're going to the beach with friends, you just kind of go and see what happens. You know what I mean and I want weddings as much as I can.
Christian :I want my weddings to feel like that, and so that's a very long winded answer to your question. But my approach is just what can what's the what's like the least impact I can have on this wedding and give it the best shot at being the beautiful, wonderful, amazing thing, that it is right, like I don't need to do anything to make people happy, or like make people laugh or smile or cry or whatever, because we're at a wedding. You know, and like all of that is going to happen if you give it room to so. So my approach is giving as much room as I can.
Lauren:What made you kind of fall in love with shooting on film and talk about why you chose to incorporate that into your wedding photography.
Christian :Yeah, you know I don't think I have anything really like new to say about film, so this will probably sound like something you know people have heard before, but but film is a really awesome way to force yourself to let go, uh, of the creative process. You know, when you're on a digital camera and you can take a photo and then half a millisecond later see that photo, it's just, it's almost too tempting, right, like you, you were like, oh, that one didn't come out. It's just, it's almost too tempting, right, like you, you were like, oh, that one didn't come out, so I'm going to shoot it 500 more times and then I'll get the perfect shot. You know, um, and, and film causes forces you to to not do that, it forces you to trust and it forces you to take creative risks and stuff and um, and so that's what I really fell in love with it for.
Christian :You know, there's a lot of people that would say like, oh, this photo is better because it's on film. And on one hand, I totally agree, right, like there's no replicating the colors, there's no replicating the feel, the tactility of a film photo, but really, any photo you get on film you should be able to get on digital or any moment you know that you capture. I think you're. If you're a good photographer, you should be able to do both.
Christian :But I mean, film is just such a part of of the creative process for me, because of how much easier it is to let go and and not repeat a moment over and over and over until I get it right. You know, just trust myself and, um, yeah, there's some other technical stuff, like it can handle light, you know better. But but yeah, that's what, that's what, um, that's what has me continuing to shoot film as, like, prices go up, as, uh, as I get frustrated with bad roles or lab issues or whatever. You know, kind of that, uh, that undeniable, like magic, that that comes from it is, uh, is what keeps me coming back for sure.
Lauren:Yeah, I, I really appreciate that aspect of film photography as well. I feel like there's something that just also feels very authentic about it. Whereas you know, on the iPhone you can shoot a burst of a hundred photos, um, but when you're doing a wedding, obviously, I feel like there's certain moments that you can't go back and and redo Like, uh, so how do you, how do you does that add more pressure when you're shooting it on film?
Christian :You know, um, yeah, yeah, this is. This isn't a very marketable answer. I think I definitely try with my couples to make it clear that they are in the hands of an expert and that I'm going to do a great job, and I mean, I think that's all true. But also there's a certain element of like if I miss it, they'll never know. If a photo comes out poorly, then they came out poorly.
Christian :It was a you know a swing and a miss, but at least I swung, uh, you know, and at least, um, you know, I, I, I just I just don't think people, people know what, what you're, what you didn't get right.
Christian :They only know what you do get and what you do show them. And obviously that's not advice I would give to someone who's never picked up a camera before. But if you have like a certain level of proficiency, you know, then then you'll hit your, you'll hit the important shots, and the risks that you take will either pay off or they'll die in secret. So, uh, so, really like, once you kind of wrap your head around that or at least in my experience, once I wrapped, once I wrapped my head around that, it becomes a lot less stressful because I know that what's best for the photos, what's best for the couple, is if I try to go out there and make something awesome. And there's very few things that are awesome that come with no risk. You know, and and you know, any great human endeavor, um, you know, started with some trial and error, for sure.
Lauren:Do you go into each wedding with a shot list or some sort of creative vision based on the couple or the location?
Christian :Um, no, actually the opposite. I try really hard to do what. It might be John Dolan that coined this, but, uh, the idea of like entering empty, right, like I really want to experience the wedding as organically as possible and I think, um, you know, I think the best way to do that is, you know, it's like a good first date, right, like the conversation just has to flow, like the day just has to has to come and wash over you and you have to experience it. And I think if you walk in much like a date with like too many expectations, you're really only going to be disappointed or maybe you'll nail your expectations and you'll miss some other things.
Christian :So, you know, I have family photo lists. Like people are like I want a photo with my mom, I want a photo of my grandma, like, of course, like that's all awesome and I'm happy to do that. But in terms of like, okay, there's this epic spot at the venue here there, you know, if a couple says that, if it's important to them, I'm happy to do it. But I certainly don't spend my mental energy like trying to wrap my head around all that stuff, cause I just think, at least for me, the best results come when I am surprised and, and you know, thrilled by the wedding, not like seeing a target from a mile away and and plotting how I'm going to get this one photo, you know, cause that's, that's just. That's just the opposite of what I'm trying to do. Maybe not the opposite, but it's just. That doesn't. That's not authentic in in my perspective, um, but I mean, man, there's some awesome photographers that do do that and get incredible photos.
Lauren:So, um, yeah, Um, I was going back on your Instagram and I saw that you would do this thing where you would hand out point and shoot film cameras to guests at the wedding. Um, do you still do that?
Christian :Yeah, I do it like a lot of the time. I took it out of my contract because I a lot of my couples, I think are so in love with that idea that they arrive at it before they meet me and they bring their own disposable cameras. And so if I show up to a wedding and there's like 12 disposable cameras being passed out to guests, I don't you know, I don't add to that number because of what's one, what's a drop in the bucket, you know. But yeah, I love passing around a point and shoot film camera to guests. It's funny because I continue to do it, because it gets awesome pictures.
Christian :You know, we could talk a lot about like permission and what it's like to get invited in and trusted and like all this stuff, and I work really hard to make that happen and to build trust with my couples, but there's just no substitute for, like your bridesmaid that was like your college roommate and you held her hair while she threw up all over you.
Christian :You know what I mean Like that level of trust, like I'm just never going to get there in the amount of time that you have with a couple, and so handing out a point and shoot film camera to people is a really fun way to get like the most intimate of looks into a wedding day, because it's these people who they don't care if they offend the bride or they know how they you know, they know explicitly how not to or, or, uh, or intimately how they know how not to be, uh, you know a burden or whatever, and so you get these awesome photos.
Christian :But what's funny is sometimes you get photos that are so good that I'm like upset Cause I'm like I wish I had gotten that. You know, like I have. There are photos on my Instagram that I did not take, that a guest took on my camera and so I I kind of take credit for it as, like the creative director, but like there's a recent picture I posted that's the first kiss and I guess took it on like a $12 camera and I took it on like a $6,000 camera setup and like I love their photo so much more and it's the one that it's like the photo of the first kiss.
Lauren:I love that, though. I think that's so fun and such a fun way to you know, make it even more special by involving, you know, the people that are there. Well, I'm curious to ask in your opinion, but I'm curious to ask in your opinion, what makes a good photo?
Christian :Oh my gosh, wow, what a big question. Yeah, I mean that's obviously impossible to answer, but in my opinion, the photos that I'm most proud of, the photos that I like the most, are ones that kind of hook you and then demand and deserve a little bit more of your attention. There's more to discover. Right, like you, you look at the photo, and the more you look at it, the more you see and the more that kind of uh, you know, tickles your brain because you start to see the layers and the depth, and there's just so much to absorb that that's my favorite kind of photo, uh, you know one that's a frame full of people, um, or or just a scene that has a lot, of, a lot of depth to it. Um, that's what I, that's a photo that, to me, on a wedding day, is a good photo. If I, if it's a photo that I want to look at for more than like two seconds, uh, then I, then I'm stoked.
Lauren:And so I know you shoot weddings. Uh, you do digital and film. Do you have any sort of way, when you're at a wedding, of choosing which moments to capture on film versus digital?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. My kind of shtick is that I carry like 10 cameras at once, maybe not 10, really probably like three or four on me at all times. But I bring to a wedding like 10 cameras, and so kind of my strategy is to just carry two or three on me at any given time and then, you know, there's kind of an intuition to it all, but really like I'm going to take the picture of what's happening in front of me with the camera that I have on me, and so you know, unless there's a technical limitation like a lack of light or a certain lens that I need or that or that sort of thing. If you know, if it's just, um, you're like true blue candid photo, then I took it with the camera that I had on me. And I think that's another thing too.
Christian :I have worked hard to be proficient with my gear. But then after that I'm really trying so hard to be almost as clueless as possible on a wedding day and then kind of enter like a flow state almost where I'm just documenting and enjoying and capturing. And I think that's where, like my best photos come from, is when I didn't plan for it. You know what I mean. So, like if I'm, if I know something's about to happen, I'll usually have like one digital one film on me so that I can swap really quick if I need to. But yeah, it's kind of just the camera that I have on me. That's how I'm going to capture the moment in front of me.
Lauren:One of the things that I'm still trying to, I guess, come to grips with film photography is kind of the lack of instant gratification of seeing how the photo turns out. How would you describe that feeling for you of like you go to a wedding and then you, you're finished, but you don't even know right away how, how the photos are going to turn out?
Christian :Yeah, that's torture, that sucks. Uh, that's a horrible. If I, uh, you know, if I win the lottery, I'll probably keep shooting weddings and I'll just build a film lab in my house. Um, no, I I think the patience is. Yeah, it's brutal, Right, Like I will say this there's no better feeling, no better feeling on uh, then when you're at a wedding and you take a photo and you're like, and you feel it in your gut, you take it on film and you feel it in your gut, You're like that was the one, like that, I know it, I felt it, I know it, I nailed it, that's it.
Christian :And then you know, two weeks go by and you get the film back and you immediately hunt for that photo and you find it and you were right and you did nail it and it was perfect. That's like the best feeling in the world. And then the worst feeling in the world is the opposite of that, when you think you nailed it and then it comes back and someone's eyes are, you know, half closed in a weird way or you didn't nail it. That's torture. Um, so I mean the. The patience is just, is just part of it. But uh, yeah, yeah, I mean it's, that's just the name of the game, you know it's. It's, uh, getting good with your gear, getting confident with it, being proficient with it, and then hoping you were right, Hoping you had everything set.
Lauren:Yeah, I will say, though sometimes I feel like the photos that are mistakes or act. They actually kind of look cool and they have characters.
Christian :Yeah, I posted a photo today on my story that is getting a ton of people being like oh my God, this is so cool, how did you do this? And it is a hundred, 100% the result of an accident. I took a photo without flash that needed flash and then I took it again with flash and it's just a double. I'm sorry, it's just a double exposure and I did not intend for it to look that way, but it came out awesome and people are loving it and people are like you're so good and I just want to.
Christian :I am telling all of them like this is just completely an accident. You know, and that's a cool thing about film is, like you said, like you know, beautiful accidents.
Lauren:What does it mean for you personally to be a part of capturing this day that people are going to cherish for the rest of their lives?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, um, you know it's hard to describe. You know exactly how big of an honor it is. Um, it really hit me the first time when someone texted me out of the blue, on like a random Tuesday, a picture that I had taken of their grandpa and they said hey, I want, I just want you to know. Like my grandpa died a week ago and we used this picture for him at the funeral. It just meant so much to us that we had that and I wanted to text back like please don't ever tell me something like this again. Like you've ruined my day. This is so sad. But I mean, you know, I'm just kidding To be invited into such a sacred space and and trusted to document it, um, is is a huge honor. You know what I mean and and it it like I, I've made, I've made lifelong friends, uh, you know from from taking their photos and we just connected in a way that like, uh, you know from from taking their photos and we just connected in a way that, like you know, I'm like, can we hang out for real outside of this? Um, and you see some beautiful stuff, you see some sad stuff. You know, you, you, you get to experience so much of humanity and it's, it's just a huge honor there's.
Christian :You know, when before, before, I really found my approach, uh, and and what I wanted to do and the way I wanted to do it, it got to feel like a little monotonous. You know what I mean, and that that was kind of scary for me because I was like, no, these are, these are weddings. Like I shouldn't feel like I'm clocking in. I should feel like, um, you know, each one should feel like the, the a big deal to me, you know, uh, because, because it is a big deal, and and if I can't get my head, you know, if I can't wrap my head around that idea, um, then I, then I don't think I'm the right fit, uh, to be there. So I try really hard to keep them like sacred, you know, awesome, as as sacred and awesome as I can, because that's what they are, and so, um, yeah, I have so much respect for a wedding day.
Lauren:I guess kind of transitioning a little bit to um more of the business branding social media, um how has social media impacted your journey as a photographer and an entrepreneur?
Christian :Oh for sure, you know I am. I don't know if it's a blessing or a curse to be doing this in this era. You know, um, I think if I had it my way, I would, you know, live in the mountains somewhere and people would mail me letters saying will you please shoot my wedding? And I would mail them back and I'd say send me some money and if it's enough, I'll show up. I would mail them back and I'd say send me some money and if it's enough, I'll show up.
Christian :I'm just kidding, but you know, I think it's just a, it's just part of it, it's just part of the ecosystem, right? Like there's a place where people go to digest photos, and that's Instagram. And for better or worse, you know, if you want to be a wedding photographer and you're you didn't get the pleasure of starting 20 years ago you probably will have to be on Instagram. There's probably some annoying person listening to this right now saying, no, you could just do SEO or you could just do it, but shut up. You know what I'm talking about. Yeah, you kind of have to be present, you have to show up where people are looking, and so social media is in a sense, you know an extremely powerful tool, right, like.
Christian :I've had photos viewed by thousands of people, you know, and that's led to me getting to go to some awesome places and do some awesome things, and I don't know how I would have gotten there without Instagram. And, on the same note, it's a horrible, disgusting monster that adds so much noise to the world and is, you know, pretty horrific. So I always try to really show up. You know kind of like my approach. I try to show up as organically as possible and you know, I don't plot out my captions a week in advance and you know, if I'm posting a photo, it probably exported it from my computer two minutes before I posted it. Like, I just try to keep it as human as possible, um, and that's probably not the best strategy, but it's, it's. I don't know, I'm not willing to compromise on that, for, you know, one more wedding a year or whatever. So, uh, yeah, it's, it's a tool that, uh, that I try to keep it like an arm's distance.
Lauren:I mean I think that seems like a pretty good, authentic strategy. So I can appreciate that. I know personally I I mean I've I sometimes I really do enjoy photography, um and but I sometimes I guess I struggle on feeling like I need to choose a niche which I mean I don't even really, I don't have a photography business, but I feel, like on social media.
Lauren:Sometimes I honestly maybe it's just pressure that I put on myself. Where I'm like I need to just find a lane and stick to it, it's like how, how, how is somebody supposed to figure that out?
Christian :Right, yeah, you know, um, something that uh was said to me and and, uh, you know, I've kind of refined in my head and and it really carries me through a lot of that kind of stuff, is this idea that, like, I have two jobs as a photographer, who, um, you know, who sells what he does and who is hired out by people, right, like, if you're a hobbyist and you just want to take pictures for fun, then who cares about what anyone thinks?
Christian :Go do that and enjoy it and savor it, cause it's like a beautiful, awesome thing. But if you do want to, like, you know, position yourself in a certain way to to turn this hobby into a job, or to make money, or to you can just to get you know, position yourself in a certain way to to turn this hobby into a job or to make money, or to you can just to get you know recognition, or, or, you know, try to refine your art and that sort of thing, like, if you want to, if you want to formalize any part of it, then I think it's been a really good mentality for me, Um, kind of this idea that I have two jobs, uh, and so, although I call myself a wedding photographer. I really have two jobs. Uh, and so, although I call myself a wedding photographer, I really have two jobs.
Christian :The first job is to make art right, and that is the pictures that you see, like I um just do a lot to to keep myself creatively fulfilled, create myself creatively energized, sustain whatever words you want to use Like I do so much to make sure that I can do a good job of creating art, and that is the most important job, and it exists in its own universe and I don't let anything touch it. And then the second job is create or is selling that art, right. So the first job is creating art and then the second, totally separate job is selling that art, right? And so I try really hard not to let the two mix, because if you start making art that's easy to, if you start making art because it's easy to sell, then you're not making art, you're making commerce. And so kind of severing have you seen severance, kind of severing my mind, and I have the person that makes art and then I have the person that sells that art. Uh, that that's really been helpful. Um, and I think it does certainly mean that, like, if you're making art that's hard to sell, then you're going to have a harder time, uh, but the art will be, will be pure and it'll be organic, and I think as you get better at your art, it becomes easier to sell. And so, um, you know, I, I, there's.
Christian :There's a certain sect of of wedding photography, um, that I'm, that I'm happy to be a part of, and kind of the the. The main idea of that sect is that, like, it's all about the art and so it. You know, seo is great If you want to do SEO, if you want to show up on TikTok, great, whatever, whatever, whatever. If you want to, you know, get this awesome welcome guide. If you want to post ads, all that stuff's great. The number one thing is the art, and if you get the art dialed, then the rest of that will follow. And so that's kind of been where I've set up camp. Um, and you know, there's probably some business guru that can tell you for sure that I'm missing out on opportunities because of that. Uh, but it's been what has been the most sustaining and fulfilling and enjoyable thing for me. And uh, yeah, I'm not homeless yet, so we'll see.
Lauren:How many weddings do you typically do in a year?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, that's a good question. Um, every year I tell myself this is the year I do 25 weddings um, really 24, which would be two a month for me. Eventually I would love to do five, you know, Um, but yeah, I try to do like two a month. It really doesn't shake out to an even two a month. It'd really be like three or four one month and then none you know another month.
Christian :It would really be like three or four one month and then none you know another month. Yeah, like 20 to 25 is my sweet spot. I keep having friends and siblings and relatives that get married, and so I usually end up doing more than that Cause I just, I just love weddings. So it's kind of like do I want to sit on my couch or do I want to be at the most fun party of the weekend? So I do a bit more than that, but the every year the goal is, uh, is 20 to 25.
Lauren:And how do you stay creatively inspired in between jobs?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, um, man, huge question Um, 20 to 25, that number is something that I arrived at, uh, not necessarily financially, but just because that's about my limit before I start getting, you know, deep fried and I start, uh, you know, running out of out of creative, uh, juice and I am just trying to survive, you know, um, and so I I say that to say that, like, really, it's just about managing my workload and making sure that I'm charging enough that I can shoot the amount that allows me to be creative and fulfilled. And then, outside of that, I think, doing stuff like this, engaging with other people's creativity, supporting other, supporting other endeavors, um, switching up different mediums. You know like, uh, I really love listening to people talk about their craft. Uh, you know, I don't, I don't drink coffee, but I, I love to get in a room with, like, a person who's really into it and I'm like, oh, like, tell me about you know what kind of burr you know are you using when you're grinding the beans and stuff, and I don't know just kind of being around creative people and and, uh, investing in other people's creative endeavors like, fulfills my cup and and is exciting and interesting.
Christian :And you know, watching good movies, listening to good music, just surrounding yourself with creativity. You know things. What do they say? Like, if you water something, it'll grow. I don't know.
Lauren:So I understand you're getting married in December. Is your wedding going to be shot on film?
Christian :It better be. Yeah, yeah, no, one of my good friends, alexander Donaldson, is photographing it. I tell him, if he was worse at photography, he'd be one of my groomsmen. But he's just too talented, so he has to. He has to work.
Lauren:Yeah, yeah, he. He's going to shoot a bunch of film Awesome. Do you have any bucket list destinations for weddings that you would like to shoot?
Christian :Yeah, I want to go to Japan so bad to photograph a wedding. That's probably like 60% because I just want to go to Japan. Um, but I am just really interested in in the way that other cultures, uh, you know, celebrate weddings and and I've gotten to see a good, a good mix of that, um, you know, in the States, but I think a lot of um, you know I want to be careful to not say something that I have no actual knowledge of, but I but I feel like a lot of, like you know, eurocentric weddings have so much overlap and so really anywhere that's like different from from what I experienced is is exciting to me. Japan's probably number one on my hit list there, and then I really want to shoot like an Orthodox Jewish wedding my hit list there and then I really want to shoot like an Orthodox Jewish wedding.
Lauren:Um, so there's, there's so cool.
Christian :Uh, I'm Jewish, so that's why I think that that's funny, but maybe not Orthodox. Maybe I should have said Hasidic, uh, have you seen the videos? Or I don't know, maybe been in a room, but where they're it's just like a flood of people and they're doing uh, and they're all in black and they're doing that like super rhythmic dance. You know where have you? Have you seen what I'm talking about?
Christian :Yeah, yeah I would kill to be in the room for that Like that sound that would be photographed so well. So wherever those are happening, I want to do that. Okay, if you know anyone get me in the room.
Lauren:I'll see who I know. Um, if you weren't doing photography as your career, what job would you want to be doing?
Christian :Yeah, um, okay, the job that I would love to do, that I don't, I don't think I could, but I would love to do standup comedy, or maybe not standup comedy, but be in the world of comedy. That's probably the art form that I most appreciate. Um, you know, writing for movies or something like that, I think, is so cool, such an impressive skill. I wish I was, um, I wish I was brave enough to try to do both. Uh, so if I could do anything, then that would probably be it. Uh, but I think realistically I don't know, I think realistically I would it's hard to imagine not doing photography, maybe like creative, if both my hands fall off and I can't take pictures anymore. Maybe like creative consulting, and maybe that's when I would finally start trying to do mentorships and talking to people about creativity. But no, I really hope my hands don't fall off because I've been trying to do photography for a while.
Lauren:What's one piece of advice that you would give to your younger self when you're just kind of starting out on your photography business journey?
Christian :Yeah, invest in cryptocurrency. No, I'm just kidding, I'm not a crypto person. I think something that really finally clicked for me and made a huge difference was just this idea that the only thing you really have is your unique perspective. Right, and so I would have encouraged myself to stop trying to replicate other people's work, stop trying to chase uh, you know what was viral, and try to make something that really meant something to me.
Christian :Um, I think the sooner you can figure that out as a photographer, the better, and then that'll be what feeds everything else. If you're making work that no one else can make, then you can charge more, you can do it more often, you'll have a better engaged audience and it'll just all around be better. You'll be more fulfilled, you know, to say the least, and you'll make work that resonates with you. So I think there's this temptation, or maybe this pressure, to fit into this box of what you think other people think a wedding should be like. But really, as a photographer and as an artist like, all you have is your unique creative voice, because if your work looks like everyone else, then you can really only compete on logistics, on price, on availability, on uh, you know other boring stuff. But as soon as you start making something that really only you can make and start building a portfolio that's truly yours, uh, then that really only you can make and start building a portfolio that's truly yours then that really opens up the world for everything else.
Lauren:Yeah, that really resonates with me because all part of what inspired me to want to start this podcast and something I've been struggling with for the past few years is just trying to like distinguish, like what do I want to make versus you know, you go on social media and you see what everybody is doing and I I have this idea of what I think I should do. Yeah, I think, should I be doing that? And then I realized I actually I don't really want to be doing like silly TikTok dances Like uh, you know.
Christian :No, totally. I mean that that pressure is is so real and like you know it real and it's undeniable. And I think the thing is, if you go and you look at the people who are making stuff that you really enjoy, it feels so authentic to them. And I think sometimes there are people who position themselves as photographers or TikTokers or podcasters or chefs or whatever, and what they really like doing is like the is they like business, you know, and what they're actually good at is business, and like there are photographers who if tomorrow they woke up and couldn't be photographers, they would start, you know, business selling yo-yos or whatever, and do just as good, because what they're actually interested in is marketing and sales and networking and like all that stuff. And so I think that there is like, oftentimes, this like muddying of the waters, where you see someone who's doing something and they're really good at it, but it's so refined and it's so clinical and like so well orchestrated, you know, and and it's, it's impressive, right, um, and you think like, oh my God, this person is such a good chef or whatever, but what they really are is a good business person and they're they're killing it in the business world.
Christian :And I think that if you're that kind of person, then, amazing, go be that kind of person. You know what I mean. Like, if you're that kind of person, then this podcast, then you could just interview someone every day, put them out, you know, on all over TikTok, all over YouTube, all over whatever, and eventually find, you know, whittle, whittle it down until you have your success model and then just do that forever and you could have, like this huge podcast. And if that's what you're into, then great and go do that.
Christian :But if you like, want to be like an artist and you want to make something because it means something to you, then you probably have a harder time with the other, or maybe not a harder time, but maybe like a slower climb and more of an uphill climb, because you'll have to, you have to do the hardest thing of all, which is like peer inside yourself and and figure out what means something to you. And then, how do you? How do you? How do you get that out there? And you know so it's just. It's just two sides of the same coin, but I think, um, it's easy to compare yourself to what other people are doing, but oftentimes you're kind of comparing yourself to your idea of what they're doing and not really what they're, like, actually doing. I feel like I've kind of gotten off track here a little bit, oh yeah.
Lauren:That makes sense yeah.
Christian :Yeah, I don't know. I just I just see so many photographers where I'm like, oh my God, they're like doing all this stuff, and then I think about like, what does it take? What did it take for them to get there, and I'm like it probably took so much more, like you know, blogging than I ever want to do and I don't want to blog, you know so I'm not going to. And if my business in air quotes suffers because of that, well then fine. But I didn't spend my time doing a bunch of crap I didn't want to do because I thought I was supposed to, cause I saw someone else doing it. You know, like I think the only, the only way forward that you really have is is the one that means something to you.
Christian :Wow In my in my humble opinion.
Lauren:Um, do you feel like you remember a point in your life where you kind of stopped worrying about what other people think of you and you just said you know, this is what I want to do. I'm going to stay true to it.
Christian :No, I worry what other people think of me all the time. Wait, really, yeah, of course, if I post photos and they don't hit the typical benchmark of what they normally do, it's a poison, it's a horrible thing. I wish I could stop. But of course I noticed and of course I'm like dang it, you guys didn't like this. I thought this was so cool. No, yeah, I think to pretend like that stuff doesn't bother you is inhuman. You know what I mean. I very much care what other people think about me. Um, I try not to. I don't think it's, I don't think it's good, I don't think it's helpful. Um, I think I kind of got to a point where I was like okay, what I'm doing isn't working, I'm not fulfilled. I'm shooting these weddings.
Christian :They all feel the same and I hate it and I left a field that, as boring as it was, paid the bills and my health insurance wasn't weird, and I had vacation time, you know, and I got Christmas bonuses and like all this cool stuff, um and but. But it started to be not fulfilling and so I started to think like, okay, I hate this and I have to fix it.
Christian :And that just kind of came with trusting myself. And, and it became clear to me, it was explained to me by by the people that had gone before me on this path, that what I was saying like you really only have yourself, and so it didn't come from this like, oh, he's, he's got this level of confidence or this level of like who cares? You know that that I, that no one else has it came from like, all right, you're telling me I have to leap to uh, to do the thing I want to do. So I'm going to leap and I'm going to hope. And the more you leap and the more you hope and the more you try and all that good stuff, it does get easier. Uh, you know, but um, but no for sure, I, I care what other people think. I think I think everyone does, and anyone that says they don't, nah, whatever.
Lauren:Yeah, I guess, I guess, uh, it's good to to care a little bit, Um, and by I, I, I, what I'm trying to work on personally is just being able to, you know, put yourself out there and put whatever your work out there, without you know worrying about how, like, even if, even if it doesn't get a certain number of likes, like, I guess, as long as you think it's good, that's, I would like to think that that could be all that matters, you know, yeah.
Christian :Oh well, I mean for sure, and I guess I should say this like me saying that I care what other people think about me isn't like good.
Christian :Like I wouldn't say like, oh yeah, like you should really be worried what other people think about you, but I just think it's part of the human experience, you know.
Christian :And so I think to pretend like I don't care is doing a disservice to you know, whoever listens to this and wants to make something awesome, I would hate for anyone to feel like, oh, like I have to shed the weight of other people's opinions, like, if I don't know, if you can hear my dog, she's barking again. If you can shed the weight of other people's opinions, then great, do that. But that's like that's a lot of work, you know, that's a lot of emotional and mental growth that a person has to go through, and I think you can make awesome art and put it out. You know, before you achieve Nirvana, before you are enlightened, like you should make things and put them out and just deal with the insecurity and just feel that and let it wash over you and don't dwell on it, don't make it worse for yourself, as you can. But, yeah, put something out and be insecure for a little bit. Who cares, dude.
Lauren:I know you posted on the Instagram. Did anybody have any topics that we didn't touch on that you would like to cover?
Christian :Yeah, yeah, I actually got like three different people saying the same thing and it was Well, let me read it. I don't want to misquote these people, okay, and of course it's gone. No, yeah, people ask basically, like, what do I do to make people comfortable around my camera? And how do you get candid moments without, um, without people like staring down the lens? You know, and I'm excited to answer it because I feel like, um, I feel like I have some practical advice.
Christian :Uh, I think that there's this like kind of idea that like, uh, photographers who are making cool candid work are just like on this other plane of existence and they're like floating through the wind, just capturing photos and no one, no one knows they're there and no one notices them, and like they just are these sneaky ninjas or, like you know, these other worldly beings that are just doing the impossible. But that's not true, Right, like they're all extremely normal people and um, so for me, it's just a bunch of gimmicks, like stacked on top of each other, combined with an attitude and a desire, and an earnest desire, to create a candid environment. But I do things like I meet the couple beforehand, like I haven't shot a wedding in over a year no, probably over two or three years where I was meeting the couple for the first time on the wedding day. I do everything I can to meet people in person, in real life, before their wedding. Uh, just because what a crazy concept that I would be meeting you face to face for the first time and like, within the first 20 minutes of us meeting, I'm like photographing you in your underwear, right, like that's like that doesn't happen in in real life and like, if you're life and if you're meeting someone and they have a giant camera and they're in the room with you, you're going to be aware of that camera. That's just how it goes right. And so if I can meet you beforehand and we can laugh together, we can spend some time together and I can get a sense for what it's like when you're in a room. You can get a sense for what I'm like in a room and you can see how I take up space and what my voice sounds like and you know what I I don't know like you just get a sense for this person and then, when the wedding day rolls around, I can show up as your friend and then it's like oh, there's my friend, christian. I'm so glad they're here, not like, here's the photographer. Now he's going to photograph me getting dressed Like I. You know what I mean.
Christian :Like I just think it's such a weird concept that you would be meeting these people that you're about to share the most intimate day of their life with, and you're meeting them for the first time, and then like rolling right into business. So that's a huge thing for me and that extends to guests too. Like I, in all my packages I include the choice between an engagement session or a welcome party coverage, and I'm thinking about switching it to just the welcome party, because it's that same logic, right? Like I can meet the couple, but also I can meet their friends, I can meet their family, I can meet their loved ones, and then on the wedding day, it's oh, I know, that's the photographer, he's cool, I know him, we laugh together, we're friends, and so I can just say, oh, what's up, dude? And then they ignore me because in my mind, in their mind, I'm not this like unknown entity, I'm just a, just a guy, you know. And then I can be just a guy around them and get cool pictures, cause they have kind of released themselves mentally from from my presence. You know, um same thing goes with, like, parents and stuff.
Christian :Like, I think a lot of people assume that my approach involves like, oh, like we're not going to take any formal photos and we're not going to line up in a line and take a nice picture. But I love doing that because what I've found is that, like, it gives mom and dad and aunts and uncles and grandparents, it gives them the mental permission to check that photo off of their mental list, right, like they know, okay, I've got the photo with my kid, now I can go enjoy and I don't need the photographer anymore. So I'm just going to kind of ignore him. And that's when you get, like, the magical photo of the mom, you know, laughing with her daughter, watching dad dance on the dance floor or that sort of thing. So I do a lot to try to be a familiar presence, to try to be a person that people are comfortable around.
Christian :You know, I think, um, uh, to speak generally, I think, like being a dude uh can, can be helpful, cause I can kind of speak uh, dude language to to the other dudes, you know, and uh, I, you know, I definitely want to be careful not to back myself into the corner of being like the bro photographer, cause that's definitely not my vibe, but uh, but you know, I I'm nervous in front of a camera too, like I. You know I don't love getting my photo taken. But, uh, being able to, to relate to the guy and, and you know, just make it clear to him like, hey, dude, I'm not here to make you feel silly, I'm not here to make you do a bunch of crap you don't want to do. I'm here to help you have a good time, get some good photos and go from there.
Christian :And obviously, you know, speaking very generally, that's not the case with everybody, but uh, I think that's a, you know, a bit of a superpower. And then I think the last thing I would say to that is, like it just kind of comes with shooting a bunch of weddings, you know, and and I've had multiple people say, like, you see, you are so calm and I think that that's, you know, invaluable. I think if people see that you're not freaking out, then they're not going to freak out. And if you're not frantic, then they're not going to be frantic. And if you're relaxed, and they're going to be relaxed, and that's like that's when all everything aligns and you get, you know, incredible photos because people are being themselves, because they're comfortable.
Lauren:What do you hope people feel when they look at your photos years from now?
Christian :Oh my gosh, um, I hope that they, I just hope it's frictionless, you know, I hope that, um, I hope that people look at my photos 10 years from now, 20 years from now, and they, they, they, it just feels smooth and it just feels like, yeah, that was what that was that day and that was who I was, and that was that moment, you know, and and it just feels organic and authentic and like truthful, you know, and it's almost it's it's hard to describe, right, because it's like, how do you want people to feel about art? It's like like a comforting painting. You know what I mean. My parents had this painting up in their house of this angel and that's like, I don't know, that's just a comforting image to me because I grew up seeing it all the time and my not to veer too far into this, but my parents are pastors and religion was a big part of my life and they prayed over us all the time, and so that image of an angel, it's an angel like watching over a child as he sleeps, which sounds so creepy, uh, but like, just that's how I grew up with parents that, like you know, they prayed over me and that meant a lot to them and that was one of the ways that they showed me that they love me. And now when I see that image, I'm just like, yeah, that is my parents' house, you know.
Christian :And so my hope is that 20 years from now, people feel that way about their wedding photos, you know, and they think, yeah, that was my wedding and yeah, that is my love story and that is.
Christian :You know, that is what my mom was like, you know, if she's gone 20 years from now, like, yeah, you know my grandpa, like, this is a picture of him and it really embodies who he is, that would be like the dream. My hope is that 20 years from now, I get to walk into a client's house and see a photo that I took that's still on the wall because it only got sweeter. It didn't spoil. You know what I mean. It didn't spoil, you know what I mean. It didn't go bad. It didn't lose the context of Instagram and of TikTok dances and of you know, trendy, you know stupid trends that aren't going to be around in a year. You know it wasn't built on those things. So, when those things are gone, the heart of the photo is still there because it's built on the truth and beauty and love that's at a wedding.
Lauren:Well, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me today.
Christian :Yeah, absolutely. I'm thrilled. I hope this goes well. I can't wait to listen to everything you put out.
Lauren:Thank you so much to Christian for joining me. I really appreciated this conversation and getting to hear more about his creative journey. If you want to see more of his work, you can follow him on Instagram at noble photo co. I'll also link to that in the episode description. If you're enjoying the podcast, it would mean a lot if you followed the show and left a five-star review. Thank you so much for listening and I'll talk to you next time. Thank you.
