Through the Lens

Summary

Tyler Ghali, event and wedding photographer who started in high school yearbook before stumbling into weddings as a college second shooter, walks Rachel through the documentary approach that pulls candid photos most couples don't realize they want. The standout stories: a Hawaii beach session interrupted by someone standing nude behind the tree line, a dance-floor photo he had to Photoshop because a guest was falling in the background, and an elopement at the Degrassi Museum that turned into a vendor-collaboration repost.

Key takeaways

1. The candids are the photos clients didn't know they wanted — Tyler tells couples up front he may not catch every requested shot. What he does catch: a guest crying as the bride walks the aisle. Social media has made readers stop wanting perfect and start wanting honest.
2. A second shooter is not a luxury for weddings — One photographer does the couple, one does candids, table settings, and getting-ready. Two focuses, tag-team through cocktail hour and reception. Trying to do it solo means you're picking which moment to lose.
3. Pivot the angle, save the photo — During a Hawaii beach shoot Tyler caught someone nude in the tree line behind the couple. He stopped, changed the scenery, changed the angle, kept shooting. The captured photo stayed in his head, not the camera.
4. Pinterest is a budget conversation, not a brief — Couples bring Taylor-Swift-wedding boards. Good wedding planners reel that in with options that fit the actual budget. Wooden chairs instead of acrylic. The board is a starting point, not a contract.
5. Service standards travel across industries — Tyler's bartender pet peeve is sitting on stools at events with sleeves rolled up. If you have time to sit, you have time to clean. The standards he holds his own work to are the ones he reads in everyone else's.

Transcript

00:00 With over 33 years in the mobile bartending and service industry, he is the guy who brings the party and the joy. She's a seasoned event planner. Together we are Hot Mics, Cold Drinks and Untold Disasters.

00:27 This is the Event Talk podcast with Dave and Rachel.

00:31 Hi I'm Rachel. Welcome to the Event Talk podcast. We are here today with Tyler Ghali — I told you I'd screw this up every time. Ghali. Mike — Harley. Welcome. I met you at the Event Talk when I hosted in person. You are a photographer and event photographer, still the youngest person we've had on the podcast. Today's mocktail — spicy pineapple margarita topped with Topo Chico, with a lime and jalapeño garnish. Cheers. I'm very scared how spicy this is. I'm a good Arizona girl — I like my spice. But when I can't taste anything, just taste spice, not my favorite.

03:08 I was actually a photographer in high school and college. Started doing — I was the head photographer for our yearbook, president of the photography club. Loved black and white. Then worked for a photography studio — senior portraits. In college I did wedding photography. Always secondary, never the lead. Did not want to be responsible for somebody's special day and me screwing it up. So secondary, was really fun.

03:38 My mom is a graphic designer and did photography in high school as well — kind of introduced it to me. I didn't start wedding photography right away. Nature and portrait photographer. One of my closest friends — Portraits by Maya — she lived on my dorm freshman year. She said she was a photographer. We pulled up her Instagram and I was like, you do this full-time. So then I was like, why don't I try it? Started with family photos, graduation photos.

04:41 Now I love wedding photography. I give you so much credit — stressful situation. If you don't have a planner or coordinator, photographers are usually the next person in line that knows the timeline. Have to communicate with DJs, catering. It's a lot. There's been times where I'm like, "they told me they want this specific shot." I tell my clients — "I may not be able to capture every moment that you request." Covers me a little bit. If I do falter and don't deliver the quality in that specific moment, I have an alternative my second captured.

06:43 You hire professionals. Don't have crazy expectations and you're going to be happily pleased. Social media has changed everything — the best weddings are not perfect. I always tell people candid photos are the ones they're actually wanting. They don't realize they want them. I'm a documentary type of person. If I capture a guest crying while somebody is walking down the aisle, I'm going to focus more on that.

08:00 Depending on the package — second shooter. One photographer is like, "here's a couple," the other is candid shots, table settings, getting ready. Two focuses. Tag team. Cocktail hour. Detail shots during reception. Hard for one photographer to do it all. Mentally I have a checklist. Flexibility time in my timelines so if I do falter I have 30 extra minutes to get those shots.

09:00 Taylor Swift and Travis — the trend is going to be a Taylor Swift wedding trend after the wedding. Like billionaires you can't afford. Wedding planners reel them in: is this realistic for your budget? Give them options — wooden chairs instead of acrylic. What they're looking at is Pinterest boards.

11:31 Starstruck moment — I was doing a U of A coach's wedding, secondary. Half the U of A old basketball team. Richard Jefferson — I just remember looking through the camera going, "you're so pretty." Poor Luke Walton was on a boot and crutches. Not starstruck — just unexpected. Most starstruck moment was a New Year's Eve wedding going straight into New Year's. Disco balls up above with baby's breath in them. The setup wowed me, not the person.

14:25 Wild moment captured on camera — I haven't captured anything that's very. I went to Hawaii this summer. Couple reached out for beach photos. Going over to where the tree line is, telling them to stand. All of a sudden I see somebody nude behind. I was like, I can't take this photo. Pivot. Changed the scenery, changed the angle. Didn't find anybody else nude. Captured in my brain photography.

16:13 The most I've captured — I had to fix stuff in Photoshop. Photo turned out great but I look in the background and I captured somebody falling on the dance floor. The picture turned out great. I could have sent the raw image with the unedited Photoshop version — "find the five things different." But I respected the client and delivered what they hoped for.

19:01 First time hired — an elopement. Bride wanted to get married at the Degrassi Museum in the chapel area. Originally she wanted to do it at Mount Lemmon. Stressful — I was all by myself, first elopement. Went really well, smoothly. Photos turned out great, clients loved them. Tagged the Degrassi Museum and they reposted as collaboration. A lot of wedding vendors are relying on the collaboration aspect.

21:39 If you are working an event you should tag. Times have changed. That's why I started Cool Off in Style — vendors refer each other, we want to see each other. There's a lot of us out there. Let your vendors do what they do.

22:55 Memorable event — like the nude tree guy. Funny stuff. Persian rugs on the floor — riders. My most surprising thing happens to be in the catering side. One time we had a catering in the middle of nowhere and I didn't think to ask if it had a water source. Used bottled water for the chafing dishes. Had to clean dishes out in the middle of the desert.

27:38 Sound guy not showing up — never had it. I'd be the entertainer. Going back to the accessibility conference, sound issues during breakouts. Fortunately fixable on the back end.

28:53 Funny story not normally public — wholesome. There were times in college I was sober for everybody. Mushrooms came up — never to me. The same party — people don't realize you get to see every single photo booth photo.

31:25 Photographer pet peeve — bartenders sitting on stools at events with sleeves rolled up. Get off the stool, roll the sleeves down. If you have time to clean, you have time to clean. Service standards travel across industries.

33:13 Technology — film photography is becoming a big thing again. Why? People want it. Costs ~$700 to shoot real film. As photographers we can mimic film photography even though it's digital. I'm light-and-airy but true-to-color. If a client wants dark-and-moody — that's not my style. You're hiring me for my art. We try to tell every client.

34:34 I did behind-the-scenes for Wedding Crashers — videographer and photographer style shoot. Done at Caña Hotel. Dark moody Valentine's style. I changed my editing style for this shoot — capitalized on asking my followers on Instagram, "how did I do with this style?" Almost everybody loved it.

35:36 Anybody ever done superheroes for a wedding? Not yet. The couple that got married at In-N-Out Burger made national news. We were the bar server. The after-party there. Now I know couples that go to these restaurants and quote-unquote get married there but they didn't really — they just made it look like and we capture that moment.

37:19 Thank you Tyler for joining us today. I love the naked scene in the forest in Hawaii. You should have saved the picture though. Yeah, storage on my phone is a thing — I have to constantly update. Thumbs up, subscribe, comment, follow on YouTube and Instagram @theeventtalk, plus Spotify.

37:22 Thanks for tuning in to the Event Talk podcast — Hot Mics, Cold Drinks and Untold Disasters where every event has a story. Until next time.