Colorful and Candid Wedding Photography in Arkansas
Hey! It’s an absolutely beautiful fall day and I am freaking pumped to talk about my favorite subject: Colorful and Candid Wedding Photography.
More specifically, I am so excited to share a few of my fave secret ways to create colorful and candid wedding photos no matter the time of year, time of day, or vibe your wedding falls under. If you’re new here, my name’s Lissa Chandler and I’m a colorful wedding photographer based in Northwest Arkansas who shoots wherever the wind blows! My photos are bright, colorful, a little messy (in the best way!) and seriously fun from start to finish. And when I photograph a wedding day? I want the final photographs to feel like it felt!
Let’s dig in and talk about how I do this by embracing colorful + candid wedding photos!
Little Side Note: So excited to features some sneaks from my 2025 fall weddings on this post!
Want wedding photographs that pop with color? Light and texture matter!
One: I use light and texture to really make colors pop.
My favorite thing about light is real simple: it moves! My fave thing about texture? One wood panel could have, like, fifty different shades of brown. By embracing this – the shadows in a door way, the vines in a bouquet, by harnessing every kind of light possible – I’m able to create really fun and creative photographs that feel like little memories. Here’s a little of what I mean! Think of a flash light: If you point it at one thing, the light fans out and eventually falls off in a circle. Think about your first walk down a gravel road carrying a plastic yellow flashlight. Where was the brightest color? The middle!
By loving light and using it in all forms – low light, weird light, unique light patterns, etc. – I’m able to capture color in so many different hues. It’s amazing how light and texture play into this to create such a wonderful, memorable feel!
Love candid photos? Let’s focus on feelings, not perfection.
Two: There is no such thing as as a perfect photo. There are, however, photographs you can feel.
I know! Every couple wants – and should want! – absolutely incredible photos. The longer I shoot, though, the more I veer away from the idea of a perfect gallery or a perfect photo. There’s no such thing as perfect and it’s one of the most amazing facts of life. Have you ever heard of that story about the art professor who divided her class into two? One half was told to make the perfect ceramic bowl. The other half was told to make as many bowls as possible. Who do you think ended up with the best work? The second!
Don’t get me wrong! I’m not saying that I snap away for no reason or just make photos for the hell of it. I’m saying that, instead of waiting for (or constructing) everything to fall together perfectly, I am constantly communicating with my clients. And not just communicating – we’re celebrating. I don’t spend fifteen minutes fixing a wedding train. I’m not going to stop a first look because someone turned the wrong way and stepped into bad light (can you even imagine?!). I’m not going to interrupt a mother hugging her daughter because there’s a makeup bag behind them. Instead, I’m going to roll with it and catch as many emotions as humanly possible. Cause at the end of the day? That’s what it’s all about!
P.S. Yessss I am the chattiest photographer you’ll ever meet. Sometimes I feel like a hummingbird.
As a colorful wedding photographer, I’m looking for moments.
Three: On a wedding day, I move nonstop. I’m not saying I never take a breather – I’m almost 40 and have three kids, lol – but, when I’m shooting, I constantly move. This is true throughout the whole wedding day but it is extremely true during receptions. My husband likes to joke and call it my “wedding pace” around the dance floor and reception area because that’s basically what I’m doing – walking around people watching with a camera in hand. And when I see something that might look like it might maybe be a good photo? Like a group of people telling jokes or kids spinning in circles or a couple of grandmas gossiping? I am there! I step in, take my photo, and keep on pacing until I find the next photo.
Colorful and candid wedding photography doesn’t just happen – it’ something that needs to be sought out and looked for!
Whew! That was so much fun to write!
If you are engaged (or almost engaged!) and are looking for a colorful + candid wedding photographer who will tell you ridiculous stories about her kids, laughs so hard that she’ll have to wipe tears from her eyes, or a colorful wedding photographer who’s a total (cool?) mom, I am your girl.
Contact Me Here to Chat About Your Wedding Day!
Just be warned: I am really freaking chatty. Be prepared for a whole bunch of excitement headed your way!
Galleries + Links + More
Weddings | Engagements | Seniors | Families | Personal | Photographers
Etsy Shops: Merch Shop | Mockup Photos | Opal and June Website
Based in Fayetteville, Arkansas Lissa Chandler is a portrait and wedding photographer who celebrates life one photograph at a time. Lissa is also the owner of Opal and June where she offers funny animal shirts your grandma would love, bookish + history merch, and eclectic art history gifts. Additionally, Lissa is the host of the laid back, conversational podcasts Your Photographer Mom and Our Favorite Villes.
As a creative photographer in Northwest Arkansas, Lissa doesn’t niche down on a genre. She niches on a feeling instead! That feeling? The huge, happy feeling of hope and excitement that you feel as a kid opening up a huge box of 120 crayons. Sound like a feeling you remember? Let’s shoot!