Host Michael Coombs interviews wedding photographers Joel and Justyna about their spontaneous, guest-like approach to capturing weddings “from the inside out,” prioritizing how people feel over perfect shot lists. Joel traces his path from growing up around photographer parents in Ottawa to being scouted for modeling, buying a camera, second-shooting weddings in 2009, and eventually expanding with Justyna from local work to Toronto, Montreal, and global destinations. He describes assisting his father—Canada’s official royal portrait photographer—during Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee portrait, emphasizing months of preparation and the importance of people skills. Justina shares her fine art and art history background and how creative fashion/editorial projects led into weddings. They explain abandoning heavy pre-planning after timelines, weather, and other variables, keeping only essentials like details and family photos, and attribute growth to local excellence and word-of-mouth relationships over content trends.
00:00 Spontaneous Wedding Philosophy
00:34 Meet Joel and Justyna
00:52 Joel’s Winding Career Path
03:55 Assisting the Royal Portrait
06:07 People Skills Behind the Lens
07:30 Justyna’s Fine Art Origins
09:07 From Craigslist to Weddings
10:28 Ditching the Shot List
13:28 Planning Versus Pivoting
16:18 Fashion Influence on Weddings
20:15 Why Couples Connect
23:39 Confidence and Self Portraits
25:22 Going International from Ottawa
28:53 Final Thanks and Subscribe
**Links :**
Michael Coombs
Joel & Justyna
