We’re introducing a new mini series of interviews with future attendees of The Experience this October in Vancouver. Next up is Darren Roberts – a Canada-based wedding photographer.

Darren loves spending time with his family and 4 kids. He can often be found in the mountains hiking and camping all year round. He also enjoys jumping on the trampoline with his kids, planning their next family adventure, and trying to convince his (very allergic) wife to let him get a dog.

We caught up with him recently and this is the last in our mini interviews with upcoming Experience attendees.

Thank you Darren for sharing with us.

MEET DARREN

CAN YOU TELL US A BIT ABOUT THE STYLE OF PHOTOGRAPHY YOU SHOOT AND WHAT MOTIVATES YOU TO SHOOT IN THIS WAY?

I’m not really sure how to define my style. My goal has simply been to showcase couples in unique landscapes or mountainscapes in a genuine way. I’d say most of that stemmed from personal enjoyment of being in the backcountry hiking and camping.

what is your camera set up for weddings and/or personal work?

For weddings, I shoot with 2 Fuji X-Pro2’s. This year my go to has been the 35mm/0.95 paired with the 16mm/1.4, but last year it was the 56mm/1.2 paired with the 23mm/1.4.

For personal, I shoot with a Leica m6 and it’s always got a 50mm on it and my go to film is Portra 160 or Tri-X 400 pushed 2 stops.

Are there any key lessons from 2016 that you can share with us?

You bet!! Last year I shot 55 weddings and it was a ton of work!! I have no plans to do that many on my own again, but the thing I quickly learned was that I needed to give up control and outsource my editing. It was such a lifesaver and allowed me to stay sane and continue to enjoy what I do. I think for anyone that is shooting 20+ weddings a year, they should definitely consider outsourcing their work. This will be hard if you are still playing with a million different presets, but if you have your editing dialed in, it’ll be a breeze.

Can you share a recent image you are particularly proud of and tell us why?

This is the most recent and I shot it last weekend. The night before the wedding, we learned that the road to the location we had picked a year ago had been shut down due to a massive avalanche. So the morning-of was a big scramble to find another mountain top location equally as impressive (or better) than what we had been busy planning for over the last year. I really felt the pressure to deliver some great views with no time to scout things out so we were kind of winging it. It was stressful, but in the end everything worked out and we found some pretty great spots for their elopement. Aside from the backstory, I just loved the area we found and how it doesn’t feel like other Alberta-based backdrops.

Which photographers outside of your style are currently inspiring you?

There is actually a guy I went to school with named Justin Poulsen. He’s cranking out some pretty cool conceptual work right now. He is someone that really knows how to “create” an image through craft and photoshop. He’s also starting to do some pretty cool things with photos and motion.

We’re stoked you’re joining us this October in Vancouver. Our theme is “Ideas . Inspiration . Action.” Is this your first time attending and what do you hope to gain from attending The Experience?

This will actually be my 2nd time attending. Can’t say I have anything specific I’m hoping to gain, just inspiration and connection with other like-minded creatives. I’m just planning to come with an open mind, a notebook, and some dance moves.