We’ve had the great privilege of working with the talented husband-wife duo behind Rustic White Photography for years. Robert and Tiffany Peterson have helped the WOM team bring countless visions to life through stunning editorials in the entertaining, interiors and bridal realms. Their passion for their trade and ever-growing creativity is contagious, and has us excitedly anticipating the beauty to share with you in the days to come. In our interview below, we stepped behind the lens with Rob and Tiff:
How did you come to find yourselves as wedding photographers?
We certainly didn’t grow up thinking we would be wedding or editorial photographers. Tiffany was working in the education field as a pre-school teacher and I was working in the movie industry as a film editor. After our wedding, Tiff was inspired to start shooting photos – mostly families and kids. I picked up Photoshop so I could edit her images, and soon I found myself stepping out and shooting alongside her. When the first wedding came our way we actively tried to scare them off by suggesting a price tag we never thought that they would pay. We had no wedding work to show, or wedding experience for that matter. They cut us a check on the spot and suddenly it was trial by fire – we had just enrolled ourselves in a crash course on wedding photography.
Where do you find your inspiration? Do you have any tips for others to keep the passion/creativity well full?
There is certainly inspiration to be found all around. Social media and the internet can almost overwhelm the senses with ideas and inspiration for the next project, but I think we find our greatest inspiration when we simply have our cameras in hand. We’ve been very fortunate to shoot and expand our portfolios outside the wedding industry, and this in turn has only made us stronger photographers for our brides. Shooting interiors and lifestyle editorials has taught us about quickly styling a room or scene to tell a story. Capturing athletes or public personalities in studio has taught us about lighting styles and techniques. Stepping out of our comfort zone though scary and uncertain has always rewarded us with fresh perspective and inspiration for the project ahead.
How is it working as a husband-wife duo?
We always joke that we went for broke together. We were married and then decided within a year to quit our prospective jobs and to go into business as a couple. Then we just threw a house and our first little one on top of that to keep things entertaining. Managing all of this simultaneously is hands-down the toughest part and the best part of working together. We both say we could never imagine doing this with someone else. The work is in many ways non-stop, but at the same time we love what we do and we get to do it together so it doesn’t really feel like work. But we still have to be able to step away from it all and just connect as a couple now and then too, and with our daughter as a family. If we’ve had a particularly long stretch of workdays one of us will usually call for a day out of the house and away from the computers.
We always joke that we went for broke together. We were married and then decided within a year to quit our prospective jobs and to go into business as a couple. Then we just threw a house and our first little one on top of that to keep things entertaining. Managing all of this simultaneously is hands-down the toughest part and the best part of working together. We both say we could never imagine doing this with someone else. The work is in many ways non-stop, but at the same time we love what we do and we get to do it together so it doesn’t really feel like work. But we still have to be able to step away from it all and just connect as a couple now and then too, and with our daughter as a family. If we’ve had a particularly long stretch of workdays one of us will usually call for a day out of the house and away from the computers.
Was there a moment or project when you realized you were doing exactly what you should be doing?
I can’t place my finger on an exact moment when we realized we were doing exactly what we should be doing, because it’s been more of a general process of seeing how our strengths, and our innate personalities have led us to being the type of photographers we are. There is still so much we hope to learn and grow with as photographers, but our backgrounds have given us a unique approach and perspective that is entirely us.
I can’t place my finger on an exact moment when we realized we were doing exactly what we should be doing, because it’s been more of a general process of seeing how our strengths, and our innate personalities have led us to being the type of photographers we are. There is still so much we hope to learn and grow with as photographers, but our backgrounds have given us a unique approach and perspective that is entirely us.
You can really feel the love between the couples you photograph and sense that they’re completely at ease. As photographers, what do you do to help your clients relax and enjoy having their pictures taken?
This is a big one for us because we believe the experience of being photographed is just as important as the final product. The first thing we do to help our clients relax is talk a lot – not because we love our own voices, but because if our clients are listening to us and engaging with what we’re saying then they’re not busy being self-conscious. We share stories, make jokes, and most importantly we stay positive. To capture couples genuinely laughing and enjoying themselves you need to create an atmosphere that allows them to do so.
This is a big one for us because we believe the experience of being photographed is just as important as the final product. The first thing we do to help our clients relax is talk a lot – not because we love our own voices, but because if our clients are listening to us and engaging with what we’re saying then they’re not busy being self-conscious. We share stories, make jokes, and most importantly we stay positive. To capture couples genuinely laughing and enjoying themselves you need to create an atmosphere that allows them to do so.
