Gabby Garcia Photography - wedding photographer - Guatemala

What is your specialty or personal style?

I like photographs that feel beautiful without feeling too perfect. A little editorial, a little spontaneous, lots of color, movement, emotion, and personality. I’ll absolutely step in and direct you when you need me, but I also know when to disappear and let something happen. My favorite galleries have the polished portraits you want to frame and the slightly chaotic, very real photographs that make you laugh ten years later.

Couples hire you because…

They want their wedding to be documented beautifully, but they don’t want it to feel manufactured for the camera. My approach lives somewhere between editorial direction and honest observation. I care deeply about light, composition, color and creating photographs that feel intentional, but I’m equally interested in the moments I could never plan—the movement, the emotion, the people, the beautiful little imperfections. I think my couples come to me because they want art without losing the truth of the day. Photographs that feel elevated and considered, but still unmistakably like them.

What’s your favorite aspect of your job?

That I get to see people at their most human. Weddings are beautiful, obviously, but what gets me is everything underneath that—the dad trying not to cry, your best friend looking at you from across the room, your grandmother dancing, the five seconds after the ceremony when you realize we actually just got married. I’m married myself, so I think I experience weddings differently now. The photographs are beautiful, but the marriage and the people in them are what give those photographs their value.

What aspect of your job never ceases to give you butterflies or make you excited?

The few seconds before one of them walks down the aisle. I’ve photographed 200+ weddings, so theoretically I should be completely chill by now. I am not. There’s something about everyone standing up, the music changing, one person waiting at the other end, and knowing that I have to photograph something that is only going to happen once. That moment still gets me every single time.

Describe the personalities of the couples you get along best with.

People who are deeply in love and not afraid to have a VERY good time. They care about beautiful photographs, but they care even more about actually living their wedding. They’re affectionate, a little adventurous, probably willing to sneak away with me for ten minutes because the light is insane, and not devastated if their dress gets a little dirty. Basically: good taste, big feelings, and willing to trust me when I say, “Wait. This is going to look SO good.”

What part of your business are you best at?

Reading people. Photography is obviously a huge part of my job, but weddings move fast and people are different. Some couples need a lot of direction. Some need me to back off. Sometimes I need to organize 25 family members in five minutes, and sometimes I need to notice that a quiet moment is happening and absolutely not interrupt it. Knowing when to direct and when to observe is something I’ve learned from photographing hundreds of weddings—and I think it’s one of the most important things I bring to a wedding day.

What is your communication style?

Clear, thoughtful, and collaborative. I like my couples to feel that they can always come to me with an idea, a question, or something that matters to them. As we get closer to the wedding, my communication becomes very intentional. We’ll go through the timeline, light, locations, family dynamics, meaningful traditions, and the visual direction of the day so I can arrive already understanding what matters most. I’m very involved in the preparation, but on the wedding day, the goal is the opposite: I want you to feel present, trust that I know what we’ve planned, and let me take it from there.

What achievement, moment, or success are you most proud of in your career?

Building a career where people trust me with something this important. I've photographed more than 200 weddings now, and that number is still a little crazy to me. But what I'm most proud of isn't really the number—it's that after all those weddings, I still care. I still want the next gallery to be better. I still get excited when I know I made a photograph that feels like someone.

Is there a wedding destination or type that’s on your bucket list right now?

Give me a multi-day celebration with incredible traditions, fashion, color, family, and a dance floor that gets slightly out of control and I am IN. I’m based in Guatemala, which has given me the most incredible playground of old architecture, color and history, but I really want my work to keep taking me into new places and cultures. I’m especially drawn to weddings where there’s a lot happening—not just visually, but emotionally.

What is your favorite thing to do when not working?

Swimming, 100%. I swim around 1,600 meters most days, and it’s become my favorite way to completely disconnect and reset. I’m also really into Pilates lately. And then there’s the other side of me: I love a really good burger, trying new cocktails and mocktails, and spending time with my family. Being a present mom is really important to me, so when I’m not photographing other people’s memories, I’m usually busy making my own.