Barefoot & Bearded: Capturing Weddings in Their Truest Form

Australian photographer Joel of Barefoot & Bearded isn’t interested in perfection; he’s interested in capturing the truth. What began as an unexpected leap from surf photography into a friend’s wedding has evolved into deeply intuitive, documentary-led wedding photography rooted in presence, curiosity and genuine human connection. His work departs from the perfectly curated, copy-and-paste mould of modern wedding photography, instead honouring the real, unrepeatable moments that become a family’s visual history. For Joel, photography is less about performance and more about heirlooms; images that feel lived-in, honest and undeniably you.

Joel, can you take us back to the beginning? What first drew you to wedding photography, and how did Barefoot & Bearded come to life

Photography started as a hobby where, at the time, I was focused on surf and lifestyle photography, then I got asked to photograph a friend's wedding at an art gallery in Newcastle. During this wedding, I was anxious, scattered, and worried that I wasn’t going to do a good job or that I might miss moments. The day after, the anxiety had settled, and I realised I actually really enjoyed the fast-paced nature of the day; it was a good challenge! When I sat down and started editing the shots, I realised I actually did pretty well for my first wedding, so I decided to submit the gallery to a local wedding magazine. It ended up being featured in the magazine. This gave me the confidence and motivation to start my journey!  

Oh, and Barefoot & Bearded… It was just a name I came up with to stand out. At the time when I started wedding photography, the boho theme was running hard, and I was a long-haired barefoot hippie, so I thought it was suitable. Very different to who I am now, haha.

Your approach is all about capturing energy and real, unposed moments.  Why is this way of working so important to you?  

Trends come and go, but real authenticity remains true forever. I encourage my couples to think about their wedding photos in the same way they think about their old family photo albums. The photos aren’t curated, posed or even good half the time! But they have the true essence of a moment in time. Most of the time they are captured from other family members without even really thinking. They aren’t professional photographers with the latest digital camera and big, fancy lenses, but they still hit the sweet spot.  

That is my whole purpose. I want to capture images that feel like they belong in a family album rather than a finely curated Pinterest board.  

My gripe with wedding photography is that no two couples are the same, but why do all wedding photos look the same? I want to look at wedding photos and see all the real shit. I believe your wedding photos should represent who you truly are, not just what you look like in your wedding outfit.  

In decades to come, you don’t want to look at your images and just see models; you want to see yourself.

What do you think couples gain when they let go of the idea of “perfectly posed” photos and instead embrace the rawness of the day?  

I believe if you go in tunnel visioned on anything in life, you don’t remain open-minded and curious enough to go with the flow.

When I first started my career in 2014, I went into every wedding with a shot list of stuff I knew that worked. But as I have grown in my photography, I reflect on those earlier weddings, and I kick myself that I didn’t capture some key moments just because they weren’t “trendy” or going to get me heaps of likes on Instagram. I am ashamed to admit that my focus was on getting photos that would push my business, rather than being truly genuine to the couple and their day. Now, every wedding I go into, I have no plans. I have enough faith in myself as an artist and photographer to adapt to new people and environments, and to follow my instincts to document what is really happening.  

On a wedding day, my couples don’t want to get taken away from their friends and family for hours for posed portraits. Actually, about 80% of my couples don’t want to go for photos at all and just let me focus on strictly candids. But if they do want a nice photo or two, literally 10 minutes is all I need.  

I see myself more as a documentary/street photographer who happens to shoot weddings. Ever since I have made this change in my vision, when I reflect on my photos, my cheeks become sore from smiling so much. I know my couples feel the same.  

As I mentioned before, my goal is to capture photos that belong in a family album, which become heirlooms.

I’ve always believed that photography is a mirror to a memory. I’d rather your memories be of time with loved ones than of a photographer asking you “to put your hand on his shoulder, yes, now lean in for a kiss”…  

How do you immerse yourself in a wedding to truly feel the atmosphere and capture it authentically?  

This is hard to articulate. Instinct. It is a feeling of following the energy, flow and people of the day. As I said before, I go into weddings with no plans or visions and just remain open-minded and confident in following my curiosity.  

My approach is to capture people in candid moments, so I have to be subtle and be aware of what is happening around me. This is where the street/documentary photographer comes out in me. In saying that, I do not isolate myself from people at weddings; I am someone who gets involved with the guests and am more than happy to stop and have a good chat. I find that the more connections I build with your people on the wedding day, the easier it is for me to get in amongst the real moments and capture them.  

I also photograph exclusively on film/analog cameras… I know this seems like a weird thing to bring up in this question, but I feel it is something that helps me remain present on the day. I don’t have the distraction of a screen to take me out of the present and reflect on whether I got it or not. I have to carefully choose my moments, slow down, and make sure every time I take a photo, it is intentional.  

What kind of couples are naturally drawn to your style, and what do they usually share with you about why they chose you?

It’s funny, actually, since I have adapted this style of candid and documentary approach, I generally get one of two couples…  

Either I get couples who are creatives. Either photographers themselves or those who work in a creative field like architecture or graphic design see the creativity in my work.  

OR, I get couples who almost weren’t going to get a photographer at all because they don’t like the traditional approach to wedding photos. They don’t want to feel the pressure or anxiety of being curated into something they are not.  

With this, I find I walk into many different environments of weddings, whether it be in an Art Gallery, an underground bar or a backyard wedding. Either way, as long as the day is genuinely what you guys want for you, and not what you feel you need to do, then I am there!  

So it is funny, I get couples who either really care about photos, or kind of don’t really care at all. Even though they are both so different, they both have the same ideology in mind for what they want for their photos. Real, raw, authentic, candid and unposed! I had a couple once describe my photos as “people watching”, which I  actually fucking love.  

When you think about the kind of legacy you’re creating with your images,  what do you hope couples and their families will see and feel in your work years from now?  

I have used an analogy for years where I say I want my photos to age like red wine. When you first get the gallery, you don’t get a full gallery of hero shots, cliffside on sunset, with a veil blowing in the wind… But what you do get are real, authentic interactions and moments of humans being humans.  

My photos may not even make sense to people who weren’t there, but that isn’t my goal. Those who were there will look at the gallery with a smile, a laugh and at some point say “oh that is so them”.  

Overall, my goal for the legacy of my images is that they become family heirlooms. I latch on to this word “heirlooms” a lot. When I change my way of thinking to capture heirlooms rather than just photos, my whole approach shifts to something way more personal.  

What role does storytelling play in your photography, and how do you approach building that narrative across a gallery?  

If I am being completely honest, I never consider this with my photos. I never think about the end result and how the whole gallery will appear. My main focus constantly is to remain present, curious and follow my intuition… I  like to think my galleries tell a story of the day in the rawness of what it truly was.

But this is a subconscious side effect of what I do, not something that I consciously consider.  

With my process of shooting analog, I actually give couples every single photo from the day. Anything that is exposed and turns out, I deliver, whether that be a blink photo or a soft image, I deliver it all. I believe it can sometimes be the imperfections of analog that bring some romantic perspective to the day. No one is perfect, no day is perfect, so I love keeping it real and delivering the images that aren’t always perfect. One man's trash is another man's treasure. Who am I to dictate what my couples find beautiful?  

By keeping all these authentic moments in the gallery, it just creates a perfect story of their day all on its own.  

You’ve described your style as raw and street-inspired. What other influences, personal or creative, shape how you see the world through your lens?  

This is a huge question for me. I actually teach photography and creativity at  photography workshops, and my main focus when I teach is an area I call “Creative  Diet.” This is a concept where what you consume creatively influences what you create subconsciously. It alters and shapes your vision of what you see in the world. My creative diet is rich in many different forms of art, not just photographers, but musicians, painters, ceramicists, directors and many more!  

I would say the biggest influence on my creativity comes from those legendary photographers who photographed back in the 60s-80s of street photography. I am a fan of photography as a whole, not just how it exists in my wedding work. I am obsessed with the history and the greats of the craft, such as… Bruce Gilden, Fred Herzog, Stephen Shore, William Eggleston, Diane Arbus, Sebastio Salgado and many, many more. These artists are able to capture the true essence of a moment in time as it is.  

I spend my days consuming photo books from these artists and many more. I like to think it influences the way I capture everything around me, not just weddings.  

Photography is visceral to me, not just what I do to get paid.  Everywhere I go, I have a camera on me, and I get the most enjoyment out of capturing my friends and family. It is these photos I am able to reflect on in time and  get a true sense of what photography truly has the power to do, and this helps me  focus on what my goal is to capture with couples.  

Running Barefoot & Bearded isn’t just about photos; it’s also about connection. What’s the most rewarding part of building those bonds with couples?  

Creating connections is the main priority of my business. The photos are just a side effect of my reflex.

I am very proud to admit that post-wedding day, my couples remain good friends. There have actually been some weddings where I have made new friends with guests at the wedding and stayed in contact with them to this day.  

Like many business owners, a good review really makes you feel good. But the reviews I get are something different. They express their gratitude for my presence at the wedding, not just the photos. That for me is something extremely special.  Photography is pretty easy these days with modern technology, so taking a good photo that looks pretty isn’t hard. But creating a space where couples feel comfortable and grateful to have you on the day is nothing you can fake or cheat.  This is real shit from real connections, so when couples express to me they felt understood, supported and heard, and that they feel comfortable to have me capture their special day, that is all I can ever ask for. This gives me purpose.  

Finally, what do you hope couples feel when they look back at their wedding photos in 10, 20, or even 50 years?  

Time is a very interesting ingredient when it comes to photos. Life moves so fast  these days, relationships change with friends and family, so reflecting on photos  can bring up a broad range of feelings.  

But overall, all I hope for is that in decades to come, couples get their wedding photos out of the shoebox in the attic, can pick up any random photo in that box and just smile.

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