Inside the Work of Wedding Photographer Helaina Storey
Helaina Storey brings a photographer’s eye shaped by years spent inside weddings from every angle. With a background in planning, her work is rooted in deep observation, emotional intelligence and an instinct for the moments that sit just beneath the surface. Her approach blends documentary honesty with an editorial edge, capturing weddings as living, breathing stories rather than curated events.
THEODORE Mag: When did you start wedding photography, and what inspired you to become a wedding photographer?
Helaina: I’d been a wedding planner for nearly a decade, but always knew I was meant for something deeper. I adored curating these wholesome celebrations of love, but was often most captivated by the memories, nostalgia and human connection beyond logistics and aesthetics. I had been fascinated by the art of observation and the remarkable ability to freeze time since playing with my first homemade pinhole camera as a child and finding myself continuously drawn to the moments beneath the surface and the rawest, most intimate and less obvious magic of my client’s wedding days, I decided to pivot, bought my first camera, taught myself the basics, and have never looked back. Less curation, more emotion.
I know this was what I was always meant to be doing, and everything had been leading me here, but my previous planning background gives me a wonderful insight into the endless layers of a wedding from a whole other perspective, which is incredibly useful in my role as a photographer and all-around wing-woman/confidant!
THEODORE Mag: How would you describe your style in your own words?
Helaina: I describe my style as editorial reportage. A documentary/photojournalistic approach with an elevated edge. Inspired by fashion but unobtrusive, natural and effortless.
The focus for me is on both sophisticated style and precious moments in equal measure, and I am drawn to the perfect chaos, minuscule details, and pausing to capture those ephemeral moments in time. The unobvious. I am forever in pursuit of unearthing the most unequivocal beauty in the 'ordinary'.
THEODORE Mag: What inspires you outside of photography and weddings?
Helaina: As a mother of three, family is everything to me. I am all too aware of how fleeting life is, watching my own teenage children grow so quickly into little adults before my eyes. The evolution of a human and their soul and the stories that shape them, are what drive me. I am inspired most greatly by psychology, the privilege of aging, different cultures and eras, and the knowledge that tomorrow is never guaranteed. Time is our most precious, irreplaceable commodity, and I have an overwhelming desire to ask it to stand still, to respect it as nature.
THEODORE Mag: What can couples expect when they book you for their wedding?
Helaina: Above all, I aim to make you feel seen.
I work with patience and care to capture moments you might not even realise are happening, which go by in a complete blur when you are overwhelmed, soaking in all the love, happiness, and joy on the day. It's my job to notice these fleeting fragments of wonder and preserve them for you, for eternity, in a cinematic, poetic, and creative way.
I notice what others might miss and capture it with authenticity and intention, honouring the heartbeat of your day and the people that make it. Your images will be future heirlooms and individual works of art that tell your unique love story as a collection.
THEODORE Mag: What’s your favourite part of a wedding day to capture?
Helaina: This changes constantly as no two weddings are the same. Any moments that reveal the subtle nuances and spirit of my couples and their loved ones in their most natural, relaxed, and vulnerable form really speak to me. This might be during the anticipation of the wedding morning, as the couple prepare perfectly in sync but unaware, an overwhelmingly heartfelt speech delivered on behalf of a passed parent, or a moment of uncontrollable belly laughter between guests. The true magic lies within the micro-stories, in the unexpected moments in between.
THEODORE Mag: How do you approach telling each couple’s unique story?
Helaina: Whilst I live for the natural, candid moments and my style is predominantly documentary and unobtrusive, I am certainly not a fly on the wall. I immerse myself within the day as though I’m part of the family, shooting from within your circle rather than from the sidelines. I’m a guest with a camera, in the thick of the action, earning trust, unveiling the true individual essence of the people I’m surrounded by, and adapting to a multitude of tones and personalities.
I will laugh, cry, and dance on the tables with my couples and their guests, and come away from almost every celebration having made genuine, lifelong friends, with an understanding and appreciation for what sets their hearts on fire. This honest, empathetic, and endlessly passionate, unfiltered approach is often described as palpable in my collections.
THEODORE Mag: Has your work changed or evolved since you first started?
Helaina: Absolutely. I think, if anything, I've become increasingly free and honest with each event I’ve photographed, learning to rely on and fully embrace my creative instinct and unique perspective with every collection, which is what I think makes my work unique.
I shoot as I feel rather than how the industry might suggest I should. And with every season, this becomes more and more natural to me as I continue to lean unapologetically into what makes me tick and grow as an artist with little thought for technical rules or the status quo. It’s all about heart, and photography is my therapy. It's human and real and evolves with me.
THEODORE Mag: Looking back, what’s a moment from a wedding that really stays with you?
Helaina: Oh, there are so many. I am never not in awe of the moments I get to immortalise in tangible form for my couples. But I think one I remember particularly fondly was a spontaneous, hilarious group portrait session in the bathroom during a manor house wedding in Ireland. We were all rolling around on the floor, cackling uncontrollably as the bride squealed that it was the best moment of her life, before the groom casually walked in, unaware to use the toilet and then joined her in the tub, surrounded by 20-30 of their girlfriends, pouring champagne over them, singing their hearts out and howling with euphoria. I remember standing there as an observer and a participant, breathless and ribs hurting from laughter, and thinking to myself just what an immense honour it is to witness and capture such incredible experiences. The perfect example of friendship, trust, passion, realness, unity and joy. That day will live with me forever.
Visit helainastorey.com
Instagram @helainastorey
DISCLAIMER: We attempt to credit the original photographer/source of every image we use. However, in most circumstances, the images we use are provided by the brands spoken about, and we rely on them to inform us of the image source. If you think a credit may be incorrect, please contact us at info@theodoremagazine.com
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