Hi I’m Alexander, a wedding and engagement photographer with my home base in the heartland of America, Des Moines, Iowa. 

I get to witness the most important moments of people's lives.  I get to see how two people come together in love. They spend many months if not years planning all of the details and coordinating every last item and I love the experience of crafting together a series of images that speak to those moments of bride and groom. These images are a narrative, a story that bridge a connection to those moments as time goes by.

I offer an artistic style with a traditional twist.  I try to capture the most intimate of moments without intruding.  I love the raw emotion, and always cater to a timeless natural approach to their day.  

I’ve always had a fascination with the tools I use, especially gear. There is something about it that gives inspiration to push it to the limit and create something incredible. I’ll be the first to admit, I am in love with the gear I get to use on every wedding and engagement. Although the gear doesn’t make the photographer, it can certainly open a creative door or solve a circumstantial situation. I’ve been growing and tweaking my kit since my first camera back in 2010.

Cameras:

Nikon D850 – I can’t talk enough about finding the camera that makes you feel good, and the Leica does just that. It feels like a tank, and yet also feels like almost nothing is between me and whatever I’m shooting. The files are stupid pretty and it just makes me happy whenever I’m shooting something with it. This has become the camera I use for engagement sessions, elopements and couples formals on the wedding day.
Nikon Z 6 – The absolute newest addition to the family is this little (no seriously) guy. I was impartial to the mirrorless hype for the past several years (mostly because the thought of fully switching systems is daunting), but when Nikon dropped the Z7 and this one, I knew it would be an incredible asset, especially as the my videography game picks up. I mean, Pro Res RAW anyone?

Lighting:

Godox AD200 (x2) - These are my go-to for all things artificial light. They usually make their appearance for the reception, but sometimes they help with the ambient fill for family formals. It’s their flexibility and versatility that really sell them for me. More power than a speedlite, but a quarter of the weight of a strobe.

Godox V1 - Because of the AD200s, I went all in with the Godox system. With the X-ProN trigger, I can adjust the power, zoom, and on/off functions of all my lights. The V1 is for when I’m on the dance floor with OCF. Rear curtain sync at a slow shutter speed and we get some epic light trail dance shots.

Lenses:

Sigma 50mm f/1.4 – I once looked back through my Lightroom Catalog to see which lens I used the most and this was the clear winner. I shoot about 70% of every wedding with this lens. It’s sharper than a Miyabi Kaizen Chef’s Knife and I rarely put it away. It stays on my Nikon D850 for most of the day and it never disappoints. Here’s a tip, pick up the Sigma USB dock (especially if you have more than one Sigma lens) and fine tune this guy until you’re cutting like Morimoto. 

Sigma 24-35mm f/2 – If the Sigma 50 f/1.4 is the captain, the Sigma 24-35 f/2.0 is the first lieutenant. It stays on my Nikon Z6 for most of the day and is brought to my eye at any chance of a wide shot. I use this guy for wide landscape setups and environmental portraits throughout the day. I use to have both the Sigma 24f/1.4 Sigma 35 f/1.4 but I’m always trying to lighten my bag, and with this lens, it’s like having 3 primes in one.

Sigma 85mm f/1.4 – This is my latest lens added to the arsenal. I previously had the Sigma 135 f/1.8 and then switched to the Sigma 105 f/1.4 but decided to trade up for this lens. (It’s much smaller and doesn’t weigh 30lbs) Its name precedes itself as the “Bokeh Master”. Never have I gotten more smooth and buttery bokeh portraits. It’s also great for taking a handful of steps back and capturing some amazing compression at a shallow depth of field. That being said, it’s tough to not keep this on my D850 all day.

Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 – I had to ask myself if this lens was worth its weight for the wedding day and I have yet to find a better option for ceremony shots. It’s reliable. It’s a tank. It’s what I use to make sure I can be at the back of a church and still get a key shot of the kiss. It only comes out for ceremonies, but when it does, I always have a peace of mind.

Tamron 45mm f/1.8 – I only bring it with for a wedding if I’m also shooting video. With it’s Vibration Control, and mid-range focal length, it becomes the go to for handheld video. Smooth and buttery.

Nikon 105mm f/2.8 Macro – This lens comes out only for the details. It’s perfect for rings and flowers and although I’ve heard it can hold its weight as a portrait lens, I’ve just never leaned on it for that. Once I picked it up, I started enjoying the details of the day so much more!

Nikon 45mm f/2.8D ED PC-E – This is quite the specialty lens, being a tilt shift, and if you have the chance to play around with one, I suggest you jump on it. It’s typically used for correcting distortion, but I use it to unleash the creativity with portraits. It’s a challenging lens, but find a few tutorials or other creatives that open its potential. Yes you Sam Hurd and Eric Floberg.

Bags:

ONA Leather Brixton – This bag is just simply amazing. It’s the perfect size for my Nikon D580 with the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art attached and my Sigma 105 f/1.4 Art, along with space to throw in a Godox v850ii for immediate access to OCF. Apart from what I can fit in it, the bag’s genuine leather ages with every shoot looking better week by week. 

ThinkTank Streekwalker Hardrive - This is my pack mule. Although it’s a backpack, I usually leave it in the car, or tucked away at the venue and use it as a homebase for all extra batteries, lighting, and adapters. I keep my Nikon 70-200 f/2.8 VII packed away until the ceremony in here as well as all my filters and reflectors.

Tech & Other:

Apple iMac 27” 2017 – This is the focal point of my studio. It’s spec’d out nearly to the max with 48GB of memory, 1TB SSD, and 8GB of GPU. It handles all my photos in Lightroom and Photoshop, along with any video work through Adobe Premiere Pro. It’s a beast and can handle anything I’ve tried to throw at it.

Loupdeck + - I started with the Palette Gear and have since moved to this little gem. For those who don’t know it’s an input device for Lightroom to bring all adjustments to tactical knobs and buttons on a custom keyboard. It’s magical and it’ll cut your editing time in half (no, seriously) I can’t not use it to crank through batch edits on a wedding.

Wacom Intuos Tablet - Unlike the tablets of tomorrow, Wacom tablets have been around for awhile and they bring the ergonomic pencil input to your computer. I’ve got the medium sized one and I use it for precise edits.

Apple iPad Pro 12.9”– Since my wife is the one with the Macbook Pro, I use this guy for everything on the go; mostly studio management things and consults. Not quite up to caliber for editing, but it can crush everything else.

Audiotechnica ATH-M50 Headphones – They stay at my desk and they are as good as everyone says, tried and true.

Apple Airpods - These for on-the-go listening, mostly podcasts and audiobooks.