We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Brandon McKay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Brandon below.
Brandon , so excited to have you with us today. So much we can chat about, but one of the questions we are most interested in is how you have managed to keep your creativity alive.
This is a great question. For me I think on a wedding day I don’t need to really be creative though. I need to see what is actually happening and capture that. I think when we try to be really creative as wedding professionals it’s putting our bias on the wedding and the couple might not see it like that. Now I’m all for capturing things in different ways, different angles, and playing around but that’s also why I have a second shooter!
I think editing is where you are really digging into your creative side. But even with editing I’m looking to make it feel just like it did in the moment!
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I’m Brandon Allan, a wedding and couple photographer and videographer based in Nashville, TN, and Charleston, SC. I run Brandon Allan Photography, where I focus on a documentary-style approach, capturing moments as they naturally unfold instead of staging or over-directing them. I believe your wedding day isn’t a photoshoot; it’s a story you’re living in real time, and I’m there to tell it exactly as it happened.
What excites me most is creating work that feels deeply personal to each couple. Photos and films they can look back on years later and immediately be transported back to the emotions of the day. I’m not just documenting what things looked like, but how they felt. That emotional connection is at the heart of everything I do.
Right now, I’m especially excited about expanding my work with couples who want both photo and video coverage, which allows me to tell their story in a richer, more complete way. I’ve also been building out free planning resources like guides, checklists, and timelines, to help couples feel confident and stress-free before their day even arrives.
Whether I’m shooting in Nashville, Charleston, or halfway across the world for a destination wedding, my goal is always the same: to create honest, timeless, and artfully told stories that my couples will treasure forever.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Looking back I think three things have made the biggest impact on my journey. First is building real connections with people. In the wedding world trust is everything and the more I focus on connecting with my couples as people the better the work becomes.
Second is learning to see and anticipate moments before they happen. This comes from years of practice and really paying attention to body language energy and the little cues that tell you something meaningful is about to unfold.
Third is adaptability. Weddings and shoots rarely go exactly as planned so being able to pivot quickly without stress keeps the day running smoothly and allows for creativity in unexpected moments.
For anyone just starting out my advice is to invest in relationships as much as you invest in your craft. Practice relentlessly but also observe people and situations so you can read a room and be ready for those fleeting moments. And when things go off script do not panic. Some of the best work you will create will come from embracing those unplanned situations.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal clients are couples who value being fully present on their wedding day. They care less about everything being perfectly posed and more about the real moments they will remember years from now. They trust me to do what I do best which is to blend in and document the day as it unfolds.
They are the kind of people who laugh easily get emotional without holding back and are not afraid to let the day be what it is rather than forcing it into a script. They see their wedding as an experience to live not a production to manage.
When a couple comes in with that mindset the connection is stronger the process is more enjoyable and the final photos and films feel like them in the most honest way possible.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.brandonallanphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brandonallanphotography
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