reigh walker education

This is the book you've been waiting for.

Paperback: $27
Hardback: $35
E-book: $10

stop just taking photos.

start telling stories like a master narrator.

introducing story: The storytelling guide for wedding photographers

let go of prompting,
say hello to storytelling

You're a talented photographer. You know your way around a camera. But you're starting to feel like you're stuck in a rut, taking the same "safe" shots at every wedding. You're scrolling through Instagram for "inspiration," but nothing feels authentic to you.

What if you could do more than just document the day? What if you could tell a story?

go beyond
shot lists

Learn to find the hidden narratives that are waiting to be told at every wedding.

how to change that

this book will help you

find your narrative voice

Develop a style that is authentic to you and deeply meaningful to your clients.

master the art
of observation

Learn to see the subtle cues and emotions that others miss.

I wrote this book for photographers that don't want to rely on prompts, who want an internal shift.

This book helps you change your mindset when it comes to shooting weddings. It helps you to look at each wedding as an individual story, and how to translate that story into your images. 

never panic at weddings again.

So, What's actually in this book?

I'm glad you asked.

What Is a story?

highlights in These chapters 

Part I lays the foundation for becoming a true storyteller with your camera. Dive into what makes a compelling narrative and the emotional core that transforms a collection of photos into a living, breathing story. You'll learn to see the world not just as a series of moments, but as a series of tiny, interconnected stories waiting to be told.

Learn the crucial difference between a "plot" (what happens) and a "story" (why it matters)

The "Story Arc" of a wedding day, and how to capture the beginning, middle, and end of the love story in front of you.

How to identify the essential building blocks of a story—character, setting, conflict, and theme—within the beautiful chaos of a wedding day.

Part I

Characters

highlights in These chapters 

A story is nothing without its characters, and a wedding is filled with them. This section teaches you how to see beyond the couple as merely people you're photographing, and instead view them as the protagonists of an epic story, surrounded by a rich cast of supporting characters. You'll learn the art of finding subplots to bring to life the story of the wedding in an even richer way.

Part II

Understand the unique dynamic and history of your couple, and how to translate their connection into powerful images.

Move from directing poses to documenting authentic interactions for photos that feel alive.

How to tell the story of the side characters to add depth to galleries.

Narration

highlights in These chapters 

The chapters in this section teach you how to find your voice, how to select a point of view to narrate each moment from, and a full chapter on one of the most overlooked aspects of photography - curating. 

Sensory vs. Emotional vs. Movement focused storytellers

Part III

Photographing from a first person vs. third person POV

Learning to approach curation as if you were an art museum curator

Creating Context

highlights in these chapters

The chapters in this section focus on techniques that will take your wedding photography from feeling flat and lifeless to images that really shine through context. Contextis what brings storytelling to life. It's the framework that gives meaning to moments, the subtle elements that tell viewers why they should care about what they're seeing.

Using color theory and color stories in your photographs

Part IV

How to use traces, juxtoposition, and traces in your images to create a story in a photo.

Creating visual metaphors with your photography 

Connection

highlights in these chapters

This chapters bust the myth that you either have "it" — that magical ability to connect with couples and capture authentic moments — or you don't. That some photographers are just naturally good with people and others are destined to create awkward, stiff photos forever. Just like anything, connecting is a skill.

Building rapport and creating trust with clients 

Part v

Reading the room and learning how your energy is an exchange with your subjects

What being photogenic actually means - and your role in that

technical mastery

highlights in these chapters

Even though being a good storyteller is about so much more than your camera settings, you still need to know how to use your tools. It's like being a writer — yes, having a great story to tell is the most important thing, but you still need to know how to structure a sentence and when to use punctuation.

Learning to stop looking for "pretty" light, and looking for the light that will tell the best story

PArt VI

Being okay with technical imperfection when it can tell a better story.

How to create narrative arcs in your images using a combination of light, distance, point of view, focal point, and levels

Creative sustainability

highlights in these chapters

Creative energy isn't infinite. It's not even consistent. It ebbs and flows, peaks and crashes, shows up uninvited and disappears when you need it most.
Yet somehow, as wedding photographers, we're expected to bring our full creative selves to every single wedding, regardless of whether it's our first wedding of the season or our fifteenth. Because for our couples? It's their only wedding day. And they deserve our best.

How to understand and protect your creative cycles

Part vII

The emotional weight of wedding storytelling - because it's not just physically draining, it's emotionally draining, too

Burnout, and the difference between short term burnout and long term burnout - and the warning signs.