Levi Tijerina
Wedding | Last Updated: April 4, 2024
Hey folks, my name is Levi Tijerina and I’m a photographer based in Colorado, in the heart of the Rockies.
I began photographing weddings as a way to experience the world. Five years ago, I was pursuing an international job in higher education, however the standard of a nine to five didn’t fit really fit me. I opted instead for something creative, rather than practical. I think something innate within all of us is the drive to make something meaningful. My pursuit was to accomplish that through art and creativity—something to pass on to the next generation that wasn’t strictly economic in nature.
Weddings have always been a way for me to quench the thirst I have for anthropology and sociology. Having lived in Europe and North America, I’m keenly interested in the dynamics of how we exist. The concept of Marriage—unity among two disparate people—is something I find profound, as well as profoundly humbling. Across every culture and ethnology, a sense of Togetherness.
In terms of photography, I want to create something timeless.
I shoot all prime lenses: Canon 24mm f/1.4
, Canon 35mm f/1.4
, Canon 50mm f/1.2
, and Canon 85mm f/1.2
, with preference being given to 24mm
and 50mm
. I love the depth of the 24mm and how much you can condense into one image. On the 50mm, I love how true-to-life it is and how soft-yet-sharp it can be at the same time. I use two Canon 5D Mark III
bodies. Additionally, I also use a Fuji X100T
as a way to capture some of the more intimate moments, particularly during the getting ready portion of the wedding day.
I’m not a really big fan of flashes, so while I have a few Canon 580 EXII
s, I tend to use them only for dancing, drag-the-shutter shots. Instead, I use a Lowell ID Light
as my primary light source for speeches, toast, and evening activities. To me, it’s so much more authentic and natural and it allows the images to still come alive without feeling forced and light they were frozen in space (and not in a good way).
Lastly, about half of the weddings I photograph are destination and travel weddings, so my passport gets pretty good use along the way. I use a Pelican 1510
to carry all my gear, and an insert from TrekPak
to keep it all organized. It’s a life-saver and stores easily overhead on a plane.
I occasionally break out the Canon 135mm f/2
and Canon 45mm f/2.8 TS-E
, but I use them so infrequently that it’s truly not worth mentioning.
When I add on too many choices, it can make me indecisive and make it harder to actually focus on the story as it unfolds. Simplicity is key.
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