Denise Motz

Hello, I’m Denise Motz, a free-spirited thrill seeker and adventurer who loves to travel the world to make reportages of weddings and people.

I’ve been doing this now for four years and I hope there are many more years to come.

I studied fine art and in this period I tried every creative medium. In the end, photography was the one that fitted me the most.

I started to combine this with wedding photography and this created a unique visual language, of which I can say that I know what I stand for! Good friends of mine asked me to shoot their wedding for the first time and I fell in love with it. I get the most energy from capturing all these beautiful characters.

My first wedding I shot with a Nikon D7100 and a Nikon 18-105mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. That was all I had and it worked out the way it did.

After a year I bought my first full frame camera and my eyes were opened. I never wanted to go back to use the other camera.

Also my lenses changed and I didn’t wanted to use zoom lenses anymore, so I figured I needed two cameras to shoot with and two different lenses. It makes me more creative.

I don’t use a lot of gear, because I think it will hold me back. I want to keep it light and easy. Gear is just one thing, but what you get to see on the image is much more important for me.

Cameras

Nikon D610 – This was the first full frame camera I could afford. The quality of my images evolved and I’m still very happy with it.

Nikon D750 – I heard a lot of good stuff about this camera and I tested it with friends. I needed a second full frame camera and we are best friends now.

Lenses

Nikon 35mm f/1.8 – I chose this lens because it’s perfect to shoot a wedding with. I shoot 80% of my images with this lens. I love to tell stories and with this lens I can show it easily.

Nikon 85mm f/1.8 – This lens I have for the wedding ceremony and portraits. I can be off quite a distance and still get that tear or smile while not interrupting the moment. For portraits it’s really nice to create depth.

Nikon 28mm f/2.8 – I use this lens to shoot the wedding party. With the party, you are so close to people and you want to show the most you can, so it helps to have a little wider area to shoot in.

Lights

2 x Nikon SB700 – I only use on-camera flash. I know how to use flash, but I really like natural light and try to use the flash only when it’s needed – at a party for example.

Bags/Straps

I have a National Geographic NG RF 5350 backpack. I really like this bag for three reasons: A. It’s hand luggage, so I can bring it with me everywhere I fly; B. It looks nice – I don’t like black bags; and C. You can put a lot of stuff in it, including a laptop.

Hardware & Software

I use Adobe Lightroom for 95% of my edits. The rest I do with Adobe Photoshop. I don’t use presets, but I work everything out myself.

Misc.

Sun-cream
Banana
Power bank
Deodorant
Business cards
Water

Don’t worry about not being good enough or what your clients think about you. You are human and you do the best you can. Making mistakes goes with it. Accept this, because it’s part of the process of learning.

If you want something to be a reality, just believe in yourself. Energy flows where attention goes!

www.denisemotzweddings.com | @denisemotz