The Dutch Angle Is Back (Again): What 20 Years as a Calgary Wedding Photographer Taught Me

I need to tell you something, and I need you to stay calm. The Dutch angle is back.

If you don't know it by name, you definitely know it when you see it. The photographer tilts the camera, the horizon slides sideways and suddenly everyone looks like they're about to slide out of the frame. It's dramatic. It's edgy. It's... a choice.

I've watched it come and go once already. Now it's back for round two, and I'm grinning about it. When you've been doing this long enough to see a trend come back around, you know you've been doing it a while. (Don't worry, nobody tilted a single photo in this post. You're welcome.)

What Goes Around Comes Around

The Dutch angle isn't the only thing making a comeback. More and more of the couples I meet are asking for Super 8 video and the look of 35mm film: the grain, the warmth, that slightly imperfect feel that makes a photo look like a memory.

That one makes me smile, because 35mm film is where it all started for me. Shooting film in school is what got me into photography in the first place. Loading a roll, waiting to see what came back and learning that every frame counted taught me to slow down and really look. I still carry that with me at every wedding.

So yes, what goes around comes around. Tilted cameras, film grain and Super 8 all come back. The trends change, and the reason people hire a photographer never does.

2007 to Now

I photographed my first wedding in 2007, which makes 2027 my 20th wedding season. A lot has changed since then.

Cameras have gone from film to digital to the mirrorless gear I carry now, which sees in light I wouldn't have dared to try back then. Drones let us show a ceremony the way a bird would see it. These days we offer video and livestreaming too, so family who can't make the trip can still be there for the vows.

Couples have changed too. More of them plan adventure portraits in the mountains, write their own vows and build days that look exactly like them instead of following a script. We've photographed weddings in downtown Calgary, on mountaintops above Canmore, on the shores of Lake Louise and across Banff. None of this happens alone: many of the images in this post were made by our talented team, and together we bring more than 56 years of combined wedding experience to every wedding. We were also honoured to be named Avenue Calgary Best Wedding Services 2026.

Chasing Mountain Light

If you've followed my work for a while, you know I'll walk a long way for the right light. Living this close to the Rockies is a gift. One evening it's turquoise water and rugged peaks near Banff. The next it's a sunset so calm the couple shows up twice, once on the rock and once in the reflection.

Twenty seasons in, I still get the same rush when the sun drops behind a ridge and everything turns gold for ten minutes. I've learned to read that light, plan for it and get a couple onto the right rock at the right moment. Then I step back and let it happen.

Storms & Drama

Here's a secret: some of my favourite wedding photos were taken on days the forecast said were "ruined."

Mountain weather does what it wants. Clouds roll over the peaks with ten minutes' warning, the wind grabs a veil and won't let go, and waves start crashing on a lake that was glass an hour ago. When couples trust me and roll with it, the sky gives us the most dramatic backdrop I could ask for. I'll take a moody sky over a flat blue one any day.

The Party

Then the sun goes down and the dance floor fills up. I love this part of the day: first dances, traditions that bring the whole room to its feet, and that moment when everyone stops caring who's watching.

Today's cameras have changed what's possible after dark, so receptions have become one of my favourite places to get creative. Fire, candlelight, a packed dance floor with money flying through the air... bring it on. What hasn't changed in 20 years is the energy. When a room full of people who love you lets loose, you can feel it in the photos.

The Small Moments

For all the mountains and storms, couples usually tell me the photos they treasure most are the quiet ones. Family wiping away happy tears during the vows. A laugh that breaks out in the middle of a hug. Two foreheads resting together while the world goes soft and golden behind them.

None of those moments can be posed. All you can do is be ready, stay quiet and know them when you see them. That's a skill that's only grown since my first wedding.

What 20 Years Taught Me

If I had to boil 20 seasons down to a few lessons, they'd be these:

1. Real moments beat perfect poses. The gear, the trends and the locations change. The moments don't.
2. Trust is everything. Couples who trust their photographer relax, and relaxed couples get the best photos.
3. The weather is rarely a disaster. Usually it's an opportunity.
4. The little things end up being the big things. A glance, a laugh or a squeezed hand outlasts anything on the shot list.
5. Everything comes back around. Film, Super 8 and yes, even the Dutch angle. Chase what's real, not what's trending, and your photos will never go out of style.

Thank you

To every couple who has trusted us with their wedding day since 2007: thank you. You let me into the biggest day of your lives, introduced me to your families and followed me up hills, into storms and down muddy trails because I promised it would be worth it. I don't take a single one of those days for granted. And to our team: thank you for pouring your hearts into every wedding we photograph together.

Here's to the next 20. I'll keep the camera level... mostly.

Planning your wedding?

If you're getting married in Calgary, Banff, Canmore, Lake Louise or anywhere in the Rockies and want photos full of real moments (tilted or not), I'd love to hear about your day. Check if your date is available and get in touch. For planning tips, have a look through my wedding guide.

Photos by the Tkshotz Photography team.