We recently connected with Matias Ezcurra and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Matias thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

The experience I offer my couples from inquiry all the way to the delivery of their images is different than the industry standard. This often includes helping them source other qualified vendors for their weddings, calming any concerns before the big day, sending a box of goodies from Maui for them to enjoy before they arrive to the island, and a note of encouragement.

On the wedding day specifically, I invest myself in each of my couples and am always looking for ways to meet any of their needs even when it is not necessarily my job. My goal is always to make their day enjoyable for them and not something they feel like they are rushing though. I believe in connecting with each couple and tailoring the experience uniquely to them. Many times the standard is just to show up and take photos without much personal involvement.

I have many stories of going out of my way to give this type of experience but most recently, I had a bride who was beginning to feel very nervous as she was finishing getting ready. As she was speaking to the attendants in her room helping her get dressed, I noticed her rushing as she spoke and her breathing getting more shallow. I asked everyone in the room to get very quiet so that the bride could take a few moments to close her eyes and do some deep breathing before she walked down the aisle. The atmosphere of the room completely changed and became more peaceful. At the end of the night, the bride shared with me that she really appreciated that I noticed she needed a moment and took the time for her to release her anxiousness. She was able to continue her big day feeling much more present and excited.

I often even hear from guests and the parents of the bride or groom how at ease they felt working with me and that I made their big day that much better. I love doing wedding photography for many reasons, but feeling like I am helping make someones day even more special is one of the best things about my job.

Matias , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I am a wedding photographer based in Maui, Hawaii. I knew from a young age that I wanted to be a photographer and moved out to Maui 12 years ago to take photos of surf/surfers. Not long after arriving on island I decided I wanted to learn to shoot weddings and began by second shooting with a local photographer. I loved it so much I haven’t looked back!

Currently, I offer a number of photography packages ranging from elopements to multi-day wedding coverage and often travel to the other Hawaiian Islands or even the mainland for weddings. I love being a part of weddings and creating a personal experience for each of my clients. I strive to go above and beyond expectations and will do ANYTHING to get the shot.

Over the past several years I have been offering opportunities for mentorships with up and coming photographers looking to take their photography to the next level. Currently, I’m able to work with photographers across the US to grow in their skills. I also have a podcast, Fuego Magic, where I chat with different guests all things photography. Being able to help other photographers grow is a huge passion of mine. I love getting the chance to teach others what I wish I knew when I was starting out.

I’m very proud of every wedding that I am invited to capture and truly put my heart and soul into making every image amazing. Some of my biggest career highlights are having a celebrity wedding published in print in Vogue and shooting the multi-event Bachelor wedding for Arie + Lauren.

We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.

Photography started as a side hustle for me on Maui where my first paying job taking photos was working at a surf school. I would work in the water and take photos of vacationers learning to surf. My full time job at that time was in a restaurant and then I would work for the surf school in the mornings. I started taking photos of students part time and then eventually it became full time. Once it became full time, I was able to quit my restaurant job and focus on taking photos. I knew I didn’t want to do it forever, it was a great little business that sustained me until I was more experienced in shooting weddings as a second shooter with a local photographer.

The beauty of the job was that it was my own business and I just paid a small percentage to the owner of the surf school. It was the beginning of learning how to manage a business. After lessons, students would come and look at a quick slideshow of the photos I got of them and decide if they wanted to buy them. It was a fun and pretty easy gig that even allowed me to surf a bit as I worked.

This was also where I learned how important connecting with my clients was because often people had such a good time with me they would ask me to take family portraits of them during their vacation. I also met my wife, who was a surf instructor at the time, so I’d say that job was a huge win.

After a few years full time at the surf school, I started getting busy enough with family portraits and some smaller weddings, my wife encouraged me to quit so that I could truly focus on wedding photography.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

I have a small team around me that help my business function at the level it is at now. My wife is head of operations and manages the back-end of the business. I have a social media manager and then a small team of second shooters who work with me.

Since I’m often shooting high-end weddings, I have very high standards for my team. When bringing on a second shooter that I haven’t worked with before, I typically ask them to join me at couple weddings without being paid so they can gain a better understanding of how I operate. This gives them the chance to see if working together will be a good fit for them and gives me a chance to see the images they take so I know where they are at in their photography. After each wedding I invite them to go over their images with me so I can give them feedback and explain a little more about what I am looking for in my images. Typically, I can tell how well we will work together based on how my feedback is received.

Mistakes will always happen, so I try to handle mistakes made by second shooters with compassion. Weddings are high stakes events and the last thing I want is my team feeling anxious during the day about doing something wrong. When a mistake is made, I’ve typically made the same mistake so I always let my team member know that first. I like to let them know what they can do to prevent the mistake in the future and tell them mistakes will happen so all we can do is learn from them and move on. This is another area where I take lots of time to build a personal connection because the importance of trust as we work together to capture an event where there are no do-overs.

My biggest advice to others who are managing a team is treat people with compassion and understanding. Build a real personal connection with your team members and you won’t have to worry about people who flake on you or don’t operate at the level you require. Using fear tactics and shame to try to prevent mistakes or bad behavior will never result in strong trust.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://matiasezcurraphotography.com
• Instagram: @matiasezcurraphotography
• Facebook: Facebook.com/matiasezcurraphotography
• Other: Podcast: Fuego Magic – wherever you listen!

Image Credits
All my own images