Meet Talia Burkett Helvey | Wedding Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Talia Burkett Helvey and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Talia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I have always been passionate about photography from a young age and I even went to art school for it. But I was so focused on making art that I didn’t know how to actually create a sustainable business. I ended up working in hospitality and started to make a career out of it in beer sales, but when I was asked to help photograph a wedding for the first time I realized that wedding photography was the perfect way to make beautiful images, use my hospitality background and make a living. At that point I knew I had no choice but to make my wedding photography business flourish.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The wedding photography market is huge and highly competitive. It’s easy to get discouraged and feel like I’m not good enough, but I try to stay true to what drives my passion. I try and show up as my most authentic sell and I strive to capture the raw, intimate moments of a wedding day. Sure, I love a beautiful portrait of a couple at sunset, but what keeps me coming back are the moments that are happening all around us. A mom sharing a moment with son, a few guests laughing, a couple embracing on the dance floor… I want to tell a story and it’s not always easy with a static image. Through the years I have really honed in on a journalistic, almost cinematic style of shooting, and it’s not for everyone, which is hard at times, but I am constantly blown away by the clients who connect with what I am doing. It’s an honor to photograph a wedding and the responsibility is not something I take lightly. The pandemic devastated the wedding industry, but I think it also forced everyone to take a step back and get back to what it’s all about which is watching two people commit to each other in front of the people they love the most. And yes, there was a lot of suffering and heart ache and loss through out these past few years, but I also saw some very beautiful moments of people coming together to honor love. It may sound strange, but I am thankful for the hard times, because they make the good times that much sweeter.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many incredible places to eat and things to do in this city, but I think the first place on the list would be dinner at Turf Supper Club. It’s one of my favorite places. And obviously Mexican food… we have a taco shop in Golden Hill called Benny’s and I eat there at least once a week. Then I would take them on a bike ride up 30th to drink some delicious beers at all of the local breweries. Fall Brewing is always a favorite of mine. The Museum of Photographic Art in Balboa is not to be missed. And then to finish off the day I would take them to Oslo Sardine Bar, it’s an experience unlike anything. It’s an art installation, but also an operational sardine bar. There’s about a thousand other things that I love to do here, but those are the top picks for me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I couldn’t do any of this without my sister. She has always been one of the biggest cheerleaders of mine as well as one of the best photographers I know.

Her and I run our wedding photography business together and I couldn’t ask for a better partner. I also couldn’t do this without the support of my husband. Many years ago I left the beer world to help him run and grow his fabrication company and in return he has given me the time and opportunity to pursue photography full time. It’s hard to make these things work without the support of the people around you and I am always thankful for my people.

Website: www.sisterbstudios.com

Instagram: @taliahelveyphotography @sisterbstudios

Image Credits
Photo of me taken by Claire Hartnell/Sister B Studios