Beyond the Lens
Photography Tips, Stories & Education
Welcome to Beyond the Lens, where we share photography tips and education drawn from over a decade of real sessions, weddings, and studio work. This is where the practical side of what we do meets the stories behind it. Whether you’re a photographer looking to sharpen your craft or a client curious about what goes into the images we create, there’s something here for you.
Photography Tips Worth Reading
We write about what we actually do. That means lighting breakdowns from real sessions, posing techniques we use with families and couples, honest takes on gear, editing workflows, and the business side of running a photography studio. Some of these posts are technical. Others are stories from behind the camera. All of them come from our own experience, not theory.
Here’s what you’ll find across the blog:
- Lighting and composition from real shoots
- Posing and directing for natural portraits
- Location scouting across Wisconsin and beyond
- Editing and workflow tips
- Business, pricing, and client experience
- Behind-the-scenes stories from sessions and weddings
Want to go deeper? One conference we speak at every year is ShutterFest in St. Louis, MO. It’s one of the best hands-on photography conferences in the country, with live shoots, real education, and a community that takes the craft seriously.
We’re also proud to speak at the 2026 Professional Photography Business Network (PPBN) Conference, featuring an Australian community built around helping photographers grow their businesses through accountability, training, and real support from people who’ve been in the trenches.
Our Latest Posts
Wedding Day Kit | 10 Things To Do Before You Say Your Vows
After 15 years photographing weddings, we've learned that the final weeks before your big day matter just as much as the months of planning. This checklist covers everything from feeding your vendors (yes, really) to that one detail about your marriage license that catches everyone off guard. Stick with us to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
The 5 Most Important Parts of any Wedding to Be Photographed | Wedding Photography Advice from Twig & Olive
This is where we reveal what separates a beautiful wedding album from a truly complete story. Our approach focuses on the five narrative chapters that actually matter, and spoiler alert: one of them gets wrapped up in just 10-15 minutes. Read on to discover how we capture your entire day without the endless portrait sessions.
Rain on Your Wedding Day – Creating Beautiful Photos in Any Weather
This spring wedding got caught in an unexpected downpour, but the soft light filtering through the rain created some of the most romantic portraits we've seen all season. Discover how we turned gray skies into an advantage and why weather might be your secret weapon for unforgettable images.
Wedding Album Ideas – How to Create a Timeless Wedding Keepsake
Creating a tangible keepsake from your wedding day goes far beyond digital files sitting in a folder. Discover why a beautifully designed album becomes the heirloom your family will treasure for generations, plus the creative design ideas that transform your photos into a timeless story.
How Color Palettes Affect Everything on Your Wedding Day
Color shapes so much more than just how your venue looks, it influences the mood in every single photo we take. We've seen how the right palette can make skin tones glow, make emotions feel deeper, and tie your entire day together into one cohesive story. Ready to discover which colors will make your wedding unforgettable?
Choosing Your Wedding Vendors
Finding the right wedding vendors can feel like an overwhelming task, but it doesn't have to be. We're sharing the strategies we've learned from working with hundreds of couples, from decoding online listings to understanding why that preferred vendor list might be missing some gems.
Looking for Our Session and Wedding Stories?
Stories from Real Weddings & Sessions
Beyond the Lens is our photography tips and education hub. But if you’re here to see our actual work, that’s a different collection. Our session and wedding blog features hundreds of real stories from locations across Wisconsin and beyond. Browse by category, explore specific venues, or just scroll through and see what catches your eye. Every post is a real couple, a real family, a real moment.
FAQs About Beyond the Lens
What topics does the Beyond the Lens blog cover?
We cover a wide range of photography tips and education, including lighting, posing, location scouting, editing workflows, gear, business strategy, pricing, and behind-the-scenes stories from real sessions and weddings. Everything comes from our own experience at Twig & Olive Photography.
Who writes the photography education content on this blog?
All of our content is written by the Twig & Olive team based in Madison, Wisconsin. We draw from over a decade of shooting sessions and weddings across the state and around the country. We also speak at photography conferences such as ShutterFest on many of the same topics.