How Hard Could It Be?

Morgan Powell, the genius Utah wedding photographer behind Morgan Leigh Photography was born with the “How hard could it be?” gene. While working for her family’s company 14 years ago, Morgan was looking for a creative outlet. A continuing education class with a manual point-and-shoot camera was the beginning of what would eventually become an illustrious career in wedding photography and an immense talent for creating a one-of-a-kind experience for couples and their families on their wedding day.

Her first wedding was for a friend—she offered to shoot their engagements, not wanting to take on the responsibility of being their wedding photographer in case they didn’t like the photos.

“It was the first photography I’d ever done in my entire life for somebody else, and I was like, ‘If it goes poorly, you can redo it.’ I met with her and her fiance and they came back to me two hours after we met, and they were like, ‘I know you said you didn’t want to do our wedding, but is there any chance that you would do it? We just felt so comfortable with you and we really like you and we would love to have you photograph our wedding.’”

“And so I said, ‘How hard could it be?’ And I photographed my first wedding.”

And she’s been a show-stopping talent behind the camera ever since!

Growth in Talent, Growth in Confidence

That comfort that her first wedding clients felt has carried through each and every one of her clients since—including their entire wedding parties. In the last 14 years as a full-time Utah wedding photographer, Morgan has seen growth not only in herself as an artist, but in her confidence. That confidence to make it happen.

“When I started, I felt so uncomfortable telling moms and dads and grandmas and grandpas and aunts and uncles, ‘No, this is what we need to do.’ Or I had couples that were older than me.”

Morgan looks back on her early days as a Utah wedding photographer and knows now the importance of taking charge, knowing that she’s the professional, and knowing that she knows exactly how to get the perfect shot.

“Trying to change that perspective and knowing I actually do know what I’m doing, I am the professional in the situation—we need to go here or there—has been really fun to see that growth.”

With over a decade of experience, and an eye for capturing some of the most beautiful moments of a wedding day, Morgan has confidence in her ability to tell the story of her couples that needs to be told. Let’s be real; one look at these photos is proof that she knows not only how to get the shots but also how to make them beautiful.

And you’ll be just as confident knowing that she’s the one capturing your big day!

A Sentimental Utah Wedding Photographer

One thing that has stayed constant throughout her years as a Utah wedding photographer, amongst all the growth she has seen in herself, is her motivation for doing what she does.

“I am an incredibly sentimental person, and I think that’s one of the things that drew me to weddings in particular. I grew up looking at my grandparents and my parents’ wedding albums, and seeing their pictures and hearing the stories of their wedding day that we relived through those photos.”

And her love for reliving those special wedding day moments through your photos hasn’t changed.

“I still, to this day, get excited when I am shooting a wedding. I still get a little bit nervous because I care, and I cared from the very beginning.”

“Your spouse, your photos, and your video, that’s what you get to take away from the wedding day. That’s the thing that’s been the most consistent for me, is just how much I value photography for a wedding day.”

No matter how many weddings Morgan photographs, she still loves every single one of them, and still gets excited.

Your New Best (Wedding Photographer) Friend

And even beyond her talent, love for photographing weddings, and her confidence in capturing the best shots possible, she is incredibly easy to work with and become instant best friends with.

“One of the things that I get most consistently from past couples and other vendors, and even their guests, is that I tend to be a people person and I put a lot of people at ease.”

She’s so good at connecting with her couples and clients that they come back to her again and again for their siblings’ and cousins’ weddings—she’s basically like part of the family. And because of this, she knows exactly how to get every shot, every time, while making great time.

“I had a couple, the groom was the youngest of 12, and he was the last one to get married. They wanted individual family pictures of every single one of his siblings, that was important to them. And we devised a plan.”

Not only did she get every individual picture, but she got them in record time.

“I can get through family and bridal party pictures in 30 minutes or less.” Anyone who has ever been a part of a wedding knows how insanely fast that is!

Looking Back on Your Wedding Photos

But overall, Morgan’s favorite part of being a Utah wedding photographer is the fact that 10 years down the line, her couples will still have their wedding photos to look back on the day.

“My favorite part is actually five, 10 years down the road, when life hits. It’s not the honeymoon phase anymore. And you open up your wedding album, or you look at the pictures that are on the wall, and you’re reminded that that’s why we’re here. That’s my person. That’s the whole point. And, being that reminder, there’s something special about it.”

The way Morgan looks at it, your wedding day is just one day, but your wedding photos will be with you every single day after.

“To give you something tangible to go back to and to remind people of the feelings that they had on the wedding day, I think that that’s the thing that draws me to wedding photography in particular. There’s so much of a story to be told and so much legacy and history that you’re creating in that one moment. And to have those memories and to preserve those memories, I really feel like it’s such an honor when families trust me to tell that story.”

We’re not crying, you’re crying.

Advice From the Professional

Morgan has some great advice as a well-seasoned Utah wedding photographer herself. “List your top three must-haves. Not a group project—separately. And then come back together, pour your favorite drink, get some dessert, something like that, and have a conversation about why those things are important to you.”

Morgan and her now-husband Russ (who happens to be a wedding DJ!) did just that. “When we were getting married, all I cared about was the photos, and Russ cared about what we ate and that we had a first dance. As we had that conversation, as we were going through our budget, what we were going to spend our money on, and what the day was going to be like, it set up a really great space for having conversations where we didn’t necessarily agree on everything.”

“Russ jokes that if you can plan a wedding, you can be married because all it is is having a million opinions about things you didn’t know you had opinions about. And we were figuring that out together.”

Take it from two wedding professionals, taking the time to have those conversations now will not only help you plan the perfect wedding, but help you have a great marriage—which is why we’re all here in the first place!

And the same idea applies to Morgan’s next piece of advice. “Remember that it’s the two of you against the world. There are a lot of people with a lot of opinions, and they don’t stop on the wedding day. Remember that you guys are a unit now, you’re creating your own family. Figure out how to work together as a team, because that will take you the furthest in life in general.”

At the end of the day, Morgan says she doesn’t want any repeat customers!

You Want Morgan Leigh Photography to Capture Your Future Wedding Album

Morgan is based in Utah but is willing and able to travel anywhere and everywhere to capture your love story beautifully. Whether it’s right down the road or across the world, Morgan Leigh Photography will be the best person to help create that sentimental photo album full of wedding day memories you’ll look back on in the years to come.

Don’t be shy, it’s time to reach out to your future Utah wedding photographer turned best friend. Morgan knows how to capture your best moments in record time, all while helping you (and your guests) have the best experience possible. We know we’ll be making sure we have some of Morgan’s photos in our albums to reminisce about!