Artist Feature – Kyle Szeto

Born and raised in Chicago, Kyle Szeto stumbled into wedding photography by accident. What started as a means of documenting his senior year of college turned into a career capturing some of his client’s most important moments. With an eye for detail and a knack for storytelling, Kyle does an incredible job of documenting special moments throughout the wedding day. When he’s not photographing weddings, you can find Kyle exploring new restaurants and bars, traveling the world, and visiting art museums with his family.

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Please share a bit about your background and how you got started in photography? How long have you been a photographer?

I went to school for statistics and data analytics. I bought myself a DSLR during my senior year of college to document my last year. Photography was just a hobby of mine until I made the leap to photographing weddings in 2017. I never thought I would enjoy photographing weddings, but when I second shot my first one in 2016, I fell in love with it all: the stories, the emotions, and especially all the people and their relationships with one another.

What do you think your keys to success are in this industry?

I’d say my key to success is relationship building, whether it’s connecting with my couples to better help tell their story or fostering relationships with other photographers, planners, or other industry folks.

What is the best part about being a photographer? What is the most challenging part of being a photographer?

The best part is being invited into such an intimate and important day for the couple, and I love how different each wedding is based on the couple and their families. The most challenging part is the physical toll that photographing weddings can take on the body, as well as trying to manage emotions and nerves throughout a day.

Every couple is unique. How do you tailor your approach to wedding photography to reflect the individuality of each wedding you photograph?

I strive to meet and really get to know each of my couples in order to better help document their stories. I enjoy understanding their nuances and personalities and seeing how they showcase it throughout their wedding, whether it’s through small momentos or an inside story that sparks roars of laughter.

Who are some of your favorite photographers?

Nirav Patel – I love his use of light and timeless colors in his photos.
Daniel Kim – I love his ethos and intentionality.
Ben Sowry – He captures each part of a wedding like its a movie.
Eric Floberg – I love his creativity and his heart for his clients.

How has Impossible Things (IT) AI Photo Editing benefited your business?

Prior to Impossible Things, I spent way too much time nitpicking minute details to get to a good starting point for my photos. But now, I can import my photos and have a starting place that is basically ready to export, saving me hours on my editing, allowing me to get the photos back to my couples sooner, and being able to spend more time with my family, especially now as my wife and I are expecting our first child.

What is your current workflow with Impossible Things, and how has it improved?

Currently, I have two main presets that I use with IT, one that covers the majority of the wedding day and one specifically for fun dance floor direct flash photos. Once I have my culled photos imported into Lightroom, I run them through their respective presets. While it’s running, I’m able to walk my dog or run other short errands. By the time I get back, the photos are ready to go and I do a manual pass on them and fine tune them as needed before exporting. It has literally saved me hours on my editing.

Do you have recommendations for users who are considering Impossible Things?

Have patience and refine over time. As you notice more similar changes that you’re making in your edits after running IT, adjust those settings in your custom tuning to give yourself a better starting point going forward. It took some time to get dialed in, but it has paid off.

What is your favorite Impossible Things feature and why?

As much as I enjoy being able to use IT with custom made presets, I love messing around with the cloud styles from other artists and experimenting with new editing styles. Sometimes, seeing my photos with new editing styles helps me refine my custom presets even more.