Photo: Regina Wyllie
What were you doing when you were 9 years old? We were busy twirling about in oversized pretend wedding dresses — not professionally photographing real-life brides in theirs. But this particularly precocious 9-year-old is doing just that! No joke — this pint-sized photographer is the wedding shutterbug of your dreams. But good luck trying to book her: The girl is in high demand!
Most nine-year-olds snag the flower girl role at weddings — not nuptial photographer! Regina Wyllie of Ayrshire, Scotland, first picked up a camera at the age of three. Now in the fifth grade, brides are already asking for her by name! And before you scoff at the idea of giving someone whose age hasn’t even hit the double digits yet the responsibility of capturing the most important day of your life, take a gander at the girl’s perfect pics. They speak for themselves.
Photo: Regina Wyllie
Photo: Regina Wyllie
Wyllie started by tagging along with her photographer dad, Kevin Wyllie, on his various shoots, before ditching her toy camera, grabbing her pop’s Canon G9, and taking a shot at the craft herself. At 7, one of the petite photographer’s pics from a “Trash the Dress” photoshoot she accompanied her dad on was picked up for Think Tank Photo. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, in April Wyllie shot her first official wedding — at the personal request of the bride and groom!
Photo: Regina Wyllie
Photo: Regina Wyllie
“I really enjoyed the wedding as I had to work quite fast, which was a challenge,” Regina told the Huffington Post. “It was great fun.” And thanks to some rave reviews, the 9-year-old (Have we mentioned that this girl is 9? NINE?!) already has another gig lined up. “[The couple] was delighted,” said her proud dad. “In fact, they told me that Regina’s shots, especially of their own children, had brought tears to their eyes.”
Photo: Regina Wyllie
Photo: Regina Wyllie
What’s this little one’s photo-snapping secret? Not only does she have all the technicalities down pat, Wyllie also effortlessly manages to put her subjects at ease. (And let us tell you… That’s no easy task when it comes to brides on their wedding day!) “I think that her shots have a unique style due to the fact that people relax more around a kid with a camera than an adult,” Wyllie’s dad explained to Bustle. “They don’t really expect the shots to be anything special, so they let their guard down. That’s when she captures them at their most natural.”
Photo: Regina Wyllie
So what’s Regina’s favorite part of her new gig? “When someone asks to see the screen to see how the pic turned out and watching them smile.”
See More: How to Get the Wedding Photographer of Your Dreams (and Still Stay in Budget)