At the heart of every wedding is a love story like none ever written before—and one that will never be written again.

Every moment of the celebration is truly “once in a lifetime,” and couples who ask Philip Thomas to chronicle their wedding day will have a photographic essay as artistic and elegant as images that graced the pages of timeless Life magazine. When you open the pages of this book, you are immediately drawn to the characters of the story: every crinkle on faces bursting with laughter, eyes gleaming with anticipation—all reflecting the emotion of the day.

With a photojournalistic or documentary style, Philip works to capture the actual moments of a wedding as they happen instead of exclusively staging photos, so as not to “change the story.” With small cameras and use of available light whenever possible, he blends unobtrusively into the backdrop of the event so well that he is often mistaken for a guest instead of as the official photographer.

“I’m happy to do photo requests, but I really like to avoid clichés,” says Philip, whose delightful accent reveals his British heritage. “I try to bring in the human element in order to make the photos more interesting.”

His artistic approach incorporates angles, perspectives, and subject matter that highlight the essence of a wedding day as it happens—not just stopping the action into order to pose a picture. “As a photographer—and artist—I always set new goals to better my craft,” Philip explains. “I like to focus on geometry, form, and content.”

A good example is a very private, poignant moment between mom and daughter that Philip captured artistically and framed with a door, as well as a whimsical interaction he patiently watched unfold between an older guest and several children.

“I used to get stressed trying to get the exact photo,” Philip says. “But then I learned that there are a lot of moments leading up to that one shot. You shoot a few frames before and a few frames after and you will capture it.”

Never fully satisfied with his work, Philip continuously looks for ways to improve himself and enhance his work. His studio is stocked with art and photography books, which he peruses regularly to gather inspiration and education. And when not studying his books, he often finds himself behind the camera, inspired by capturing life as it happens on the streets of San Antonio.

“My goal is to make the images timeless,” Philip adds. “A good photograph is a good photograph. It will stand the test of time.”

Couples interested in having Philip Thomas Photography chronicle their wedding day can preview his work and creative philosophy at philipthomas.com. He meets with prospective clients in person or via Skype.