Steve Gerrard is a Montreal-based photographer with nearly two decades of experience covering weddings, corporate events, and live music. Originally from the UK, he’s called Montreal home for over a decade and built a reputation for documentary-style wedding photography that puts the day, not the camera, at the centre. Alongside his photography work, he runs Montreal Rocks, a local music journalism outlet, and MTL Wedding Blog. His guiding philosophy is simple: the wedding is not about the photography. The photography is about the wedding.
What is your business called and what does it do?
Steve Gerrard Photography. I shoot weddings, corporate events, and live music across Montreal and beyond. Most of my work is documentary in nature, which means I focus on capturing what’s actually happening rather than staging it. I want couples to look back at their wedding photos and remember how the day felt, not how a photographer told them to pose.
What made you want to do this work?
I came to photography through music. I was a DJ, which gave me access to venues and shows, and I started bringing a camera along. That eventually turned into shooting bands, then events, then weddings. The thread connecting all of it is the same: real moments in front of you that you only get one chance to capture. I find that pressure energizing rather than stressful.
What problem did you want to solve with the business?
A lot of wedding photography looks the same. Couples are pulled away from their own day for hours of posed shots, and the resulting photos feel more like a catalogue than a memory. I wanted to offer something different: a photographer who blends in, lets the day unfold, and delivers images that look like the wedding the couple actually had.
Who are your clientele/demographics?
Mostly couples getting married in Montreal and across Quebec, plus destination weddings further afield. On the corporate side, I work with companies running conferences, galas, and brand events. For music, I shoot for festivals, venues, and publications.
How does your business make money? How does it work?
Clients book me for a date and a coverage window. Wedding packages typically cover the full day from preparation through to the reception, with edited digital images delivered after. Corporate and event work is usually quoted by the hour or by the project. For music photography, I’m often shooting on assignment for Montreal Rocks or on accreditation for other outlets.
Where in the city can we find your profession?
Wedding photographers are everywhere in Montreal, but you’ll find us most often at venues like the Old Port, Mount Royal, the city’s churches and reception halls, and increasingly at vineyards and outdoor spaces in the Eastern Townships and Laurentians. For music, you’ll see me in the pit at MTelus, Bell Centre, Le National, Theatre Fairmount, and smaller rooms across the Plateau and Mile End.
What is the best question a prospective customer could ask a member of your profession when comparing services? Give the answer as well.
Ask to see a full wedding gallery, not just a highlight reel. Anyone can curate ten beautiful images. What you want to see is how a photographer covers an entire day from start to finish, including the quieter moments and the trickier light. That tells you what your gallery will actually look like.
What is the best part about what you do? What is the worst part?
The best part is being trusted with one of the most important days of someone’s life and being there for moments families will look back on for decades. The worst part is the admin: emails, contracts, invoicing, backups. The shooting is the easy part.
Where can we follow you?
PAY IT FORWARD: What is another local business that you love?
Rob Malo Films
