Meet Ean Cuenca of Cuenca Creative

The first thing you notice about Ean Cuenca of Cuenca Creative isn’t his camera. It’s the way he makes people feel. He has this rare ability to turn a wedding day into more than a timeline or a set of portraits. It becomes an experience where couples feel hyped, cared for, and completely themselves. With Cuenca Creative, Ean isn’t just documenting events, he’s weaving stories that stretch from graduations to honeymoons, from proposals to maternity sessions. His work is proof that creativity isn’t only found in dramatic destinations or perfectly styled details, but in the everyday moments where love feels like home.

(If you’re a photographer curious about building this kind of connection into your own brand, you might also enjoy North + South’s post on defining your “It Factor” to help you attract your dream clients.)

Background + Identity: A Collector of Stories

You describe yourself as a “collector of stories.” Is there a particular story from a wedding or elopement that still resonates with you deeply? What made it unforgettable?

There was a couple who I met when I had just started my photography journey. They had hired me to photograph their college graduation photos with them in Athens, GA. We had stayed close friends over time through social media and a year later, I was able to photograph their proposal here in Charleston.
About a year later, I photographed their wedding in Alabama, then got flown out to Cancun to come with them for the first 3 days of their honeymoon to capture “destination style” photos of them in their wedding attire on the beaches and in the cenotes of Cancun. About a year later, I was able to repeat the whole process with the brides twin sister for her wedding. About a month ago, I had the privilege of getting to photograph her maternity photos on the beach while in her third trimester! This upcoming September, I’ll be staying with the whole family once again to photograph the brides older brothers’ wedding. I’ve gotten to be a part of this family – & it wasn’t so much the wild and crazy stories that caught my attention (although I’ve definitely got some crazy shit too lol) – but more so the mundane ones that made it feel like I was family enough that things didn’t need to be flashy around me. The home-y kinda mundane. The one where you just walk into the refrigerator of your friends house without asking because you just feel that close to them.

As a Filipino American born in New York, raised near Atlanta, and now based in Charleston, how has your multicultural background shaped your creative style and visual storytelling?

I’m going to be completely honest, this one is something I’m still learning to navigate.
As the only person in my immediate family of five who was born here in the US and growing up in predominantly white, rural, middle-class suburbia, I’ve always felt like I never had belonging or a place to call home. At school, I felt ashamed that I was Asian. I would tell others I was Hawaiian – that way it felt like I was exotic enough to stand out, but still somehow belonged. At home, I felt ashamed that I was too “white-washed”. It felt as if I navigated through the cultural divide on my own. I grew up so ashamed of my own culture and it wasn’t until these last 5 years that, not only have I been craving to learn and embrace more of it and finally be proud of it, but I’m also becoming increasingly aware that I unintentionally continue to find myself in areas with very little diversity. Although this has been difficult, its been beautiful to have that quickly grow into core value of mine as I press into more interracial and multicultural weddings.
How this affects me now is less of a focus on creativity and more on hospitality. My heart in my business is to be someone that creates a safe space of belonging for all of my couples. My goal is for them to simply feel completely themselves and feel completely loved as they are. This means pushing my clients to focus less on the aesthetics, the reception, pleasing the guests, etc and instead championing them to do the things that feel important and right to themselves. Its encouraging them to celebrate their cultures, upbringing and background.
My goal is to let little glimpses of their personal relation to each other and to themselves be on full display so their wedding feels completely authentic to themselves. Their wedding is not for my portfolio, nor is it for my preferences. It’s for them and how they choose to have it reflect their soon-to-be marriage.

Approach + Philosophy: Creating Safe Spaces for Love

What inspired you to focus on weddings, elopements, and portraits rather than other kinds of photography?

Prior to photography, I worked a lot of serving and bartending jobs and loved the human connection. After college, I worked as a full-time college pastor in Athens, Georgia, for about 4 years. I graduated college with a biblical studies and theology degree and my main passion was to simply walk with others.
Eventually, I had one of my students ask me to photograph their wedding. I’ve been asked to officiate many weddings, but what I didn’t realize was how involved I would be as a photographer. This student was someone close to me and I was able to watch them grow up from freshmen year of college to her senior year. So when I was capturing their private vows to each other on their wedding day – I stopped to look around and realize I got to be a part of one of the most intimate moment in peoples lives (not even their family was there for that moment) and I have the ability to just be their cheerleader in life.
It was at that moment I realized, I want to do any sort of photography that either tells a story or lets me witness their own stories. As long as there are people in front of my lens, theres an opportunity for a relational human connection there.

How do you approach capturing those “thin spaces” which are moments of heightened emotion amid the whirlwind of a wedding day?

One of my biggest pushes to my couples while planning the wedding day timeline is to do less. If its not important to them – don’t waste their time on it. The more flex time there is, the less they’ll be running on adrenaline on the day of – and although adrenaline isn’t inherently bad, it does rob us of the ability to pause and soak in what’s happening.
When it comes to the actual wedding day, I make it an effort to have enough flex time on the timeline to remind people of the weight of what’s happening. The thin spaces are already there – its just a matter of recognizing it, and then intentionally creating space to lean into the moment. Sometimes its reminding the bride and groom on the first look to have a longer moment of privacy while cameras shoot from a distance so they can soak in the weight of what‘s about to happen. Other times, its reminding mom and dad to have a private moment with their daughter while there isn’t 150 other guests around. Other times, its blasting music, turning my energy up to an 8, and reminding the bridal party that they aren’t just there to drink, but to hype up their bride and groom up all day long.

You are known as both a “hype man” and a creative visionary. How do you balance building that supportive energy with crafting beautiful, artful images?

“Hype man”, I’ve heard – creative visionary is not something I get all the time, so I’m honored! Haha
I don’t think they’re two different sides of the coin – but rather they are a marriage of each other. Because I don’t often work with professional models, many of my clients are uncomfortable being in front of the camera. But the more I can ease that tension a bit – whether through conversation, or gassing them up – what I’m doing is building that confidence in them to take risks with me and to do it boldly. The more comfortable they are with me as a person, the more comfortable they’ll be in front of my camera. And the more comfortable they are with my camera, the less they can focus on my camera and instead just focus on each other – creating authentic and romantic emotions that is already there. Again – the thin spaces are there – all I have to do is nurture them into those thin spaces with me.

Style + Signature: From Vogue-Inspired Shoots to Candid Memories

You mention loving “Vogue-esque” editorial shoots that let clients feel like their boldest selves. What is your favorite way to bring that energy into a session?

Music, Music, Music. The most underrated tool in my camera bag is my JBL speaker. I always ask “what’s your go-to type of music or your favorite artist at the moment?”
There is something to music that puts people to ease, lets their walls down, and brings them into a space of familiarity – a home away from home. It frees them up to play, to mess up, and to be bold about the the things they try. That way, as I direct and pose, instead of being worried about how they look, they focus more on the music, or us playing and experimenting looks and poses.

How do you adapt your approach when shooting intimate elopements versus full-scale weddings?

My approach for the most part is the same – focus on the couple. My heart is and will always care more for their marriage than I do their wedding day. While there may be a lot more logistically on a full-scale wedding day than an intimate elopement my goal is to get my couples to slow down enough to recognize the significance of the moment. For large scale weddings, it might look more like me creating space in-between each thing on the timeline so my couples can breath and soak in the moment. For elopements, it might be more conversations with my couples AS I’m shooting so it feels less like a shoot and more like were all 3 friends and I am the best dang 3rd wheel!

Do you have a favorite location you have photographed in or one you are dreaming of shooting in that challenges or inspires you creatively?

I would love to photograph more weddings that interact with the beauty of nature while still tying in elements of luxury design and high fashion. For example, forcefully clashing a natural cave with curving dining tables, luxury floral displays, and chandelier lighting would be something that would excite the crap out of me.
I used to shoot very playful and whimsical couples, and lately Ive really been inspired by the timeless and classic “sexy, moody, and minimal” aesthetic incorporating common High Fashion Brands like YSL, LV, Prada, and Hermes.

Values + Personal Touch: Building Belonging Through Photography

You openly share your faith and describe yourself as emotionally attuned. How does that translate into connecting with couples and building trust on their big day?

Talking about my faith openly on social media was never really intended to be a strategy – but rather a window into who I am and what I’m passionate about. A part of what IS my strategy is being completely myself so that I don’t burn out trying to “turn it on” every time I’m in work mode. This way, my job doesn’t feel like a job.
If anything, my faith is another area in my life where I feel completely misunderstood especially growing up in a more christian evangelical upbringing who left the church, went through a long personal deconstruction, and now no longer feels as though I belong in the evangelical narrative – a lot of fellow christian peers have written me off – again making it feel like theres no place for me to belong. Christians have written me off to be too progressive like I’ve “fallen off” of Christianity while the world unfortunately seems to associates christianity with a particular political decision.
By being vocal about my faith, I’ve been able to open up more doors of conversations with my couples and find another space of creating safety for those who don’t feel a sense of belonging.

Your planning process is intentionally collaborative. How do your itinerary and dream-session meetings shape the creative flow and emotional comfort of the day?

My itinerary and dream session are usually in person if at all possible. Sometimes, Iinvite my couples over for dinner and wine, or we go out and grab drinks. If time permits, I love getting to spend the dinner just getting to know each other more! No agenda, nothing to direct the conversation – just hanging out and catching a vibe!
Once dinner is over, we fill up on drinks, and we build the timeline from scratch. I don’t believe in creating templates, as I believe having the couple start from a blank canvas as opposed to a template, it robs them of the ability to think creatively about their wedding day. I guide my couples, give advice and feedback, and eventually coming up with a rough draft version of their timeline to send to the planner for approval!

Impact + Reflections: The Legacy of Cuenca Creative

Looking back over your favorite weddings, have you noticed a moment or pattern that consistently brings couples to tears when they first see their photos?

As much as I love the editorial posing and the ‘money-shots’, often I notice what often gets their attention are the candid photos with family and friends where real emotions are on the screen. Whether its tears, or laughter, or guests sweating every ounce of booze out on the dance floor – the ones that are actual memories of the day are the moments that are treasured deeply – especially if its of a loved one who may have passed away shortly after the wedding.

What do couples say about you afterward that makes you feel most fulfilled as a creative and as a person?

Whenever I end, my couples will often tell me how excited they are to see the shots I took but more importantly, they’ll first tell me how smooth I made the day for them and how much they felt served by me. Although photography demands a lot of creativity, my creative passion has always been around “how can creatively love this couple more intentionally and care for them with this level of “unreasonable hospitality”. (Fun fact: Unreasonable Hospitality is one of my favorite books)

How has capturing real, wild, carefree love over the years changed or defined who you are as an artist?

In the beginning of my photography journey – real, wild, and carefree – looked a lot like my couples. I often booked a lot of weddings of people who had just graduated college and loved the super playful “cute” energy. (Think brides jumping in the lake, playing in the rain, going barefoot on the field) The older I got, I had to navigate what does real and wild and carefree look like for me – and although it may change over and over again – right now, the real wild and carefree has taken a more mature aesthetic. (Think cigars, speakeasy, lipstick stain on the neck, etc).
I used to cater my style to my couples more frequently, and now, my people are finding me. And I couldn’t be more amped about that. Ive been sharing more of what inspires me, and those couples have been coming my way! Freaking overwhelmed with so much gratitude!

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Ean’s photography goes beyond visuals. It is about how couples feel seen, celebrated, and deeply connected. His journey, from navigating a multicultural identity to becoming a creative who champions radical hospitality, proves that belonging can be both personal and transformative. His couples do not just leave with gorgeous photos; they leave with memories of being truly celebrated.

To explore more insights on intentional storytelling (and to level up your own messaging), check out North + South’s blog on What It’s Like to Receive a Brand Transformation.

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