Behind the Lens
My work has also taken me into documentary filmmaking. I was credited as a Camera Operator on Hell or High Water: Southern W.Va. Three Weeks After the Flood, a 2026 Ohio Valley Regional Emmy® Award-winning production for 100 Days in Appalachia. That experience reinforced something I already believed: great photography and filmmaking aren’t about constantly putting a camera in someone’s face. They’re about knowing when to observe, when to move, when to step in, and when to disappear into the background.
That same philosophy carries into Frame & Flask, the event company I co-own. We created it because events are better when everything feels connected — photography, videography, coordination, bartending, catering, hospitality, and all the little details that make a day feel effortless.
I take my work seriously, but I don’t want working with me to feel serious. I want you comfortable enough to forget you’re being photographed. Laugh, move around, be yourselves, and enjoy the people around you. I’ll worry about the light, composition, and all those little moments happening in between.
Whether I’m photographing a wedding, chasing wildlife through the mountains, filming a documentary, or creating something for a brand, I’m always after the same thing:
Real moments. Honest stories. Photographs that feel like you were there — captured before you even realized I was taking them.
About William Edwards
I’m William Edwards — photographer, filmmaker, storyteller, Army veteran, and co-owner of Frame & Flask. I’m also the guy who will happily stand in the woods for hours waiting on one bird to land in the right spot, get way too excited when the light finally hits perfectly, and probably talk cameras with you longer than either of us planned.
My path into photography wasn’t exactly traditional, but I think that’s part of what shaped the way I work. After serving in the Army, I found myself spending more and more time outdoors with a camera in my hand. Wildlife photography became my reset button. It taught me patience, timing, observation, and how much can happen when you slow down long enough to actually notice what’s in front of you.
Today, through William Edwards Photography, I photograph wildlife, landscapes, weddings, people, events, and documentary stories. The subject changes, but what I’m looking for really doesn’t. I prefer the raw moments — the laugh you didn’t know anyone caught, the look between two people when everyone else is distracted, the hand squeeze, the deep breath before walking down the aisle, or the split-second behavior in the wild that may never happen the same way again.
A lot of the time, you won’t even realize I’m there — and that’s intentional. I’d rather let a moment happen naturally than interrupt it just to manufacture a photograph. I’ll guide you when it helps, especially for portraits and editorial images, but some of my favorite work comes from staying quiet, watching, and letting people forget about the camera completely. My style blends documentary storytelling with an editorial eye — honest and unforced, but still intentional, polished, and visually strong.