Weddings ~ My Philosophy
Congratulations on your
upcoming wedding! I know this is a
big
(huge?
giant?) event in your life and I think by telling you a little
bit about myself and how I photograph weddings, it will make it easier
for you to decide if I am someone you might want to work with on your
special day. If, after reading this and looking at my website, you feel
like you may want to have me photograph your wedding, please email or
call me and our first step will be to get together to see if we fit.
Before starting this business I was a wedding coordinator for four years. I worked with a lot of brides and I think my greatest advice to them regarding their photographer was this: “You MUST have a connection with this person. He or she may be ‘the best in town’ but if you don’t feel that personal connection it will reflect in your photographs.” Imagine spending the better part of your wedding day with someone you don’t really care for and that is the person recording everything. Not good. So, let’s meet for coffee or a glass of wine and see if we hit it off.
My style of wedding photography is often referred to as photojournalistic. I like to say that I am telling the story of your day. This can begin the minute you sit down in a chair at the salon to have your hair done and end when you finally coax your Dad (grandfather? crazy uncle? new father-in-law?) off the dance floor after the DJ has played his favorite Frank Sinatra song to end your reception. This, of course, depends on how long you want me there, but no worries; I will capture the essence of your wedding day no matter how long I am there. I am recording emotion…love, tears, laughter, joy. And then I am going to give it all back to you to cherish for a lifetime.
If you are looking for someone who does lots of formal portraiture and brings backdrops and all kinds of special lighting, I am not the photographer for you. Will we still do posed pictures? Of course. Unless you tell me that under no uncertain terms is there to be one posed picture, we’ll do some. We have to. Parents love them, grandparents love them and even if YOU don’t love them, you’ll be glad you have them. Trust me. Someday you’ll look at them and be so glad we took them.
Most
of your day will just be me photographing you, your loved ones, your
friends and whatever I see that interests me as a wedding photographer.
I don’t have a “set amount” of images that I take because I think that
is silly. Again, I am telling the story of your day with the people who
are most important in your lives being the key players and I’m supposed
to put a cap on that? I just won’t do it. You will give me a list of
“must haves,” which is mostly for the formal pictures, but feel free to
jot down anything that is very important to you. I want to get all of
the shots that you WANT me to get. Sometimes, some of the best images
are the impulsive ones, so don’t hesitate to say, “Hey, let’s try
THIS.” I’m game. And then when I see that image in post production I
think, “Wow” and I’ll bet you will too. Don’t worry though…all the key
moments will be covered ~ your processional, ceremony, first dance,
toasts and cake cutting. Again, an opportunity for some wonderful
pictures and lots of room for many fun candid's.
I got married in 1993 and I hired a great photographer, because my pictures were very important to me. In our pre-wedding meeting we discussed at great length what I wanted, which again, was the story of my day. I told her several times that I wanted “lots of candid's” because those are the kinds of pictures I like best. Guess what? I ended up with beautiful pictures ~ she must have taken 500 ~ but only about ten or fifteen candid's in the whole bunch. I’m still happily married and I have a beautiful album and guess where it is right now…it’s in a box… in a closet. Because it’s just like everyone else’s wedding album.
Just pictures…no story.
I don’t want that for you. Let’s talk if we have the same vision.