I challenge you to get to know more about the photographer you will entrust with your wedding day, whether directly or indirectly. Photographers choose to shoot weddings for various reasons, each having their own likes and dislikes. Your compatibility with the photographer is crucial if you want the best images possible. A photographer who tries to sell his packages to you but does not care about compatibility, is probably only shooting for the money. So before you throw a list of cookie cutter questions in front of a photographer, think about whether or not each question actually applies to each individual you meet.

 

I will try to keep this honest and precise. I am not here to sell myself, I am here to give you a deeper insight into one photographer's mind. I love weddings for the visual beauty, the raw emotions, and of course, the entertainment value. Simply put, I shoot weddings because I actually enjoy them and I love making people happy, not because I need to pay the bills. In fact, it may surprise you to know that photography is only my side job — yes, I work a regular 40 hour day job in between my 10 hour weddings on weekends.

I am a very carefree individual. I keep things as simple as possible, and I don't follow strict rules or guidelines, but I get the job done my way, thus I also look for carefree clients who trust me in how I work. My goal on a wedding day is to capture all the happenings as they unfold throughout the day, not to take endless posed group photos. My best results come from clients who treat the photographer as one of their own friends and part of the bridal party—I feel good and they feel good, which results in the best photographs. We all know friends capture much more meaningful and personal photos than just some hired photographer.

If you're only interested in full packages and albums, a wedding studio may be your best choice. I concentrate solely on capturing the best photos I can. I only offer one package, though somewhat customizable, so you and I can avoid the hassle of deciding what final products to include even before the wedding has taken place. The most important decision you should make is whether or not the photographs tell you a story, indulges your senses, rattles your emotions, and draw you in completely. There is no checklist for this decision, it should be an instant realization that these are the type of images you want for your most important day. The rest of the "products" can be ordered anytime after the wedding, from a few months to a few years after. The images are digital, so they never degrade in quality.

 

Once you've had a conversation with me, you will realize how simple my strategy is. I show up and shoot what I see, that's it. The trend these days are photo journalistic style photography, which is what I do. With over a hundred weddings under my belt, it's usually routine for me, though I always enjoy an unexpected surprise. I am very unobtrusive when I work, I do not interrupt the action, I am an acute observer. I do not follow photo lists.

Even though the entire day is photo journalistic, there will always be a time slot in the day for formal sessions with the bridal party, family and friends. I do appreciate substance in my stomach from time to time, especially while on my feet for 10 hours, so a meal would be required during the reception.