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Sigh. So following the guidelines set out in every wedding book I've ever read-the Mr and I met with several photographers last week to get a better idea of their work. This should help make the decision right?
False. My reactions ran the gambit from LOVING the pictures, and thinking that there was no personality connection and disliking the albums, to LOVING the person, and thinking the pictures were okay (btw, it's totally true about seeing a whole wedding vs. blog posts) and the albums were okay. To liking the person, thinking the pictures were okay, but being blown out of the water by the albums. Yea....freaking a I'm that person.
The Mr. wants to reboot and start the process over again, but its disheartening to me. After staring at pictures for a week, I'm now totally at a loss. Should I just got back to the ones we met? Hope I don't get stuck with the annoying person all day and do my album myself? Our budget is pretty generous for photography, so we aren't raising that.
Thoughts? Help.
We did the exact same thing. I let the FI make the decision. I followed and negotiated but I let the FI do the picking. We decided that esentially our engagement session was the test. Most of the photographers in our area do the engagement photos when you have just paid the deposit. Our photographer was $3500 the deposit was 10%. We negotiated at no extra charge for a disk and the rights to the engagement photos. I figured if I really hated the connection on that day and didn't love the e-pics then I really only lost $350. I'm glad he did the picking though. Our e-pics were amazing and the connection with the photographer was even better. I don't know if this helps, but putting my self into "this is just a test" took a lot of the stress off about maybe making a wrong decision.
I'm having the same issue. I just took about 2-3 weeks off of the photographer search and am STILL in the same place. I have met three people and have the same mix of emotions and reactions you had. Are you getting married in D.C.? I'd love to share notes on photographers. I have a whole Google spreadsheet!
@prettylittlemess, I am getting married in DC too and have been struggling with finding a photog myself. We settled on someone who is going to do our e-pics, and then if we decide we like them, will hire for wedding too. Would love to share notes too!
Have you met with Daniel McGarrity? He's from DC area but is willing to travel (hence why he's our photog). I was super impressed with his pictures online, but actually meeting him was much better. He got on great with FI (who is super camera shy) and that was important for us. Here is his website - feel free to pm me if you have any other questions.
Now that the wedding is over, my biggest photographer advice would be that it is of the upmost importance to click with a photographer personality wise ... next to your husband, they are the one you spend the most time with, and how you feel about them will play itself out in your pictures. I loved our photog so much that I have had coffee with her a couple times, and will have a lifelong relationship with her as far as future maternity/baby/family pictures goes. I could not see entrusting anyone else with our day.
I think that is super important, because you need to believe in them and trust them, because they have such power over capturing your memories, and you need to be secure in the fact that they will do right by you. Due to our relationship with our photog, I never worried for one second about the pictures we would receive!
I feel the same sigh. The only photogs I like start at like 3500 and if you want an album, DVD, e-session all of a sudden you're paying like 5500. That is not a big deal, but Im trying to cut back on our pic costs cause now I want a videographer. sigh.
And then to find someone who (beautifully) shoots black people without making them look ashy, pasty, or just plain crazy? Good lord it's like asking for water in a desert. I mean, isn't DC like 40% black or something, goodness! Do I have to go get the Obamas' photographer?
@prettylittlemess: please share your spreadsheet!!
@Aubergold: your Obama comment also made me fall out of my chair!!
@prettylittlemess: i second (or third) the reuqest for your spreadsheet! i think i have some good info too although i haven't met with anyone in person since i don't live in the area. i'm coming down next month to meet with a few and hopefully click with one and hire them. i've found a couple people in frederick that i really like and have better rates than dc-based photogs.
@rachaelrobin: ahaha, Im serious. What is his name, Pete something? I'm going to go get him even thought he probably costs my entire wedding budget!
@rachaelrobin: Yes that's him, lol Thanks. He probably starts at 20k, HA
I feel you, I am on the photog hunt as well. Talk about stress. MY FI said he "doesnt care if a high school kid does our photos,'' then he thought about that and said, ''no, my uncle can do our photos." Um, yeah if your very important Uncle doesnt mind not being in any photos and spending the whole evening working. lol, my silly FI. So it is up to me to find a photog. I think I am going to splurg and go with the more expensive one instead of looking for for a good less expensive photog. I am too stressed to look at any more photos.
Here is the link to my Google Spreadsheet. It is VERY rough, but it has names and basic info. There are other photographers in the area, but they didn't strike my fancy, so they were left off the sheet. Also, I kept all my notes on there, some may be useful some not:
Washington, D.C. Wedding Photographers
@Aubergold: I told my FI that a photographer was great because they had really good shots of an African American bride and groom in their portfolio. It's a great test of a photographer's skill.
Hey ladies! It's so good to hear that I'm not the only one who struggled to find a photographer! I was so so so so so (times 1000) overwhelmed by all the vendors in this area! We're exploding at the seams in DC/VA/MD with amazing photogs and it seemed impossible to narrow down the list of those I liked!
Have you heard of www.wpja.com? It's the Wedding Photojournalist Association website and it's super easy to search for photogs in the area. Some of them have prices listed and even a calendar to see whether they are booked or not! Another cool website is http://www.loveolio.com/. Apparently, some of the best photogs in the world are listed there!
Through word of mouth, I found someone way out of the area, in Maine whose website I loved - the website was a big part of the decision for me, cause if it wasn't new and awesome, they weren't the one - and she offered to waive travel fees. Another photog in NY offered the same thing. My point is that you shouldn't limit yourself to just photographers in the area!
Lastly - and I'm definitely not trying to sound like an expert here, it's just that this has been our hot issue the last month and I've learned a lot - don't settle! Keep looking and take breaks like prettylittlemess. I second MsMini , too, in that you want to LOVE your pick. The photographs will be a reflection of all your hard work and planning, so it's gotta count!
Good luck ladies! I'll be back by to see how the search is going. Keep us posted!
Hey my photographer is based in Harrisonburg, VA but they travel. They're traveling for my wedding and I know they did an E-Session in DC a while ago.
http://jodimillerphotographyblog.com/
She and her soon to be husband are very sweet and they're super talented. If you like them, PM me and I'll send you the link to my e-session gallery so you can get an idea of a full gallery as opposed to a few blog shots.
Hello. I am a long time lurker who got married in May and still look at this site periodically. I had to weigh in on seeing that some of you were searching for a photographer in the DC area. We used Pamela Lepold of Weddings by Pamela and loved her. She has a great photojournalistic style and was wonderful to work with both before the wedding and during the day. Day of, she was meticulously organized and kept us calm and on schedule. We got our album from her last week and were thrilled. I promise that while this is a first time post and makes me suspicious, I am in no way affiliated with Pamela, but was really thrilled with her and I know how hard it is to find a good photographer.
@Dannora: thanks for the recommendation, i will check her out. do you mind sharing her approxiate pricing?
to others in the DC/MD area, how far in advance did you book your photographer? we are meeting with a couple in early november when i'm home for the weekend and can meet with people face to face, and i feel so pressured to book someone then since i know i probably won't be in the area again until after the holidays. our wedding is next september.
You might want to also try Ruben Gamarra who has 18 years experience as a professional photographer not only with weddings but as a Senate photographer:
http://www.rubenphotography.com/index2.php
We met with him back in February at his home studio and just seeing his photographs that he took displayed on his walls, were breathtaking. He also does photo journalism and has worked with Obama. His complete package is $1600. As far as his personality, Ruben is a reserved, seemingly quiet man but his photography speaks volumes. The most important aspect to us was not so much a photographers personality but their work quality. We booked him on the spot.
Hurrah ladies! I'm so glad I'm not alone! Honestly, if I could just mash up a few people into one person photographically speaking I'd be all set. :)
@pb and J We are getting married next October, and have begun to realize that we need to book someone now as 4 people on our top 10 list are already booked. (including my own personal favorite 2 days after I met her, which led to me bawling my eyes out)
@Aubergold Have you looked at Genvieve Leiper, A. Britton, Deb Lindsey, or Abby Jiu? I don't know what your budget is, but they have some great shots of people of color on their blogs and websites.
The spreadsheet I linked to above should now be editable by anyone with a Gmail address! Hopefully we can create a great database for D.C. brides!
Also, a lot of the photographers on that list I found on the WPJA site that Miss Brooch mentioned. Great resource!
Now, if we could only find a way to mash together the styles and techniques of several different photographers into one, we'd ALL be set!
@prettylittlemess: thank you!! i just added in our frontrunner at the bottom, who happens to be mrs. pencils' photographer. i've been emailing with him and have really liked him so far. if we get along when we meet i think we will book him. great prices too. based in frederick, md.
i felt so alone until now...i am having so many issues finding a photographer in our price range! I've met with serveral and my eyes are blurry from looking at all the websites...i also feel very pressured to book soon as some i've contacted are already booked...
@Ei: it seems like the photographer is one of the hardest vendors to find for a lot of people! our date is a week behind you and i'm feeling a lot of pressure to book ASAP as well.
@pband j We paid $3500 for Pamela and an assistant for 8 hours. I believe she has since gone up to $4000. For those who have asked about timing, we booked her 13 months in advance, but a friend of mine was able to book her closer to her wedding date. Best of luck.
I got married almost a year ago in Old Town Alexandria and we used RMN Photography (Rachel Naft), my sister is taking her to Chicago with us for her wedding, we are probably using her for maternity and baby photos our or new addition. I obviously cannot recommend her enough. I actually have posted about her a bunch of times before and a fellow bee recently sent me a PM thanking me for the recommendation because they used her and loved her as well! If I remember correctly her pricing starts at $1500 (I think we got a package in the mid $2000) and you get CD of the rights to ALL photos which is awesome. She is AMAZING to work with and a ton of fun. Here is her website.
rmnphotography.com
I second browsing the Wedding Photojournalist Association to look for photographers. That is how I found mine!
@pb and j: You might do better looking at Baltimore area photographers if you're getting married in Baltimore. You could avoid travel fees that way. If you're interested, I could provide a few suggestions I've collected along the way, as well as the name of the photographer I ultimately selected.
Photographers do book quickly so you'd do best to find one soon. We booked ours in about the same timeframe as you probably will, so you're not under the gun yet or anything. But they will be filling up so you should look seriously.
Look at Jennifer Chase Photography - she has a blog, website and you can just look her up on facebook. Friends of mine just got engaged last weekend and she was there to capture the moment when he proposed to her (at the Lincoln Memorial) and then take E-pics right after!! Her pictures are phenomenal!
We are (hopefully) using Stephen Voss:
http://www.stephenvossphoto.com/
He's not terribly responsive with e-mail, but I've talked to him on the phone and he's supernice.
finding a photographer was DEFINITELY the hardest and most stressful part of the planning for me! we were looking about 9 months in advance, and tons of them were already booked. we ended up loving ours-- amy martin. she came recommended by both kellan studios and kate headley, whose work is also gorgeous but they were both booked.
Check out Katie Stoops (based out of Harrisonburg, VA but she travels all over). She is INCREDIBLY sweet and amazing, and takes awesome pictures!
Hey Ladies-
I definitely feel your pain! I just got married last year and the pictures were one of the most important things to me. Like yal said.. the guys don't really seem to care as much.
I ended up going with a friend of the family as my photographer, but was quite disappointed. We didn't get some of the "common sense photos" like me with my parents and brother and me with my grandmothers... (and yes.. I reminded her through the night) long story.
Like mwitter80 said, the engagement shoot is major when it comes to getting to know your photographer. Not only do you get a feel for their personality, but you also get to see what kinds of pictures they 'really' produce.
When you get your engagement pictures, be sure to look at the quality. Think about whether or not they offer a quality that can be blown up and hung over the fireplace.
Also, take into consideration if they have a Satisfaction Guarantee policy and whether or not the person seems organized and timely. THis is soooo important. You'll have a million things to think about before and the Day of your wedding, the last thing you need to worry about is whether or not your photographer is going to be on time and capture your day.
Ok, as you can see I can go on and on about this..lol
.. since then I've taken up photography myself. I would love to talk with any of you (of course about what I can offer..lol) but definitely about what I ran into last year when I was in your same shoes.
Congrats ladies!
As a photographer, I would say to make sure you not only love the images of your photographer but really try to bond with them! As someone said above, you will be spending the most time with them! It's such an important decision because the photographer turns your moments into memories.
we used paul morse and he is AMAZING! he was bush's main photographer (did jenna bush's wedding) and also covered obama inauguration. his blog is http://paulmorsecode.com/ (we are andrea and kevin 8.14.10)
he seems to do a ton of intercultural/interfaith/interacial weddings, which i thought was very cool. he's not cheap, but is willing to negotiate. totallyl laidback, super professional and we barely noticed him running around! he worked well with our videographers too. we had our blog post up about a week after the 9 days after the wedding and got our full CD with all the hi-res images in about 3 weeks.
also, we're currently working on our album with him and he has been extraordinarily patient with me and changing my mind about things etc.
@prettylittlemess: Is anyone else having trouble opening this doc? When I open it it's blank :(
@KateByDesign: I noticed it is now blank! I think someone deleted everything off of it, perhaps accidentally. I'm going to start it again, but it won't have all the reccommnedations that had been added since I posted it originally.
If you add something to the Google doc, make sure to save it properly! Thanks!
We booked Michael Connor (www.connorstudios.com), and while we we're not getting hitched until May, I'd recommend him based on the excellent job he did on our engagement photos. He was very efficient in getting the engagement photos back to us (so I hope the same will hold true for the wedding pics!). He was easygoing and friendly, and he is a photographer by trade and not just by hobby. Hope this helps!
I used Derrel Todd of Footprint Fotos. He was our most favorite vendor. Quite passionate about his work and a super FUN guy! Affordable and specializes in photographing AfriAmericans. The only thing I didn't like is him not showing off his best work on his website. Most of the samples are on his facebook fan page.
What was sooo cool with him was learning that he was personally selected by Raphael Sadiiq and Maxwell to photograph them on tour. He went to Paris to shoot Raphael Sadiiq. The pics from that were part of the sample work he showed us at our initial mtg.
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