I consider my style to be bright, fun and colorful. I love to laugh and have fun during sessions and enjoy couples who don’t take themselves too seriously and are happy rolling with the punches.  Rain on wedding day? Let’s do it! While I don’t love static posing, I do understand that most of my clients aren’t professional models and are likely a little awkward in front of the camera so I have a couple tried and true positions I can plop you into before giving you simple prompts to ensure that you always look natural.

Aside from the facts that I’m pretty damn fun and you’re already here so you clearly like my photography, I also have nearly 15 years of experience shooting all types of weddings. I graduated from the Art Institute of Seattle with a degree in photography, and while you definitely do not need a photography degree to be a great photographer, I really appreciate how the myriad of courses I took set me up to be a more well-rounded photographer. As a wedding photographer, my job encompasses far more than just wedding portraits. Beyond portraiture, the skills I learned from courses focused on architecture photography, studio lighting, product styling, fashion and even food photography all come to play on wedding day.

There are also a lot of photographers out there who identify as “natural light photographers”.  I too love shooting in soft, natural light; it’s the most flattering and the easiest to work with as a photographer. However, sometimes you just don’t have that natural light available, especially after dark. At this point you are going to want to be certain you’ve hired a photographer who can also use off-camera lighting to really highlight your venue and capture all the reception fun just as beautifully as the rest of the day.  Off-camera lighting isn’t always needed, but don’t you want to be sure you have a photographer who can photograph under any scenario, just in case?

Plus, I’m always happy to help move ceremony chairs, let that one groomsman who forgot his sunglasses wear mine for a cool photo, help you remember all the lyrics to Bust A Move or step in if needed when you don’t have a caterer or planner on site. (Did you know there’s a right and a wrong way to cut a wedding cake?) I also have lots of little things on hand to help you get through the day stress-free (including but not limited to: crochet hooks, bug spray, sun block, fashion tape and whisky).

While most clients book 6-10 months prior to their wedding date, ASAP is my suggestion if you want to be certain to secure your date.

Short answer: Yes.  Engagement photos are the best way to get all the awkwardness out of the way before the wedding day. Many of my engagement sessions start at a bar (liquid courage is a great thing!) or coffee shop (caffeine is also rad) so we can chat a bit and break the ice before I stick a camera all up in your face.  The engagement session is where I’ll give you all the little tips and tricks for how to look your best in your wedding photos. Once you get your engagement gallery back, you’ll also get a chance to see how you look in photos and if there’s anything you or I need to tweak before the big day.  Perhaps I need to give you different posing suggestions, maybe you think you need more mascara or you didn’t realize that you don’t like how you scrunch your nose every time you laugh  – all good info to know before the main event.

If you are a grown up who just hates being in photos, join the club. I hate having my photo taken as well. Because I totally get it, I prefer giving prompts over static posing to ensure that everything you do is natural to who you are as a couple. I shoot pretty quickly and do it while we’re chatting so that you don’t have time to tense up. I often hear from my clients immediately following their sessions that they are surprised at how easy and relaxed they felt at their shoot, many even telling me they had fun, but there’s no way we got anything good because they didn’t feel like we were doing anything different than how they normally act. However, I always hear a different tune after they see the final images. “I can’t believe how great we looked!  You actually caught him smiling!” This is why engagement sessions are a great way to practice being photographed and ensures your wedding photos are much more natural, easy, and fun!

Yes. Every professional photographer should and will have business liability insurance. This is for your safety as well as our own. If they don’t, I would highly suggest you find one who does.

Yes, every step is taken to ensure that you photos are safe and secure, beginning on wedding day. I use a camera that writes to two media cards at the same time, then ensures that even if one card is corrupt, your images are still safe. Once I get home, your images are safely backed up on three separate hard drives.  While I cannot guarantee them past 5 years, I never delete any of my original files, so your wedding images should always be kept on file.

Yes. I shoot with two cameras on your wedding day and have a third back up in case of emergency.

Short answer: Nope. You hire me for the finished, fully edited product that you see on my website and blog and this is what you will get. The standard analogy is this: You wouldn’t ask a baker to just give you the ingredients to a cake, even if you were a baker yourself.  You are hiring that person for their ability to create something beautiful out of those ingredients. Cake batter is the beginning, the RAW files; you are hiring them for the final decorated cake.

I understand and respect that everyone has their right to privacy, especially with something so personal as their wedding day. At the same time, one of the most important and helpful ways I’m able to gain new clients is being able to share with them that I have an understanding of, and experience in, shooting specific venues, unique ceremonies and different cultural traditions. Many of my clients contacted me initially because they saw on my website/blog/Instagram that I’d photographed their venue, their cultural rituals, or simply couples who looked like them. This allows potential clients to feel more comfortable knowing that I am someone who already understands and respects their customs and choices.

That being said, I’ve found that we can almost always come to a compromise regarding what can and cannot be posted/shared including, but not limited to: using false names, no faces, or client approval of a select number of images posted. If you have this concern, please let me know right away so we can chat about how we might come to a happy medium.