Creative Portrait & Wedding Photography

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. I usually photograph engagements and weddings, though I love to capture just about anything that is important to someone, from families to people and their pets.

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Really get to know the photographers you're considering before you simply go with the cheapest. You're likely to find a photographer who not only fits with your vision better, but you also might find someone willing to help you make that vision cost effective.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Ask to see photos from a whole wedding, or a variety of photoshoots - it's easier to get a realistic view of a photographer's work that way than through what they have on their website.

Don't base all of your judgements on pricing - if someone's pricing is too good to be true, there's probably a reason for it. Similarly, if someone seems to be charging above the average, that alone doesn't mean they're more talented or apt for the job than anyone else.

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. More important than a wedding date or location, I like to know about the couple - how they met, what they do in their free time, what they like seeing when they look at photos of themselves. You can learn a lot about a couple by just saying "Tell me about yourselves."

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Rather than pose people, I prefer to capture the moment and the real emotions that are happening - I love more than anything to show the real personalities and the real life of the people in my photos.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. Being able to capture moments in peoples lives in a way that helps them to really remember something special is amazing. Not only do I get to be a photographer, but I get to help make magic, and that's seriously awesome.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. During my first wedding, I found some quiet time to take pictures of my bride and groom together. As I was taking some test shots, I told them to talk amongst themselves, and the groom - carefully - admitted to the bride that he'd broken his toe during the bachelor party - I got some amazing photos of them laughing about it together.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. A lot of people think that anyone with the "right" camera can pick that camera up and be an awesome photographer. While a nice camera helps, 99% of it is the person making the images, and someone with a good eye shouldn't be undervalued.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I've always loved art and photography, but I decided to focus on weddings after I had the privilege of photographing a proposal. Being able to capture those moments for the couple was amazing, and I knew then that I really did want to dedicate my life to helping other people in the same way.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. Portrait session start at $250 for two hours. This includes as many outfit and location changes as you want (within reasonable distance in regards to locations).

Weddings start at $1250 for five hours, and include a free hour-long engagement session and online proofing and ordering system.

Additional time is $50/hour. I don't include product credits in either package, because I prefer to customize the products with each individual client.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. First and foremost, do what you love to do. If you love to take photos, keep doing it! For some people, that means never letting their camera leave their side, and for others it means narrowing down what they're doing with their camera and continuing down that path. Either way, follow your heart.