Not surprisingly the answer is – a lot of different things. Careful advance planning for light, location, and backgrounds is certainly important.  However, I would say that the single most important factor is 
having a relaxing environment to BE YOURSELF and to BE PRESENT to experience all of the emotion of your day.  That is what this is about!

This depends on a variety of factors and while I do not guarantee a specific number of images, I will say that my style is one of ‘moving fast and shooting a lot’ (ie – telling a narrative story). During most every wedding I strive to capture candid images (me being a fly on the wall and mingling), creative portraiture, the venue environment & location, details (food, table scenes, rings and other 'still life') and then as many posed family photos as you would like/need to have. In short, there will be no shortage of images and the more difficult task (for me) is often editing down the 3000+ captures (yes, it’s true!) to the BEST OF THE BEST to deliver to you.

We will splash in puddles, laugh like children and create unique moments that no blue-sky-day would ever offer. Like life, weddings are never perfect. The wind may blow, someone may be late, the best man may miss his cue to speak and a ring bearer may be ready for a nap. Relax . . . these things don’t matter all that much and they will only create stress on your day if you let them. What you’ll remember is your emotional moments with friends and family so just sit back and let come what may.

It’s pretty simple. I like light, bright, optimistic and relatively true-to-life-feeling-images that have somewhat of an authentic look and feel. This is not to say that I don’t manipulate them and give them my spin – I absolutely do. If it’s a super cold day I am not going to push the files to a ‘tropical’ look and feel, but I am going to make them pleasant to the eye. I am open to having discussions around any image coloring preferences you may have, but often find that the location, season, styling and lighting will lead us down a road that will be the best fit for the final edit. I will generally provide to you a mix of both color and black and white images.

I will provide to you an edited collection of high resolution (for print)  & web resolution image files for your use via a password protected and sharable online gallery. I generally do not use a USB thumb drive, as they will eventually become archaic and obsolete like all previous electronic memory media and so I don’t want you to find that someday you don’t have a device that will accept USB any longer. If you simply must have a thumb drive, no problem - can do. Generally, cloud-based storage along with a local hard drive is your best long term storage option.

Offseason engagement shoots are generally turned around pretty quickly (2-3 weeks, though often sooner), while the summer peak season does tend to get busier and thus slows delivery. I will always strive to send you a few sneak peeks within a couple of days of your event (I will be as excited to see them as you are) and then for weddings the full gallery will be delivered within 8 weeks (though again, often sooner.)

I do not do a lot of retouching – I think the goosebumps on your arm and the wind blowing through your hair are important parts of your moment and someday they will help you remember how nervous and excited you were. We are not striving for perfection, rather we want to celebrate reality because reality is already pretty amazing on its own. That said, sure, if there are things that really bother you, like some wine spilled on your dress or a noticeable bruise, that you need for me to adjust we can absolutely discuss the options and potential costs.

Yes and no. I love to find amazing images in the edit that I didn’t know were there or even expect, but no I don’t love getting curve balls and I don’t expect you do either. So, my goal is simple – to always be 100% transparent in exactly what this process will look like. You deserve that.

I’m not really a fan of ‘advice’ in general, but you asked. Here are my top two:

1.  BE BOLD - You may only do this once in your life, so make it really reflect who you are. That said, give consideration to your parents and loved ones. This is also about them as they have raised you and made you, in part, who you are today. This may be a bigger deal to them than you can imagine, so give them some consideration and ownership.

2.  BE PRESENT - Here’s the thing, and I can say this with experience, in 10 or 20 years any imperfections around your day will be long gone from your memory. The things you will hold onto are the emotional elements – how the day made you FEEL. You will remember the speeches your friends made, the laughter and even the tears your family shed. I want you to be FULLY PRESENT for that – ALL OF THAT. While we will shoot photos, this is not a photo shoot. It is my job to orchestrate and guide for the best end result, while also letting you enjoy this most special of days. It’s a tough order, but I LOVE IT!

Pretty simple. To hold a date I ask for a signed agreement and a 25% deposit with the balance due 30 days prior to your event date. Payments can be made by check, Zelle or bank transfer.

This is the answer that should in some part steer your decision to who you ultimately choose, so let me help you in that process. I believe that this is all about you and not about me in any way other than that I am a part of your process and am here to support you and make some amazing images of which you are the lead. I am an easy-going, fun-loving person who will go to most any lengths to make my clients happy. I love to tell beautiful stories with my work and provide deep and rich galleries for my clients. And while I love shooting beautiful and dramatic creative portraits in amazing settings and light, the images that capture an emotional moment that can truly never be fabricated or recreated will always BE MY FAVORITES. Finding these instances at a wedding filled with love and flowing emotions is not hard, but anticipating them and being ready and in the right place at the right time - that is the TRUE ART.