So many couples underestimate the importance of the Photographer to their wedding experience. There is no other vendor with whom you will spend more time before, during, and after the wedding! It is the Photographer who often tends to make or break the entire wedding day. Every single one of us has been to a wedding where the Photographer was pushy, rude, annoying, or otherwise completely unpleasant! And then the pictures weren’t even that good! None of us want to have our special day ruined by such a Photographer… So how do we safeguard against it???

Start EARLY! The Photographer should be one of the first vendors, if not the first, that you book for your wedding! Good Photographers are booked up anywhere between 6 months to 2 years in advance, so that means you will be down to second or third tier talent if you don’t start early.

Start with websites. Every Photographer worth his or her salt has one, so get crackin! Google everything wedding photography related that you can, and get a good idea of the talent in your area. Weed out any photographer that doesn’t take pictures in the style you like. I don’t care if you sister raves about her Photographer and fully expects you to book them if you don’t like their style. It’s your wedding, so stick to your guns! Try to narrow it down to your top three choices based on their website work. Rate them from first choice, to third choice.

Meet with your favorite Photographer first. If they are as freakin’ awesome in person as their photography, Book them! Be ready to book when you meet with them because there will most likely be a bunch of other Brides looking for that same Photographer on the same date! If you don’t mesh with the Photographer, move on! Remember you are likely to spend all day with them!

Do not shop on price alone! Every Photographer understands we all have budgetary constraints and may work with you a bit, but you should never skimp on the photography as it is the only thing that will last longer than the wedding day! Make your budget cuts somewhere else if you absolutely must. Most Photographers (I know I do…) offer discounts for off-season, middle of the week, etc. weddings which are basically dates that we would otherwise not be regularly filling. Wednesdays come to mind… Remember there are only 52 Saturdays every year from which we must make a living. If you consider having your wedding on a “non-traditional” day of the week, you could rack up some truly amazing savings across the board! Think about it! Otherwise be prepared to pay the awesome Photographer for their time, talent, and awesomeness!

I’m not going to bother with what to ask for in a wedding package, because places like The Knot cover these topics extensively. Just ask yourself what you need, and go from there. Are you really going to need twenty 8X10’s??? Most people don’t. I’d go with Images on Disc with printing rights, a nice album, and maybe a couple (like 2…) 8X10’s for the parents and grandparents. If you really want more “stuff” as well, order it after the wedding!

I hope that’s given you a lot to think about… now Good Luck!

I’ve been going through my wedding photos from 2009, and this one is one of my favorites. The utter joy and happiness is visible on their faces as they enter their reception! Such a great day! Wedding in Aptos, Reception in Soquel at Michael’s on Main back in October.

Friends and family: To view more photos from Leanne and Ben’s wedding, go to www.pictage.com/702793.

For Family and Friends: To view and order images from this wedding and to be notified when all the images are available for viewing, go to www.pictage.com/702788.

For Family and Friends: To view all the photos from Abigail and Daron’s wedding Click HERE!

For friends and family: To view the complete set of photos from Karen and Michele’s wedding, go to http://www.pictage.com/702783

Since we’ve moved from Monterey to Fresno last Saturday, it seems like much has happened, and very little has happened at the same time. I’ve spent a lot of time working on my business, editing photos, responding to e-mails, and making phone calls. Unpacked boxes, and starting making plans about what to do next. First on the list: Join a gym… more on that later…

Richard is out of town this week. He is an IT Security Consultant by day (my fabulous second shooter by weekend) and often gets flown out to fix problems that I don’t understand. So, since he’s gone, I have the whole house to myself, and all the unpacking to do on my own.

It’s times like these that the girls and I need to get together for Girl Time! Girl time is usually started off with some kind of alcoholic beverage, followed by trying to act cool, and ending with the conversation inevitably turning to boys. Even as I’ve gotten older, the conversation always goes the same way as when I was a teenager. Either way, girls, you need to call me so we can do this soon! I’ll bring the Mead!

This series below was a Girl Time experience a while back during which we found a cool old magnifying glass and though it would be fun to take silly pictures of each other… Fun times… From left to right: Lisa, Me, and Jennifer.

I would characterize myself as relaxed, groovy, easy to get along with, and pretty much game for a laugh. I’m a real person. I don’t lay on a thick sales pitch when I meet clients, I just try to get to know them. I’m extremely organized and always super-duper prepared for my weddings (that’s the Girl Scout motto “be prepared!”). I work very hard at what I do, and spend hours during and after the wedding editing and perfecting each image.

It’s sometimes hard to connect with people over the phone and when I talk to potential clients, I feel like I have so much to tell/ask them! So much to talk about! What are your wedding colors? What does your dress look like? Just tell me everything! Those are words Richard dreads hearing… “tell me everything” is like Man-Kryptonite, it just melts him into a quivering mess of incapability. Like he just can’t store that much information in his mind at one time. I digress… I’m a girly girl when it comes to weddings, and I love the mundane details about all the cool things my brides come up with for their weddings. I’d love to be considered a friend along the way, and not just the hired help. It’s true that I spend a lot of time with my couples on W-day and more than any other vendor.

Whatever the reason, it’s hard starting a business. No matter how good a Photographer I am, if no one knows about me, I will never make it. So, if your reading this and you know anyone getting married or engaged or whatever, send them my way! I promise to take good care of them, and I won’t disappoint! After all, in a few years, I plan to be one of the BEST Photographers in the country. It’s a lofty goal, I agree, but I aim high.

Moving Update: We’ve moved from Monterey to Fresno, and I’m now endeavoring to unpack the myriad of boxes stacked in the dining and living rooms. Dottie is not helping much. In fact, the cats have done nothing but nap since we arrived… lot of help they are…

I can take pictures. So what? I can take gooooood pictures! Now we’re getting somewhere! But how am I (and a camera maybe) going to change the world? Well, to tell you the truth, I don’t know. All 2 of you that read this blog probably already know that I have started a Photography Business with the greatest of intentions. I fully intend to become one of the greatest photographers in the world. I don’t know if I will get there, but I want to be the best. Anything worth doing is worth doing well! Right? Everyone has to start somewhere, so here I am at the beginning. I’ve practiced my skills, I’ve purchased abused and tortured terribly expensive equipment, I’ve adopted professional business practices into my arsenal of skills. My work consumes me. I am utterly drawn to my camera and computer screen with an obsessive flare, staring at my images until my eyes hurt, until I figure out how to make my images good, better, the best. I’m a perfectionist. No seriously, if you look in the dictionary under “perfectionist” you would find a picture of me. I know a lot of people that would consider perfectionist tendencies a weakness, but I consider it a strength. My photos are a reflection of my soul, a reflection of myself, and my clients emotions all at the same time.

I consider myself first and foremost an artist. I’ve always been artistic, although I was never any good at drawing, and I have mad respect for those who can! Secondly, I consider myself a storyteller. I love telling stories, writing stories, creating stories. I’m especially thrilled that I can combine my artistic perfectionist visions with my love of storytelling in the ever amazing art that is Wedding Photography. I think most people truly under value their wedding photography. If you only have someone take a photo of you in your wedding gown, you’re missing out on all the fun stuff! I love weddings the most in those weird awkward nervous moments in between the main events. I am lucky to be a part of one of the most important days of your life! Wow! How cool is that?!?!?! And not only do I get to be there, I get to know you, your family, your dreams, hopes, and most importantly, your love.

I put tremendous value on the reactions of my couples to their photography. I actually get disappointed if I don’t hear anything when the bride and groom look at their photos in their Online Proofing Gallery. Like I have failed. Failed myself, and failed them. I really truly want you to LOVE your photos, and I do what I can to achieve perfection. Come with me on this one, and we’ll se where this goes…

Kitties Love Boxes! Packing update…the cats have chosen their boxes and are ready to go!

Hairstyling provided by Michelle Arellano at the Hairchitechs Salon in Campbell, California.




Kyra the cat watched over Elaina as she got ready to head over to the church!