We shot Miranda and Kaleb's Engagement Session out at our property at Timber Ridge in Seneca, Missouri. We also got to hear the super sweet story of how Kaleb popped the question in the middle of a parade and brought the whole place to a standstill! So Awesome! We are loving these sweet-hearts engagement pics! Here are just a few of our favorites!
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Ok, full disclosure...this should be a factor in selecting a wedding photographer. BUT, don't fall in love with the portfolio and abandon your research process of finding the ONE wedding photographer that fits with you for your wedding day! After you're done drooling over all the Pinterest-worthy poses, email the photographer and set up a meeting. During your consult, you will want to request full wedding albums. This is crucial to finding the wedding photographer for you! Don't base your decision solely from the portfolio, but how the photographer approaches the entire day. Lastly, make sure your personalities are a match. You're going to spend more time on your wedding day with your photographer than with your own mother. The last thing you want is to be stuck with someone for 8-10 hours who is driving you nuts on your wedding day!
Again, full disclosure on this one is that some wedding venues offer excellent recommendations on wedding photographers based on a photographers body of work. BUT, and this is a big one, some wedding venues sell spots to be a preferred wedding photographer with the venue. In this case, your motives for finding a photographer and theirs do not line up! My best advice would be to double check a venues recommendations with friends, family, wedding planners and their online reviews. Better safe than sorry on this one!
Gosh, I feel like this goes without saying, and I'm going to really try not to rant here. You've probably heard this a 1,000 times in your life....YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Maybe it's a cousin who does a little photography on the side, or Nancy from church who has a camera and guess what...THEY'LL PHOTOGRAPH YOUR WEDDING FOR FREE!!! Weddings are expensive, so this might come as music to your frugal ears. Just don't! Weddings are a tough gig, with a lot of variables, and you absolutely, 100% need a professional to handle the in's and outs of your wedding day. Just because your friend takes nice photos of families and sleeping babies, it doesn't mean he/she can light your pitch black reception venue. What happens when your 'friend/family' photog misses that crucial shot because their yucking it up with other wedding guests they know, or they lose your photos because they don't have a file backup system. Bottom line, when you're choosing a wedding photographer, CHOOSE A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER!
Make no mistake, experience is a must, and you don't want your wedding photographer using your wedding for practice, but BUSIER IS NOT ALWAYS BETTER. When it comes to choosing a wedding photographer, you're looking for someone who chooses quality over quantity. If you've found someone shooting over 100+ wedding per year, you've found someone who has sacrificed at least some degree of quality. Being that busy means they are shooting back to back weddings every single weekend and/or hiring associate photographers to fill their shoes. If you hire Jimmy Photog to be your wedding photographer, you should expect Jimmy Photog, not Jimmy Photog's Junior Varsity Squad. Make sure you know who's going to be holding the camera on your wedding day, and that they are committed to treating you like a VIP every step of the way!
Here's the thing, the right photographer can make a budget dress look like it cost $5,000. The wrong photographer can make Vera Wang look tacky. Whether you are on a shoestring budget, or are planning a wedding fit for royalty, there are a lot of places to hunt for deals. Your wedding photographer isn't one of them. Ask anyone who's been burned by their wedding photographer...It is not a bargain if you hate your wedding photos. If your favorite photographer is running a discount, like a free engagement session, or 10% off, then heck-yeah, jump all over that. Just don't let a big discount be your deciding factor. Good wedding photographers invest in expensive equipment, pay taxes, and carry insurance. So before you cut corners with a dirt-cheap photographer, ask yourself where they cut corners to get you that price.
We are Wedding Photographers based in Joplin, Missouri and we can't wait to hear from you! We photograph weddings all over the US so don't be bashful. Start the conversation right here...
It's been too long since we've gotten to see these great friends of ours! It was such fun day getting to spend some time and finally meet Baby Tripp and take some pics! Today was complete with photoshoot, sushi, and Baskin Robbins. We are Happy & Fulfilled! Check out a few of our favorites from today's shoot below...
One of the things we love to do most is travel...so we took a fun little weekend trip to Waco and Austin. We didn't take nearly enough pictures, probably because our little adventure was comprised mostly of eating....and gawking. LOL. 'Keep Austin Weird'! Lucky for me I have a gorgeous model I call my girlfriend that travels with me everywhere so when I do get the camera out, she makes it easy for me!
Texas had so much to offer. Too bad we couldn't see it all! We were able to see the Magnolia Market in Waco, the Austin Botanical Gardens, experience 6th Street in all its weirdness, hit some balls at Top Golf, take our first trip to Capital Grille, and more things I'm probably failing to mention!
Kara & Joel welcomed in the winter as my first engagement of the new year! You can't even tell from the pictures that it was the coldest day so far. Wrapped up in their winter outfits, they radiated that pre-wedding warmth, and we came away with an incredible engagement album! We met at Schermerhorn Park in Galena, Kansas which always provides a bountiful selection of photographic canvas'. For our urban look, we moved locations into downtown Galena and found some beautiful brick buildings and a sweet old tour bus, painted Carolina blue with mountains on the side! All in all, it was a good day:) Here are just a few of my favorites for Kara & Joel's engagement session!
I've acquired one of the true beauties in the photographic world, the Polaroid SX-70. A few short nights ago, I had a fever (for a Polaroid camera). I started researching on the internet to decide what would be the best fit for me. After a couple of hours, I settled on the SX-70, a beautiful masterpiece from the 70's. I was able to find one in good working 'condish' on Ebay, along with a slew of film from the Impossible project, who basically saved instant film on classic cameras like mine in 2009, when Polaroid stopped making instant film.
Kayla & Jeremy's Bullskin Creek wedding was everything you hope and pray a December wedding will be. A touching outdoor ceremony with perfect weather, and a stunning new venue with picturesque views.As December days go, this particular Saturday was a dream. Perfect weather for all the photo'ing :) This was my first time getting to shoot at the new Bullskin Creek in Neosho, Missouri. The weather, the venue, and this stunning couple all worked in concert to create another fabulous wedding! Check out a few of my personal favorites from Kayla+Jeremy's December Wedding at Bullskin Creek in Neosho, Missouri.
I met these two at Devil's Den State Park down south of Fayetteville, Arkansas. One of the first things that I noticed is that these two are truly best friends, so playful with each other, truly in love, and it comes through in their engagement pictures. They have each found 'the one' and it's a beautiful thing!
I took Brittany & Ellis to Wildcat Glades in Joplin, and then finished up in downtown Joplin for their engagement 'shoot! I love the way these came out!
