Wedding Photographers / Photojournalists

[morgin]

Couldn't find a recent thread on this topic, so thought I would canvass you all.

Getting married in fall 2014. Need a photographer. Appreciate importance of not hiring hobo off the street who stole a DSLR. Also would prefer to avoid people who bought a high end camera and started a photography business prior to taking any actual photos. Also can't really afford much more than $3000 or so, so while I appreciate the inevitable "use neeper" responses, not in the budget.

Anyone who has been married lately, tell me who you used/saw/liked/etc.

[Derek Sutton]

Originally Posted by morgin

Couldn't find a recent thread on this topic, so thought I would canvass you all.

Getting married in fall 2014. Need a photographer. Appreciate importance of not hiring hobo off the street who stole a DSLR. Also would prefer to avoid people who bought a high end camera and started a photography business prior to taking any actual photos.

Anyone who has been married lately, tell me who you used/saw/liked/etc.

Yah really, it seems like I've got about 20 Facebook friends who have become photographers or think they are photographers in the past two years.

[SebC]

Can't recommend any specific person (since you already ruled out Neeper), but two general tips:

- Do an engagement shoot. I'd be hesitant to use a photographer who doesn't insist on this.
- Ask to see a "full wedding", don't let the photog cherry-pick photos from various weddings to show you. There's nothing wrong with best shots as part of the presentation, but you should be able to see the whole product from a single wedding too.

[Regulator75]

Originally Posted by morgin

Couldn't find a recent thread on this topic, so thought I would canvass you all.

Getting married in fall 2014. Need a photographer. Appreciate importance of not hiring hobo off the street who stole a DSLR. Also would prefer to avoid people who bought a high end camera and started a photography business prior to taking any actual photos. Also can't really afford much more than $3000 or so, so while I appreciate the inevitable "use neeper" responses, not in the budget.

Anyone who has been married lately, tell me who you used/saw/liked/etc.

Where are you located?
I know several (local) excellent professional wedding photographers who have been shooting for many years and their work is top notch.

[morgin]

Calgary. Wedding in Calgary as well.

[normtwofinger]

Check this thread out: http://forum.calgarypuck.com/showthr...+photographers

It has some information about photographers, and general wedding stuff too.

[LChoy]

If you don't mind me recommending my good friend, she should fit your criteria. She shot my wedding and we were very impressed with her work.

http://www.debbiewongphotography.com/

Congratulations

[Titan]

If you don't mind standing infront of a view of downtown, some red barns or happen to be a bug on a flower Regulator75 would do a hell of a job. Or a panorama. He would panorama the hell out of a wedding!!

[SebC]

Originally Posted by Titan

If you don't mind standing infront of a view of downtown, some red barns or happen to be a bug on a flower Regulator75 would do a hell of a job. Or a panorama. He would panorama the hell out of a wedding!!

This photographer is actually famous for his wedding panoramas. He has a very cool technique named after him. Totally useless to you though, as he's more expensive than Neeper, but I love his work.

[calgarywinning]

I'm involved in this industry and these guys are excellent. More to the creative spectrum. Not sure on pricing.

http://www.linaandmay.com

[FFR]

I will put in my recommendation for JJD Photography. (Disclaimer: he's my husband). Prices are extremely reasonable. Check out www.jjdphotography.com. If you want to see more pictures or have a question send me a private message or use the contact form on the site. I'm certain a CP discount could be arranged.

Of course, everyone has a personal taste when it comes to photo styles - so my one recommendation above all is to pick a photographer whose style matches your preference - dont go with someone that you don't like just because they are recommended.

[me_dennis]

I'm gonna put in a recommendaton for our wedding photographers http://oohlalaphotography.ca/

The photographer's name is Karina, and she works with her sister Kristen. She takes a lot of baby photography, but she does a few weddings a year as well.

The best thing about Karina is she will work with you to make sure you get the photos you want, and her pricing is fairly reasonable, and you can tailor a package that suits your needs. For example, we took one of her packages and removed all the prints and opted for more time instead. The turnaround time is absolutely amazing. We got our engagement photos a week or two after the shoot, and we got our full wedding photoset 3 weeks after our wedding (i've heard of some wedding photographers taking up to a year). She is able to do this by not taking on too many weddings.

Check out her blog for a sample of other photos that she takes (other than wedding photos).

PM me if you have more questions.

[mykalberta]

We are using a girl; Julie Hill. She is just starting out in the wedding photo biz - came from family portrait side of things. Was very impressed while meeting with her and with our engagement pictures. Because she is just starting out she is very reasonable price wise (at least from the 10 or so others I looked into).

We havent had our wedding yet but her and her husband both come for the pictures - he more prep and setup and assisting but they both seemed great.

http://juliehillphotography.com/

[manwiches]

On the topic of photographs, your future wife will probably want a good make up artist.

Go to http://www.luxeartistry.com/ If you like their portfolio, send them a message. Reasonably priced, and fantastic work.

[darklord700]

I’ve done wedding photography and I have to say that style is over-rated in this business. Pretty much everybody does a core of the same thing, cut of face, big squeeze etc. What separate one from the other is the “look”. Some like the fantasy blown out highlight look (bath in light) and some like B&W. See if you can spot the “look” from a particular photog.

Keep in mind that the photog is also the commander at some point of the wedding. I once had to reign in 10 bridesmaid and 10 groomsman (some of them half drunk) during a shoot. If that’s the kind of wedding party you have, you needed someone strong and not an 18 year old girl who’s afraid to speak up.

Unfortunately, this industry had spiraled downward with the advent of easy to use and affordable DSLR. I’ve seen people who can’t shoot a lick offering photography classes on Groupon.

Below are four of the best photogs in the world. Hopefully checking out their work will help you understand what makes good photography and make your wedding photog decision.

http://wedding.jgarnerphoto.com/#home/
http://jerryghionisblog.com/
http://www.joebuissink.com/main.php#...olio/portfolio
http://www.jeffascough.com/blogs/

[sun]

http://www.heidrichphotography.com/

An acquaintance of mine who does nice work. Not sure what their pricing is like.

[TheGrimm]

www.shiphotography.com

Seems like a good time to shamelessly plug my wife's business!

It's a completely personal thing, I definitely recommend you pick a photographer that not only suits your style, but suits your personality as you are spending a very large portion of your day with them! As a limited time offer (because I can't do this all day) I will get my wife to give you a discount and have her use her best looking assistant for your special day!

[spetch]

http://edwardrossphotography.com/

Is who we used for our wedding last summer. Can't quite remember the pricing, something tells me he might be over your budget. Worth a phone call to see though as he does some great work and is also a pleasure to deal with.

[MaDMaN_26]

Not a replacement for your photographer but I heard about a wedding where all the guests were given disposable camera's (or maybe one per table) and they just handed them in at the end of the night. Might get some good shots from that... and in my mind possibly more valuable.

[Hevishot]

www.angieboylerphotography.com/


She did a great job on our wedding and engagement shots. Decently priced.