When I first started as a wedding photographer, brides and grooms were just beginning to plan their weddings using the internet (and there was NO Pinterest!) When I googled “wedding photographers” a dozen Jennifers came up (there were no girl names in the 1980’s other than Jennifer, Jessica, and Michelle). I figured I needed a name that stood out and it wasn’t mine! I had recently visited the ancient city of Palmyra in modern-day Syria and was smitten with the history of it’s most famous ruler, Queen Zenobia. I am super-duper into history, like, dork-level obsessed.

Let’s first schedule a quick ten-minute chat on the phone or in person so I can learn all about your plans and explain my coverage options. Snagging me for your day requires a deposit and contract, both of which can be done online. I have an extensive details form, also online, which we can go through together. It asks you lots of questions to get you thinking about things you may have not considered. That’s about it! Easy and seamless, just how I like it!

Lots!

Here are a few and feel free to email me for more!

Videographer: JB Horn

Florist: Studio 539 and Greenlion

Desserts: Ellies Dianes Silver Spoon

First, lots of people feel this way to varying degrees. I would even argue that everyone gets nerves before a shoot and being the center of attention. Fear not, I have lots of tricks for taking the pressure off. First and foremost, booze and drugs. Just kidding (kinda). Second, I won’t ever just stick you in front of a pretty backdrop and tell you to “do something” and “hold it”. For the most part, I eliminate your ability to discern when I will release the shutter. This is crucial. I also crack lotsa dirty jokes to keep you laughing (or dumbfounded as the case may have it). This is definitely my best skill, namely, getting the best most natural looks out of you. I also have a really keen eye for posing and never run out of ideas.

Nuthin’!

Actually lots. I will send you some tips and suggestions for all the things you are thinking about…. planning your wedding schedule, what to wear for your engagement session, where to shoot your portraits etc. I’m always around so we can check in anytime with questions, to talk something over, for vendor recommendations etc.

At the time of booking I will give you access to a long online form which you can look over and work on as you plan. It goes over alllll of the nitty-gritty details and will prompt you to think about things you may not have considered. You can come back to it and update as many times as you like!

My editing style is true, for the most part. I do lots of things that fall in the category of “nobody has any idea how much work this takes behind the scenes” such as swapping closed eyes for open ones in a portrait that is otherwise perfect. I sometimes do composite images, so for example if we shoot at sunset I will take a shot that perfectly exposes the sky, then another that perfectly exposes you and put them together. What I definitely don’t do, is have a trendy editing style. Often photographers embrace trendy or vintage color tones and palette in their marketing that is totally pintrest-worthy, but which will make zero sense ten and twenty years from now when you look back on your photos. The tones can also dull images that should be a blast of color, such as sunsets and dance floor shots. Trendy toning limits the photographer in their ability to portray the look of your day honestly. Some photographers are “natural-light shooters” which reflects an aversion to flash lighting. That is great for 5PM afternoon golden sunlight on a beautiful summer day, but anything else it can be a disaster. Point of the story is, I can shoot in any light, any building, any weather, and have the tools to correctly record how your moments actually looked.

Dunno… just can’t help it!

The number one nugget of wisdom that I can share with you…. This may blow your mind, so you should probably be sitting down…

Enjoy Your Wedding.

Revolutionary, right?

Sounds simple, but it’s really not. How many couples have sniped at each other over their varied participation in the planning process… how many couples have spent their wedding days feeling exhausted and spent, instead of joyful with pumping adrenaline?

It is so easy to let all of the decision-making, writing checks, listening to your mother’s unsolicited advice etc. get the better of you.

Suffice it to say, follow your gut.