Shopping for a Photographer
August 23rd, 2008 @ 2:06 pm by Miss Hot Cocoa
I am, if I do say so myself, a very efficient shopper. You can count on me to zoom past the racks of schmatas guaranteed to make me look like the third Olsen twin (triplet?), locate the handful of items worthy of stripping down to my skivvies in a Loehmann’s fitting room for, and zone in on the one flirty number that is just right in style and price. And, unlike Mr. HC, who takes 3 hours to buy a pair of khakis, I can usually do this in less time than it probably took for us to find parking.
So imagine my frustration when I found myself lost amongst forty something photographers’ blogs, trying to distinguish the difference between photojournalism and lifestyle, digital and film, lens flare and no flare. Thousands of shots of rings (rings on candy, rings in flowers, rings on tile, rings on lego people . . .), gowns in the window, and silver Jimmy Choos later, I was in what could best be described as a tizzy. If there were yellow wallpaper in my apartment, I would have crawled into it to escape my Google Reader. I needed a personal shopper. Stat. Or else I’d be exchanging my wedding gown for a white garment of a more institutional variety.
To the rescue came Angel Swanson, our amazing wedding planner. I likely would have hired Angel anyway based on glowing reviews from Mrs. Jasmine and Mrs. Lime alone, but as soon as I met her I knew she spoke my language. Exhibit 1: Angel took one look at my list of photographers and immediately emailed me this:
Since I know you love fashion . . . I will classify them as stores . . . based on their style.
I’d say [A] is like J.Crew (a little preppy, classic), [B] is like Anthropologie (more free-spirited and vintage feeling), [C] is like Betsey Johnson (romantic yet edgy) and [D] is like American Eagle (young, fun, carefree).
In one sentence, she solved all the problems I was having discerning one photographer’s point of view from another. For weeks, I had been trying to describe what I was looking for in a photographer; she made articulate what had to that point been the verbal equivalent of pureed peas.
Can you guess which photographer I chose?
“Why, Miss Hot Cocoa, you heart Anthropologie. It’s like your mother ship.”
“The answer must be [B].”
Is [B] your final answer?
“Yes. Anthropologie rocks!”
Of course, you’re right. Behold the work of the awesomeness that is [B], a.k.a. Anthropologie, a.k.a. Leigh Miller, a.k.a. Ms. Seriously Talented:
Excuse me while I take a moment to wipe off my drool. Just to underscore how Angel “gets” my aesthetic probably more than she even realizes, Leigh was the first photographer whose photographs made my heart skip a beat, the first photographer whose blog I bookmarked, under the title of “The Photographer!” — and that was months before we started looking for a photographer. I just didn’t think we could a) afford her and b) convince her to shoot ordinary mortals (I mean, those radiant people in her photographs, they had to be models, right?).
All images courtesy of Leigh Miller Photography.
(Psst. Image above is of the gorgeous and talented Erin Cole.)
I hope you enjoyed a little weekend eye candy.
How did you choose your photographer? How would you describe her or his style? And — because nothing says fun like a good simile — if your photographer were a store or a brand, what would he or she be?
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34 Responses to “Shopping for a Photographer”
Ugh, now I’m drooling! Leigh Miller is amazing, I’m so envious!!! I guess I’ll have to wait until March…darn!
I am the lucky recipient of one of Chennergy Weddings RENTweddings (aka FREE!) and I could burst with happiness!
His style is definitely more indie boutique than mainstream department store…. a great mix of edgy rockstar and bohemian love story. Just perfect for our eclectic vibe!
Congrats on finding such a great match for you!
xo,
Broke-Ass Bride
i love your selection. “anthropologie” seems fabulous.
i’m stuck between a j.crew (a tad on the expensive side, but beautifully simple and classic - something i know i’ll always love) and h&m (gloriously inexpensive, cute and funky, and screams “JANIE!”). whatever will i do?
Ha! That makes my photographer Target: no surprises, and one of the cheapest in town.
ah, anthropologie…still can’t afford it ;).
i’d say our photographer is like j.crew on sale!
WOW. Just gorgeous. That shot of the couple sitting on the sidewalk (she’s wearing the orange flats with bows) has always been one of my great favorites, so I’m thrilled to know who the photographer was. . . .
Ah Leigh Miller! She too was my first wedding photographer love. When we were thinking about an SD wedding, she was top on my list. Great choice!
Leigh’s work is amazing!! I am such a huge fan of her’s and completely jealous that she is photographing your wedding!
Ahh.. Leigh was my first wedding photographer love too… and we were lucky enough to snag her for our wedding last year.
You won’t be dissapointed! She is such an amazing and fun person to be with all day and of course her pictures speak for themselves! Congrats on your choice!
Ah you are so lucky!! I wanted Leigh to shoot our wedding, but she was not available. Enjoy her!! 
I think you found your match! Thats awesome!
The monday morning after Adam proposed a good friend of my responded with “Congrats! Rae Leytham.” umm - no, my name is michelle. “No, Rae Leytham is your photographer.” umm we dont know where or when yet. “Doesn’t matter. Rae Leytham.” A few months and a good bit of research later - he was right! Rae Leytham is our photog and she rocks!! =)
Leigh is so fabulous, incredibly talented, genuine and fun to be around! She was my wedding photographer and I’m never tired of looking at the photos. Leigh = Anthropologie, never thought of it that way, could explain why I love both. Congrats!
I love Leigh Miller’s work and wanted her to shoot my wedding but unfortunately she’s unresponsive to emails/requests. I was very disappointed but I’m very happy for you. Congrats on finding a photographer!
@yiyi: If you are looking for a S. Cal. photog, just PM me and I’ll share.
@Janie, @Sarah, and @charmedbride: I love your characterization of your photographers!
@Miss Sweet Tea: Great minds think alike.
@Sarah: That’s awesome. Did I use your pic up here?!
@Starry-eyed Barefoot Bride: LOL. I’m so happy you found a great photographer; I hope you’ll get to share your pics!
@Lu Lu: Lulu! I could have made this whole post out of your incredibly gorgeous pictures. The most stunning bride I’ve ever seen.
@Nisa: I’m sorry to hear that it didn’t work out with Leigh. Though I’m surprised — she was always really responsive to my emails and that’s one of the reasons why I felt so good about hiring her. Perhaps you just got her at a particularly busy time?
@bugaboo: I’m sorry to hear that Leigh wasn’t available. I hope you were able to find another photographer you love?
wow! thank you so much miss hot cocoa for your kind words. im so excited to finally meet in boston this fall for your engagement photos. and thank you to all the others for your comments as well. im so fortunate to get to do something i love and to work with such amazing couples! this is going to be so fun!!!
ps - nisa, im not sure what happened. i searched all my emails and inquiries and found nothing from you (going back to 2005). i wonder if somehow your email got sent to spam folder? i really pride myself on responding quickly and to everyone. if you have a moment to email me that would maybe help me pinpoint when it could have happened and find out why. best wishes with your wedding planning!
@Miss Hot Cocoa: No, we aren’t any of the pic’s you selected… you have to go pretty far back to find us… http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/darkroom/share/?n=sarah_rudy#0001jpg
I can’t wait to see your pictures! Leigh only gets better and better
Miss HC, thanks so much! I can’t wait to see your photos, they will be stunning I’m sure!
btw - i love anthropologie! when im in that store im thinking about how cool it would be to do a shoot there!!! or shoot for their magazine - sigh! im a jcrew gal too. unfortunately going into betsey johnson and american eagle just make me feel old - haha!
i heart you, hc! i’m glad my kooky analogies helped! leigh is going to rock your photos! xoxo
Oh my goodness you are hilarious! You had me laughing this whole post! I’m totally in agreement though–her work is stunning! But maybe even better than you thought if she was making ordinary mortals look that good, eh?
angel thanks for having so much faith in me. i cant wait to work with you again. i think mhc describes your amazing talent to a T!
@Sarah: You look amazing in your photos! And those SHOES! Jealous!
@leigh miller and @angel swanson: Hugs to both of you, my vendor dream team.
@The Blissful Bride: Let’s see if she can make me look 1/4 as good as the brides above!
I think that your wedding planner is all kinds of awesome, I love how she made it that simple (and that is an awesome way of looking at various photographer’s work). I have no clue what store I am but I LOVE the store you are/your photographer is! Beautiful work!
My photog was definately J Crew with a dash of POP.
Great Choice! Leigh was our wedding photographer as well. We also did a trash the dress/day-after photos with her and couldn’t have been more pleased. We loved our photos and as Sarah said, Leigh’s work just continues to get better and better!
@Corey: That sounds awesome!
@Rhea: I’m so happy to hear you love Leigh’s work as well. Did I use your photo above?
Hi Miss Hot Cocoa,
No I was one of her earlier brides so you have to go pretty far back to see my photos.
You can see some here:
http://www.leighmillerphotography.com/blog/2007/02/26/the-day-after-2/
and here:
@Rhea: First of all, your photos, both from the wedding day and after, are stunning! But what I love love love is your story — so beautiful. I wish that the same day edit site wasn’t functioning weird so that I can see your video. Thanks for sharing your photos and real wedding link again!
Hi Miss Hot Cocoa,
Our videographer has a new website so he moved the video. You can see it here:
http://www.dvartistry.com/index2.html
Click on Videobiography to see our video. It’s the last link at the bottom left of the page.
@Rhea: I tried writing to you at your posted email address, but it bounced back. Anyway, thank you so much for sharing your video (again) with me. Your story is so
touching and the video just captures it so well. I don’t know if we’ll
have room in our budget for video; I actually had completely decided against it until you led me to your videographer’s website. If I do a post on this issue, would you mind if I linked to your videobio? It made my day.
Hi Miss Hot Cocoa,
Feel free to email me at rheadissa@hotmail.com. I didn’t notice i had a typo on my email earlier.
Leigh Miller has such beautiful work not only a good eye while capturing but an awesome sense of graphic design during post processing.
[...] I mentioned in a previous post, I definitely had a tough time choosing photographers. I had a gazillion photography blogs on my [...]
Miss Hot Cocoa, Boston/Los Angeles
Age and Occupation: 31, JD/PhD Student
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 32, Medical Student
Engagement Date: May 30, 2008
Wedding Date: March, 2009
Blogging Since: April, 2008
Venue: Ritz Carlton, Marina Del Rey
About Me:
I am a professional student by day and an amateur cupcake taster, bargain shopper, and wedding planner by night. I am obsessed with NPR, the Food Network, paper, dance shows, Anthropologie, post-structuralist theory, Weddingbee!, "The Office," and celebrity gossip. When not procrastinating from my dissertation, I spend time catering to Jellyby, our overly anxious shih tzu, and getting to know Mr. Hot Cocoa. We have only been dating for fifteen years, so it's like I'm in love with a stranger! From the East Coast, we are planning a Jewish-Chinese Extravaganza in L.A., where we both grew up.
What a nice way to think about photographers.
Would you be able to reveal which photographers were J. Crew, American Eagle, etc?