Weddingbee Blog

I have been meaning to write about our photographer for quite some time. She is totally awesome, and so “us” that I know we will make magical pictures together.

My quest for a fantastic photographer was long and tedious, but well worth it. I started by combing the internet, starting first at my go-to resource for all things Penn State Weddings, nittanyweddings.com. I also went through the Pennsylvania Wedding Photojournalism Association, theknot.com, and Wedding Wire, as well as good old-fashioned Google searches.

I bookmarked every photographer I came across - ones specifically in the Central PA area, ones in Philly and Pittsburgh, even some in NYC and DC who were willing to travel. Like many other brides, I was interested in a specific style - photojournalism. Lots of candid shots with plenty of post-processing for cool and unique effects. This is very popular, but can be expensive. Thus, another budget-friendly quest began.

I created a spreadsheet with column headings like price, location, first impression, pros, and cons. I went through each photographer’s portfolio and contacted them for pricing information if necessary. By using the spreadsheet, I narrowed my search from the initial 40 photographers down to my top 10. From there I got it down to 5. This is when I brought in Burger and our moms to help make some cuts.

We narrowed it down to the top three and I sent out some feeler emails to try to get to know them and their style. One photographer never responded. One group seemed kind-of overpriced. And one photographer was just right. Perfect, in fact. She and I chatted through email after email and a relationship emerged. I just knew she was the one. Amazing skills, great personality, and reasonably priced. It just clicked.

When we finally met this August, it was completely clear that it was the beginning of good things to come. She offers a variety of different albums, and is totally flexible on many of her services. We truly cannot wait to have her as a part of our day. We finally got to work together at our engagement shoot at the end of October (only 15 months late)! It was fantastic.

Without further delay, some of my favorite shots from a star on the rise, Jessica Ames:

(all photos courtesy of Jessica Ames)

Are you in love with your photographer?