As I have posted before, I recently got married on June 5th! It was amazing wedding with an amazing wife, Laura. One of my many (or actually few) tasks for the wedding was to choose a photographer for our wedding. Being a photographer this was actually a really hard task. My first choice in photographers was a college buddy who has an amazing wedding photography business. Matt (Altmix Photography) was an easy choice, but as the time came we found out that he would not be able to take our photos. (side note shop early) Matt and I discussed other photographers with similar style and creativity. I looked through those he had mentioned and found one I liked. Wedding photography of yesterday is just that, yesterdays photography. Today digital and style has changed, some photographers have not figured that out. Cali and Ashley (Once Like A Spark) had a fresh sense that I wanted, they were ready and eager to try new things and push the limits of photography. After a rather long and fun conversation on the phone with Cali the head photographer, I was sure they would do a great job. (side note 2… talk to your photographer, they should be like your best friend, not grumpy old guy, they need to make you feel excited about your wedding and taking your photos.) When talking to her we chatted about ideas, photography philosophy, cameras, experience, and many other things. It was lots of fun to talk to another photographer. One of the things they offer too was the ability to get most of the images on a disk so that we could print them anytime we wanted. There are still photographers out there who will not let you keep the files??? They are shooting digital and then saying that you have to print everything with them… how archaic. We want to email, post photos to facebook, have them on our Iphone, Print when we want to, but honestly we have one of those cool LCD photo frames as a wedding gift that works perfectly for photos. This was one of the must haves for a photographer.
Fast forward a few weeks…. JUNE 5th. The day of our wedding, Ashley and Cali were right on the spot. Starting with Laura and the bridesmaids while they prepared for the wedding, then heading over to meet the guys. Working with the two of them was great, the chemistry they both have together allowed one to focus on creativity and the shot, the other to help give direction and encouragement. I felt at ease and calm with both. Calm was a key thing. It was fun. I actually learned a lot by being on the other side of the camera. It was a good change. All through the night they were there, but not in the way, not distracting. Making sure the wedding was #1, but still willing to step in to get the shot that we wanted.
This past week we got the email we had been eagerly waiting for, our photos were up. The fresh sense and style that I had previously mention was incorporated throughout the images. Cali and Ashley did an outstanding job. Laura honestly can’t stop looking at the photos of herself. I too have found the slide show my #1 distraction at the computer, pushing facebook and cycling websites to a distant second and third. I have it playing constantly. (See Slide Show) I am very pleased in the quality of work and creativity. I am extremely pleased in how painless and actually fun they were in taking the photos.
Wedding Photography is tricky, but it is worth every penny. As a photographer I do shoot weddings on occasion, however it is not my primary gig. (B.D.Andrews Wedding Photography) When someone does ask me who I recommend Cali and Ashley (Once Like A Spark) will be at the top of the list. As the picky photographer I am, I am very happy with their work. They went above and beyond what I expected and turned what I worried to be a painful experience into a fun and exciting time, I think I now need to spend more time on the other side of the camera? :)
-Brandon.
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