Wedding in the Queen City: Finding the Right Photographer

me & Jessica
(photo by JJ Horton Photography)

One of the most important aspects of a wedding is the photographer. It is also an area of the total wedding budget that gets the biggest chop on the wedding budget chopping block. To me it was in the top three, alongside the groom and the dress.

In January of 2011, my now husband and I attended the Bridal Showcase. I was lucky to have a man by my side that cared as much as I did about our big day so we braved the showcase together. It was overwhelming to say the least. I felt like I was back in Beijing, at the market, and everyone wanted to sell me something and it was an absolute sensory overload. On our shopping list that day: a photographer (even though I already had one in mind) and a location. We talked to dozens of vendors but with our small budget most of those vendors and services were out of the question. We did not want to pay $500 to preserve the bouquet (a bit of a disaster that I will write about at a later date) or $2,000 for a cake.

We met about a dozen photographers at the show. Pricewise, they ranged from $500 to $10,000+ and there were pros and cons to all of them. For example, we encountered a small handful of photographers that talked about their amazing photoshop skills and how they’re “natural light photographers.” Translation: I over process the pictures to look cheap and cheesy and don’t know how to use flash properly so the sun is my best friend. And their portfolio screamed of this, loudly. Then there were the high end photographers and photography studios that crank out some of the best work I’ve ever seen but at $7,000+ we were not able to afford them. There were not many choices in the middle.

I met Jessica in 2010 at the first ever Charlotte Blogger’s Meet Up and instantly liked her style and the fact that she had awesome Moo.com business cards. We stayed in touch on Twitter and I kept up with her photography blog. Our unsuccessful search for a photographer at the Bridal Showcase pushed me even further towards her services. Her package was just what we were looking for and more, it included 12 hours and two photographers. My lovely maid-of-honor slash sister-from-another-mister gifted us with the engagement session so we were all set. Working with her was a breeze and she calmed the many fears that came about after speaking to some of the other photographers.

So here are my tips for finding the right wedding photographer:

Wedding photography is not something you should be “cheap” about, even if you’re a budget bride. Photography was 20% of our (some say laughable) total budget. Worth every penny.

Check out the photographer’s website, blog, portfolio’s, etc. Just like any business, the way they treat their own brand is the way they’ll treat you and your pictures.

Every photographer has their own style (composition, lighting, etc.), make sure it matches you and your vision. This is in reference for the “photoshop pros” that over process the pictures and the “natural light shooters” mentioned above.

Meet with the photographer in person!! They may be perfect on paper and via e-mail but may end up being someone difficult to work with in person.

And as a follow up to the point above, spend the extra money on an engagement shoot. An engagement shoot is not just for pictures to put on your save-the-dates, it’s an important exercise for you and your photographer to get to know each other, figure out your best side, working relationship, style, posing, etc.

Figure out the right package for you. It was important for us to capture the moments before the wedding so Jessica and Jeremy split up to shoot my husband and I at different locations. It was also important for us for the reception to be covered until the end. The 12 hour package was perfect because no moment went un-captured.

FEED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHER! And don’t feed them crap. Be kind and let them eat the food you and your guests are enjoying. They’re people too.

No one is going to remember the food or the music or much else and at the end of the day all you have left is your husband and the pictures from your big day!

Reach out to JJ Horton Photography if you’re looking for someone to shoot your big day, or baby, or any other photography needs. :)

#instaGOOD: Monday, June 25th

As I mentioned in my last post, here is the first post in a series titled #instaGOOD.

Monday, June 25th – Day off.

My sister-in-law and I took it easy in the morning, recovering from the amazing Brothers of the Sun concert from the night before. We decided to check out Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, an antique market here in Charlotte that has been a hideaway and a happy place for me for many years. I could get lost in there for hours!

beautiful ring and bracelet,
located in the cases in the first row after you walk in, on the right.

purple bottles,
located not far from the jewelry cases above

The rest of the pictures from our trip were taken with my point-and-shoot and I will share those at a later time.

After three hours and two growling stomachs later, my SIL and I met up with my husband for dinner at Paco’s Taco in SouthPark. This place, no lie, has the best fajitas in town. I would know, I’ve had a lot of fajitas in this town!

Firestarter Margarita & Tres Leches!

And that, my friends, was last Monday.

#instaGOOD

I’ve been teetering back and forth on whether or not to do a week in review through photographs, or may be just select days. So I’ve decided to give it a shot!

I’ve got to be honest with you, I check instagram more often than any other mobile social media platform. You could say that I’m addicted and when it went down for 14 hours this past weekend, well, I didn’t eat breakfast, my dog behaved, and the world was out of whack. Thank goodness it’s back!

So up next, last Monday through the filters of my instagram account.

For now, I leave you with this instagram meme:

Project365: are you in?

Day 15

There once was a time where I blogged everyday... it was early 2000s and LiveJournal was "da bomb." Or some such.

Since then, my dedication wavered and I wanted to get back into logging my daily life. I've seen many bloggers and twitter and instagram friends participate in some version of Project365. The goal is to take a picture everyday and then to look back once you're done and see what you have accomplished that year (or how you've grown or changed, etc). There are many versions. I freestyle, no daily or monthly themes, just whatever moment I happen to capture that day. Some follow daily theme lists. It's really up to the individual participating.

I wish I did this last year. It was amazing and scary all at the same time... and an absolute blur! Going into surgery for the third time last year, I made a promise to myself: take a picture every day and blog it. I haven't failed yet. Although, I am a little behind in blogging the photos. :)

You can check them out on my tumblr account: inthequeencity365.tumblr.com

Do you participate in the 365 challenge? If so, please post your links! Would love to check them out. How do you do it? Following a theme or free style? What platform do you use to share your photos?

Happy 4th of July!

taken at the USNWC, transformed with Diptic

We went to the US National Whitewater Center to watch fireworks for the third year in a row. Most people fight for space around the water but we run straight for the hill on the back end of the park. There's nothing more magical than to lay down in the soft grass and watch the sky explode above you.

Before the fireworks, we enjoyed a great band called Langhorne Slim. Turns our they're pretty popular.

I liked them so much that I recorded a few videos, enjoy!











Happy 4th of July!

Oh, July!

Can you believe it's July already?! How is it that half the year is over? There's so much left to accomplish!


My bff recently started a new blog and we must be on the same wavelength because she said, "I love the idea that the best camera, is the camera that you have on hand, whether it’s an iphone, point&shoot, whatever." How true! Honestly, I forgot the last time I took out my Canon s95 because I already had the iPhone in hand.


I have a confession to make, I'm obsessed with my iPhone. It's all kinds of fabulous! One of the greatest things is the ability to edit pictures on the fly, something that a regular camera cannot do.


My all time favorite app is Instagram so my hope is to share a select few favorites from each week.


Here's a handful of my favorites from the past couple of weeks...






fingertips




carnations










fishin'



Happy Friday!

e-session

(photo by JJ Horton Photography)

Dear...

Dear David's Bridal and Dillard's,

You are selling the same dress for almost the same price:



David's Bridal/Dillard's


But that's ok, I bought the dress from one of you. :)

This is one of the dresses that I will be wearing during our engagement shoot this Sunday. My biggest problem is the shoes (a first)! The dress is the perfect length with flats, anything higher than two inches will make the dress look...weird.

What shoes/accessories would you pair with the dress?

Posing

This Sunday we have an engagement photo session with JJ Horton (thanks to my awesome bff of Sunday Stories fame)!

The closest I've been to a "photo shoot" was my high school senior portrait. I just came back from two weeks in France and was 17 and tan. The photographer hit on me (mom reminded him that she was right there), my hair looked like I got electrocuted, and I was told to prop my chin on my fist while leaning on a fake fence.

Since then, I have figured out that I should let my hair do it's own thing and have gone through the Paris Hilton School of Posing (chin down, smile with eyes, no teeth).

Because research is a specialty of mine, I bring you YouTube's School of Posing:






Ok, ok, so it's fashion posing and only two videos, sue me! ;)

Here are a few real couples and real poses that I love:


via JJ Horton Photography


via Style Me Pretty



via Jasmine Star



via Jasmine Star


via Kristin Vining Photography



Can't wait!

Big Sigh

Today I took a deep sigh of relief. Even though it's temporary and there is still a lot (a lot!) left to do, the biggest puzzle pieces are done.

I'm talking about our wedding...and the fact that my 13-14 hour work days are done, for now.

I have the best future husband a girl could ask for, the best maid of honor ever, a date, a location, a caterer, and an awesome photographer.

Now we have a giant list of "smaller" items to tackle. Save-the-dates, engagement shoot, cake, music...

/sigh

Pictures in Bed: Marilyn Monroe

Marilyn Monroe in Bed
(via I just want to be wonderful)

Photojojo: Purchases

This weekend I partook in a little bit of online shopping, what else is one to do when camping? ;)

Not surprisingly, my shopping was centered around photography. I have not purchased any new lenses or accessories for my Canon Rebel in over a year so it was long over due.





I discovered Photojojo, one of the cutest and well edited websites for gear and gifts for photographers. I purchased the following two accessories:







Tokyo Dream Strap



Color Lens and Flash Filters



And on Monday, Groupon had a great deal for a 20 page 8x8 inch photobook for $10 (plus shipping) from Shutterfly. It will make an awesome Christmas present for someone this year...!


Can't wait to use my new accessories and creating my first photobook!


(All photos via Photojojo.)

Pictures in Bed

(photo via pictures in bed)


I have been in the process of editing my photography in hopes of creating a portfolio. One of the many themes are pictures taken in bed, of people in bed, people sleeping, etc. Thanks to Jacob Pritchard, I don't feel so weird. One of his projects is taking aerial shots of people in bed. Check them out all the photos over at his tumbler page.

Fourth of July

I realize that it's been a month since the holiday, but...
























I didn't exactly have a fairy tale month after my 26th. It felt like I lost complete control of my life, nothing was going "right," people I thought were my friends hurt me, etc. Fourth of July weekend was the "climax." It was also the weekend when I realized that it's all about attitude, I don't need negativity in my life, and that it's not as bad as I thought it was.

It all happened when I saw the children playing and felt the lake wind blow through my hair, making all the self pity wash away.


(All photos taken by me)

Happy Fourth of July!

(photo by me)

Wishing all of you a safe and happy Fourth of July!

Sotheby's Poloroid Auction

The Tetons and Snake River
Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming
(Ansel Adams)

Migrant Mother
Nipomo, California
(Ansel Adams)

Andy Sneezing

Japanese Sky I
(From the Bleacher Series)
(Robert Rauschenberg)

Ultra-Large (Hands)
(Lucas Samaras)

Chicago (Trees in Snow)
(Harry Callahan)

"Having been through the dissolution of the company, not only is my work in the collection and I can't get it, and a lot of it was my best work, at certain periods of my life, but I also saw people who were incredible people who made this film and made Polaroid a great company, lose their jobs for no good reason really. So the auction is almost the funeral in a way, because it is the last act in the dissolution of Polaroid." - John Reuter

These Polaroids, and many others, are being auctioned off at Sotheby's as part of the company's bankruptsy court order.

Quote and images via NPR article.

Polaroids: Andrei Tarkovsky

I'm attracted to the following:

1. Polaroids
2. "My People" (aka Russians)

This collection of photos by Andrei Tarkovsky covers both attraction photos. These pictures were taken between 1979 and 1984 and remind me of my home land (the people and the landscapes).

All photos from АНДРЕЙ ТАРКОВСКИЙ (Andrei Tarkovsky's) website.