This recent wedding was shot at the Santa Barbara Unitarian Church and the reception was held on the grounds of the Santa Barbara Historical Museum.  I had photographed the sister of the bride’s wedding a couple years back and was so happy to be chosen to photographer hers.

I just love how they incorporated little pops of color everywhere!  The flowers, including these beautiful bouquets, were made by Eileen and her team at Grass Roots.

Here is a fun way to incorporate your engagement pictures and a guest book…..

This yummy dessert bar was made by Terese at A Piece of Cake!  What a creative idea to the traditional wedding cake!

What to look for in a GREAT wedding photographer?

1. Great lighting! Here’s how to look for it…
-Are there tons of shadows in weird places…that are not good?
-The quality of people’s skin…is it shiny or soft and smooth looking?
-The colors…. are they faded and grainy looking or bright and rich?
-Look at the reception images…are they out of focus or very dark, especially in the background? Or can you see detail behind the subject and the images are nice and sharp?

2. Expressions! What to look for…
Look for people who seem to be genuinely having a good time. This tells you that the photographer has a good relationship with his/her clients and is a particularly funny or fun to work with photographer.

3. Unique angles or creative poses!
Look for photographers that use a variety of lenses (macro, wide, telephoto)…you hired a professional photographer to get photos your friends and family can’t get…that often means using gear that frankly your friends and family would not likely have. Also be on the look out for shooting from a lower or higher angle, shooting through objects to give the impression of looking in from the outside or photos with leading lines (lines within the image that lead you into the photograph). These are the sorts of things that you may not notice at first glance but will give your photos an artistic impact.

4. Personality.
Make sure you like the person and can comfortably see yourself hanging out with them. The last thing you want is a photographer hanging around all day that annoys you or drives you nuts. If you are planning to get “getting ready” shots…meaning getting into your dress…make sure you are comfortable with the person seeing you get dressed. For many women the last person they want to see them slipping into their wedding gown is another man.

5. Insurance.
Many high end or well-respected venues require all vendors to carry a million dollar liability insurance policy and will in fact make you submit an original copy naming the location on the policy. Be sure you are working with professional and not weekend warriors by simply asking if they have business insurance.

6. Ask around…to determine the photographer’s reputation in the wedding industry.
Photographers are at the wedding all day long and will likely come in contact with all of your vendors at one point or another. If you ask around…the other vendors may give you a thumbs up or thumbs down as to how they like working with him/her.

I hope this helps you!!