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Photo advice- Ben James or Novia??

joiedevivre26joiedevivre26
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in Ohio-Columbus
I am stuck between two great photographers.  Both very friendly, professional, artistic, and about the same price (with some exceptions).  Would appreciate any feedback you could give on their sites or personal experience with them.

You know how sometimes you spend so long looking at these and they all start to look the same after a point?  That's where I am so I appreciate any opinions you might have! Thanks :)


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Re: Photo advice- Ben James or Novia??

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    Stareyes5Stareyes5
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    edited December 2011
    I used Novia Distinctive for my wedding in July of 2009 and I could have not been happier with Stephanie.  Not only is her personality great but her artistic point of view is fabulous.  Our families were extremely happy with her too. Both of our parents commented how great she was at getting the pictures without getting in the way of our wedding. She was my favorite vender by far and we plan on using her for any future photography we want a professional at.
    Married 7/11/2009. TTC since 6/2011. Saw RE in 1/2012 dx with unexplained infertility. Clomid with IUI 4 times all BFN. Moved onto IVF October 2012, 10R, 8F, 2 transferred, 0 frosties = BFN. RE moving to Texas so started with new RE in December 2012. Plan for IVF #2 in February. ER 2/16/13 9R, 9M, 6F. ET 2/21/13 of two embies, beta #1 3/5/13 505! Beta #2 ??
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    green795green795
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Never met with Benjamin James but met with Novia. Stephanie was our close second choice. She had a great personality and beautiful work. (We ended up using Kim Potterf not because we didn't like Stephanie, but we just liked Kim's personality and work more.)
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    TheBeckmeisterTheBeckmeister
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I have never heard of either photographer before this post.  I looked at both websites, and I vote for Novia.  There seem to be more/better pictures of people, rather than things.  Yes, capturing the DIY/other details are important, but I would prefer better a broader range of people pictures to choose from when creating albums/getting enlargements to hang on the walls/etc.
    Image and video hosting by TinyPic Anniversary
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    kenzie*bride2bekenzie*bride2be member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I don't have experience working with either, but Ben James' website and galleries are much more impressive to me! Have you called or tried scheduling a meeting with them?  In my opinion, the personality of the person taking the photos is the second most import piece next to their work. 
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    Alko726Alko726
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Never met with Novia, but Ben James was our close second.  :)  

    His eye for artistic photos is wonderful, and he's got those photos that you want to take and blow up for artwork in your home -- and they're of you!  I felt like there were tons of those photos in Ben James's portfolio because he has a way of making the simplest of pictures look beautiful, and if it weren't for the cost factor, we may have booked him.  He's such a nice guy and responds very quickly!  He did everything he could to try to make it fit in our budget.  At the time, he wasn't doing many weddings a year, and the fact that he works alone a lot made me a little nervous, but I believe he's gone into the business full-time now.  Don't get me wrong, we ended up booking 808 Studios and could NOT have been happier, but I don't think you'll be disappointed with Ben either!  Best of luck!!!
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    joiedevivre26joiedevivre26
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Thank you all for the advice & for taking a look!!  Leaning toward Novia, but still kinda on the fence...I agree that Ben James' website is initially more impressive, but although his photojournalism style is breathtaking, I think there are too many "detail" pics that I'm not that crazy about.  I'd rather have the people pics and more traditional, with some photojournalist style mixed in.  Someone mentioned to me that you want pictures you'll want to frame, not all candids. So I am probably going w/ novia...thank you to all for the tips and opinions though!
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    lo99lo99
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Stephanie was a second shooter for our wedding, and I just loved her. (Kimberly Potterf was our photog).  I'd never met her before the wedding day and she made me feel at ease immediately.  I also thought she was very good at giving me direction for getting good poses.  She also photographed a facebook friend's wedding and I saw a lot of the pictures on facebook and they were goregeous!
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    sebaker1984sebaker1984
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I've decided to use Ben James for my photographer and so far, he's my favorite vendor I've chosen. He's prompt, genuine, and really listens to the story of "us" as a couple. Remember, if you don't want as many pictures of "things" at the wedding, just tell him! He most likely put them on the page to demonstrate his ability to capture the details of your wedding as well. I don't know Novia or their work at all, but would highly recommend Ben James based upon my experience with him thus far. 
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