Looking for Photographer

eureka30030

Hi! My FI & I are looking into photographers right now for our 7/13/13 wedding, and having one doozy of a time! First off let me say that our wedding is on a $10,000 budget, so we don't have alot of wiggle room for photog pricing. Also, I'm a hobbyist photographer so i seem to notice all the little "wrong" things in many local photog's images (trendy selective color, crazy photoshop effects, wrong focus, horrible lighting, I could go on and on!). 

We have found a few photographers whose images we both loved, photojournalistic classy but a bit sassy without all the crazy "trendy" things many newbies layer on. My issue however is that each and every one of these people are starting at $2,500- that's the same price as my entire catering & drink bill, and a whopping $1,500 more expensive than my venues! Personally, I think the pricing is ridiculous when you consider that I live in rural Humboldt county, a whole 4-5 hours away from any large cities (large being over 50,000 ppl). Even the local newbies are asking just at my budget, $1,500- for some overprocessed unfocused mess! I'm not sure what to do here & am running out of ideas. Me being a hobbyist photographer means that I can't just hire someone just starting out or cheap and hope for the best, these are the most important images I will ever see, and I want to remember them fondly, not think "oh my god, selective coloring is so last year"...  I know this a shot in the dark, as most ppl on this board are not from the Hum. area, but does anyone have any references or ideas for locating a cheaper (than $2,500) photog in my area that is professional & experienced? (please understand that anyone in the Bay area is not really an option unless they want to drive 5+ hours through the mountains on their own dime)... 

ElisabethJoanne

Our photographer is Paul von Schwarzenfeld. He's just south of San Francisco, but he's only about $1,000. His work is certainly not trendy.

eureka30030

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_california-northern_looking-for-photographer?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:56Discussion:78a064f1-d7eb-4cee-9d58-3c01fdbe1e89Post:a90806b5-45c0-4601-910c-4977f308cd4a">Re: Looking for Photographer</a>:
[QUOTE]Our photographer is Paul von Schwarzenfeld. He's just south of San Francisco, but he's only about $1,000. His work is certainly not trendy.
Posted by ElisabethJoanne[/QUOTE]

<div>Thanks Elisabeth! I took a peek at his site and am liking what I see! Even paying for travel at that price would be cheaper than staying in town! I would like to stay local but it's getting difficult at my price range... </div>

Ofiliializ

We're using Kaboo Vang. She's based in Roseville. She is amazing. She's done some magazine shoots and product shots as well as wedding photography. 

chrmun

We used Ashley Batz.  She is based in SF, will travel and she was under $2k.

melisha78

Was that her starting package. I am looking for a photographer also

kiki95632

Katherine Walker from Orangevale...very reasonable and will work with you...tell her how much you can afford and she will help out.  She is lovely to work with

erinlin25

I'm a fan of magical moments productions; based out of Roseville.  Check out their website: www.magicalmomentproductions.com or email MagicalMomentPro@yahoo.com

MJOrchid

We used Paul Schwarzenfeld also. He was absolutely amazing!! ALL of our pictures turned out perfect! My make up artist loved his work so much she is booking  him for her wedding next year too! He is defiently worth every penny!!

cshwedding

If you're looking for a photographer in the Reno/Tahoe area, look no further. Courtney Aaron (http://www.courtneyaaron.com) photographed our August 2012 wedding, and we couldn't have been happier with our choice. We had been scoping out photographers in the Tahoe area for a while, and she was the most forthcoming, responsive person we worked with. We loved her style of photography and the flexibility of her pricing options based on email and web information, but we knew we needed to have a photographer that fit us personally.

We had scheduled a week of appointments booked with various vendors, including Courtney, so it was a packed week... but as soon as we met her, we knew we wanted her to be our photographer. We met with her on a Tuesday, got a great feeling from her, but wanted to follow through on our other appointments as well. By the time we called her on Thursday to confirm that we wanted to book her for our wedding date, she had already scouted our location, gotten some feedback about our possible caterer (who was new to wedding catering) from a wedding planner friend, and given us some pricing options that worked for us. This was even before she knew we were going to go with her!

Between booking her and our wedding day (about 10 months), Courtney checked in with us several times, even though we knew from her blog that she was keeping very busy - these were all little touches that made us feel special! Before our wedding day, Courtney made a point to find out who all of our VIPs were, what their relationship to us was, and some fun little stories about us to get to know us better. We were not able to do an engagement session with her, so she found other ways to make us more comfortable with her being around us on a stressful day.

On the day of our wedding, Courtney showed up early, checked in with the wedding party right away, and then went to work! She knew the names of our wedding party and VIPs, and made a point to find out right away who those folks were (and remembered who everyone was!). While photographing the bride getting ready, Courtney noticed that we were struggling a little because we didn't have professionals helping with the details, and she jumped right in with suggestions and bits of non-photography wedding expertise. Throughout the evening, she was always around for the "moments," but was never obtrusive in any way. In fact, most of the time, we didn't even realize she was there! She made sure the wedding moments were being captured without ever making us feel like we were on camera, posing, etc. (except for the purposely posed family photographs, of course!) She was extremely friendly and engaging towards our guests, and a number of people commented to us afterwards about how much they liked her. My dad even asked if we planned to stay friends with her

We have such a rave review of Courtney, and we haven't even talked about her photographs yet... which of course are amazing! We wanted to have the family photographs, of course, but we really wanted her to capture the atmosphere of the party with candid shots--which she definitely did. We love all of the incredible memories she caught on camera, and have loved looking through them and sharing them with our friends and family. Her turnaround time is also pretty quick, which we liked.

All in all, Courtney was our favorite vendor for our wedding, and the easiest choice we made. We have already recommended her to others, and hope/plan to use her services again in the future!

amyisgettingmarriedahhhh

We're using Hayley Anne Photography, she's based in the Bay Area but from what I understand travels a lot. I love her photography and we got out package for under $2k with travel.