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Shawn Starr?

christinah10christinah10
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in Hawaii
We are coming close to making a final decision on our photographer.  We are thinking about having Shawn Starr from Oahu as our photographer.  Does anyone have any experience with Shawn Starr?  Shawn mentioned he does not work with an assistant and many other photographers I've talked to have an assistant/2nd shooter.  Should I be concerned about whether he'll be able to capture all the moments without the help of an assistant? 

I'm also considering Mike Sydney of A&C Photography in Maui and J. Anthony Martinez (JAM).  Has anyone worked with Mike Sydney or JAM?

Any honest feedback would be sincerely appreciated!!  Thank you!


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Re: Shawn Starr?

  • AKWinterBrideAKWinterBride member
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Shawn Starr is awesome, but so is Mike Sidney!  I know someone on here used Shawn, and jackcody used Mike Sidney.  They should be able to give you some feedback, but honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either of them!  I'm not sure how their prices compare, that would probably be how I decided between them as they are both awesome. 

    BTW - how is your planning coming along? 
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  • Tanq&TonicTanq&Tonic
    Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Mauidandy used Shawn but I don't know if she's around much anymore.  He's a super nice guy but his TAT on photos can be a little slow.  I've followed his work for years.  He's more recently picked up a vintagey tone to his post processing that I don't love, but I think he has better control of light & color than Mike.

    One shooter or two depends on what you need.  When I look at Shawn's work, it never feels incomplete, but for me personally, I absolutely want shots from both the front & back of me walking down the aisle with my parents, so 2 shooters is important.  Aaaand 2 videographers.  Yes, we're nuts :)
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  • maui2011maui2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Hi, I am using J. Anthony Martinez.  One of the reasons is because we wanted a second shooter...and someone that the photographer knows and feels comfortable working with. Not to mention that I LOVE his pictures. Choosing a photographer was one of our most difficult decisions...well more so for me.  The shooting styles of all the photographers you mentioned are all very different...which probably makes your decision that much more difficult as you probably like something in each of them.  The other reason for our choice of photographer is that we would like to do an engagement shoot to get comfortable in front of the camera and for the photog to get to know us and what kind of shots works for us.  He is also very good at returning emails.  My advice is to relook at their portfolios and image the kind of pictures that you would like to see now and in the future and also look at the emotions they capture as well as the lighting. Oh we will also have more than one videographer as well..Aria Studios. HTH! Julie :-)
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  • kaeshakaesha
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Another guy to look at (who seems to have faster turn around time too) is Frank Amodo. I love his work - it strikes me as a bit more elegant that Shawn's is.

    I totally agree with Tanq's assessment of his use of processing techniques.
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  • maui2011maui2011 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    Sorrry I forgot to add...Frank was the photog we were originally going to work with...but since he is based on oahu he would not be able to do our engagement pics with him which is why i booked someone on island...i believe his cousin...cannot remember his name...can be a second shooter...i ike his style as well.  If you like Shawn and Frank you should also checkout Matthew Alvarado from Beloved...he's great too!  Sorry for all these additional options. J. :-)
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  • mauidandymauidandy member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I haven't been on the boards in forever, but thought I would hop on today and immediately clicked on this post. Shawn Starr is AMAZING!!! He's one of the best decisions we made, and surprisingly fit into our budget. The fact that he doesn't have an assistant did not take away from anything. I am still getting compliments to this day on our gorgeous wedding photos. The TAT was about 3 months, but so worth it.

    If you would like to see some of mine, add me on facebook (Andrea Kurys) :)
    andrea and ryan . june 2010 . maui.olowalu
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  • christinah10christinah10
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_shawn-starr-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:e56cdb83-bf97-45fd-8050-8d3379d60c1dPost:7286b1f7-90d5-4d28-8e76-73e9fb499335">Re: Shawn Starr?</a>:
    [QUOTE]I haven't been on the boards in forever, but thought I would hop on today and immediately clicked on this post. Shawn Starr is AMAZING!!! He's one of the best decisions we made, and surprisingly fit into our budget. The fact that he doesn't have an assistant did not take away from anything. I am still getting compliments to this day on our gorgeous wedding photos. The TAT was about 3 months, but so worth it. If you would like to see some of mine, add me on facebook (Andrea Kurys) :)
    Posted by mauidandy[/QUOTE]

    Thanks everyone for your replies thus far.  They have been very helpful. 

    *mauidandy* - I'm not on facebook.  Is there any other way I could please see some of your Shawn Starr photos?  I love the one in your signature!
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  • mauidandymauidandy member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    See if these work, they are links to all the albums I posted to Facebook. You might need to copy and paste the links into new browser windows. I will say, I didn't have a shot list for the groups and I wish I had done that....it was a little chaotic. Hope you like them, good luck making a decision (I know it's hard!)

    andrea and ryan . june 2010 . maui.olowalu
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  • nickandjenn33nickandjenn33
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My friend swears by him and was happy with her photos.  I liked them a lot, too, but for the same reason you raised (no 2nd shooter) I did not book him.  I kind of wish I did, though.
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  • christinah10christinah10
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_shawn-starr-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:e56cdb83-bf97-45fd-8050-8d3379d60c1dPost:8f6dcdd6-7f2f-46cc-a16c-63ebcf7a8a02">Re: Shawn Starr?</a>:
    [QUOTE]See if these work, they are links to all the albums I posted to Facebook. You might need to copy and paste the links into new browser windows. I will say, I didn't have a shot list for the groups and I wish I had done that....it was a little chaotic. Hope you like them, good luck making a decision (I know it's hard!) <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489863&id=9601249&l=e07ec40c02" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489863&id=9601249&l=e07ec40c02</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2490185&id=9601249&l=06bad8dd09" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2490185&id=9601249&l=06bad8dd09</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489936&id=9601249&l=e669e26bbe" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2489936&id=9601249&l=e669e26bbe</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2490175&id=9601249&l=2e5ac6984a" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2490175&id=9601249&l=2e5ac6984a</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2510923&id=9601249&l=69178ee795" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2510923&id=9601249&l=69178ee795</a> <a href="http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2502309&id=9601249&l=9069fa1555" rel='nofollow'>http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2502309&id=9601249&l=9069fa1555</a>
    Posted by mauidandy[/QUOTE]

    Thanks for sharing your photos.  You are a beautiful bride and you guys are a gorgeous couple!  Everyone, thanks for all the feedback thus far.
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  • christinah10christinah10
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/local-wedding-boards_hawaii_shawn-starr-1?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Local%20Wedding%20BoardsForum:73Discussion:e56cdb83-bf97-45fd-8050-8d3379d60c1dPost:9ec7b30a-8b56-489a-9d8c-29ecbdfa8ff4">Re: Shawn Starr?</a>:
    [QUOTE]Shawn Starr is awesome, but so is Mike Sidney!  I know someone on here used Shawn, and jackcody used Mike Sidney.  They should be able to give you some feedback, but honestly I don't think you can go wrong with either of them!  I'm not sure how their prices compare, that would probably be how I decided between them as they are both awesome.  BTW - how is your planning coming along? 
    Posted by AKWinterBride[/QUOTE]

    Hi! Just sent you a PM!
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