Here is our manifesto. Or at least part of it.
EXPERIENCE
We can’t say this enough, experience matters more than any other attribute a wedding photographer can have. In our near-decade of experience we have photographed in so many unique stories and spent thousands and thousands of hours as witnesses, creators, problem solvers, story tellers, and crafting the various skills it takes to be an amazing wedding photographer.
Spoiler alert: It takes a lot more than taking good photos.
We have shot Civil, Buddhist, Persian, Muslim, Christian, Catholic, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu Ceremonies.
We have shot 1000+ person weddings and intimate elopements.
We have seen good light, bad light, and no light. At every single wedding.
We’ve seen the food light on fire.
We’ve seen officiants not show up.
We’ve have seen extreme weather events, blizzards, white outs, flooding and torrential rain.
We have seen wine spilled on dresses.
We have seen fire alarms clear a room.
And in the end, none of it mattered, because we can handle anything, we can carry you through and keep you laughing. This is your special day, it doesn’t need to be perfect, but your photos will be. They will be perfectly you!
OFF CAMERA LIGHTING
What is off camera lighting? Essentially it’s when you take a flash off your camera and create your own lighting. We were one of the first photography studios in Calgary to start using off camera lighting. When you hire a photographer who uses off camera lighting here are the pros:
- You get all the shots the natural light photographers take, and more.
- Bad light won’t stop us, and bad light is more common than good light.
- We can work in the dark.
- Creating interesting images that someone with a good camera can’t get.
- We capture truly candid and emotion moments because we can create the light and let you just focus on real moments.
- The reception photos becomes spectacular.
- The flash isn’t on your camera and always popping in your eyes.
To be honest I am SHOCKED when people hire photographers who don’t use amazing off camera lighting, but I guess that’s because I know the difference it makes. Here are a few photos to show you what we mean:
WE SHOOT FOR YOU AND NO ONE ELSE
We always say, these are our photographs for a season, and yours for a life time.
We NEVER forget that.
We have been around so long that we don’t need to use your wedding to prove something. In the photography industry they use the term HERO image. A hero image is the one that wins the award, the attention of future clients, and the respect of other photographers. The problem with photographers striving for the hero image is, that the rest of the wedding is forgotten.
Do we give you incredible art pieces (the hero images)? Yes, many, but this has become automatic for us. We are very good at what we do and have been doing wedding photography for a very long time. But we tell all our clients, these are not images that are more important than a beautiful photo with your grandmother, or with your father.
We don’t create this art for ourselves.
We don’t create art to win awards.
We don’t create art to give to your vendors (although we are happy to share).
We create art for you!
WE DON’T CARE ABOUT AWARDS OR ASSOCIATIONS
As a team and over the years we have won awards and have been published many times over. In fact as amateurs we used to chase this thrill.
But this has nothing to do with being a great photographer. Art is subjective and the photography awards circuit has typically more to do with the conferences you pay to visit, and the friends you make. Photography associations and awards are just a way to make money off the exploding industry and countless amateurs.
You are essentially paying for a website badge and the prestige. We have seen photographers start their own awards contests and delare themselves the winner. We have seen conference leaders award their best friends with seemingly impressive awards, we have seem empires built on photographers scrambling to win meaningless awards.
A couple years after chasing these awards and joining associations, and thinking it would prove we are good something magical happened; we had a super successful business with a loyal and loving client base. It had nothing to do with awards, and everything to do with you. Impressing, respecting and protecting our clients and their investment was the secret to our success.
It might be crazy to say this in an industry where photographers are always trying to prove that they are amazing, but we don’t care about awards. We only care about our clients.
QUALITY PRODUCTS
We are not just here to shoot and burn you a disc. This is for the amateurs. We are here to help you bring your photographs to life. We are artists and designers.
We offer the most beautiful albums, parent albums and custom art presentations for your home. We offer complimentary design consultations and help you create amazing art pieces.
Digital files are just that. They are zeros and ones. We are here to create art for you to see and hold in your hands for a lifetime.
WE ARE ARTISTS & WE ARE PHOTOGRAPHERS
There are a lot of photographers, but not many artists. The difference is a photographer can look at pinterest and set their camera to auto and charge you thousands and thousands of dollars. Nathan and I are not only photographers, we are professional artists, we are experts of human emotion and storytelling. We are also photographers, and that is an entirely different set of skills.
As a photographer we are assertive, friendly, funny, fit, intuitive, spontaneous and also carefully planned. We have dozens of qualities that will lead you to have the very best photos.
Check out more advice on weddings
Check out the real questions you should ask photographers
And check out more about us