Sunday, March 30, 2008

The Photography Dilemma

Both my Mom and Sister are photographers, and so no one should be surprised that I am really obsessed with photography. I would like to start learning for myself, and I would have had no problem doing so with my G9, except I apparently thought it was a good idea to leave her on the TRAX up to Seattle. Still crying myself to sleep over that one.

I subscribe to every single photography blog I can get my hands on, and I have searched out every photography blogger in both Washington and Utah. I have been saving my favorite pictures for a few months now, and when it was time for me to start thinking about a photographer I went right to the folder on my computer and emailed everyone who I had saved multiple pictures from over the last few months.

I immediately ruled out anyone who was completely out of my budget, and now I am down to two people that I just can't make a choice between. I am a huge fan of photoshop post processing, and so everyone that I really love use photoshop quite extensively. I judge work like this to be the result of excellent attention to detail, and a great understanding of when to keep adding to a photograph and when to stop. I thought I would take a little poll and see what everyone thinks.

First off is Sarah Rhoads. Located in Seattle (which is where I am getting married), I think I found her through Wedfog or another similar type of directory. So far I have only communicated with her through email, but I think our personalities really click, and we have similar ideas about what wedding photography should be. Her work is really gorgeous, and I would love the story she tells about my wedding day. My total package with her for 8 hours of shooting would be somewhere around $3200. Check her blog to see her latest work. Here are some of my favorites:








My other favorite option is timwill. My favorite photographer for a really long time now, he is unfortunately located across the country in Georgia. Every time he posts on his blog I fall in love all over again. His fine art edits are some of the most beautiful that I've seen, and I know that I would never regret hiring him for my wedding day. He has offered me a few perks, but the total cost would be $1000 more than hiring Sarah. I am already fighting with the budget, and all of the struggles that come with attempting to stretch it paper thin, and so I really should save the $$$. But I really really love his work. I look at his pictures and daydream about the kind of photos I would end up with. Here are my favorites:






Any thoughts? Who should I go with? Any favorite pictures? I have to make up my mind soon before someone else snatches them up!

5 comments:

Kelli Nicole said...

Wow, I won't be any help here...I'd definitely say go with someone you'll really click with, but I'm willing to spend about anything to get the photographer I want...good luck with the decision!! I think they're both amazing. You probably have a pretty good idea of places you want to shoot at, but Sarah will have a lot more good ideas than Tim because she's from the area.

Unknown said...

Wow some amazing photographers here. I have no advice as I'm not at the choosing a photographer stage yet but I just wanted to say hi and thanks for the comment on my blog!

Emily said...

I absolutely love the second set. The first set seems a little trendy with the "grunge" look. I think the second set are beautiful and timeless. To me the photography was one of the most important parts of the budget so I was willing to push things around to get the photographer we wanted.

ClaysJenna said...

I love these pictures! They look a lot like www.dezemberphoto.com which I LOVE:) The one thing I learned from my wedding was the photographer is definitely worth the money:) Thats the only thing I wish I did different. Good luck...

Jenna said...

kelli-you make a good point, that the benefit of going with a Seattle photographer is that they know the area so well. I kind of want to find a way to take pictures in a little boat on my wedding day. A seattleite photographer might be the key to making this happen.

christine-good luck when you do finally get to this stage, it's such a tough choice!

emily-good point about the first set being a little bit trendy. It's so hard to try to imagine what these picture will look like to me 20 years down the road. The second photographer isn't that much more, and I am willing to work extra hard this summer to be able to afford him.

claysjenna-Dezember is one of my favorite wedding photographers in Utah! Have you seen the work of Johnathan Canlas as well?

onelove-I really really really appreciate your feedback on this. Your use of the word "trendy" has me thinking long and hard about what I am looking for in a photographer. I don't want to be deceived by ingenious edits and overlook the importance of composition and lighting. I am going to email her right away and find out what she will guarantee as far as number of pictures and number of "fine art" edits!