Kristen Lenox, the owner and lead shooter at K Lenox Photography, is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny, she’s warm, she loves to laugh, she’s probably really great at giving hugs, but when it comes down to business, she’s not joking around. She knows what she wants, and in an industry fixated on perfectionism, the New Hampshire-based photographer goes the other way. “I want what’s real. I don’t like perfection,” she says as she speaks to us for this new Featured Photographer story.
From her light and airy photography style and her ‘never stop learning’ motto to her genuine love for her profession and her ‘no vendor left behind’ strategy – there’s A LOT that we love about Kristen and what K Lenox Photography stands for, so it was a no-brainer for us to choose her story to celebrate International Women’s Day. Also, she’s A LOT of fun, and even though we spoke to her through a camera, we can guarantee that she lights up a room as soon as she walks in (pun intended!).
How do you photograph love? A feeling so intense yet equally simple. Something that can coexist at the break of laughter and heartfelt tears, a rush of moment and silence. And more importantly, how do you mold something like that into images that radiate the same warmth? Hard as it may be to answer this question, wedding photographers have been experimenting and weaving love stories into frames forever. So today, we bring the spotlight on some wedding photographers and ShootDotEdit customers to learn about their take on – photographing love!
Wild, crazy, and untamed – ShootDotEdit customer Whitney Olson of Olson Design Photography shares that these three words best reflect her life, something she strives to bring to her craft as well! Her heart feels at home in the Blue Ridge Mountains, but having traveled to six different countries, her soul is a traveler. And when it comes to photographing couples in love, she wants to capture their wild, crazy love stories EXACTLY the way it is. All hail the queen of candids!
In addition to unconditional love, weddings shed light on the relationship of the couple and their journey. ShootDotEdit customer and wedding photographer Eric Kelley of Eric Kelley Photography believes in telling stories through his images and capturing the true essence of a moment. His approach is all about creating imagery that remains meaningful to the couple, even years after celebrating their beautiful day. And he tries to follow through with it in every shot taken, every scene photographed.
ShootDotEdit customer and wedding photography duo, Heather and Terrence from Apollo Fields, shines the light (quite literally) to make the best of every setting. A natural light chaser with an artistic eye, Heather, the team’s in-house photographer, has a knack for finding locations that make ordinary landscapes look like professional sets, placing her subjects in an ethereal glow that’s usually reserved for storybook endings.
Terrence, on the other hand, uses his writing expertise to mirror the client’s wedding celebration in the form of heartfelt poetry. A photographer and a writer – now that’s a beautiful way to document love! Together as a team, Heather and Terrence work towards providing clients a wholesome and incomparable experience.
From weddings in Central Park and atop skyscrapers to intimate weddings in small farms between aspen trees and lavish resort weddings surrounded by ski slopes, Heather has photographed it all! But some settings that remain close to her heart are often the ones that include dramatic landscapes, personalized details, and, ideally, a few four-legged friends.
4. Falling In Love With Love
Image Credit: ShootDotEdit Customer @loversoflove
“For us, it’s all about love,” highlight Nate and Dana, the husband and wife photography team behind ShootDotEdit customer Lovers Of Love. They LOVE love, and they seem to be able to find it wherever they point their lens. The couple shares that they genuinely believe in collecting moments rather than belongings and hence invest their lives into making memories and preserving them. With their hearts full and cameras ready, they approach each shoot with meaning and purpose. And the same stands true for their journey of photographing love and the story behind their cool business name.
Here’s how they came up with it:
“Love is what makes us do some crazy awesome things! It’s what makes this life worth living; it’s what makes a wedding worth having; it’s what makes it all worth remembering. It takes a strong person to do brave things in the name of love, like ask a dad to marry his baby, save up to buy a ring, and get down on one knee and ask the love of your life to be your forever partner in crime. It’s actually a sign of strength and bravery to admit that you, too, are a lover of love.”
Honesty, forgiveness, and being able to laugh at oneself, Kris and Mike from ShootDotEdit customer K. Lenox Photography are believers of many things. And one such thing that especially struck a chord with us is that perfection is boring (we say, without authenticity). Every photo you take represents your signature photography style, but what makes it unique to your client? This photography duo shares that the answer lies in getting to know the happy couple and curating the album, the images, and the story as uniquely theirs.
ShootDotEdit customer Flavio DeBarros of Flavio D Photography, a Boston-based wedding photographer, is a sucker for love and a big-time couple’s photographer! He believes that love itself is classic and resolute, flourishing in unexpected places, regardless of religion, racial makeup, or sexual orientation. Moreover, it is the reason he developed such a deep passion for wedding photography.
As we learn from these wedding photographers, no two definitions of love are the same. Photographing love is about understanding that and capturing it in its most raw, unaltered form – be it wild, sweet, or goofy. With their artistry, camera, and lens, these wedding photographers show that there’s more to love than just the words used to express it. Photographing couples in love with each other is about capturing the emotion and energy that comes with it – something we can all learn from as we celebrate Valentine’s Day.
Here at ShootDotEdit, we love sharing wonderful stories from the vault of our creative and passionate photographers’ community. In addition to that, we also strive to help manage your photo editing workload. Visit our pricing page to learn more about how we make that happen.
Ever gushed over a strong blue tone of an early morning or evening sky? We have too! The twilight hues set a different kind of mood, mystery, and a bit of magic to any imagery. Just as the golden hour, the blue hour also opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities for photographers to experiment with. And in this blog, we feature some of the most iconic blue hour wedding and engagement photography by some of ShootDotEdit’s customers. Follow through for more inspiration.
Drafting a contract is one of the first steps you take as you set up your wedding photography business and begin your journey of booking your ideal clients. “When should I have a wedding photography contract ready?” – this is a question many photographers ask when they are just starting out. Well, the answer is simple. From the very beginning, from your very first wedding. Operating in the wedding industry without legally binding contracts and insurance could be risky as you never know when things don’t go as planned. If you are one of those photographers who dreads getting into the legalities of it, you have come to the right place! In this blog, we have tried to simplify everything. We will walk you through a standard photography contract and the segments that you could include in it.
Sometimes, pricing your photography could get complex. But it’s an essential part of your business and therefore, not something that you can just avoid. There are many factors, including your market, demography, skill set, etc., that directly or indirectly affect your rates. So how to price your wedding photography? Many wedding photographers struggle to come up with an answer. But whether you are thinking of modifying your prices or just getting started, this pricing guide could help make the process a little easier for you. So let’s begin!
As a wedding photographer, the wedding day is the D-Day, so bringing your A-game is a must to make sure that everything goes according to plan (and perhaps even find a potential client!). Even though there could always be unexpected moments at a wedding, planning could help you remain stress-free as you photograph the other anticipated moments. Therefore, one of the simplest and most organized ways to ensure that you are on top of your game is to have a wedding photography preparation checklist that could help you keep a track of all your ‘to-dos’. In this blog, we offer some insight on all the prep you could do before you head out to the wedding venue.
Have you ever seen photos of people with intentionally distorted features or images with seemingly embossed text placed underneath a thick lens? Have you noticed backgrounds in images that look unreal with vertical or horizontal patterns or the pictures with black and white spirals that look hypnotic? All these visuals are examples of the warping effect. When you warp an image, you digitally manipulate it so that any shapes portrayed in it look significantly distorted. While some photographers use this effect to distort an image for creative purposes, others use it to correct distortions. You can also use this effect on your pictures to create a dramatic effect, honor any special requests from your couples, or for other creative purposes. In today’s blog, we take you through the steps of creating this effect in your images using the Warp tool in Photoshop.
Knowing your lighting could be a game-changer, and using the right lighting techniques could help you take your photography to another level of artistry. Moreover, using flash opens up a whole new world of creative possibilities. If you have already ventured into photography and have a decent understanding of your camera but are new to using flash, this blog offers some basic flash photography tips and tips on how you could use different types of flashes to enhance your photography game.
“Should you put prices on your photography website?” This question has not only perplexed many photographers over time, but it has also been the center of debate in various photography forums, educational seminars, and social media groups. The notion “there are two sides to every story” stands true for this discussion as well – as there are many things to take into consideration before going ahead with putting your prices on your website. In this blog, we take a look at the pros and cons of adding your price list to your website and how it can impact your wedding photography business.
If your wedding photography business plan included booking luxury weddings, but you are unsure about how to book high-end brides or how to attract them to your brand, then this blog could help guide you in the right direction. The ‘luxury’ in luxury weddings could stem from many things – a grand venue, show-stopping details, and even imported floral arrangements! But more than the money, as a wedding photographer, photographing high-end brides and luxury weddings is all about showcasing the larger-than-life aspect of those weddings. However, not everyone manages to develop a clientele like that. A great portfolio, unique brand identity, and the right marketing skills are just a few of the strategies you could adopt to find yourself booking and photographing more high-end brides.
