Who will best tell the story of your wedding?

Please introduce yourself to our readers.

Hi, My name is Alex, and I am a wedding and event photographer from the Akron-Canton area and have been photographing professionally since 2013. I got into photography with musicians and performing artists, but after a few years and opportunities to photograph weddings as a second shooter or guest, I quickly realized that I loved working in unique spaces, where the smiles are authentic. I find that I connect well with my clients over a cup of coffee and look forward to the creative challenge each and every unique event brings.

How did you become a wedding photographer?

I’m a lover of candid portraits, environmental portraits, and telling a story with my photos. Weddings allow me to continuously exercise my creative muscles with new situations, new ideas, and new clients.

After shooting performing artists, various portraits, and a slew of landscape and nature work, my first wedding solidified where I wanted to specialize. The process of editing drew me in as the memories of the day resonated through the picture I took.

I love getting to know each couple through my consultations and engagement sessions. I always ask how they met, and how their proposal went over. These stories are always entertaining, always interesting, and always lift my mood. Now that I’ve been focused mainly on weddings and events for a few years, I know that is the place for me. I love working outdoors, in the fresh air. I’m a lover of candid portraits, environmental portraits, and telling a story with my photos. Weddings allow me to continuously exercise my creative muscles with new situations, new ideas, and new clients.

How would you describe your style?

My style is characterized by bright and airy whites, strong neutrals, and honest emotions.

My style is characterized by bright and airy whites, strong neutrals, and honest emotions. I have always had a very photojournalistic style, and aim to accurately portray what happened at a wedding. I prefer working with candid photos over portraits, because of my personal focus on storytelling. While portraits are important for preserving a memory, a candid photo allows the memory to be captured. Sometimes this comes across as some not-so-flattering shots of a groom’s mother in tears, or an authentic laugh originating deep inside. Those are the moments that I live for.

What is your ideal wedding photo?

My ideal wedding photo is one that is honest. When included in a series or book, the photo that draws your attention on the page, and gives you more information than simply what it looks like to me is not only powerful but has shown to be so incredibly important to my clients.

My current favourite photo (included with these answers) is a photo of one of my clients getting a hug from her grandfather. On his face is a slight smile, and his gaze shows how proud he is to be there, congratulating her on her wedding. This photo is my favourite not because it is perfect technically, nor because it gives you a great view of what the wedding looked like (in fact, you can’t even see the bride’s face), but because when someone looks at that photo, they can feel the love, they can innately interpret the story, and that photo will be kept, cherished, and shared by my client for their whole life.

What should a wedding photography package include?

Wedding packages must include, at a minimum, a time amount allotted. As each package grows in price, their value should be maintained throughout. My largest package, for example, includes two wedding albums, and additional time. The most important factor in my experience has been the ability of the photographer to be flexible. Many of my clients fall somewhere on the packaging spectrum but need to change or add to a package in a way that is customized for each client. One recent client, for example, wanted to add an extra wedding album to their package.

I’ve always been proud to work with each client to tailor my packages to their needs and make sure that as we sign a contract, both of us feel confident that we’ve got a win.

Where and how do you find a good wedding photographer?

Because my business has always thrived on referrals, I’m partial to emphasizing how important asking the people you know for guidance can be. When looking for a service of any kind, there is more information about a person that you need to research before making a decision. On my website, you can see my prices, you can see my work, and you can read reviews from past clients.

But there really isn’t a way for me to show the care or personal nature of my service. The best way for people to learn that about me is by asking a previous client of mine. That’s why I emphasize my dedication and show my commitment to each and every client. That is not only how I’ve grown my business, but why I am so confident in saying, “My clients are the happiest”.

What are the typical services/packages offered by wedding photographers?

I set my prices where I feel I can provide the best value for my clients while not sacrificing quality. I arrived where I am through market research, self-discovery, and experimentation.

I really don’t have a good answer to this question. Most packages are going to include some degree of time, some type of prints or books, or some type of digital file. Value is added through additional services such as an included engagement session, or additional prints.

The price, however, is largely determined by factors that are so variable and don’t translate well from region to region. They are determined by talent, by a worthy portfolio, by prior experience, and by the value of what is included. I set my prices where I feel I can provide the best value for my clients while not sacrificing quality. I arrived where I am through market research, self-discovery, and experimentation.

If you could ask one thing of the grooms and brides that would make your job at their wedding easier, what would it be?

Something that I’ve learned to stress with my clients as I do more weddings is the importance of itinerary. I ask each of my clients to give me a schedule for the day, with a backup plan should something go wrong (which unfortunately happens sometimes.)

As things change, the photographer needs to stay on top of it, so they can adapt and ensure that they provide the best possible service. If there are certain choreographed things that happen, I love to know about them. This allows me to position myself to get that shot of the first dance or the groom’s first look. Whenever possible, I try to attend the rehearsal dinner and take notes of what needs to be captured. Working from a default shot list, I ask each couple what other things need to be captured, and add to it myself as the wedding approaches.

What was the most memorable wedding you photographed?

The most fun I’ve ever had, but also the most challenging wedding I’ve photographed, was an incredibly large (200 people plus) wedding, hosted in a large field, with a beautifully decorated tent, rustic arches and chairs as a ceremony location, and a beautiful, natural landscape surrounding it. At this wedding, there was always something going on. The couples’ dogs joined in, and I got an adorable picture of them petting their dogs.

This wedding was quite active and lasted more than 12 hours. With so many people to get in the album, it was quite the challenge! The photos took the longest to edit of any wedding I’ve photographed, but the results have me nostalgic just thinking about it today.

Was there ever a time you had to improvise?

This is why I love weddings- they keep me on my toes, always learning and always working hard to tell that story.

At one outdoor wedding, as the dinner faded and the reception began, the bride approached me, phone in hand with a Pinterest board pulled up. She showed me a few wedding portraits, most likely the result of an editorial shoot rather than a real wedding.

“I want to try and get some pictures like these,” she said. The photos included sunsets, light-painted arches, and sparklers (which she had managed to acquire at some point in the night. Without studio strobes, I ended up using stacked neutral density filters, a 25-second exposure, and manually triggering my flash as I walked around the scene to capture a beautiful photo of the couple, under their ceremony arch, wrapped in the light trails of some groomsmen-held sparklers.