So now you’ve seen some of the more traditional of our engagement pictures, I wanted to share some of the really fun ones. After taking our fancy photos all dressed up, we snuck in to a little boat house of sorts our photographer’s mother in law owned next to the lake to change. We brought some more casual clothes, along with a special surprise for the end of the shoot!

I have to say – if you’re on the fence about doing engagement photos, I encourage you to go for it! Even if it’s only a half hour in your photographer’s studio, it’s great for a lot of reasons. First, you get to spend some time with your photographer and see how they are when they’re actually on the job. Do you mesh as well as you hoped? Now’s the time to find out! It also helps you learn to get used to taking professional photos and can make you more relaxed on your wedding day. And of course, you get pretty pictures to hang up and share!

Once again, all photos from the lovely Tammy Martines Photography.

We went around to the other side of the lake to check out the view!

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I hope everyone is having a happy and joyous holiday season. It’s been a long and sometimes difficult month here at the NEPA Bride household, but I wanted to pop in and say Merry Christmas! I also wanted to share the first of our engagement photos with you now that NEPA Groom and I have had some time to sort through them and really take them in. Ready Freddy?

All photos taken by and post editing done by Tammy Martines Photography.

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*SQUEE*

Our photographer has started uploading our engagement photos today. We haven’t sat down and looked at them all in detail, but we each skimmed through really quick while we were on the phone earlier. So what’s the verdict?

We love love LOVE them! They look so cool. I can’t wait to get the cd with the clean copies of the images next week. Once I have that, I’ll post some of our favorites, but here are a couple of teasers to get you through the holiday.

All images courtesy of Tammy Martines Photography.

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NEPA Groom and I were very excited to get our engagement pictures taken earlier this week! While we wait for our proofs to show up, I thought I’d compile some of the advice I collected before we went for the photos and some nuggets of wisdom we happened upon during our shoot in the hopes it helps you too.

1. Select places that fit your style. Some people thrive in the city, while others need wide open spaces. We don’t consider ourselves particularly urban. We’re not stereotypical ‘country’ either. We like big suburban back yards and camping trips that involve long hikes in the woods and lakes.
2. Bring ideas to the table. We sent our photographer, Tammy Martines, a handful of inspiration photos before the shoot. We also took a look at some of her other engagement shoots and told her what locations we liked the best. She’s the expert, and she did some incredible things with what we gave her, but she’s also not a mind reader. Throw some ideas out to your photographer. Even if they’re not totally concrete or polished, they can take that inspiration and make something great.
3. Be comfortable. Just because you look super hawt in 4 inch heels doesn’t mean you should wear them for your engagement shoot. If you’re a t-shirt and jeans kind of person, stick with what you know. If you don’t recognize yourself in the mirror before you leave the house, you’re not going to recognize yourself in your photos.
4. Dress for the weather. It was a bit chilly for our shoot, so we skipped the short sleeves and went for sweaters. Bring a jacket and an umbrella in case you need it. You never know what you’ll encounter on the day of!
5. Be open to new ideas. You might find good opportunities for pictures where you least expect them. If your photographer suggests some jumping shots, go for it! What’s the worst that happens? You hate ‘em? Don’t show them to anyone!
6. Laugh! You’re getting married. Be happy.
7. Be Yourself. What are you and your finance’s passions? Is he a guitar player? Do you paint? Don’t be afraid of bringing some props with you! You’ll end up with some fun pictures that will be uniquely you.

What kind of tips do you have for an engagement photo shoot? Has anyone else done one lately?

Do you know all the details of your photographer’s contract by heart? How do they handle glare on glasses? What’s their favorite moment to capture during a wedding? There are tons of important questions you should be asking when you’re interviewing potential photographers. Since I’ve been knee deep in this over the last few weeks, I’d thought I’d share the list of questions I compiled:

1. Basic packages and pricing info – this is probably on their website, or at least a ball park is, but they should be happy to go over all the packages, including: how many hours you get, what kind of equipment they use, any other special requirements they have.
2. Pricing for extras – if you want them to come early, or need an extra hour, or want to do engagement pictures (or boudoir photos, woo hoo!) , you should know how much that costs.
3. Training – where did they go to school and how did they get in to photography? “Taking photos of my sister’s kewpie doll collection to put up on Ebay” is NOT an appropriate answer here folks.
4. How long have they been in business – I’m not saying new photographers don’t deserve a chance. They’ve got to get a start somewhere. But at the same time, if your photography is very important to you, you might want to go with someone a little more seasoned.
5. Their favorite weddings to shoot/most challenging – how will they overcome any obstacles at your wedding? Is there one kind of style they favor heavily over others? If they couldn’t deal with stress factors at other weddings, chances are good they might flake at yours.
6. Pricing on prints – if the photography package is reasonably priced, will you end up getting raked over the coals after when you want prints for parents and grandparents.
7. Length of time after wedding till you have proofs: will they be at your doorstep in 2 weeks or will it be 4 months? Set your expectations now so you’re not hounding them for some teaser shots the day you come home from your honeymoon.
8. Can you buy the rights – I’m getting all of our photos on a flash drive after the wedding with the rights to take them any where I please. This option is getting more and more popular, so if you don’t see it, ask!
9. I can haz Facebook? Can you upload the photos you love to your website or social media sites?
10. Can you see a full wedding shoot? My photographer leaves some of her print ordering galleries open, so I was able to stalk them and see every single shot she took at a wedding, not just the best of the best that she wanted me to see. I got a much better idea of how she works and what we can expect at our wedding.

What other good tips do you have for choosing a photographer? If I get some good ones, I’ll keep expanding the list!

WOO HOO! It’s offical – I dropped the contract in the mail box this afternoon. We are offically using Tammy Martines Photography for our wedding day. Take a looky:

(both photos via her facebook page)

I became a fan of her photography when I was on my hunt 2 weeks ago – she’s got a clean style and captures traditional shots as well as more artistic shots. If you check out her website, you’ll also see that she’s refreshingly affordable! We met at her studio yesterday and had a fantastic conversation. Over that hour, I’d say about 40 minutes was business, and the other 20 was just getting to know each other and fun chit chat. I felt instantly comfortable – she’s got a fun, outgoing personality. I’m really confident she’ll put our guests at ease and get some great shots as a result.

Much like searching for our reception venue, I knew when I’d found ‘the one’. How did you know when you found the right photographer for you?

After totally geeking out over Darker Shades of Brown, I realized I might want to back track and share the rest of my research with you. I’ve been bookmarking NEPA wedding photographers for a while now, but I didn’t really sit down and decide which ones I liked until this week. Here are four more candidates I’m looking at, along with my thoughts.

Brent Pennington Photography – The best thing I can tell you about him is this – I’ve met him in person a couple of times and he’s cool.  He’s also got an awesome assistant who I hear joins him from time to time.

Jack Kiska Photography – I’m waiting to get more information back. He seems like an extremely economical choice, and could capture all the basic portraits you need for the day.

Andy Molitoris Photography – I really liked the look of the photos on his site. Rumor on the street is that he’s not doing weddings any more, but I don’t know if there’s any truth to that. I’m waiting to hear back from him as well.

Tammy Martines Photography – Tammy and I have been emailing back and forth for the past few days and I’ll be going to meet with her next week after I return from vacation (WHOO HOO!!). She’s been very responsive and her wedding packages seem to fall right in the middle. Good quality of work, decent prices, and a friendly attitude.

I had a great talk with Daniel at Darker Shades of Brown recently, and I’m sad that we might not be able to afford them, so my research continues with the photographers above. However, he was extremely helpful – I can only say good things about him. It might not happen for me, but I’d encourage other NEPA brides to take a look and give him a ring if it’s within your budget.

And so the photographer search continues!

Holy shit you guys.

I think I’m in love.

I’ve started looking at photographers, initially to put a better estimate in the detailed budget I’m working on. And then I ran across Darker Shades Of Brown Photography, based out of Scranton. *drools*

Clearly, I will be making some calls. I don’t know if these guys are in my future, but it sure as hell doesn’t hurt to try and make that happen! I got chills looking at their work.

All photos are by Darker Shades of Brown, via their blog. (And FYI guys, if you happen to see this and have any kind of problem with me posting your pictures, just give a shout my way. I’m just really impressed and wanted to spread the good word )

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