All jokes aside, babies are curious creatures and capturing them in their natural habitat as they learn about their world often produces some of the most emotionally charged images. I think the images speak for themselves.

Another Petruzzo Photography shooter, Felipe, and myself got so into the action that we’re now apparently official members of the band. Felipe plays the Triangle and I rock-out a mean kazoo solo.

DJ-ing the event was DJ Jon DePompa (twitter), who did a great job MC-ing the event and is worth looking into for your next event.

It was a great honor to be able to photograph Jon and Belle’s snowy January wedding. The couple decided to tie the knot at Bay Area Community Church and with some help from friends, they produced a beautiful and heartfelt DIY wedding.

Jon and Belle wanted to do some fun photos before the ceremony. So it was decided that the couple would meet up on the front of the church to have their first look and soon after that we had the freedom to go all over Annapolis to take photos.

The weather was very chilly, but with the warm emotion and determination from the couple we were able to take some lovely urban shots. After walking all around downtown Annapolis we decided it was time to heat up so we headed into Starbucks. We ordered some coffee and took some fun photos inside Starbucks before we headed back to the church for the ceremony.

The ceremony and reception had a great sense of community, it was a moment in which friends and family came together to witness that very special love that Jon and Belle have for each other. It was a blessing to have been part of one of John and Belle’s most important days of their life. Congratulations to Jon and Belle, may you have a joyful and blessed life together.

The web is full of great questions to ask you potential wedding photographer. And they really can help you decide who to pick. But, they’re also sometimes overly specific. And sometimes technical. For example, it’s a good idea to ask your potential wedding photographer whether he has backups of his important equipment, whether he’ll be making backups of your digital images, and how many weddings he’s done in the past. These will help to give you insight into whether your photographer is really up to the task of shooting your wedding.

But, there are many, many photographers who are qualified to shoot your wedding, but not all of them should.

Get to know your photographer a little bit more intimately before booking your wedding with them. Become confident that they’re not only a quality photographer, but a quality photographer that’s just right for your specific wedding. Try out these three simple, yet challenging questions.

Can I see a full set of images from a wedding you did recently?

When we meet with a client who’s considering using us for their wedding photography, we almost always have a full set of images from a recent wedding ready to show off. Even if the images aren’t our favorites, we’ll volunteer to let them take a look.  Not all photographers do this by default, but a great photographer, and a true professional, shouldn’t have any hesitation showing you a full set of images.

Many people forget to ask for this, but in today’s climate it’s crucial to see whether or not your potential photographer can really capture a full wedding with great quality, or whether the good images they do captured are just a few out of many, many mediocre or even bad ones.

Don’t be shy. Just ask. Their contract with their wedding clients may require them to get permission before showing you the images. But to win your business, this shouldn’t be too much to ask. Keep in mind, however, if you’re dealing with a photographer over email, they may be hesitant to show you these images right away. This may be a good question to ask when you feel good about a potential photographer and just want a little extra piece of mind. If, however, they say ‘no’ outright, you may just want to move on.

What are your favorite things to photograph at a wedding?

Not every photographer is right for every wedding. It’s happened more than a couple of times. After meeting, getting to know each other a bit and discussing their wedding, we’ve told a client that we’re probably not right for their wedding and made some other local recommendations for photographers who may be a better fit. Unfortunately, not every photographer will be this up front. Especially in a down economy.

So, rather than telling your potential photographer what kind of images you like, start by asking them what kind of images they like–ask what their favorite wedding photos are. You may find they have a very different slant than you do. If you’re mostly interested in hands-off candids, but your potential photographer mostly enjoys doing formals where there is a lot of control over the image, you may be at a mismatch.

Before booking, discuss with them that you think could be a mismatch and see what they have to say. You may find that they’re just not the right photographer for you and that’s okay. They will find a better match, and so will you.

Can I speak to a bride who’s wedding you shot recently?

When we work on a wedding for someone, there’s almost always a deeper, more personal bond that’s formed. They enjoy our presence and we enjoy theirs. This is why, when necessary, we won’t hesitate to offer a bride the chance to speak to one of our past clients.

If even just for peace of mind, ask your potential photographer if you can speak to one of the brides from a recent wedding. If he’s developing good relationships with his clients, he should be able to ask one of them if they would be willing to speak with you, and in most cases they will be more than happy to.

If you’re photographer can’t offer you anything like this, you may want to look more closely before booking.

Starting today, all of our wedding packages now include an engagement session at no additional charge. Why did we make this change, rather than continuing to offer it as an add-on? Allow me to answer that for you in the easiest way that I can.

The better our relationship with a client, the better the images tend to turn out.

We’re thoroughly committed to delivering outstanding images every time. From the past, we can see a clear trend: When we have the opportunity to get to know a client, even develop a good friendship, the images we’re able to capture during the wedding improve. When you’re more comfortable with us, your more comfortable with the camera we’re pointing at you. Getting together before your wedding day to shoot engagement photos is a great way to spend a little time with each other before the wedding, and everyone gets a little more comfortable.

We consider this opportunity to get together before the wedding to be an invaluable opportunity that has a clear benefit to the total wedding photography experience we aim to deliver. For this reason, we’ve decided to include this feature as a part of every wedding package including 4 or more hours of coverage.

Some restrictions apply.

This is a great value and something many of our competitors don’t offer. However, there are a few limitations.

1. The engagement session must be used Monday through Thursday, before the wedding date.

2. The engagement session is non-transferrable. In other words, the photos must be of the Bride and Groom.

Talitha, a self-proclaimed control-freak, had the reigns tight on her wedding day, making absolutely sure that everything was queued up and ready to go, and with ten bride’s maids, it’s a good thing she did! But unlike many of the ‘bridezillas’ we hear about, Talitha was not only on top of things, she was calm, collected, friendly and having a great time, enjoying her day. I was nothing short of impressed. Then there’s David. David, though natively a laid back, go-with-the-flow kind of guy, like any good fiancé, picked up the slack wherever it was needed. Together they were like a powerhouse of productivity and cool-collectedness that really made you feel comfortable.

Talitha & David opted not to use my services to photograph the bulk of their reception, and the creative formals were primarily limited to the couple.

These photographs were captured in the morning time around 9:30am at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton, Maryland. We utilized entirely natural light.