Think for a moment about what it is you want to remember about your wedding day. Is it the way the hors d’oeuvres look on the tray as the service staff brings them to your guests? Is it the way the table dressings look as your guests see them for the first time? Is it the way the boutonnières hang on lapels of the men in your wedding? The way the dressing room looked while the girls were getting ready? My guess is that, yes, if you thought about it, you’d like to remember these things. That’s why we always make efforts to capture these little nuggets of wedding memories. But I’d also guess this isn’t exactly what you would have in mind when you hire a wedding photographer.

I suspect the things you really want to remember are are a lot more personal. The the way your guests will laugh and smile, reminiscing over old friendships and experiences as they enjoy those hors d’oeuvres. Your mom sitting and smiling, watching you take your first dance as a newly married couple, while she rests her cup of hot coffee on the table dressing she worked so hard to design. The men, jesting and smoking fine cigars, poignantly designated as the inner circle by those gracefully placed boutonnières. The way you laughed, and cried and waited patiently with your wedding party in the dressing room. These are the personal, special parts of a wedding whose value doesn’t fade. These moments are fleeting. When they’re gone, they’re gone. This is where a second photographer can make all the difference.

Unlike the details of your wedding, which for the most part, are unchanging throughout your wedding, the personal interactions happen only once. A second photographer makes it possible to capture them, even when one photographer is already occupied.

Capture images of your fiancé as you take your first steps down the isle. Capture images of your mother smiling during your first dance. Images of your father as you take your wedding vows. Images of clinking glasses following your best friend’s heartfelt toast—A second photographer makes this a very real possibility, without forfeiting images of the main event.

And now, here’s the really good news:

Two Photographers are now included in every wedding package!

We don’t have low end packages. We have different packages to meet different needs. But the quality should always be top notch. For this reason, we’ve decided that there’s no reason any wedding we shoot should only feature only one photographer.

There’s no fine print. No hidden fees. No bait and switch. Every wedding package, by default, will now include dual photographers to capture every special moment we can.

Take a moment and check out our new wedding packages for 2012. We still have availability this year, so don’t lose your date; give us a call!

But there’s a little secret here. A lot of this wedding was DIY. See, Ashley & Andrew crafty as they may be, were also backed by a team of professional and semi-professional family members, who more than knew how to gussy up an event. The final product, though part professionally orchestrated, and part DIY, came together to be a relaxed, polished experience.

They’re not the kind of people you’ll find running out and buying the biggest house, or the newest gadget. They keep things simple, with the most important parts of life within arms reach. So, suffice to say, they weren’t the kind of people to throw down $100k on a glitzy wedding. Instead, they opted for the DIY route and sought the help of community and friends to make their wedding everything they wanted it to be—the bulk of which was simply to have the people in their community be a part of such an important day. They were, and it was awesome. Really.

The reception was held at the beautiful, but blank-canvas, Bay Ridge Club in Annapolis. Joel & Colleen’s community pulled together to turn the park into an truly memorable wedding venue.

In keeping with the DIY style of the wedding, Joel & Colleen’s cake was made by a talented member of the community. Rather than one gigantic cake, they opted for a simpler (but no-less-delicious) cake on each individual table.

Rather than a traditional DJ throughout the event, the music was provided via open mic. Thanks to the talented community, we heard music from funk to folk. Perhaps the most notable performance, however, was by Dave Bunker, of the world famous Bunker Guitars and the inventor of the Touch Guitar back in 1978.

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.

Travis & Shanel had nothing short of a beautiful wedding at the Mt. Airy Mansion in Upper Marlboro Maryland. The whole grounds were a hot-bed of great photo opportunities. In fact, narrowing down some of my favorites to share was quite a challenge. Combine that with the couple’s decidedly fun-loving attitude and wonderful family, not only were we able to capture some beautiful images, but we had a whole lot of fun doing so!

We had a great time at the wedding and really enjoyed every guest we had the chance to chat with. And, Newton-White is an excellent wedding venue. Congratulations Auntea & Afuw, I wish you the best of luck in your new lives 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.

The attention to detail at Kevin & Kaycee’s wedding was beautiful, and blended great with the historic setting.

To help the day move along smoothly, Kevin & Kaycee decided to see each other before the ceremony. We staged a first look, were Kevin would see Kaycee for the first time.

Once we finished up with the fist look, we headed town toward the water to capture some group formals. We became quite a spectacle, such a big group of us, laughing and posing on the docks.

After spending about half an hour wandering around the docks in high heels and cufflinks, we moved toward the Annapolis State House for some more formals.

We finished up our formal photographs with about 10 minutes to spare before the ceremony began.

With the ceremony going off with only one hitch (get it? That pun was definitely intended), it was time to move onto the reception, which was fairly light on the dancing and had a kind of dinner party atmosphere.

The day was a great success. Kevin & Kaycee’s wedding was a lot of fun and it was a pleasure being invited to share such a special occasion. Congratulations, Kevin & Kaycee! You guys are going to be great together!

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.