wedding feedback

Being given the opportunity to document a wedding is huge. It's such an important event. Emotional. Memorable. And lots not forget...just a wee bit of pressure! Missing a shot means that it's gone forever. Executing is everything.

Wedding day jitters consume me. Ask Sara. Until I get there and take my position (behind the lens) ... my mind is scrambling to ensure that I have everything covered.... camera bodies (check)....batteries (check).....flash cards (check)....lenses (check)....flash units (check)....and so and so on. Delivering to my client is the goal. I'm very critical of myself and my work, so when I hear good things it's the ultimate reward.

I got an email from Brett this morning which truly made my day. I smiled just a bit :) OK...a lot. Being my birthday...this was quite the gift! This is what it's all about .....

With Brett's permission:

Hey John,

Thanks a lot for sending the link to the wedding photos over. Leah and I were really happy with them. We were especially surprised that so many were so good - we figured a higher percentage would have awkward smiles, blinking eyes, etc. hehe...

We especially liked (in no order):
- the shots of the church outside. These will really help us remember the day, the weather and how we physically felt before/during/after.
- the range of emotions that you captured in Leah's grandfather. All of the grandparent shots were great, but, that series of shots of him is especially poignant.
- the shots of my parents dancing. It is really nice to see how happy they are and how happy they were together.
- the shots of Leah and I being "comfortable". It's really nice to see Leah herself under the make up, hair and dress. I know some wedding photos I have seen show the bride as just a bride - through circumstance or dress or whatever, they look totally different then they do normally.

There is, of course, much much more, but, that is what I can think of while mired here at the office.

Also, you should know that I've personally received really positive feedback from two people (and have heard about feedback given to my parents and Leah's parents) regarding how impressed they were with how you carried yourself. The people that spoke to me were very appreciative of the way you moved around the room without being a huge presence.

So, thanks again. We both agree that this is an excellent record of what happened and will provide us with a ton of great memories during our lives together.

Lastly, since people have asked (at least one is a mother of a bride-to-be), can you send over a few business cards? As we share the pictures that'd be nice to have.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Best,
Brett

And a follow up....

Nice - happy birthday! That's is why it took a few days to write back to you about the pictures: we wanted to take the time to share how we really felt about them. Please feel free to use my email on your blog. I'd say that, if I had to pick just one, the best aspect of the photos is the visceral nature of the style. That is, when looking at the outside church photos, I can feel the warmth of the day and the texture of the tux. When I see my parents dancing, I can hear the song and the laughter. etc.

That rocks!

Testimonial

I recently provided a list of references to a potential client. I was blown away by the stamp of approval given by Morgan (a recent bride). Yes..I do believe I'm blushing. Thanks so much Morgan!

With her approval, here are the details....

"I honestly cannot say enough good things about John. He was the best vendor I had and all my bridesmaids swear they are going to hire him as well! (Even my 11 year old stepdaughter says that she is going to use him!)

From the time I first contacted him he was always easy to get in touch with. Email, phone calls, even snail mail- was no problem. I don't know if you have met him yet, but he is a fab guy too. He had a beautiful little family and he really makes you feel comfortable and easy to be yourself around. His wife served mimosas and homemade cookies (which my mother and stepdaughter devoured!) and they let my grandmother play with their little daughter throughout our initial meeting. It was a great change from the other photographers I met with who all took themselves entirely too seriously. I left the meeting knowing that "he's the one" and felt that I finally found a photographer who "got me". The best thing is that as an actual photographer John is amazing. My husband hates taking pictures and even he was enjoying himself. The photos we just got back were so incredible I cannot even explain to you. He really captured the essence of our day, even all the little details. He has an artists eye, which is something entirely different than someone who just takes the pictures. Our guests kept telling us that "he was great, he was everywhere at once!"... it was amazing because half the time I didn't even see him, yet its evident in the photos that he was with me every step of the way. What was nice too is that he was so accommodating, really just concerned that everything was perfect for us. When we were waiting to get drinks from the wait staff he was offering to go get us them or anything else we needed. He ran to tell our DJ something for us... we were so touched that he went so far beyond what we would have ever expected.

He is passionate about his work and yet you can tell that he is a family man at heart. It was so nice to see him interacting with my grandmother and mother before hand because he really cares genuinely about relationships like that. You get the feeling that he is one of those people who really likes people and enjoys capturing the emotion. He seemed as excited about my day as I was. I almost forgot that I was paying him to be there

Anyway, I guarantee you will not be disappointed with John or your photos. You cannot possibly go wrong when you hire someone who takes so much pride in their work as he does. If there is such thing as a calling, John has found his.

Good luck and Congratulations!

Morgan Wollschlager

P.S.- I have attached a few of my favorite photos in case you are interested. My wedding was 8/23/08"

That endorsement is freaking awesome!