Time to book your Memphis Wedding Photographer | Left Shoe Photography Weddings
December 16, 2009 | Filed Under Left Shoe Photography, Portraiture, Weddings | 1 Comment
Lets face it…the last few months of the year can be a crazy time! Between scheduling and decorating for the Holidays, arranging travel plans to visit family and friends, getting those last few gifts purchased for your special someone before the last store closes on Christmas Eve (Grooms, I’m talking to you!!!) or finishing up your last few college final exams before semester break, we all have a lot that we need to get done. In addition if you are planning on getting married during the busy Memphis wedding season next summer, it’s also a time when you need to seriously start thinking about booking your wedding photographer.
Choosing your wedding photographer, along with arranging other critical vendors (florist, ceremony and reception venue, caterer, DJ or band) are all important decisions in ensuring a positive experience on your wedding day. Perhaps the photographer more than others (although I may be biased) , plays an especially important role in that it is their job to record your special memories for enjoyment many days and years into the future.
As a wedding photographer based in the Memphis Tennessee area, I always notice that the fall and winter leading into the next wedding season is the busiest time for our wedding photography bookings. Unfortunately, every year it breaks my heart when I have to turn down a beautiful wedding couple simply because I have already been booked for their wedding day. So ladies (and gentlemen), if you are suddenly nervous and want to ensure you get the biggest bang for your wedding photographer buck, it’s time to get serious!!!
Which brings me to my main point…. Often when I’m standing up or attending a wedding that I won’t be photographing for a close friend or relative I’m asked what they should look for when hiring a good wedding photographer. Memphis, like any other city, has many wedding photography options available and it’s important to make a selection you feel comfortable with. Here are a few important considerations I think every Memphis area (or any area for that matter) bride and groom should consider before making their choice:
1) Do I like this wedding photographers pictures and portfolio?
Well I hear what your saying…”Duh…of course I should like the pictures!” And this will be the first thing that often attracts you to a certain photographer after viewing their portfolio online or in person; but it is important to imagine yourself in a photographers pictures. All photographers photograph weddings with a different style and it is important to connect with the style of the photographer you are interviewing. You may have an idea of what you think your pictures may look like, but make sure you like what you’re seeing from the photographer you are interested in.
2) Can this photographers pricing accommodate my budget (or vice versa)?
With most purchases you get what you pay for; the same is true for wedding photographers. If prices seem to good to be true, they probably are and it is important for you to ensure you are getting quality products and service from your wedding photographer. If you have a photographer you are especially interested in, contact them and see if they can accommodate your budget. Most photographers, yours truly included, have a variety of pricing options available to offer prospective clients. At Left Shoe Photography we do our best to accommodate the budgets of as many brides as possible and will often craft unique packages for each wedding couple. After all, who wants to pay for something they don’t want…Not Me!!!
3) Do I like this photographer? I mean really like them!
This is frequently one of the points that is overlooked in the search for the right wedding photographer and it is perhaps the most important consideration. When you have a wedding consultation with a prospective photographer make sure you consider whether you would enjoy being in this persons company for a whole day and if the photographer is someone you can get along with; you will be with them practically your entire wedding day. If they aren’t someone you click with, sorry, but the day is probably going to be pretty miserable. I’ve heard too many times, “Yeah, their pictures were nice, but their photographer was a total jerk!”
The primary reason I photograph weddings is because I really enjoy them and as a result this enthusiasm really shows in my effort to serve my clients on their wedding day. I feel incredibly fortunate to be afforded the enormous responsibility of commemorating someones wedding day. It’s an honor I take very seriously. Many other wedding photographers feel the same way; unfortunately, many do not.
Hope this bit of information helped you in planning for your big day! If you are in the Memphis area or elsewhere and are interested in my wedding photography services please contact me. I’d be happy to discuss what I can do to craft a wedding photography package just for you.
Yours Truly,
Tracy-contact me
Left Shoe Photography | Wedding Portfolio
Kisses in the Sunshine – Engagement Photography Session
December 11, 2009 | Filed Under Engagement/Newlyweds, Weddings | 1 Comment
Hi Everybody,
I met up with Michelle and DJ at the lovely Michigan State University Horticultural Gardens for their engagement session and we all had a great time capturing some amazing photos for them. I absolutely love it when I have the chance to photograph the wedding couple before the wedding day and this time was no exception. We arrived early so we had the entire gardens to ourselves for most of the session and it allowed me to capture some really unique moments with them.
Michelle and DJ are planning a beautiful wedding this winter (hopefully the weather cooperates; NO BLIZZARDS ALLOWED!!!) that Charlie and I will be photographing together. I’m really going to miss photographing winter weddings on a consistent basis after our move to Memphis Tennessee is complete; I’m sure I’ll continue to have the opportunity to travel and photograph for wedding clients back in Michigan on a less frequent basis. We have had the good fortune to meet and photograph so many wonderful people. Our clients have been the best – We will miss you all dearly!!!
I hope everyone enjoyed viewing this engagement session gallery.
Congratulations to Michelle and DJ on your wedding engagement! I look forward to getting to know you better and thank you for giving us the opportunity to share with you on your special wedding day.
Best,
Tracy – contact me!
Left Shoe Photography | Wedding and Engagement Photography Portfolio
Cooling off in the heat! | Child Photography | Metro-Detroit, Michigan
March 1, 2009 | Filed Under Personal, Weddings | Leave a Comment
I was in the process of reorganizing some of my personal pictures from last year and I came across one of my forgotten favorites!!! Tracy and I were shooting a wedding out of town and were hanging out with our daughter for a few final moments in the hotel room before we had to say goodbye and go photograph the bride and groom and all their preparations before the wedding ceremony. It was already shaping up to be a dreadfully hot day and all of us were trying to stay as cool as possible while we went through the final checks of all our camera gear. We had cranked the air-conditioner in the hotel room up to full power and it was finally starting to kick in. That’s when I noticed my 1-year old smiling a huge goofy grin while standing next to the air conditioning vent and enjoying the cool air. The vent was pumping out air big-time by now and whipping her hair into a frenzy, making her look ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!! I quickly turned and composed one good candid photograph before she noticed.
Not something I’d necessarily enlarge to a 20×30, frame and mount on the living room wall, but every time I see it it makes me laugh!!! It also makes me appreciate how the simple things in life can still put a smile on your face, even if your not 1-year old anymore.
-Charlie
Dan and Tessa’s Wedding | Alpine Valley Ski Resort – White Lake, Michigan
August 25, 2008 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
Tessa’s beautiful eyes!
What a bunch of wedding party cuties! One of the greatest thing about being a wedding photographer is seeing the joy on people’s faces during on one of the happiest days of their life. Young kids are no exception; they are always so happy to be contributing in a significant way during the wedding.
I loved the beautiful green grass covering the ski slopes. With the mid-afternoon sun shining bright it made a vibrant backdrop for some great wedding photographs of the bridal party.
Bridal Party entering the reception!
One of MY other favorite photographs of the day. I love the warmth that the desk lamp cast on the bride shortly before the wedding ceremony.
Christy and Bruce | The Henry Ford; Greenfield Village – Dearborn, Michigan
July 20, 2008 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
We had a great time taking pictures of Christy and Bruce on wedding day. The Henry Ford at Greenfield Village located in Dearborn has got to be one of the most beautiful places in Michigan to have a wedding! The Summer gardens were absolutely breathtaking and it provided the perfect backdrop for Bride and Groom’s wedding photographs. Their reception was held in the historic Eagle Tavern and illuminated entirely by candlelight, which is of course both extremely beautiful and pretty much a photographer’s WORST NIGHTMARE! But I think it allowed us to capture some pretty unique images. Congratulations Christy and Bruce!
All the kids absolutely loved the ice cream sundae bar! O.K….I loved it too!!!!
Amy and Chris’s Wedding – Grosse Pointe, Michigan
June 1, 2008 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
As a Michigan based wedding photographer I am fortunate to travel all around the state to visit and photograph at a variety of beautiful locations. Amy and Chris had their elegant wedding ceremony and wedding reception at the War Memorial in beautiful Grosse Pointe, Michigan. If you haven’t been there, the War Memorial is one of the premier wedding venues in the Metro Detroit area. The ceremony was on the beautiful grounds of the East lawn on the shores overlooking Lake St. Clair. You can see Canada across the lake! It’s always nice to go back to the War memorial; so many of my friends and relatives have been married there…even my parents.
Chris and Amy had a beautiful wedding cake. It tasted great too!…And as far as I’m concerned that’s just as important.
Amy had a beautiful bridal glow all day!
Overlooking the War Memorial grounds before the wedding ceremony. You can see the bride and members of the wedding party talking on the steps.
Katie and Evan’s Wedding
June 30, 2007 | Filed Under Weddings | Leave a Comment
