Hiring a photographer to shoot your wedding requires discernment on your part. In effect, you have to qualify what it is that you want out of the agreement so that you get what you pay for. But it’s more than just about money paid for services provided. It’s about compensating a professional with a particular skill set and personal vision. I’m the first to admit that I’m not the best choice of photographer for everyone. All the legwork you do in the choosing process regarding packages, cost, and time can be worthless if your photographer is pill and sours your once in a lifetime experience. Or if the images they provide are dry, lack meaning and miss the point of the day. I could never sell a couple 100 photos for four hours of time because I don’t know how many great images there will be, and I refuse set limits on capturing only certain moments of an entire day that begins a whole new life. My couples receive between 300 and 700 images from a typical wedding reportage.

I like to tell people I’m a recovering photojournalist, working a 12-step program. My positive therapy is to walk into people’s lives about 10 times a year and focus my more than 20 years experience of covering news, documentary, and sports onto a couple preparing to exchange vows for life. It’s an awesome task and it brings with it great responsibility and joy for me. The moments that I capture are often priceless. I am not enjoying my second or third career as a photographer; I’ve been working steadily since I received my B.A. in Photojournalism in 1988. My images have graced thecover of Sports Illustrated four times and I’ve appeared often in other magazines like People, Time, Newsweek, and many other national publications. And while I’m seasoned, I’m not burned out. Shooting weddings is really fun for me though I’m constantly challenging myself to capture the deeper meaning underlying the wedding day.

In my ownfaith tradition, a wedding is a holy covenant instituted by God that providesgrace to a man and a woman who are called to become one in front of everyonethey love and cherish. Weddingdays are times to tell people you love how you feel about them. It’s a time to let your hair down andtake risks that often deepen family bonds and friendships. It’s a time to stand up and be countedamong those witnesses the couple asks to say amen with them on the altar. For the trained eye, weddings aretarget rich environments that provide many opportunities for great photographs.

Many of thephotos on my website exhibit non-traditional poses and situations but I alsoshoot the normal set-up portrait images as well. It’s important to get both rather than having to settle forone type or the other. I’m a very technicalphotographer and so I’m good at lighting but I also know when to leave thatstuff in my truck and shoot available light of people simply enjoying oneanother.

If you lookthrough my website, you will see an unashamed and obvious commitment on my partto black and white photography. Digital provides both as options but I feel like color in a photographbecomes it’s own source of attention and takes away from the real content of myimages, which are people. Mycustom made hand-bound albums usually include just one color photograph that usuallyshows the dresses and flowers. Black and white is timeless so you won’t tire of looking at that coolshade of green or purple long after it’s gone out of style. Shooting weddings is different thanmost other types of photography. People are frozen in time at the age and health they have on thatweekend. I shoot a ton of kids andolder people during the weekend and people have often told me later the photo Ishot of their grandmother was used years later during her wake. So, I’m not just shooting for thecouple, but rather for the two families as well. I charge real money to shoot weddings for people and I tryhard to be good stewards of their money. I have been given a unique gift of personal vision for what I do. I say thank you for that gift byproducing amazing images for others. This is part of my mission and call as aphotographer for this is part of my vocation as a person.

I accept a limited amount of bookings per year because I don’t want to give up my other work and because I don’t want to become a wedding machine. There can be a danger from hiring someone that shoots 50 dates per year that is just as real as having "Uncle Buck." You risk stale, cookie-cutter imagery on one hand or total failure on the other. I like to be fresh each time I step up to the plate so I limit my bookings and also protect weekends with my family and a few dates in the Fall with my beloved Tennessee Volunteers.

I don’t just shoot weddings, I shoot families. It is my hope that you enjoy looking through some of my recent images. I absolutely love what I do and look forward to speaking with you about the possibilities of working together on the first day of the rest of your lives together.

Two Pricing Options:

Option 1: The $5,000 option allows for me to shoot all day Sat. and includes 1 print each of the whole take (4-600 photos 4x6") and one hand-bound, leather 10x10" album with 40 photos. You also get the hi-rez DVD of everything I shot as well. I also produce an internet movie with music that I put online that you and your friends can find through a link you send out. All of your images are placed online for sale so that you don't have to be the clearing house for people that want copies for themselves.

Option 2: The$8,000 option allows for either a bridal portrait or an engagement portrait prior to the wedding weekend. It also allows for me to begin shooting on Friday at the rehearsal, the dinner that usually follows, and then I usually go out with the guys for a while after that. Option 2 also includes the same as above but with an extra set of proofs for the other side of the family, and 2- 8x8" parents' albums which are small hardcover books with unique images they pick, respectively, rather than the one I make for the bride and groom. You still get the DVD with all the images and the internet movie which people love... And, you get to hang out with me for a whole extra day (which is worth the extra $3k right there)...

All destination-type weddings are only available in Option2, and all travel expenses need to be paid by the family as well. $8k automatically as I have to travel, etc...

Deposits: I cannot book your wedding and confirm your date unless I've received a deposit in advance. I accept a deposit of $2,500 for Option 1 weddings and $4,000 for Option 2. Deposits are not refundable because once I book your date, I cannot work for anyone else. If something un-forseen happens and you still get married but on a different date that I'm available for, we simply move everything to the new date.

Last, when I accept these assignments, I'm not punching a clock. I'm working with God given muscles and I really enjoy myself. I become an unofficial part of the wedding party because I really get to know everyone there as I'm with you all so much. I love to shoot weddings as they are all different and it's like a huge adventure in capturing emotion and the real moments of the day as they unfold in front of me.