LOOK for the difference! Double lighting, groupings, studio backdrop, an extremely creative eye. These are important to have!

"Thank you so much for the outstanding job you did at our wedding. We had so much fun with you. So many people at the wedding commented on what a fabulous job you did. Wedding photographers face a tremendous amount of pressure and I must say, you handle it very well. Thank you so much for being a part of our wedding. You gave us a gift that will last a lifetime and beyond…visual memories of cherished moments. Thank you with heart felt appreciation." ~ Bryan and Sara

 

Reputation is important. How long has the studio been in business? Studios are springing up like dandelions with the advent of digital photography and photojournalism. The standards of quality have become muddy ... because of these factors. Studios come and go quickly because many jump in, realize how much work is involved and how intense the responsibility is to photograph weddings. These studios come and go and make life complicated for couples that may book the new rookies before they see the solid and professional veterans.   "Thanks... for your artistry" ~ Carina Caponi

We get calls on a weekly basis in the busy season from tearful brides that ask if we are booked for THAT WEEKEND! Many rookie studios fold overnight and dump their brides with little notice. We have been thrilling and delighting our brides since 1971. We are happy to provide references and if you ask around, our reputation speaks for itself. Many bridal shops feature our work! Look for innovation. We can actually show you the images we shoot as we shoot them at your wedding. Imagine how secure you will feel seeing first hand that we are doing a perfect job for you. If anything or anyone isn't looking perfect, you can see it right away and it gives you creative control of your photographic results.

We also offer images hosted on the internet so all of your friends and family can experience your wedding images at the same time. We can generate black and white, hand colored, sepia and special effect imagery to give your images the ultimate look. We can create montage magazine style albums that will make your friends jealous. (Ask for details about these innovations. This service is optional and may not be always available.)

Look for a full time, full service studio. Service doesn't mean much to clients until they don't receive any. Avoid studios that are part time photographers working out of their home.

Insist on seeing just the photography of the actual photographer you are considering. DO NOT let a studio show you a book of all their photographers mixed together. Then you are looking at a box of chocolates and you never know what you are going to get. Come in for a FREE 10-minute crash course in photography ... it's the only one in town and it is astonishing! "Dear Steve, Thank you very much for your help during our engagement and wedding photographs. We really treasure all the excellent shots you were able to capture with your expertise! We look forward to having you do future family photographs for us! Thanks again very much! ~ Len & Molly Lopez

You will receive a high-resolution DVD of your wedding images! We understand that nowadays, people want the capabilities of e-mailing images to friends and family everywhere and then can print up what they want at their leisure, so we have made this available to all of our clients!

Does it really matter how many photographers are on staff?

Wedding photography is a lot like certain other professions. It is like being an airline pilot, a heart surgeon or a midwife. How many mistakes are allowed in these professions? NONE! They are all zero tolerance professions. There are no Federal or State boards that control wedding photography. You could become a wedding photographer tomorrow by simply having business cards printed up. Think of how complicated it is to become a pilot or doctor! There is a reason for that. Huge pain and suffering is caused by a doctor or pilot that makes a mistake. There is also huge pain and suffering caused by a wedding photographer that blows a wedding or does an extremely poor job.

I think we should call large groups of photographers what they really are. They are "photo schools" where the rookies learn from their mistakes at your wedding! The people that run these unscrupulous studios are what we call "parachute salespeople." They promise you "a blue sky" and when the chute doesn't open and you crash and burn ... "oh well."

We thought we could run a studio like this for a short time. We didn't like it at all. I don't see how anyone in good conscience could run a studio like this. We believe that only a highly trained professional with at least 15+ years experience should be in this business. The two photographers on our staff have 53 years experience combined! One of them is a Master Photographer, winner of the MN state wedding album competition and had their work shown at Epcot Center and Disneyworld. Why settle for less when you can have the very best? Especially when we don't cost more than the rookies do! One of the most amazing tricks these places pull on clients is to have all their work in ONE book at the studio. This way you never have an idea of what or who you are going to get. Many photographers are like a box of chocolates ... you never know what you are going to get!

"Thank you so much for the wonderful job you did at our wedding ... You were both very sincere in your concern for our satisfaction and we will refer everyone we know to you. Please extend our gratitude to Steve and everyone else who helped us during this process. You are the kind of people who we enjoy seeing succeed because you are sincere and client oriented. Thanks again for everything!" ~ Letty and Jason Van Ert

 

Call us at 651-644-2184 or e-mail us at steve@choicephoto.com or. We would love to chat with you and help you have a fantastic wedding day! ~Steve