How & who did you choose what photographer to use?

[act1980]

I am completely mind boggled!

I have looked at several photographers mentioned on this site and I just don't know which one to go with.

How and who did you choose?

Some are way more expensive than others and I want to know if this really makes a difference. Do you really get what you pay for?

 

[bellebride116]

We made sure to meet with a few during our planning trip. We asked them questions, viewed their work in person, etc. Then we made our decision based on who we liked best!

 

[act1980]

We made sure to meet with a few during our planning trip. We asked them questions, viewed their work in person, etc. Then we made our decision based on who we liked best!

I live in the UK so I can't do that

 

[Scrap_Vamp]

I looked at lots of the photo threads on here, and Randy Chapman's photo style stood out as being perfect for us and what we were looking for. Then we checked his prices and got in contact and were sold!

 

[DisneyLeah]

I live in the UK so I can't do that

I was also going to say meet them in person. We met with our top two on a recent visit and that really helped us make the choice.

If you can't meet in person, talk to them on the phone! For us, being comfortable with the person who's going to be photographing us for HOURS was really important! Getting to talk to them, learn their style and personality and get a "feel" for who they are really made the difference!

Good luck!

 

[WDWBride04/19/2010]

We were originally going to go w/Disney just cuz it seemed easier, but then luckily I had to check out videographers cuz we didn't like any of the Disney packages for that and picked STVS. Then we saw the package deal w/STVS and Randy, and I had already secretly wanted to have Randy as our photographer based on everything on here, so I was so glad when I looked through his website and the DVD he sent us and we agreed. STVS+Randy's package deal is actually cheaper than what we were going to get w/Disney. He did our engagement pictures when we were in Disney in Dec. too and we got them last month and LOVE THEM! I don't really like getting my picture taken, but I warmed up pretty quickly and they all came out great! Good luck!

 

[weedee]

When you narrow it down, I'd recommend asking the photographer for an ENTIRE wedding that they've shot with similar length of time as your own. It really helped us pick our photographer (not listed) because you get to see all the shots, not just the pretty ones that they put up on their websites . Also, despite the fact that there are certain popular photographers here on the dis boards, I would also take some time to look into other Orlando area or Florida area photographers. There's some amazing work out there with very comparable quality of pictures that you might be looking for and possibly better prices for photographers who have also done Disney weddings before!

My personal opinion is you absolutely get what you pay for. Some photographers include editing in all their photos, while others charge for editing, while others don't do it at all. We went into choosing a photographer with the idea that we didn't care about edits...but soon realized that I really loved that polished look of edited pictures! Just make sure you know what you want!

 

[kmaclou]

We spent a LOT of time going through the pictures from other weddings, getting opinions from other disney brides and looking at the packages the photographers had available. There are more than enough brides on here that if they haven't put the links to their photos in the PJs are more than happy to send you as many pictures as you would like to see.


We went with the Arndts because we felt their personality, style and cost best suited what we were looking for. The good news is that more than likely someone on here has used just about every photographer in Orlando and can give you their take.

 

[acurry417]

We picked Misty Miotto because we liked her style of photography. Back in 2008 she was fairly inexpensive and we had her for about 3-4 hours, can't remember exactly. We have lots of great pictures and she was able to do the shots that we wanted.

 

[Swmhc]

We just looked at a lot of photos on here that people posted and on the photographers sites and went with our gut feeling. We loved Randy's work and were not at all disappointed. I would highly recommend him!

 

[SuzeQ]

I chose David and Vicki Arndt for several reasons. You get two expierenced Photographers. I have been a BM & MOH in 3 Disney Weddings that they photographed and I love their style, their personalities and their Wedding Albums.
I know when they worked for DPS they were the most requested for the Couture Weddings, Cast Member Weddings, Disney Executives daughters and other high end weddings because of the quality of their work, and their professionalism. I work in entertainment and have worked with all the Disney Photographers and most of the outside photographers doing work at Disney. David and Vicki were my #1 choice.


Suze

 

[ChocoKat]

I went through sooo many websites!
I finally got it down to about 4 candidates, 2 of them are well known here, the Roots and Studio 222.

I looked at their blogs for quite some time, you could say I sorta blog-stalked them a bit trying to figure out if they would fit us. The race finally came down to the Roots and Studio 222. The more I read Studio 222's blog the more I fell in love with their style and their personalities seemed to be compatible with me and DH's.

DH and I talked about it (it was really tough picking one over the other), and decided on Studio 222.

I am so excited to meet them! I am super shy so meeting them and talking on the phone weren't requirements for me, but I am not the norm, I just go for how they perceive the world through their lenses and how they express themselves and I loved it all.

Plus I have seen their work for other Disney brides and it has been incredible!

 

[pezaddict231]

We choose the Roots. Like many brides I looked through tons of photos and wedding TR's on this site that former brides have posted. During this time, I found that while I liked most of the pictures, all of the ones I loved were by the Roots and I loved every picture of theirs that I saw. Their style was exactly what I was looking for. They are amazingly talented and such wonderful people. We did an engagement session with them this past June and I loved the pictures, there is a link in my PJ if you want to take a look.

It's really such a personal thing though so the best advice is to look through pictures and see what you like. I do find in general you get what you pay for, but you need to want the things you are paying a premium for. Some brides want photos with little to no editing, obviously that will cost less since there is less time involved for the photographer to turn the pictures around. For these brides it would be silly to pay extra for advanced edits. Other brides, like me, want the pictures to be edited. The photographer to me is the professional, I don't want every single picture, I only want the good ones. I also like the polished look of edited pictures. I always edit my own pictures from trips, so I wouldn't be happy if I had a photographer that didn't do that.

The good thing is that with the photographers listed above, you know that most brides have been happy with their work and that they have not taken anyone's money and run or ruined anyone's wedding day. So it's really a matter of picking the style that suits you and your DF the best.

Good luck!

 

[Ember]

I used Karla Fountain. LOVE my pictures , but have a hard time actually recommending her... She was impossible to get a hold of the week prior to my wedding and the day of no one was even sure she was going to show up... My wonderful planner had another photographer lined up ready to do, just in case. The fact that I truly do adore the end product makes up for a lot, but still...

 

[copper4]

if you are getting married in the Disney parks, you are limited to Disney- assuming you are not in the parks in which case I would definitely recommend David and Vicki- they were great at my daughter's wedding.

 

[ColeV]

I fell in love with the Roots style, so it all came down to the way I felt when I looked at all of their pictures. And it all felt so natural, not posed (and Evan does the cheesiest smile when he poses). It also reminded me of my favorite photograph that I have of my grandfather circa 1920 when he was a little kid. I don't think I even considered other photographers once I found them!

 

[bunny_pop]

For me, as soon as I was engaged I started my crazy search for a photographer. I first searched and save many pictures of what I liked and then I showed them to my finance. From there, we contacted them and met the ones we both loved. It wasn't easy. What it same down to for us was several factors. 1. Did we make a connection with them? 2. What were we getting for the cost? 3. Was their work something we enjoy looking back on in?
We ended booking Tara from FatCatz Photographyhttp://www.fatcatzphotography.com/ . She's super helpful and has an amazing personality. I know she has done Disney Wedding before. I highly recommend her and I feel as if she's my friend already. Best of Luck in your search. Follow you gut instinct.

 

[PrincessShea]

I really liked The Roots. They told me it would be $4000 for an escape; I said and they recommended Studio 222 instead which was $1200. So my decision was basically based on money.

 

[BecBennett]

We booked Misty. Every time I saw a photo that I thought was beautiful it always ended up being one of hers

 

[act1980]

We choose the Roots. Like many brides I looked through tons of photos and wedding TR's on this site that former brides have posted. During this time, I found that while I liked most of the pictures, all of the ones I loved were by the Roots and I loved every picture of theirs that I saw. Their style was exactly what I was looking for. They are amazingly talented and such wonderful people. We did an engagement session with them this past June and I loved the pictures, there is a link in my PJ if you want to take a look.

It's really such a personal thing though so the best advice is to look through pictures and see what you like. I do find in general you get what you pay for, but you need to want the things you are paying a premium for. Some brides want photos with little to no editing, obviously that will cost less since there is less time involved for the photographer to turn the pictures around. For these brides it would be silly to pay extra for advanced edits. Other brides, like me, want the pictures to be edited. The photographer to me is the professional, I don't want every single picture, I only want the good ones. I also like the polished look of edited pictures. I always edit my own pictures from trips, so I wouldn't be happy if I had a photographer that didn't do that.

The good thing is that with the photographers listed above, you know that most brides have been happy with their work and that they have not taken anyone's money and run or ruined anyone's wedding day. So it's really a matter of picking the style that suits you and your DF the best.

Good luck!

Hi,

I tried to find your engagement album on roots website but I couldn't see it!?

And your getting married on my birthday And my mums maiden name