a message for the brides!

Well, I finally got that email . . . the one I'm surprised it's taken this long to receive! A bride I've been in contact with very understandingly said, well, I'm interested in your services but we'd like to see more pictures on your website before making a decision on a wedding photographer. So I wanted to share some more information with you all out there who come upon my website, whether by referral or through Montana Bride, and hopefully bring a better understanding of what it means to you that I'm in my first year of business as a wedding and portrait photographer.

I've booked seven weddings so far since launching this business in February, which I'm soooo thrilled for, and I have two more brides who I'm in contact with who are still deciding. February was a hard month to start a wedding photography business since most couples have booked a photographer. But I'd have to say the hardest part about starting this business is not having a wedding portfolio. I've loved photography for many years, and while I have had the opportunity to be a second shooter at weddings, it never crossed my mind to do this on my own until late last year. Because I was second shooting under another photographer, and not as an independent contractor, I don't have rights to the photographs I took. I decided to launch my business with two things in mind . . . first, I was going to be about quality right from the start, and second, I was never going to mislead a single client or potential client about my experience.

I started this blog so that I had a place to not only share the story of my business, but to post as many pictures as possible, no matter who or what the subjects were. Once I decided to take this plunge, I couldn't - and still can't - put my camera down for very long, and I don't anticipate that will ever change. I want the photos I post to represent what I tell my clients . . . that I absolutely love capturing those moments that pass us by in the blink of eye, and the details we so soon forget about, yet put so much time and effort in choosing. My hope is that until my wedding season starts, my photographs show that that is my goal, that this is what I strive to do in every photo opportunity I have, and with that I want it to translate to my potential clients that I will do the same exact thing for them on their wedding day. I know weddings cannot be re-created - I would never, ever, ever provide this service to anyone if I didn't have complete confidence in myself that I could deliver you truly beautiful images that bring you alive with emotion everytime you view them.

That said, I believe photographs should be as organic as possible. When I say I shoot in as much natural light as possible, what I mean is that I don't use my flash unless I absolutely have to. I have invested in some amazing, and expensive, lenses that do just that for photographers such as me . . . they allow so much light that the unnatural light of a flash just simply isn't necessary unless the sun has set. I deliver photographs in color or black and white, and sometimes sepia, so that your pictures are timeless whether they are in your hands or the hands of your grandchildren. I do not use selective coloring, i.e. taking a black and white photograph of a couple and yet leaving the bride's bouquet in color, or a black and white photograph of a child eating a strawberry and showing just the strawberry in color. Without sounding too full of myself, I have good taste and I love classic and expensive things - my style is simple, timeless and will not distract the viewer with unnatural elements. Just being good in this business is not an option for me . . . I want to be phenomenal, and I believe that day will come because I want it more than I've ever wanted anything. I have truly fallen in love with what I do.

To end this, I want to thank the lovely brides who believe in me, and who have given me their trust and confidence to be such an important part of their wedding day. You women are not only my clients, but you have also become my friends, and I am so grateful for these opportunities. I will not let you down.

I am always available, by phone or email, to answer anyone's questions or concerns. I wish you all the absolute best!

Morgan :