Tips on Hiring Your Wedding Photographer & Inspiration Sites Part 1

Congratulations! You’re engaged and now you’re looking into hiring a wedding photographer! I’ve put together some helpful hints whether you are having a boutique wedding, backyard wedding, courthouse wedding or a grand ballroom wedding. I am hoping that by taking you through these hints you have a great experience with your photographer and end up with photos you love!

Wedding Photography Styles 

There are specific photographic styles that wedding photographers use and you should know what they are before you start your search and what options each style brings to the table. Knowing this before you start your search will really put you ten steps ahead.

• Documentary/Journalistic Photographers do very little posing and work to create images that capture real emotion during your wedding day. Little interaction takes place between the photographer and the wedding party. You are not going to get a lot of posed family shots but the shots you do get of mom and dad are bound to be filled with emotion. Many photographers depict in their ads this style of photography. 
• Traditional photographers are all about capturing the wedding with directed posing. Expect lots of family and wedding party portraits. Not the current style of wedding photography and not too many photogs out there that are still doing this…I think. 
• Illustrative photographers are a blend of both journalistic and traditional so you get those real moments and natural wedding portraits – it’s a mix of both journalistic and traditional. This seems to be the current trend in wedding photography. You’ll find a lot of “natural light” illustrative photographers around town. This is my personal preference and style.

How Wedding Photographers Differ in Style 

I’ve included links to wedding photographers with different styles and personalities but I thought you might want a bit of an explanation on why and how they differ.


Processing your images is the photographer’s style and expression of art. Think of the difference between Monet, Van Gough and Sargent. All beautiful. All different.


When you take a look at the websites below keep this in mind and note what you like. Some photographers have a clean and simple style with bright colors and perfect skin tones. Clear and crisp images are what you get. Think Kate Spade and you get the idea.


Other photographers, myself included, use light and motion to create artful images that then go through post processing where color overlays, textures and cropping create more of stylized look. They are soft, romantic, current yet timeless. Think of the store Anthropologie.


Editorial wedding photographers knock my socks off – I love the edgy, Vogue feeling to some of the photogs on my list below. Glamour, high fashion and money! If you want hip magazine style photos that scream “I’ve made it!” you’ve found your photog!


Fine Art & Ultra Creative Photographers - First off – all photographers are creative but I named this category “Fine Art & Creative Photographers” because quite honestly I couldn’t think of a better name. This is one of those categories that I can only say “You’ll know it when you see it and you’ll love it or hate it.” The thought, creativity and soul bearing beauty that photographers are capable of inspire me daily. Utterly unique – these photographers are like the Tim Burton or Caravaggio of photography. Heavily stylized and it works perfectly.

Wedding Photography Inspiration Websites 

Below are the links to some of my favorite wedding photographers around the country in no particular order:

• Ed Peers London photog that presents you with intimate, deeply romantic photos. How does he do it??? Magic! Great European locations to gawk at.

• Natalie Licini Pure art. I can say nothing more. I couldn’t do her work justice with my words. 

• Joe Buissink I’ve had the honor of seeing Joe Buissink speak and viewed his photos in person – breathtaking! Based in L.A. his celebrity wedding portraits are not to be missed for your inspiration. 

• Aves Photographic Design Texas photogs that capture your day with a kick! I love their black and whites/sepia pics and their color images are just right! Love them! 

• Christian Oth Studio New York City studio with NYC Cosmopolitan Flair. Oh to be a NYC Girl! 

• The Youngrens Based in San Diego, the Youngrens have a clean colorful style that is simple and straightforward, capturing emotion wonderfully. Perky and fun pics. 

• Jessica Claire My first wedding photographer crush. Based in Orange County Jessica creates clean and beautiful photos that are simple and classic yet have a complexity that can only be born from tons of practice, lots of amazing lenses and the time honored tradition of hard work. 

• Bobby Earle I met Bobby Earle and his beautiful wife briefly about 3 years ago in San Diego. He’s a laid back travelin’ man who creates soft romantic images in between leading photo trips to Asia. He loves using his tilt shift lens and the results are stunning!

• Karen French Photography  Most published wedding photographer. Ever. Fashion background, stunning photography! A site you must visit! Los Angeles and the O.C.

•  Wild Flowers Photos  Nostaligic, whimsical, vintage. Down home. Beautiful use of light. I exhale and swear I’m moving to the country - where the air is clean and grass grows 10 feet tall and old barns await me. 

• Jeff Newsom  Jeff loves light. Take a look at his unique and modern portfolio the painting with light method. Awesome!

Of course, there's my own site Andrea Scott Photography {shameless plug}

More tips to follow, for now please enjoy the wedding photo I took for a beach wedding at the Hotel Del Coronado!

A Thank You To My Village

I'm constantly on the computer either reading, editing photos or writing.  I try to work around Bodie's schedule so I am there when he's awake but this means waking up at 5:00am and not sleeping until the wee hours of the night.  Trying to get everything I need to do all done is nearly impossible.

I couldn't do any of this without Mark, my best friend Suzy and Nanny Brooke.  Seriously - they are just as committed to raising Bodie into a happy, healthy, beautiful man as I am.  
Suzy comes over every Sunday for playtime with B - if not more!  B loves his Aunt Suzy and lets her feed him, bathe him, and is currently learning how to play the drums from her!  She's been there from day one and I couldn't have chosen a better woman with a bigger heart to be in our lives!
This past weekend, the four of us headed to Suzy's Aunt's house for a birthday celebration and I snapped a shot of the two of them playing with B.  He's out of frame here ~ exploring the backyard ~ but like great baby wranglers they have their eyes on him keeping him out of trouble!



Here they are trying to get him to wear a dinosaur robe for me to take a photo. I did say baby wranglers right?



Brooke has been with us since B was 3 months old and I headed back to work. She's fun and loving and known around our house as "Brooka."  B loves her so much it's insane and now that he's in daycare I can't tell you how much I miss her "Baby Zen" photo of the day that she would email me.  A little secret...his love for Law and Order is also directly from Brooke!  Here they are in August 2010 at Sea World. We called B "Baby Great White" due to his penchant for kisses that you thought would take your nose off!



I thank you all from the bottom of my heart for your love and support - I really couldn't do it without you!

Polaroid Spectra Pro - Fun Times

As I delve further into my Polaroid instant camera fetish I bring you my current obsession, the Polaroid Spectra Pro.




Finding this great starter camera in a Texas Goodwill Store for $6.97 I gleefully purchased this work horse and immediately bought some film from the Impossible Project


At 3.6 x 2.9 in. (9.2 x 7.3 cm) the Spectra images are bigger than 600 film and the camera is entirely idiot proof. It's point and shoot all the way with a dedicated flash. I've been using it indoors to get that 70's family photo vibe and I love that it's like looking at pics from my childhood!




I'm sure I'll start getting all artsy with the Spectra at some point but right now it's fun to just shoot for the fun of it. No photo editing, photo in hand instantly = pure enjoyment!

Children's Portraits

I never thought of myself as a person that would purposely set out to take photos of children. I mean hey - I used to wake up before sunrise and head out to shoot - and don't get me headed down memory lane when it was just me, my backpack and my camera trekking around the world. Those are just two of the many things I did before Bodie came along almost 17 months ago - things I did when it was just me and I had time!




That's pre-dawn at the Coronado Bay Bridge in San Diego...and below is the city skyline at dawn


Getting back to Bodie....I enjoyed the baby phase - it's full of poo, feedings and little sleep but I enjoyed it.

Then there was the in-between phase where he would respond to me and smile...but then again he'd respond to a piece of lint too!

It started getting to be more fun at about 4 months into it - he'd do that all over body laugh and react to silly faces, play peek-a-boo. Fund stuff...

But it just keeps getting better.....since December he's been getting more interactive and I've been having the best time just being with him.

Last night we ran around the house with Mark listening to Offspring and No Doubt - dancing and laughing and playing. It was incredible!

Daily I feel inspired to photograph....not just because he's my kidlet {that's a bonus} but because of the amazing spirit I see in him and those priceless expressions that I sometimes capture.  I don't want to forget those moments, I want to keep them close to my heart (and on my living room wall)!

I am filled with joy. Yes, joy.

I never thought I would be so changed...but I am...it's an amazing feeling.  I knew parenthood would be fun but I had no idea.  Now I know why parents have a second and a third!!!

At anyrate...I have these kid-themed photo shoots in my head and I can't help myself.  I've already started planning them.  The excitement is there inside of me...building everyday.

How much fun this parent-thing is...it really rocks my world!

and so to end the post...here is a picture of my little man Bodie.  I love the look on his face - it's the look he has when he's wondering what he's about to do next.  Two minutes later he attacked me for my camera, took a seat in my lap and demanded (in baby-speak) that I show him the photos...Enjoy!

Japanese Gardens, Van Nuys CA Family Photos

Mark, Bodie and I headed to the Japanese Gardens for a family photoshoot. I'd lived in Van Nuys forever but I had never made it to the gardens. Today was the day!

As we made our way to the gift shop to purchase our tickets, Bodie was full of excitement - a huge smile on his face. He had just run up and down the ramp like a wildman but they couldn't have seen that could they!

One look at us and the very nice woman selling ticketssaid in a tone that reminded me of my Gramdma Russell, "Have you ever been here before?" We shook our heads in the negative.

"Be careful of the lake, but it shouldn't be a problem...the one rule is you must not go off the path...so I'm sure it will be fine."

Uh Oh.

One Rule...Don't go off the path!

We made it 300 feet down the path and turned back to the car.

Bodie, in all his exuberance strayed off the path time and time again....perfectly raked pebbles were tossed around as we dragged him back onto the dirt path. Dragged. Yes dragged...little man did not want to be picked up and would go limp everytime we tried to take his hand to lead him away from the unguarded areas off the path.

Such is life!

Happily I was able to grab a few photos before we went next door and let him run loose in the open park area with no pond and no path.

I threw together a quick story board of our very brief visit and then decided to add a photo of B from February of 2011! It was one of the first photos I captured with him smiling...and to see him growing up just makes me so incredibly happy. I can't wait for more smiles and another try at the gardens!

Live and Learn!