Friday, October 2, 2015

#JomarAndJulie BTS: Wedding Photographer

Whoa, I can't believe it's been two and a half months since our whirlwind of a wedding! In between cooking and settling into our house, I've come to a point where I can finally post about our various wedding suppliers. First up is one of the most crucial elements to a wedding: the photographer.
 
Do you believe in kismet? Because I sincerely feel that that's how we found our photographer, Matt Lee (mattleeshoots.com).



Jomar and me with Matt Lee of Matt Lee Shoots

One of the things I had been stressed about during our wedding planning was finding the perfect photographer: he/she should be professional, easy to talk to, should deliver great results (after all, these photos will be cherished for a long time) and also has reasonably priced packages. I know for a fact that there are a lot of great photographers in the Philippines, we just had to wade through online forums and portfolios until we found one that fit our needs. After a lot of painstaking research and dead-end email exchanges, I was ready to give up when I remembered seeing a friend's (Cha's) beautiful pictures taken in NYC during a visit by her college friend, Matt. I was actually supposed to drive them around DC when he made a quick stop here, but alas my work schedule then did not allow me to do so. After a quick online search of his past work as one of Chestknot Studio's photogs, I hurriedly sent him an e-mail asking if he would be available on our wedding date. He promptly replied yes, and attached his portfolio which was filled with gorgeous photos. Jomar and I talked it over, and he also liked what he saw. After a couple of exchanges, we finally had a major supplier checked off our list!
 
Come the day of the wedding, we finally met Matt in person. He was very personable and energetic, and you can definitely tell that he harnessed this energy into the photos he took that day. Along with him were two fellow photographers, David Garmsen (http://davidgarmsen.com) and Bardo Wu (Bardo Wu Photography). I could tell they knew their stuff, and they made it a point to make us feel at ease. Jomar, they said, was a natural in front of the camera, while I eventually overcame my jitters once I was done with my solo shots and had pictures taken with my Maid of Honor, ate Liz, and my family :)
 
Before we head to some sample pictures from our wedding, let me leave you with a few tips:
 
1. If you have a lot of DIYs, don't forget to point them out to your photographer so that you'll have a remembrance of your hard work :)
2. If you have specific shots in mind (or have seen photos on Pinterest that you like), don't be shy to ask your photographer if he/she can replicate them for you.
3. If you feel like smiling, DO NOT HOLD BACK! This is one of the most important pieces of advice I received prior to our wedding. Smile, smile, smile :)
4. Make a list of what you want your photographer to capture (or not capture). Tell him/her if you want a lot of candid shots of your guests and family, if you don't like your bare feet seen, etc.
 
Without further ado, these are some of the lovely, vibrant pictures that Matt and co. took during our wedding. I feel like after 40 years, I will still feel giddy whenever I look through our album :) Thank you for the awesome job, Matt, David and Bardo! <3
 


 
 
 

 
 
 




 
 
 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
<3,
Julie P.

2 comments:

  1. Having a good wedding photographer is really important. This is a once in a liftime event and the memories need to be preserved in the best manner. Good post.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Adorable pictures. You all are looking great on Your special day. Your photographer did a great job. Thanks for sharing your personal moments.

    ReplyDelete