For Posterity

Cake, flowers, venues...What else am I missing?

Oh, right! A photographer!

Though Penga-Mom did an excellent job with our engagement photos, she won't debut as our main wedding-day photographer. I'd like to say this is because I don't want her to have to work while she should be relaxing and enjoying herself - but this really isn't the reason. Penga-Mom is never, ever without her cameras, and to deprive her of one would probably give her an anxiety attack. No, she'll be taking pictures. As many as she wants; I'm not going to prevent her from doing what she enjoys most joy in life.

Instead, we'll be hiring a professional simply because we need a professional. Someone who knows how weddings work, where to get the best shots, and how to work a crowd. Simple, no? With that, I started searching around, through google, review sites, craigslist - looking for a certain style to catch my eye.

I can say I want a photojournalistic style. But there's more to it than that. There's a certain type of feel that each photographer tries to create in their pictures. I noticed a lot of wedding photographers have overly romantic vibes, which are probably the most fitting for, hello - weddings. But Sak wasn't feeling the overuse of Mr. Gauss' soap-opera blur, or the idea of draping ourselves all over each other like the cover of a romance novel. He thought a lot of it was rather corny, actually. And even though I love the blur, I don't think I could handle all our pictures being overly lovey-dovey. That's just not us.

But then I found Terra Photography, and a light turned on. An artistic, photojournalistic vibe. I could do that. As I read through the photographer's blog, I fell more and more in love with her style. (All photos are from Terra Photography's blog)

Okay, So I could never do this, but I think it's one of the most amazing engagement shots EVER.

Fisheye! *swoon* (I also love how this one reminds me of Katamari.)

Beautiful, romantic, even without Gauss!

I just had to add this one because it looks delicious! Taking pictures of the food is very important, I'm not even kidding! Especially if it's beautiful like this!

Walking through paradise into the light, such a dream-like shot!

Bold, vibrant colors. A copious use of perspective and creative angles. This was exciting stuff. I called Sak over to see if it passed his test. He decided that this was much better than the other "vibes" I had shown him, so I booked an appointment for our scouting trip.

We met with the photographer, Barbara Gibson, who kindly noted my strange need for the fish eye shots, and filled out our contract. The plan? We'll get ready in the early afternoon, run to a nearby beach for some quick first-look shots, and then run back to get the ceremony started! I'm extremely excited about the prospect of having some photo art to hang on our walls!

What kind of style does your photographer have? What kind of vibe do they capture in the lens?