Wedding Photographic Society Photographer of the year

The WPS (Wedding Photographic Society)  announced the photographer of the year Friday night and to my total shock it was me.  I would like to give a big thanks To Brian Mullins Photography for the images from the party in the slide show below. You will see by the photos that I cried a lot, such great moments he captured!!! I was so humbled b/c I was in a room full of photographers who I highly respected in the wedding and portrait  industry and couldn't believe it was me.

I would not be where I am at today if it weren't for you, my client. I appreciate each and everyone one of you. I wish I could insert joke here, haha. Have I told you lately that blogging is the thing I do not like about my job, just being honest here. haha its a must, to stay up with the times though.

To my really close photographer friends Michelle, Nicole, and Tara, I'm really thankful you are in my life. I don't think I have ever told you this but ya'll inspire me to be a better photographer and a better person. I am soooo excited that I have 3 destination weddings this year and I get to share one with each of you.

With tradition  "WOOOOHOOOO" I got photographer of the year :-) and "WEEEEEEEEEEE" (Yes I love the pig commercial's)

Here are the images that placed in the 4th quarter with judges comments below photo.

Raleigh wedding photographer | NC wedding photography

Michelle Gunton Photography, wedding photographer in Raleigh, NC  has again been nationally recognized by the AGWPJA.( The Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association.) The judges comments were "Very funny image and nice toning. I think that as strong as this image is, it would be even stronger if there were a tighter crop. The left side of the image is really not needed and distracts from this wonderful caught moment. " The reason that I chose not to crop in on the picture was b/c with a tighter crop you would  not know that the photo was from a mirror, not straight on. Yes, as a creative photographer when I snapped the photo I really wish I had the other bridesmaids face in the picture but I wanted the moment and I was afraid it wouldn't last long enough. My split decision still paid off in the end.

 

There are soooo many Raleigh Wedding photographers in NC, so why hire me? You should hire me for my creativity and ability to think out of the box. I go above and beyond what your being charged. You have a chance of having a nationally recognized wedding photo.  Another thing to consider is my photography studio is built onto my house so I am able to keep my cost lower than another high end wedding photographer who might be paying rent for their space. I am also able to keep my wedding package cost down because I do not out source my albums nor do I out source the processing of my images. If a photographer has these added cost they have to basically raise their prices to cover this cost. I dont know how many times I have heard " Michelle you need to raise your prices, your worth more than you are charging."  It makes me feel good to hear this from photographer's who are charging 4000.00-6000.00 for services.  You are getting a GREAT deal when you hire me as your wedding photographer.

Wedding Venue in Cary NC| The Matthew's House

Melissa and Daniel's wedding was held at the Matthew's House venue in Cary, NC. If you are a follower of my blog you already know that I love the Matthew's House, especially the food.  Chef Richard has the best shrimp n grits in town, I should know b/c I have photographed at a lot of different places. Sorry got to thinking about food but what I really want to talk about it is how beautiful this fall wedding was. The guys were outside playing guitar and drums when I arrived and melissa and her girls were upstairs getting ready. Man oh man  the girls  liked their music loud, lol. I felt I had arrived for a big party. Before the wedding ceremony outside I photographed each side of the bridal party seperately so we wouldnt take as much time after the ceremony.

Let me just say I love the photo of Melissa and Daniel photographed through the brick wall. I was laughed at b/c I honestly was in deep in the bushes, but thats what you get when you hire this Raleigh wedding Photographer, a creative, think out of the box type photographer.

Now onto the wedding florist, Gregg with Brides and Bouquets. Can I just say he is awesome and I love his work!!!! Please consider Brides and bouquets for your wedding or event.

The officiant was kayelily, whom I love working with!!!!

Raleigh wedding Photographer NC

I love being a wedding photographer in Raleigh,NC.  Weddings are happy, joyous events that bring out the best in emotions and reactions in people (which makes them a photographer's playground). Any photographer that photographs a wedding should have this outlook, since it directly affects their performance and presence.

The wedding photography of Amanda and Scott took place in Raleigh, NC. Amanda wanted artistic wedding photos with a PJ style(photojournalistic style of capturing unscripted reactions from family and friends  from a distance. This is a great approach to getting great authentic moments.) Speaking of moments I think you are really going to enjoy some of the photos taken during the wedding reception. Amanda and Scott are a good looking couple so needless to say I was happy to be their wedding photographer.

View their engagement photos . Engagement photography is a low-pressure chance for the wedding photographer to have fun and experiment. I try to find the intimate side of the couple, making the pictures unique to the engaged couple. A professional engagement photography session also permits the photographer and couple to establish a relationship and this leads to better wedding photography during the actual wedding day. I will be posting Amanda's bridal pictures soon. 

For Raleigh wedding photographer, NC wedding photography, Raleigh wedding photojournalism, to reserve date and ask any questions concerning my services please contact me. I am a Raleigh NC wedding photographer  and proud of it.

Raleigh wedding photography | NC wedding photographer

Its a pretty busy time for this NC wedding photographer in Raleigh. There is photographing the wedding, processing pictures, album designing, doing engagement and bridal sessions, blogging, and my 8yr old daughter is out of school for the summer so you can add full time mom into the mix. I wouldn't trade it for the world. The wedding photography of Claire and David's John's wedding took place at Hayes Barton Baptist Church. David John's father is the minister of the church so it was very cool to see the father of the groom perform the ceremony. Even though he was the son of the preacher it didn't change the fact that I the photographer had to stay in the balcony to shoot the wedding.

Both Claire and David went to Duke, so during the wedding reception at Sister's Catering in Raleigh NC, David had a suprise for his new wife.... The Blue Devil Mascot made a special appearance. It was awesome to watch and fun to photograph. Joe Bunn's company was the DJ for the event.

David had bought Claire a cross necklace and I must say it was such a special moment. We were getting ready to do some jump shots and David decided he was happy and jumped in the air out the blue, a photographer must be ready at all times or a great photograph like this might be missed. Some things were riding up under the wedding dress so a couple of Claire's bridesmaids helped her out, doesnt this just make you laugh?  I chose to go with available light for this photo rather than using a bright flash. I felt it gave it more depth and meaning. Gotta love the pom poms for the wedding exit. I had never seen it done before, but it fit Claire perfectly since she was a Duke Cheerleader. This image is probably my all time favorite exit pictures, look how happy she is. The beginning of the rest of her life as man and wife.