WoopWoop Photography!

Recently, I realized I hadn't really talked about my photographer yet.  Well, actually, I just received my clinic induction pictures and realized that I currently look like Ugly Betty and that I needed to show off my engagement photos as an ego boost.  Don't believe me?  Check it out:

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At least my dress was cute...

Can't tell which one is actually me?  It's OK, I understand.

I was that creepy person who stalked photographers websites before I was even engaged.  It was mainly because I knew that the engagement was swiftly coming and I wanted to find a photographer who was familiar with my venue.  Back in those days, I really didn't understand much about how to choose a photographer.  All I knew was:
1.) I liked when the photographer posted their prices, or at least a starting price on their webpage (I really wish more vendors would do that--I hate inquiring about prices, and wrote off may talented vendors when they didn't publish prices).
2.) I felt more comfortable choosing a photographer with an aesthetically pleasing web site (silly, I know, but first impressions people!).
3.) I wanted someone who had photographed both my reception and ceremony site before.
4.) I liked the photo-journalistic approach, as did Mr. Biscuit.  In fact, this was really all he cared about, which is why many of my posts are centered on "I."  Mr. Biscuit is all about making 0 decisions, which makes it easier for me in the long run, though at times is incredibly frustrating.
5.) I wanted a woman to be my photographer.  I don't know why, I was just leaning in that direction for some reason.  It may have been because I had been photographed by a male photog before, and I didn't feel as comfortable as I think I would have with a female.  Or maybe during dress putting on pics, I didn't want a guy seeing my...well, everything.  Who knows.

As I continued my photography search, I started to get a feel for what I wanted in my photos, or rather what I didn't want:
1.) I didn't like the lined up family/bridal party photos that I'm sure many of you have seen in your parents' photo albums, so I wanted to limit these as much as possible.  I wanted pics of my family and stuff, but my mother's wedding pictures consisted only of different family member combinations standing on an altar.  I'd kinda like a picture of people acting natural as well.  Hence finding someone with a "Photo-journalistic approach."

Mother Biscuit's wedding photos: abridged

2.) I wasn't a fan of photos of everything in black and white except for one color.  Why?  Bad memories.  In high school, I would emo out on Xanga when my parents wouldn't let me go to a sleepover, made me do my homework, or some other completely inconsequential issue.  Then I would create pictures with the aforementioned effect to really solidify the fact that I was brooding, when in reality, my problems could have been solved by standing by a lake.

3.) I want my wedding to look better than it will actually be.  Have you ever looked at some wedding photos and thought to yourself, "Hmmm.  I was there, but wow, these pictures look so much nicer than I remember it."  Basically, I'd like my wedding to look like an Anthropologie catalog.  They somehow use props and lighting in a way that makes their clothes look so nice.  I love that store, but those clothes never look as amazing as they do in their catalog, with women riding on elephants and what not.  It's magic.

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So, my task was daunting.  Find a photographer who was preferably female, had a photojournalistic style, didn't use that Photoshop effect I didn't like, and who could make my wedding look like an Anthropologie catalog.  How could I find anyone who could do all of that?

Enter Amberlee Christey Photography.  In all of my searches throughout both WV and Pittsburgh, I kept coming back to her work.  She was young and had a really great eye, plus she had done a wonderful job photographing a wedding that took place at the same venues for both the ceremony and the reception.  She was also extremely reasonable.  A+.

Now, the moment of truth came in.  Since I had some trouble finding a venue for my wedding, I did not formally book it until about 3 weeks before I got my braces put on.  What's the problem with that?  Well, I wanted these little things called engagement photos.  Why Biscuit that's silly, why didn't you just wait until your braces were off to get those taken?  Well, these suckers could very well be on until a month after my wedding.  Seriously.  My orthodontist was very nice and said that if that happened, he would take them off and then put them back on.  I also wanted to have an announcement in the paper with a professionally edited photograph, and that wouldn't happen if we got our engagement photos a week before the big day.

Luckily, Amberlee was extremely flexible.  She was able to rush our engagement shoot and put up with our crazy dog the whole time.  Phew!  I think they turned out pretty darned spectacular as well.  My favorites are the super artistic ones where you can't see our faces.  I like our faces and all, but the no face pictures were the coolest!  Note: these were taken pre-Zooey Deschanel hair.  I also begged Mr. Biscuit to wear long pants to cover his gnarly looking bike scars but he said it was too hot.  So, without further ado, here's some of our engagement pics, scars and all:

*All photos below were taken by Amberlee Christey* 

Totally candid picture.  I swear.

How did you all pick your photographer?  Was anyone else in a booking time crunch?