I was wrapping up a phone call with a bride about photographing her 2012 wedding when she asked if I could give her some references.  It’s not something I get asked very often so I reached out to my former clients to see who would be able to help me and this bride.  The response was immediate and enthusiastic.  Thank you to everyone who offered to speak to the bride about working with me.  I’m not sure how many she contacted, but one friend and happy client, Jenn S., forwarded me her referral email.  It blew me away that Jenn would take such time and care to describe her experience working with me.  I asked her if I could share her words with you here.  I was truly humbled to read her kind and generous words about me and my work.  I often feel like I am the lucky one to land such amazing clients — it’s gratifying to hear it goes both ways.  Here is what Jenn had to say (the questions are from the bride, not me)…

I’ll try to answer your questions as best as possible but my quick rundown about Amy is this…she is unbelievable (in the best possible way)! I actually worked in the industry for a while for a number of different photographers and the biggest problem with many photographers is that their ego gets in the way of them doing their job. Amy is amazing at her job but she’s not trying to be a part of your wedding, she’s there to capture it. She knows exactly what she’s doing and never questions herself (this is not true for many photographers). I’ve seen wedding photographers get very pushy and demanding as if they know so much more about what you want than you do and as if their job demands attention (very annoying); Amy is nothing like that. That being said, if you did need help with anything, Amy would almost certainly have the perfect answer. So, to answer your questions…

How was your experience working with Amy? Awesome. It was the easiest decision when it came to my wedding planning. I actually called her first to find out when she wasn’t available so that I didn’t bother trying to get married on those dates.

Would you use her again? Absolutely. I’m actually pregnant with my first child and am hoping to get her to photograph the baby once s/he is born.

Was the online proof gallery easy to use? Did you like the way she touched up the pictures (if she did)? The online gallery was super easy and useful. I’m from MD, my husband’s family is from MA, and my mom’s side is from the UK so it was great to be able to share those images with everyone. She delivers a great product. I didn’t actually ask for any touchup work but I know that if she can’t do it, she’s part of a huge photography community of people who are happy to help.

How did she take the shots? Was she unobtrusive? I actually had people coming up to me after the wedding telling me how great she was. She helped me plan out a schedule and then I didn’t think about it anymore. She got more shots than I hoped for and there are ones that to this day (3+ years later) still make me tearful. I actually didn’t know she was there (she wasn’t an obtrusive presence) but when I wanted to ask her something, she was instantly available.

Did you like your photos? See the answer above…I love them! You have this vision in your head of what you want/expect because of other weddings you’ve seen but nothing compares to seeing your own wedding photos and honestly, you will not be disappointed. There will be photos that you couldn’t have imagined asking for are so thrilled she got them.

Did you have any problems? If so, how was the problem resolved? There were no problems with the photography at all. Actually, my husband’s face broke out the morning of the wedding and Amy had the makeup artist come and “fix” his face and the pictures never showed anything. The best part…I knew nothing; I was in complete oblivion. Amy fixed an unforeseen problem (not her problem either) to make my wedding day better.

Why did you select Amy? I’d seen a lot of her work and love her style. Also, I trust her and knew that she had my best interest at heart.

What should I know about Amy? Amy loves weddings, loves them. The hardest thing to do as a vendor for any event is to care about the event as much as the client does. When it comes down to it, it’s probably the most memorable event you will have up til that point and if your photographer is just doing a job because they can, it shows in the final product. Amy genuinely enjoys being the photographer at a wedding. For that day, she is your biggest fan and will do what she has to do to make sure you get the photographs/memories that will make you happy.