Sandy S:
When we got engaged, my then-fiance and I had little idea of what was involved in putting together a wedding, although I had a good idea that a great wedding photographer was a high priority.
All we knew was that we'd get married at San Francisco City Hall. I researched and found IQ's wedding photography site because it has a great page with bits of advice concerning a City Hall ceremony, which helped us form the early picture. As I watched Joseph's slideshows, my heart surged with the music and each flowing image. His shots compiled told a universal story, of anticipation, of contemplation, of great change and of course of love. There was urbanity, movement, joy, and humor in the shots -- yes, it is possible to capture all of that in stills, and Joseph is an artist who composes those moments in unique ways. I knew immediately there was no more need to look at any other wedding photographers.
Between the adrenaline filled moment of finding Joseph available to photograph us on the dates we wanted, including our day-long love-shoot in LA, and our two wedding dates, I returned over and over to his blog. I relished the chance to see new work, living vicariously through the captures of other people's wedding days. The benefit of his photo-journalistic approach is that you aren't staring at static, stiff and generic wedding portraits but rather, a slice of life which you know stretches out in both directions. The blog was a great way to share opinions with Joseph as a means to communicate and collaborate on how he would apply his vision to our shoots.
Being no model, at first, you think 'whoa, awkward, camera is on ME, eek... But Joseph is so natural and confident in his work, that you start to entrust yourself to him. Then you get on with having fun, being yourself, and would-you-believe-it, when he sends you the result, you are filled with glee at being the star of some gorgeous work. As you spend these important and exciting moments with him, you really feel his support. What a wonder and honor it is to have a talented, kind and funny new friend who looks out for you, and gifts you with beautiful artworks representing your emotions, memories and story.