WARNING: if you enjoy perusing photo albums filled with shots of family members standing together in rows and looking desperately uncomfortable, this post is NOT for you. Granted, we all want (and should have) pictures with our loved ones at special events, but wouldn’t you rather feel tears of joy as you look at Grandpop hugging you with all his heart at your wedding, or laugh at perpetually-drunk Uncle John falling on the dance floor at your daughter’s sweet 16? (I’m kidding about the last one… really).

Cookie-cutter photography with stiff poses and bad lighting has its place… in yearbooks and the 80s. Since I’m not a fan of either one, I had to spend countless hours researching (ok, obsessing), to find James Berglie, of Be Photography while I was planning my wedding. During our initial meeting he showed me his portfolio and talked about his approach to wedding photography, but even more importantly, he listened to what I wanted. I knew immediately that his photojournalistic style was a perfect match for me, and I wasn’t disappointed. James was accessible throughout the process, and his coverage of the wedding was flawless. He was like a ninja, getting shots I didn’t even know he was taking, and he managed to get incredible photos in the worst conditions. It was a rainy day and the interior was poorly lit because it was a historic building, but the moments he captured were priceless and later retouched to perfection. I have since worked with him on other projects and followed his work through his blog, and I’m amazed by the ever-increasing quality of his work.

NOTE: James is actually a true photojournalist and commercial photographer–his work has been picked up by dozens of news outlets and he has been commissioned to shoot products–so keep him in mind if you have non-wedding related work as well.

LINKS:

Click here to see his work on the Be Photography website.

Top-rated on Wedding Wire and winner of awards from The Knot and Wedding Wire’s Bride’s Choice: Click here to see his reviews.

CLICK ON THE THUMBNAILS BELOW TO SEE LARGER SIZES, AND CLICK AGAIN ON INDIVIDUAL IMAGES TO SEE THEM RESIZED IN FULL-SCREEN MODE.