A knack for capturing personality

Anne knows how to create images that reflect the real you – a private grin between you and your groom or an expression on your face that was caught when you weren’t aware Anne was nearby, snapping her shutter. Weddings are her main focus and she can’t seem to get enough, “Beautiful people in beautiful clothes in beautiful places… what’s not to love?” Anne is also an experienced commercial photographer, but she is happiest photographing people whether it’s family portraits, babies or weddings.

An eye for composition

Anne has a knack for looking at surroundings and people and then picking just the right perspective to create a beautiful image. With a background in visual arts and specialized training, she seems to have both a natural instinct and a skilled eye for what will look fabulous.

Anne was first introduced to photography when she was studying Fine Art concurrently at the University of Toronto and Sheridan College. “There was never any doubt that photography was my future… I just had to learn more,” she says. After graduating she went on to get a Diploma in Photography from Humber College, winning awards and graduating at the top of her class in 1993.

Now, Anne teaches several classes on photography including ‘Intro to Photoshop’, and ‘How to Use your Digital SLR camera’. Classes often focus on portraiture, but the basics transfer to all areas of photography. “These classes are ideal for learning how to create your own wedding album, or how to take great honeymoon photos or pictures of your children.”

Unique photojournalism…

When it comes to weddings, Anne describes her unique style as ‘hybrid photojournalistic’ with a mix of both naturally occurring moments and skilful poses. Combined with her professional, personalized service, Anne feels that she offers something to her clients that no one else can. “To me, hybrid photojournalism means controlling many elements of an image – the location, the lighting, the angles, and then drawing out the personalities of the subjects, encouraging movement (running, jumping, spinning, splashing) and spontaneous emotion. The result is always fabulous, even for people who don’t think they are capable of being natural in front of the camera.”

She includes some posed shots, so that you get all those must-have images of the rings, the kiss at the altar, the wedding party, and so on. Thanks to her fresh approach, these never feel stiff or contrived.

But it’s the candid shots that are her signature. Throughout the day, Anne will be busy documenting all those informal moments that truly capture the essence of your wedding. When you browse through your album in the years to come, these are the images that are guaranteed to put a smile on your face and bring back a flood of memories.

Janice and David Bruinsma were married in Elora, Ontario and had Anne photograph their day. “The biggest reason we chose Anne was because she was personable,” they told us. “I felt like she would fit in with our wedding party. I liked the way she interacted with the entire wedding party – making people laugh and feel comfortable. The experience was great, she was lots of fun and our pictures were beautiful.”

Building rapport…

Anne encourages all of her couples to take advantage of the complimentary engagement shoot she offers before the big day. This gives her a chance to get to know you and see how you interact with each other. It’s also an opportunity for you to build a rapport with Anne so that you feel relaxed and comfortable when she’s behind the camera.

Top-notch equipment

Anne shoots entirely on high-end digital equipment. She makes a point of staying on top of the latest developments in technology. “I use the best equipment, and have backup equipment for everything to ensure smooth shooting,” Anne told us. “My newest upgrades have helped implement such a smooth workflow. I can have the wedding images in the hands of the bride within days of her wedding, in spectacular, print ready form.”

Completely customized packages

There’s no such thing as a standard package when you hire Anne. Each one is custom designed to give you exactly what you want and to fit within your budget. You can speak with Anne to request any unique requirements, and check out her website for up-to-date package details, including special offers in the promo section. Whatever you decide to go with, Anne says that all packages include high res images on DVD (sans watermark). “You can take the disk to any quality lab you like, says Anne. “I am happy to make recommendations as to the better labs, and the reasons you will be glad you chose them. Anne’s in-house lab is also available for your use, and guarantees the best results for clients who choose this route.

Anne offers rich, dramatic black and white, romantic sepia tints, gorgeous full colour images, and everything in between. David and Janice were pleased with the range of photos they received from their day, “It was a great combination of family shots, and more spontaneous fun shots. She incorporated any ideas I had and made sure to get all the photos I had asked for.”

Anne’s mastery of Photoshop and her artistic nature combine to produce images that are memorable. A large selection of albums is available in a range of styles from traditional to the latest and greatest. Including her newly added Signatures Album, which is an album incorporating your engagement photos with space for your wedding guests to leave their kind wedding wishes & signatures – the perfect guest book.

When it comes to having enlargements done, Anne supervises all the printing in her in-house lab. She’ll make sure that each enlargement is ‘picture perfect’ – retouched to ensure that not only are you satisfied with your images, you love every single one.

Putting a price on it

Total prices range from $1900 to $5000. On average, though, couples spend approximately $2500 to $3500. While most photographers offer pre-determined packages, Anne approaches your wedding differently. She told us that she offers couples a flexible approach that allows them to set their own budget. “The goal is to take so many great photos that my clients happily blow their budget with their selections. The key is that my clients can decide after the wedding, having seen the images first before committing to any orders. They never have to choose print and album packages pre-wedding, like most other photographer’s packages. My clients are always in complete control of their own budget.”

Typically, within a few days of your wedding, a DVD with anywhere between 800 to 1500 images will be ready for you. Each image has been colour and exposure corrected, perfectly cropped, with creative options like black, white and sepia tones already in place for you. Anne will also host your wedding images online in a private album. “I recommend you choose your top 100 for the online gallery, more than enough to show off your big day, but not so many as to be overwhelming to your viewers!”

The expert advises…

Need some advice on how to determine photography locations, poses and schedules for the day? Anne recommends that less is always more, “Keep it simple. The more required shots or more locations you choose, the less fun shots you’ll have time for. So pick one or two great locations, a dozen or so posed groupings, and relax knowing there will be time for all the great fun shots you especially want.”

When you hire Anne…

• Complimentary consultations are yours, where you can ask any and every question you may have.
• An engagement sitting with an enlargement and DVD is included.
• You will have a pre-planned shooting list so you can relax and enjoy your day knowing all of the must haves will be taken care of.
• You have the luxury of choosing as much coverage as you need or want.
• You will receive a high res DVD with every image from the day, as well as a private online gallery to show your favourite photos to friends far and wide.
• You can benefit from collaborative ordering, so that you get what you visualize with the benefit of Anne’s creativity and experience.
• Choose from a large selection of top end albums ranging from traditional to the latest and greatest designs available, including engagement photo guest book albums.

Details, details, details

• Anne says that her bookings are based on a ‘first come first serve’ basis. Anne only photographs one wedding per day, so it’s best to contact her as early as possible to get your date.
• $500 is due at booking, and your balance (including any albums and prints you decide on) can be paid in instalments.

In other words…

You truly made our wedding day a memorable one and captured every special moment in your work. Your initial planning and picture layout ideas were exactly what we were looking for. It helped make our planning that much easier, knowing that we had nothing to worry about and that we trusted your creative instincts 100%. You made both our family and friends feel at ease and they actually enjoyed the typically ‘dreaded wedding pic experience’. I look back now and I am thrilled that I can relive the most important day of my life through our wedding pictures.” – Arlene

“Steph usually writes these notes, but I wanted to personally thank you for the amazing pictures. They exceeded our hopes by far! Good shots are all about the photographer, not the people in it, that is why our family keeps coming back to you.” – David

“Where do we start!? When it came to our wedding, my husband and I decided that there were no bounds when it came to photography; when the day was done that was what we were left with and we couldn’t leave that task to anyone. We needed someone unique, who could capture those candid shots, round up my huge family with six siblings and loads of children, and work out our every idea and whim as it came. There came Anne!… Our pictures tell a story, one we love to show people and relive through those photos, and the endless compliments from friends, family and other photographers make us proud to be a part of them.” – Dominic & Martie

“I could have written a novel with how impressed we were by you and your pictures! My husband and I can’t thank you enough for bringing to life our wedding day in pictures. Anne, you optimized the ceremony venue for its unique photo opportunities and with your modern flair and creative attention to detail, produced extraordinary pictures that truly allowed personalities to come to life. Most impressive was your ability to accentuate the simpler moments within candid snapshots. Each picture in our wedding album tells its own story and together, completely captured the essence of our day.” – Ann & Kevin

For more from Anne…

Anne Edgar Photography is available online for more information and samples at www.anneedgarphoto.com. If you’d like to set-up an appointment to meet with Anne Edgar in person and view her portfolio, contact her by phone at 519 616 2214, or by email at anne@anneeedgarphoto.com.