Q: Could you give us a basic intro to you and your business?
A: Eleven:11 is made up of Christy and Josh. We are a couple and we’ve been together almost 10 years! We’ve been in the wedding industry now for about 6 years. We specialize in documentary wedding coverage and are based out of St Bernard.
Q: How did you get in to photography and the wedding industry?
A: I (Christy) studied photography in college but didn’t pursue it for many years after. I had an acquaintance, who knew I had a photography background, reach out to me in search of a second shooter for weddings. This is how I not only got back into photography but also started in weddings. I second shot for a year before venturing out on my own. Josh had taken photography classes in college, so I persuaded him to come along with me for weddings. He’s photographed every wedding with me from the very beginning.
Q: What do you love most about wedding photography?
A: Love is what we love most about wedding photography! Getting to witness it and learn people’s stories, having the opportunity to be even a small part of such an important day, and experiencing so many intimate moments between our clients and their families is truly on honor. We love being able to experience so many different traditions and cultures with our couples.
Q: In the sea of wedding photographers these days, what makes you different from other photographers?
A: We try to set ourselves apart by offering true documentary photography. We don’t pose or direct throughout the day, we capture moments as the truly happen. There is the exception of portrait time however, where we help with direction but still try to keep portraits as relaxed and natural as possible. We do all-day coverage for almost all of our weddings in order to tell the entire story of the day.
Q: What is your “creative process” for collecting information about your bride & groom, capturing their vision, and turning around the raw images to create stunning photos from their special day?
What do you wish every bride knew about wedding photography?
A: Our creative process for collecting information from our clients is just a relaxed sit down chat with them! We try to meet with them in person, if possible, for consultations and timeline meetings. (We also Skype or FaceTime our out-of-town clients.) We love to sit down and learn about them, their story, and details about their wedding day. We want to make that real connection with them and enjoy it, rather than a bunch of emails or a questionnaire. We’re always available to them throughout their planning process if they need us.
Q: What do you think is the most important qualities you believe a photographer should exhibit?
A: The thing we wish every couple knew about wedding photography, is to find a photographer that they enjoy hanging out with. You spend so much time with them on your big day. Also, to trust them!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: Qualities of a great photographer (this list could go on and on!): experience, humility (the day isn’t about them), assertiveness (they need to be able to direct people), kindness, quick thinking (in order to capture unexpected moments as they happen, as well as adjust to unexpected conditions.)
Q: How do you balance polishing the photos and retouching?
A: I talked a little about this above, but I’d describe our style as documentary photography focusing on telling the story of your day and capturing all of the little moments that some would often overlook. Our post processing is done to enhance your images but not change them dramatically, we want you to remember your day as it truly happened.
Q: Do you always work together as a team? How do you compliment one another?
A: Yes, we always work together as a team! I think being a couple helps us relate more to our clients. We’ve developed a rhythm to shooting weddings, we both know what our specific duties are on the day without even discussing it. I think we compliment each other because I am a bit more Type A, as I’m more organized and driven, while Josh is more Type B, he’s much more laid back and easy going. I think it works so well on weddings days because we help put our clients at ease while also working efficiently to get the job done. We shoot in different ways to create variety for our couples and are able to bounce ideas off of one another.
Q: What is your favorite part of photographing weddings at The Marmalade Lily?
A: We absolutely love The Marmalade Lily! I’m pretty obsessed with florals on wedding days and they never disappoint. The grounds are so beautiful and there are so many options for photos, we know when we have a wedding there that the images are going to be beautiful. Also, their team is so amazing and treat their clients so well. Every couple that we’ve had get married at Marmalade has raved about how great their experience was. Weddings are truly a team effort and working with other amazing vendors makes a world of difference on a wedding day.
Q: How do you like to schedule a wedding day?
A: We always work with our clients and/or their coordinators to help them schedule their day. We make suggestions for how much time they should allocate for photos and the best time of day for ideal lighting.
Q: How far in advance should brides get in touch with you?
A: We usually book out about a year in advance. We suggest once you book your venue to reach out to your potential photographer next! If you are flexible on your date and have a photographer that you love, you can also see what dates they have available, as well as your venue to try and coordinate the two. It’s common that venues and then photographers are the first vendors booked.
You can find albums from weddings Christy and Josh have captured here and here!
Definitely check out their website today!
