photographs by kt merry

hello there good friends, how are you doing? here we are again, starting a whole new week! are you ready for it or still on the weekend mood? i hope you enjoyed the {weekend deal} about mrs olive green! thank you for those who took the opportunity to save some money for the holidays, and thought about this mrs as a gift! so today i am featuring one of my latest finds regarding wedding photographers. {kt merry} is her name and she comes from miami. and she delights me with the way she captures the details and the colours.

how old were you when you thought to yourself that photography might as well be your professional path? and when did you start thinking about wedding photography? i was drawn to the arts at an early age, first with drawing and painting and later an interest in photography developed.  in high school i won a scholarship to photography school and chose to attend the hallmark institute of photography in massachusetts.  after photography school i set out to pursue a career in fashion photography and began working for fashion photographers as a freelance photo assistant in new york and later miami. i spent almost 5 years learning from some of the most talented fashion photographers in the business. after years of traveling i decided to embark on my own shooting career and to pursue weddings.

as i told you, i am striving to make my very best in portraiture and perhaps i will start on wedding photography as well… but we all face one huge challenge, style! how long did you take to feel that you had found your style? i feel that i really had an advantage spending so much time as an assistant and digital tech to other photographers before i decided to begin my shooting career.  this really allowed me to learn light, techniques and what images inspired me.  this background helped me establish my own style and the techniques i learned helped me to create the images i wanted.  any shooter starting out in portraits or weddings can learn so much by working for a photographer they admire.  i think too many people skip past this incredible opportunity. i also think it is very important for any shooter to make a point to shoot personal work and shoot even if they don’t have a paying job.  when you are shooting for yourself you can often step out of your comfort zone, try new things and often create some of your best work.

what is your favorite equipment for wedding photography? i shoot both film and digital.  when shooting digital i use a canon 5d mark ii with an 85mm 1.2 and 50 1.2 mm for 80% of the day.  i also use a 70-200mm for ceremony and some reception moments and a 100mm macro for ring/detail shots.  for film i love the contax 645 with an 80mm lens. for the rest of our equipment, we try to keep it as simple as possible as we travel to most of our weddings.  we do bring a video light and a quantum triggered with pocket wizards for an off camera flash during the reception.

how do you keep your work-life balance? this is something that i think is a constant work in progress.  while traveling and shooting a lot it is important to keep some type of routine and to take care of yourself.  weddings are very physical so staying healthy is a priority (there are no sick days in this business!).  i love to exercise and have been a runner for many years. it is a great outlet for me and way to get outside, get some fresh air, spend some time with my dog and my husband while simply focusing on the road under my feet.  my husband chad is my second shooter and office manager, he helps me immensely.  it’s a perfect situation for us when we travel to destination weddings together and can enjoy the location as opposed to rushing back home or being apart a lot.

when people ask me if i can see the differences between the several photographers i like, and all those available for weddings out there, and why do i think they should pay for some photographer who asks for about 200% more than another photographer, to shoot their wedding, i often say that 1) i see the differences, 2) they should pay if they really like that photographer’s work and have the money, 3) they should really look at photography as a major part of their wedding day, 4) there are several differences between the work of several photographers, though these differences are not money based only. when i see the work of someone like {kt merry} i really see something that i love… and i see consistence on her work. i see a brilliant customer service and dedication to her clients. i see someone who is passionate about what she does and wishes to do only her very best. and this is something that any bride and groom should look for, no matter the concept of style that couple has. style is a concept that we all have and most of the time, it means one thing for me, and will mean another thing for you. so style is a matter of taste.

but i see differences. and of course, maybe some photographers have a high pricing structure because they are very well-known in this industry, and of course, you have to pay more for that. but asides from the money part, which you have or do not have (simple as this!), there is a difference between having a day to remember through images… or having a lousy work that attempts to remind you of your day. there is a difference between feeling that you could belong to a magazine, because your wedding photos are brilliant and everything looks stunning… and having photos that are exactly like the other wedding that same photographer did one weekend later… but with different guests. there are differences.

you can explore more of kt’s work on her {website}, {blog}, {facebook} and also follow her on {twitter}. oh and by the way, if you like lavender, you should see this {wedding}! so so so beautiful!

images: kt merry (click on each image for further details on the story)