Angela has been a longtime Offbeat Bride sponsor, and she's even written a post in defense of Trash The Dress sessions. Given how many Offbeat Brides love her, we figured we'd do a little Q&A with Angela to see what she's been up to…
It's been a little while since we've heard from you. How have you been?
I've been great, thanks. Like you said, it's been a while since I popped my head in, so I figure there's a whole new bunch of awesome engaged offbeat couples to reach out to… and I love offbeat couples more'n my luggage, so I'm offering some sweet deals, too.
We love all of your couples! We've featured Milestone clients a couple of times. What kind of weddings have you shot lately?
Ah, 2014 is turning out to be so awesome! I had two grooms who've been together for nearly 18 years tie the knot this past weekend on a boat ride all around Manhattan. The American immigrant experience is part of their love story, and I just got so emotional photographing them as we sailed past the Statue of Liberty. It was this really powerful moment, passing this symbol of freedom — and here they finally have the freedom to marry.
You're in the New York City suburbs, no? Isn't that practically Canada?
Yup. I love to travel, far and wide, and I try to keep my travel fees low: $100 for venues more than 100 miles from NYC, plus reimbursement for accommodation and whatever I pay for gas and tolls. I drive a hybrid, which also helps — Alicia and Em actually brought offbeat vendor the Rev D all the way from Brooklyn to marry them, so we road-tripped together to save them as much as we could. We had a blast in the car — an 11-hour roundtrip!
Tribesmaid Caitlin wrote this post on how it feels to be girl engaged to another girl surrounded by girls engaged to boys.
They did their Offbeat Bride research!
They DID. Actually, they first contacted me five years ago when they began thinking about getting married. They followed my work for five years until they were ready to say “I do.” Gay marriage wasn't even legal in New York when they found me. That's incredibly humbling, that clients bookmark me and remember my work for years before they're ready to book. That's a real honor. I think it means my images really have a lasting impact, which is my goal.
Wow, you really get to know your clients before their weddings, huh?
I definitely try to, whether that's through an engagement session or a Facebook group just for my couples. By the time they get married, I want them to feel like their wedding is almost (I say almost, because I do have contracts and insurance and all those important pro-vendor things) being documented by a friend without the friendor pitfalls and disasters that can occur.
I really root for my clients from behind the camera. There's nothing I won't do to try and make my clients' day go smoother and help out. Like, back in January, I shot an awesome offbeat wedding with lots of space-y scientific details. Two days before, I was on the phone with the bride working on the final shot list and schedule. She was desperately trying to figure out her TARDIS cake topper situation, and I saw my Doctor Who Yahtzee game on the coffee table. Bingo!
Wait, you provided the cake topper for your photo clients? OMG, are they cutting their cake with a Klingon bat'leth?
Yes to both! Here is what the bride (Tribesmaid Mermaidtheta) had to say:
During the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception Angie was completely unobtrusive, and got great shot after great shot. Also (I feel this needs to be said) she handled my completely insane family politely and beautifully, which is REALLY saying something. They're still raving about what an excellent photographer I had.
You know what we should do? We should kick this “Reading Rainbow” style, like, “Angie is great, but ‘You don't have to take my word for it!'”
Ha ha, OK! Um… this is from a bride who got married on a snowy day in Central Park this past December. It sounds like a winter fairytale, and it even looked like one, but the wind coming off the lake was bitterly cold.
Here is what the bride had to say: “We got through pictures as fast as possible. When it came time to go to the reception, I was about to cry from the cold. Angie let me stick my freezing hands in her coat under her arms.”
Wow, that's personalized service!
Letting her stick her hands in my underarms? It was COLD. Why not?
Here's what another bride, above, had to say: “Angie was everything for us. She hailed cabs. She captured every single one of my DIY details (and there were a lot!), knew all my best angles and was seemingly everywhere at once. My friends and I all love looking at the pictures — they truly make us feel like we're back in the day.”
By the way, Becka had drag queens act as MCs at her wedding! They were an extremely entertaining addition to the day.
Okay, so we know you're awesome; your offbeat clients say you're a tremendous value. How should people get in touch?
Thank you for saying that; I always strive to be worth every penny. My prices are extremely competitive for my market with the most popular “Gotcha Covered” package priced at $3200 for eight hours, a USB drive of all edited images delivered as high-res files, AND an engagement session. Since Offbeat Bride readers always save 10%, that price drops to $2950 no matter when you book.
I have more budget-friendly options as well: my “Just Shoot Me” package is 6 hours of coverage and edited images for $2400; that's $2160 for Offbeat Bride readers! PLUS couples who book with a contract and a deposit by June 21, 2014 save 15%. Want unlimited coverage, two photographers, an album for you, plus parent albums, pretty much everything and the kitchen sink? The first couple who books the top “Unicorns and Rainbows” package saves 20%.
That means you can get that six hour package for just about $2,000.
Whoa. Where do I sign?
The first step is to go to my website, and fill out this form. I have no fewer than two Apple devices within reach at all times, so I get back to people very, very quickly. Hope to hear from you soon!
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Angie did my wedding last month in Central Park! She is absolutely amazing! We had what was basically an elopement package, so we only had her for an hour and we still wound up with 300+ flawless photos. We didn’t even notice her taking pictures during the ceremony — she was like a photographing ninja! Seriously though, if you’re in/around NYC, BOOK ANGIE. She put everyone at ease. Our staged portraits somehow even look natural. Do it! 🙂
I love working with Angie because the woman is unflappable! No matter what the universe throws her way on your wedding day, she makes it work (to the tenth power). Monster traffic snarl making you & your VIPs 40 minutes late to your reception? Angie’s there keeping your spirits up & snapping amazing photos along the way. Then, when you get to your venue, she still manages to get your portraits done lightning fast with zero sacrifice in quality. And speaking of quality – her work is just amazeballs. Hands down, she’s the real deal.
Angie is absolutely amazing. She photographed my brother’s wedding in March of 2012, and I immediately knew that I needed her to photograph my wedding one day. When my sister-in-law’s bouquet arrived looking nothing like she had expected it to, Angie stepped in and fixed it for her before she even had the chance to worry about it. She caught hilarious action shots and beautifully tender moments. She got all the traditional bridal party photos done quickly without making us feel tense or rushed. She really went out of her way to get to know not only the bride and groom, but the rest of the family, and she captured each personality perfectly. The decision to have Angie photograph our wedding was the first one my fiance and I made once we got engaged. She traveled to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for our engagement session. I was nervous, but she made us feel very comfortable, and we were SO happy with the outcome. Since then, Angie has also photographed the birth of my nephew, and did a newborn shoot for him and his parents. I cannot praise her enough! Can’t wait to see what she captures at our wedding. 🙂
Angie by far is the best photographer I have worked with! As Meg said “she is amazeballs”. She will literally crawl under a chair to catch the shot. Her personality honestly makes me feel like I’m working with a best friend who is cheerleading for everyone in the room. We worked together for Becka & Chris wedding, there were so many details from this fab DIY bride but you couldn’t tell Angie that because she managed to capture everyone of them. As the coordinator I applauded her because there was never a moment that was delayed due to a photo session with the couple (even traveling by cab to the park for photos). Angie is a true professional & I long to work side by side with her again!
Do yourself this service and book Angie for your next event! Her work speaks volumes!
Angie is awesome, and I have worked with her both as a customer and as a fellow wedding professional. We did a Trash the Dress shoot with her after our wedding that was hilarious and kickass; we loved the photos so much we used them as our “thank you” photos and our friends and family loved them. Since then, I’ve performed several weddings that Angie has shot and it is impressive to watch her work. Her attention to detail and great eye are obvious, but her generous nature and genuine desire to make her couples happy are what sets her apart from the crowd. Do yourself a favor and hire her immediately. Seriously. Go. GO NOW!