I am SO happy to have found Amanda! She is truly a gem. We had so much fun taking photos with her and you can tell she loves what she does. From the day I first contacted her, she ...was super responsive, almost always replying within the hour. Amanda answered all my questions in great detail and was so excited to work with us. The whole experience felt like working with a friend. My sisters and I wanted to get photos taken on the beach with our mom for her 60th birthday, so we were getting a ~1-hour family photo session done. Of all the people I looked up for that amount of time, Amanda gave me one of the most affordable quotes. For how much we got, this was BY FAR the best value. Her photos are light and airy and of really great quality. Besides being photographed by such a sweet and friendly person, the best thing about choosing Amanda is that she edits and sends you ALL POSSIBLE PHOTOS. Almost all photographers will charge you for an hour and send you 30 edited photos. We got back nearly TWO. HUNDRED. PHOTOS!! That was for a 1-hour family session. She does say most family shoots will end up with 60-90 photos so maybe we were all just having so much fun and giving her a ton of stuff to work with lol.
We were scheduled to meet July 5 but the weather all week was calling for rain. So Amanda suggested meeting a day early to leave the next day as a backup. Amanda was so understanding and flexible with her time and kept me updated at all times. She sends you an optional questionnaire to fill out so she can get to know you and have a sense of what you're looking for. She also sends you a photo guideline of things to consider for a photo shoot. During the shoot, she made some suggestions here and there but it was pretty casual/natural for the most part. Amanda's usual spot is at the far end of the beach where you don't really have to worry about people in the background of your photos. You can do up to 2 locations and change your wardrobe if you want. We started at this small park hidden just off the highway that Amanda often uses. We're so glad Amanda suggested this place because nobody was there and we love the photos we took there. Her husband was also there to help carry her equipment and our bags lol. Afterwards, we went to the beach for more photos. We were only with Amanda for an hour but we didn't feel rushed and got so many photos out of our session. I think her family sessions can take a little longer with meeting up, driving, getting photos taken, but we were all so comfortable with her right off the bat that things went pretty smoothly.
Amanda sent us 3 sneak peeks the very next day and then the entire edited gallery 2 weeks after the shoot. She does basic editing on all of the photos like lighting and correcting flaws. If you want her to do more, detailed editing, she can do that as well for an additional cost. One of the things I appreciated was that she took a bunch of photos instead of waiting for that one possible good shot. This way you get a ton of great options. She uses an online client portal, which keeps track of everything including your contract, where you pay, the questionnaire, the photo guidelines/tips, and a copy all email exchanges. It was really helpful having this all in one place.
If I ever want to get photos done in Wilmington or the nearby area again, I am most definitely calling her! The experience was so amazing and she's so affordable, I'm tempted to do this again lol. HIRE HER.