Carter Photography

cial memories. Joel and Kara - it was OUR honor to work with you. Thank you for creating our dream photos and capturing the essence of our day. I’m not one to review vendors online, but this couple did an EXCELLENT job of providing some timeless photos. The attention to detail is phenomenal. The ability to capture those special moments, the atmosphere, and the joy that comes with your wedding day. If you need good photos, then you need to work with Carter Photography.

he amount and types of pictures we got. We are still getting compliments on our photos. You don’t want to cut costs on a photographer as the day goes by so fast and a great photographer like Carter Photography will capture all those moments for a lifetime.

made sure to plan for all the photos we wanted taken and did a phenomenal job capturing the sunset. We truly love our pictures so far and can’t wait to see the rest! I can’t recommend Joel and Kara enough!

t our sneak peak of the pictures, my now husband couldn't stop commenting about how great the photos looked! Joel and Kara were both super easy to work with and rolled with the verbal punches of our not so quiet wedding party. Lots of laughs throughout the day and Joel and Kara were a big part of it! Couldn't have asked for more. I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND Carter Photography to anyone!

he most special moments of your big day, but they make you feel comfortable while they do it. They were by our side throughout the whole day and they became friends through it. Their work is extraordinary and they edit photos in such a timely manner. The one area that I chose to spend more money on was a photographer because I knew pictures would be the only remainder of our short, amazing day. Now the problem is, which photos do I hang and how do I pick just a couple?! Go with Carter photography. You will not regret it.

o did a great job at making sure we got all of the photos we wanted to have taken. We couldn't have been happier!

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d help me with anything else I didn't know I needed (which was a lot). They were both so professional on the day of the wedding but also had so much fun with us. It was amazing watching Joel's vision for getting photographs and making sure every detail in them was perfect. The sunset photos were the reason we went with Carter Photography and we were not disappointed. They turned out absolutely beautiful. They weren't just concerned with taking pictures either, they were thinking of us while doing so. Constantly checking to make sure I was warm enough, see if we needed to take a break, etc. I cannot recommend Carter photography enough!

ures to the actual wedding day, Joel and Kara captured amazing photos that we will cherish forever! Not only were their photos beautiful and strategically thought out, Joel was in constant communication with us throughout the entire process. He offered expertise suggestions like venue locations as well as cake and floral companies. When the actual wedding came, he had laid out a wedding day timeline for us so that was one less thing we had to worry about. Carter Photography clearly takes beautifully memorable photos, but they are so much more than that too! Thanks Joel and Kara for making our special day one that we will remember forever!!

cé, Kiley and I, loved his work and reached out to Carter for available dates for our venue. After confirming the date was available and setting up a meeting to hash out details, Joel found out that Kiley and I were a same sex couple- something we didn’t feel we need to blast in anyone’s faces in our conversation back and forth, because to us, it didn’t matter. Joel sent us back an email saying that “it seems we are planning a same sex wedding” and that “maybe we should go to gay weddings.com to find photographers who are seeking out couples such as us.” He also said a same sex wedding shoot would be way different than a heterosexual couple and there would be “too many distinct differences in the day.” All nice ways of saying, we might be able to swing this wedding if you’re not offended by everything I just said and will still continue to push to us Carter Photography- after all, he doesn’t want to ruin his business name. We have kept quiet about this since last year but silence doesn’t breed awareness and change. I don’t want any other same sex couple to have to uncomfortably go through a conversation like that, with such a condescending response that is masked with “Good Christian Values” or “Religious Bias.” As a business person, if you were truly uncomfortable, it would have been on you to “learn” and not send us an email stating your incompetence. Let’s be real, it wasn’t incompetence. We all see your photos, they’re beautiful. I think you can figure out how to photograph two women together. It’s bigotry hidden. Surprising for someone who is in such a liberal area such as Iowa City/Cedar Rapids. It’s no longer fair for you to hide behind your Photography skills. There are straight allies everywhere and same sex couples who need to be directed elsewhere. Thankfully we found a beautiful photographer, Rox Bennett Photography, who has been amazing and has matched and surpassed Joel’s skills, and who has not shown us an ounce of hate or made us feel any different than a heterosexual couple, even though WE WERE HER FIRST SAME SEX COUPLE SHOOT.

is responses and listened to our wishes. He was very thorough in the wedding timeline to ensure there was a time slot to capture everything we wanted and more. We've gotten so many compliments from our family and friends in regards to the quality of our pictures. Buying top quality wedding photography is the best purchase you will ever make for your wedding day. It is the one day in your life where there can be no re-run if you are disappointed in your photos, and Carter Photographer does not disappoint! Our pictures will serve as a lasting memory we will always have of our special day. We recommend Joel and Kara to all of our engaged friends!

g with Joel he was very easy to work with and coached us on the information we would want to know and decide on in advance so there were no surprises. For our engagement pictures, the day we initially selected ended up having terrible weather, and Joel was great to modify his schedule last minute so we could do our session several days later (even though it was out of town for him). Our actual wedding day ended up with a monsoon - however the pictures Joel & Cara captures were incredible. I would highly recommend anyone in the KC area book this team as you will not be disappointed.

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away to make sure they were available! From our engagement photos to our big day they captured all the special details perfectly. We get compliments all the time on our beautiful photos and could not ask for better memories to look back on! We recommend them highly! 🤗❤️

ndness and warmth you’d except from your best friends. More importantly, they take the task of capturing one of the most exciting days of any couple’s life very seriously. Starting with our first conversation, Joel helped lay out the entire day, making sure we knew we were where we needed to be and on time. Despite a meticulously planned day, because of Joel’s keen eye and desire to capture the best pictures possible, the five minutes we were late to the reception paid off with some of the most stunning pictures I have ever seen (and it's not because they are of me and my husband)! Seriously, ask him about the sunset photos in downtown Des Moines. He and Kara have an impeccable eye for moments and memories. From our engagement photos to the very last photo of the night at our reception, I’m certain I’ve got some of the most stunning pictures that I will hold close forever. Joel and Kara may not know it yet, but we plan to ask for their help capturing the big moments in our lives for a very long time! For anyone looking for a wedding photographer, remember that once the day is over all that’s left are the memories. The photos are the key to remembering each special moment. For us, the pictures Joel and Kara captured relay every emotion in the most artistic and honest way possible. Between the candid shots of our bridal party, the intimate photos during our exchange of vows, and the joy and fun our friends and family had at the reception, we can say without a doubt there isn't a better wedding photographer out there.

ime when we couldn't meet in person. Their experience with quality photography, positive energy, flexibility and genuine talent were some of the things I loved about them. We felt at ease all day because we knew they had everything covered. They made us feel comfortable and confident. Not to mention our pictures turned out UNBELIEVABLY GORGEOUS! And the best part is we get to enjoy the beautiful images for a lifetime. Carter Photography does NOT disappoint! I am so thankful we chose them to capture our wedding day!

what we were looking for...our love story. Both Joel and Kara made us feel at ease during our wedding and how they captured the images they did without us even noticing them is beyond our imagination. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for bringing our love story to life through our amazing images. You killed it!

with the outside of the box thinking and the way you not only captured us but our surroundings. You have created some stunning shots that take us back to the day each time we look at them. We have gotten numerous compliments on the quality and uniqueness of our photos!

r our wedding day so he could get the perfect outside pictures. After endless searching from many miles and states away, I finally come across Joel's website on theKnot.com, and after brief communication with him I knew I had found my wedding photographer which was a huge relief! I cannot speak highly enough about Joel's service. Thanks again!

, you'll feel comfortable with him right away. He also has plenty of different ideas to create unique shots. This should be the end of your search, Joel is the one! XO, Mark & Ashley

charges. They are warm, detail oriented, and very professional. Both my engagement photos and wedding photos turned out beautifully. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend them!

more stunning! Joel and his wife captured so many important memories from our wedding day and we couldn't have asked for better photographers for our wedding day! Joel and his wife Kara take photography very seriously to make sure the pictures are absolutely stunning, but also have fun with you and make you feel very comfortable. Joel has never let me down on anything through this process, from fast reponses to my many emails, to making our wedding day flow smoothly with pictures. Book Carter Photography for your wedding, you will not be disappointed!!

e outstanding quality and natural feel of the photos. After meeting with Joel for the first time, we were pleasantly surprised to find that we would absolutely love working with our photographer. Joel was with us every step of the way - from engagement photos, fun "family" photos with our beloved dogs, candid rehearsal dinner photos, to the big wedding day! Joel exceeded our expectations with his professionalism, experience, creativity, and execution. His energy and humor always made our photo sessions a treat! My husband said that it was honestly the first time he actually had fun getting his photos taken. Joel was always responsive and flexible, and did an outstanding job getting the proofs back to us in a timely manner. We truly feel like Joel tailored the photos to our style and personalities and captured every last detail on the wedding day. We could not be happier with our wedding photos and love seeing all of the personalities shine through them. We will cherish them forever! Thank you, Joel and Kara, from the bottom of our hearts! We can't wait to find another excuse to get back to KC and get in front of your camera again!

to make. I have always loved photos and find that is one of my favorite ways to reminisce and remember some of my favorite memories over the years. I am not a photographer but I usually have 2-3 cameras in my purse at all times – that’s how important photographs are to me. I had no reason to be nervous because Joel did an outstanding job! I might be a little biased but out of all the wedding pictures I have seen from other people, mine look the BEST. I cannot put into words how impressed I am with the: quality, lighting, variety, and quantity of pictures we received. They are perfect! I have gorgeous pictures to tell the story of my wedding day that I will cherish for the rest of my life. Joel and his wife Kara are extremely talented and make a great team. I feel that our photography package was worth every penny and couldn’t be more pleased with how they turn out!

e us look better than what we actually are. Joel's vision when he's snapping shots is just ridiculously good Literally the hardest decision in the whole wedding planning process was trying to narrow down which photos to include in our wedding album because they all look perfect Me and my husband have literally NEVER looked that good in our entire lives. I am soooo happy that Joel and Kara were our photographers because we now have the most perfect pictures of us that we can look back on whenever we want. I cannot give them enough praise and cannot give them enough credit for the work they did. They deserve a medal for what they do and I can recommend them with complete and total confidence. Anyone who uses Carter Photography will be extremely happy with their choice.

r photos and offered great customer service. When plans quickly changed on our wedding day because of rain, they easily offered a new solution and we were still able to have amazing photos despite the weather.

pictures and loved their work. They do such a good job with colors and that's what made me decide to go with them. Thank goodness I did because our engagement pictures were phenomenal! We had SO many compliments. We haven't seen our wedding pictures yet but I am sure they will be just as good, if not better. I can't tell you how many people we had come up to us to ask if the same photographers were doing our wedding as our engagement pictures because they were SO good. We felt so at ease. I don't think they do a lot of advertisement, so they are like a hidden gem but they are awesome and I would HIGHY recommend them!

recommend them.

ement session we decided to look elsewhere. I stumbled across Carter Photography’s Facebook one day and couldn’t get over how amazing their pictures were. I knew we wanted to try the Caters out, so we booked an engagement session with them. We had so much fun during our session and our pics were amazing. We decided right away that we had to have them for our wedding! On our wedding day they were so much fun. My favorite part of the entire day was just hanging out with my groom before the ceremony while Joel and Kara took amazing pictures of us. They made it such an enjoyable experience and I feel like it really shows in the images. We couldn’t be happier with the pictures. Carter Photography was the absolute best decision we made for our wedding.

king pics of dress, jewelry, shoes, etc) amidst all the chaos of a bridal party getting ready. At the wedding, they were all over the place taking photos but were never in anyone's face or in the way, which we really loved. We also enjoyed our time with them during our first look and bride and groom shot, as they made us feel very comfortable. Joel and Kara produce excellent photos and I would highly suggest you contact them before looking at any other photographers.

we are not photo shoot people!

g, which they graciously rescheduled last minute when I needed to watch the football game. We showed up, and they had all of their materials ready, information, and so on. They have it together, very well organized and extreme attention to detail. We knew right away they were perfect for us, and their personalities were very easy-going, fun, and genuinely caring. We needed a lot of direction in photo location, photo ideas, and so on - and they took care of all of it for us. The photos were beautiful and really captured the moment, and most importantly - they captured us as we are. During the event, they were like ninjas - taking all the right photos, but I hardly noticed them with their cameras. You should do yourself a favor and meet with Joel and Kara before you select any other photographer - they're that good.

HT LONG. They were fun and made the process so easy. I believe that they are the best of the best and would recommend them to EVERYONE.