James Moes

From the start of our working relationship with James, he made my wife and I feel like old friends rather than new clients. During our kickoff call, we discussed our vision for the day, photographic inspiration and influences, and logistics like venue details and key timelines throughout the wedding weekend. But he left plenty of room in the call for getting to know each other personally, with conversations about our hobbies, interests, and relationship. James had worked with our wedding planner before, so they handled a lot of the backend logistics between the two of them—a welcome relief for us. A few months prior to the wedding, James asked us to complete a comprehensive document to help him better understand our photography preferences, special landmarks at the venue, and VIP guests we really wanted to be photographed with. It was a fun exercise that got us excited about the big day and made us appreciate the role of the photographer even more! Throughout our wedding weekend, James (and his lovely and talented second shooter Michael Newsted) expertly balanced friendliness and fun with efficiency and focus. James and Michael provided just the right amount of coaching and direction—getting the shots they knew we’d love without making us feel self-conscious or forced into unnatural poses. And to top it off, they partied it up with us on the dance floor while capturing some of our favorite shots of the weekend. If wedding photography is equal parts science and art, then grooving with a big DSLR and flash unit in hand is the art part! Michael deserves a special shout-out for not only shooting beautiful stills, but also for delivering natural, home movie-style video clips of all the major and in-between moments from the weekend. We love watching these as much as we do flipping through the photos! Delivery of the final photos was prompt, and the quality of the work was as high as you’d expect—each image featured rich and distinctive colors that felt true to the setting and the weather without looking overly processed. This natural, film-like look is one of the main reasons we chose James, and he far exceeded our expectations. I know that we (and all of our family and friends who’ve purchased prints of their own) will cherish these photos for years and decades to come. But beyond that, we’ll remember how James and Michael felt like more than just photographers by the time everyone cleared the dance floor. They felt like our dear friends.