The Person Behind the Camera
My name is Delaney, I am a wedding and couples photographer based in Bend Oregon. The first thing you should know about me is I am a TRUE Bendite, which means I was born and raised here! Bend is my home and I absolutely love it here, BUT that doesn't mean I only do photography here. I am a sucker for traveling and getting out of my hometown. It's always been a dream of mine to travel to Italy (Litterally since the 3rd grade). That means if you're getting hitched in Italy I'm your gal...
Anyway, other than traveling, I enjoy being outdoors, watching rom coms or any reality tv show. I absolutely love EDM music, gossip girl, old architecture, ghost shows/adventures, the tv show Friends, Pickles, and anything spicy! I tend to talk a lot and get overly excited about random things which you'll see during our session. I came from a big family and none of us were reserved or quiet growing up, so that is where I get that from. I am hard working and love to always be busy. I started this photography business when I was just 20 years old and have already put so much into it since then. Don't be fooled by my age, I tend to use it as a strong suite. I like to say that us young folks have a new eye for things. I like to get creative with my work instead of staying completely traditional, I love to have fun with you during your session/wedding, and I have lots of fun and different poses/prompts. I try to not get too involved with trends and like to keep my editing, light but vintage looking. That being said though, I do know most the trends and what's "new" in the industry!
The Experience
Now that you know a bit more about who I am, we can discuss why you should choose to book a session with me. The first topic I love to discuss is that I hope to give my clients an amazing experience that they will remember not only because of the photos but because of the journey to get the photos. The final photos may feel like the most important thing about the session, but I think the journey on the way to get the photos is more important. I personally, would rather have an awesome photographer who will help me feel comfortable in my own body and help me find my good angles, than a photographer who is there to just get the photos and get out. I try not to gag when I hear someone tell me their photographer did not direct them, didn't get to know them, or didn't make them feel confident during the session. The way I see my job is to provide an experience for my clients and not just a service. When a client books a session with me, I always make them fill out a questionnaire so that I can get to know them, and also so I can understand where they stand with getting their photos taken. By sending out a questionnaire, I am a step ahead for our session. When the date of our session is here, and once my clients have arrived, I like to get to chatting right away! I love to get to know my clients while walking to our specific location, making sure they feel comfortable and relaxed. Once we arrive at our spot, I will have my clients start with some more basic poses so that they can slowly get more comfortable in front of the camera. Once I know my client is comfortable I will switch it up a bit and have more fun with poses! Without all of those steps, not only would my clients feel awkward and goofy, but so would I. Awkward and goofy is the exact opposite of what I want our session to feel like. My ultimate goal is to make it feel like we're all just hanging out. Now that you understand what the experience of a session with me is like, I would love to chat about what makes me different than other photographers. All photographers love to capture a moment, but not all photographers can capture emotions or feelings. My goal is to capture exactly that, your emotions and feelings. I hope that when you look at the photos you get back, that you can feel the image, that you can remember the exact moment the photo was taken. I want your gallery to express the exact feelings you had during the photoshoot and I want your gallery to be unique to you. I also like to explain that these photos were captured through a different lens or view. I want the viewer to see the photos and understand what I saw in the moment but also to understand how my clients felt in the moment. Once I have captured that emotion, and those feelings, I like to edit my photos using certain color tones to enhance those emotions and to also help tell the story of your photos. With all this being said, I wouldn't be able to capture these special moments without getting to know my clients or without making them feel comfortable. If my experience was any different, the outcome of the photos would be completely different and would never give off the effect I want them too. The experience and the person you choose as your photographer is what makes the photos, without that you just have a picture that will remind you of when you got your photos taken, instead of a photo that reminds you of a beautiful moment. After reading this, I hope you understand how important the experience is when getting your photos taken.