Tell us a little bit about your business.
As the talent behind Joe Appel Photography, I’ve been making story-telling images for couples for over 15 years. Those images do so much more than show what you looked like on your wedding day – they remind you how you felt. Well-crafted documentary photographs have the power to summon up feelings and emotions long after the day they were taken. In this way, they become part of your family history. I always keep in mind that I’m working for my couple, but I’m also working for people who aren’t even here yet.
Couples often tell me that my calm demeanor was a great comfort to them when they felt like things were going crazy on their wedding day. If the timeline is blown or the weather is going sour, I’m always thinking about the best way forward. At this point, there’s very little that I haven’t seen and I’m glad to be a resource you can draw on.
What makes your work unique?
I bring to my wedding clients the story-telling skills that I sharpened during years of experience as a photojournalist for newspapers and magazines. You’ll get pictures of those great moments between you and your loved ones – the photos you really want from your wedding day! Don’t worry though, I also do a great job on portraits, details, and family formals.
What is your ideal client like?
Couples who seek me out have a few things in common. First, they’re smart people who have a good sense of who they are as individuals and as a couple. While they enjoy good food and a great party, the most important things to them are the relationships in their lives. That’s what they want photos of the most. They consult with me to make sure that I know who and what matters to them and then they trust me to do the job. That trust is crucial because they want to be in the moment instead of managing things on their wedding day.
What is your approach to photography?
The majority of the photos I make on a wedding day are documentary, story-telling images. Details and formal photos are an important part of a wedding story so I make sure those are well covered. But I work very hard to create natural portraits that reveal a couple’s character.
When I’m shooting, I look for context and thoughtful compositions. I’m able to make beautiful photos in challenging environments – dark churches, crowded dance floors, and rainy days – with my confident command of on-location lighting.
