Lynn and George's Berkshires Elopement at the Devonfield Inn

The Berkshires make for an ideal elopement location where couples can exchange their vows amidst the picturesque beauty of nature. Nestled within the rolling hills of western Massachusetts, beautiful towns such as Lee, Lenox, and Stockbridge offer a romantic backdrop (for another beautiful Berkshires wedding, check out my blog post about Taylor & Sam’s microwedding at The Mount in Lenox!)

Whether saying "I do" on the grounds of a historic estate, a quaint inn, or with a picturesque mountain backdrop, a Berkshires elopement allows couples to escape the noise of the world and focus solely on the love they share.

I had the opportunity to work with Lynn and George back in March while photographing their Massachusetts engagement session at The Farm at Raven Brook, and got to know their sense of humor and their fun, easy going nature. Showing up on their wedding day with this established time together allowed us to immediately feel comfortable with each other and allowed Lynn and George to act more naturally around the camera. As a documentary wedding photographer, having this established comfort with my clients is extremely helpful when capturing candid moments.

Lynn and George chose The Devonfield Inn in Lee, MA for their Berkshires elopement in June. The charming Devonfield Inn is surrounded by beautifully manicured gardens, rolling green fields, and majestic birch trees. With their immediate families by their side, Lynn & George tied the knot surrounded by birch trees on the grounds of the inn. Their ceremony was incredibly special and they had their family members (and their photographer) tearing up at their beautiful words to each other. We had the grounds to ourselves for portraits and explored the beautiful barns, fields, and lawns before returning to the inn for their unity ceremony, cake cutting, and champagne toasts with their families.

Lynn and George’s Berkshires elopement was an incredibly special, intimate celebration in a charming and beautiful setting. Take a look through some of my favorite photos from their day below.

Behind the Scenes: The Process of a Wedding Photographer

From first inquiry to final albums, gallery delivery, or print sales, every wedding photographer does things a bit differently. If you’ve ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes between booking your photographer and getting your delivered photos after your wedding, keep reading! Below, I’ve laid out my process broken down into steps from start to finish.

1) Introduction to Couple & Booking

Whether I am asked to document a proposal, referred to from a friend, vendor, or previous client, or discovered on Instagram, couples have found me in all sorts of ways. After our initial correspondence (typically a fairly brief email or message on social media), I request that we make a time to talk in person, via phone or Zoom to go over the client’s wishes and get a better feel for each other before booking to make sure that we are a great fit. I’m generally very easy to get along with but every now and then, budgets, personalities, or visions don’t align and it’s MUCH better to know that before a contract is signed!

2) Engagement Session

Not every couple chooses to book an engagement session, but this is by far the most common way that I meet couples before their big day. I always recommend an engagement session to couples (see why in my Instagram post on the subject!) to help them get comfortable in front of the camera and working with me among other reasons. It’s always a much more relaxed environment where the couple and I can really talk and get to know each other a bit before the (amazing) chaos of a wedding day.

TIP: If you’re looking to use photos from your engagement session on your Save the Dates, leave time for your photographer to edit the photos and for the save the dates to be printed. Plan to book your engagement session at least 8-9 months prior to your wedding! Save the Dates should go out between 6-8 months prior to your wedding day.

Also, see my helpful blog post on what to wear to your portrait session if you’re planning an engagement session!

3) Final Check-In Before Wedding

Around 2-3 weeks prior to the wedding day, I like to check in with my couples to do a final meeting to go over the day’s schedule and anything new that may have changed since we last spoke. At this time, I also will ask for a vendor list so that I can reach out to all of their vendors to introduce myself beforehand. Developing and fostering relationships with fellow wedding vendors is so important, and a quick note of introduction saying that I’m excited to work with them goes a long way. Also, sending out the gallery for their use showcasing their work on the wedding day (gorgeous floral photos for the florist, a beauty shot of the wedding cake for the bakery, wide shots of the venue in use for the venue etc.) is always appreciated.

4) Wedding Day!

The morning of the wedding, I start off with a healthy breakfast and get some caffeine in my system. I fill my fanny pack (I use this one) with some granola bars and fill up a big bottle of water (staying hydrated throughout the day is a STRUGGLE but so important for my energy levels and overall well being). Next, I pack up my camera bag and my harness that saves my back on long wedding days (I use this one). The night before, I will have made sure all batteries are fully charged and will have packed extra batteries, memory cards, & business cards in my fanny pack. I get dressed in something comfy but wedding appropriate (almost always a black jumpsuit and black sneakers like these). The worst mistake ever is wearing uncomfortable, non-supportive shoes for a wedding day. I’m on my feet for 6-10 hours straight and if I’m distracted by how much pain I’m in, I’m not going to be performing at my best. Once I’m all dressed and packed, I hit the road.

I’ll send the bride, groom, planner, and/or any other contact given to me a text when I arrive and will typically head to the bridal suite first to get some getting ready photos. If I’m photographing the wedding solo, I will usually stop by wherever the groom and groomsmen are getting ready and spend some time documenting their morning before moving on to the bride and bridesmaids.

If the couple wants to do a first look, this will take place about one and a half to two hours before the ceremony and will be followed by couple portraits, family photos, & bridal party photos. After these portraits, I will head over to the ceremony location to document the scene there and prepare for the start of the ceremony.

After the ceremony, I will spend the remainder of the day documenting moments from the sidelines - capturing friends and family at the cocktail hour and dinner, first speeches, dances, and important moments during the reception. I always like to stay for at least a bit of dance floor time since that is when the celebration really gets going and many of the guests will have had a few drinks leading to some fun photos with lots of personality.

When my time is up, I’ll say a quick goodbye to the couple (making sure that there aren’t any last minute photos they would like before I leave) and then I’ll pack up my things and head home.

5) Uploading & Backup (IMMEDIATELY).

This is the most important step (after photographing the day itself I suppose). If I don’t back up throughout the day on site, I will make sure to do it as soon as I get home before I go to bed. I don’t take risks with the weddings I photograph. I know how important and special these images are to my couples and also how vital it is for my own reputation as a wedding photographer to be extra cautious. I always photograph with two memory cards in each camera (one acting as a backup) and upload my images to my desktop & multiple hard drives (both physical and cloud) as soon as I get home. Because of these failsafes, my couples and I don’t have to worry about my images getting lost or the potential of corrupt technology ruining a couple’s once in a lifetime memories.

Initial Quick Edit

The day after the wedding, if I have time (or if not sometime in the first week), I will take a quick look through the images and select 3-5 for a preview for the couple and a potential preview for my social media that week. I will edit these images the same way that I edit every image that goes out to my clients, so it will take a bit of time, but couples appreciate it and it helps me to feel like I can take the time that I need to finish the full edit knowing that the couple has something in hand already.

Main Selection Edit

I shoot well over 1000 images throughout the course of a typical 8-10 hour wedding day. This means that going through a full shoot and selecting the images that should be delivered to the client takes a lot of time and focus. I typically spend an hour or two on the first selection, then on another day when I have fresh eyes, I will refine my selection even more. I make sure to only deliver the images that are up to my high standard, which means I do not include anything that is unintentionally out of focus, extremely unflattering, or otherwise lacking. Often, I will photograph 5-10 frames of the same moment and so I will spend time picking out the 1-2 shots in that series that stand out as the strongest. The images that I choose to deliver at the end of my editing process will potentially be posted, printed, or otherwise shared and will represent my brand, and so I take great care in the selection process to choose the best, most beautiful or emotionally impactful images to deliver to my clients while still giving them lots of options for photos of each part of the day.

Lightroom Edit of Selected Photos

Once I have my selection to edit, I upload them to Adobe Lightroom which is where I do broader editing on each image such as color correction, exposure adjustments, and cropping. I maintain a consistent editing style on each image so that they have a cohesive look with the rest of my work.

You’ll find that each wedding photographer has their own style - there are a few trendy styles in the wedding photography world right now including “light and airy” photography with low contrast, less vibrant colors, and blown out highlights, and “dark and moody” photography with more neutral, muted colors and a cinematic feel. Both of these have merit and can be beautiful, but I avoid trends for good reason. I want to make sure that my work will not look dated in 10-20 years. I want my client’s images to be timeless and so, although I do some tweaking to make my photos pop, I stick to true to life colors in my edits.

Photoshop Final Edit (for more advanced, detailed editing)

Many photos will require some additional work to be perfected. Since my background is in photojournalism, I tend not to like to mess with my images too much. I will not do much in the way of changing appearances or altering the scene from how it truly appeared, but, if for instance an “Exit” sign or a bright orange traffic cone is distracting from an otherwise good image, I will remove it (see before and after example below). This is the final step in my editing process. The tones, exposure and color will have already been perfected but smaller, more detailed edits will be done in Photoshop.

Final Check & Upload of Edited, High-Resolution Gallery

Before uploading my final edited images I do a once-over with fresh eyes. I’ll give the gallery a day or two without touching it and then open it up, and go through it making sure all of the photos are edited the way that I want them and in perfect shape for delivery. Once I’m feeling good about them, I will upload to Sprout Studios, the gallery host that I use, and once again check that the photos have uploaded in the correct order and are ready for delivery.

Gallery Delivery to Client

As soon as I’ve uploaded the gallery, I send my wedding couple a very exciting email - YOUR WEDDING GALLERY IS READY!

Follow Up & Album Creation

After the couple has viewed their gallery (and hopefully left me an amazing review!), they have the option to create albums with my design assistance. Most of my packages include an album, but it is always an option to add on after the wedding. I use Kiss Books for my albums because of their extremely high quality, wide range of design options and beautiful craftsmanship. They have options for both luxury heirloom albums in leather or linen as well as less expensive but just as beautifully made photo books.

And that’s a wrap (until my next wedding)!

Jacob and Lisa's City Hall Wedding (Manhattan, NYC)

Lisa and Jacob got married at City Hall in Manhattan. Due to Covid regulations, they were only allowed one guest inside with them, so I acted as both their photographer and their witness. The experience at City Hall is a bit like the DMV, but much less stressful and way more romantic. Happy couples lined the street outside in various formality and waited anxiously inside for their number to be called. Lisa and Jacob were called in to the waiting room and given their number. After a brief wait, they were called up to a desk to fill out paperwork and sign their official marriage certificate and then sat back down to wait for their turn in the ceremony room. Their officiant called them up and delivered a straight to the point, but friendly ceremony. They said their vows, kissed, and were officially married. After the ceremony, we took some photos on the Brooklyn Bridge and in some nearby parks. Congratulations, Lisa & Jacob!

Nancy and MJ's Christmas Card Photos (Queens, NY)

I met Nancy & MJ through the Mets. They are an amazing couple and some of the team’s most die-hard fans. Back in 2015, they spotted me working on the field and pointed out to me that I was the first female team photographer they’d ever seen which they thought was very cool. We’ve been friends ever since and I was thrilled to take some photos for their annual holiday card. The first location of course had to be Citi Field. We wandered around the home run apple and found their brick in the Fanwalk. After, we headed over to Astoria Park for a few “less Metsy” photos. These women are truly some of the best people and I had such a great time capturing their their fun personalities and their love.

Alex and Kelsey's Wedding (Prince William Forest State Park, VA)

I traveled down to Virginia just outside of D.C. for Kelsey and Alex’s dreamy boho wedding at Prince William Forest State Park.

Kelsey and Alex found me through their close friends Eryn and Donnie (see previous blog post for their Alabama wedding) and asked me to travel down for their celebrations in late October. I packed up my sleeping bag, warm clothes, and bug spray and hopped on a flight. Kelsey and Alex were super laid back and fun, and although they offered to pay for a hotel room I opted to really ingrain myself in the experience and camped out in one of the cabins on site. It was such a fun experience and such a beautiful evening full of love and some of the most impressive dance moves I’ve yet to see (scroll down to see Kelsey and Alex breaking it down to Beyoncé). Congratulations, Kelsey and Alex!

Venue: Prince William Forest Park

Eryn and Donnie's Wedding (Huntsville, Alabama)

After photographing their engagement session in NYC, I knew Eryn and Donnie’s wedding would be a fun one. These two are some of the most fun, laid back, kind people I’ve ever met and they made me feel like a guest at their wedding. The wedding was at Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment in Huntsville, Alabama which made it even more of a uniquely fun adventure for me. It was my first time in Alabama!

The wedding was unique to the couple with lots of personal touches and tributes to loved ones who had passed, and it was beautifully decorated with a boho vibe by Eryn and her mom. There were wheels of cheese instead of a cake (honestly, I might steal this idea for my own wedding. What’s better than cheese?) and a whole bunch of homemade pies for dessert (baked by Eryn’s sister if I remember correctly). Such a fun night with great people. Congratulations, Eryn & Donnie!

Venue: Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Huntsville, AL

Jewelry: Wendy Brandes Jewelry