Lindsay Widdall lindsay@livehappystudio.com
Kellie Warren kellie@livehappystudio.com
Answers submitted by Lindsay Widdall
1. How long have you been in the photography industry?
We have both been photographers for 15-20 years individually. Kellie was a graphic designer who got into photography before shooting her brother’s wedding. My photography journey started as a skydiving photographer and videographer. After a decade or more of skydiving, I decided to stay on the ground and shoot another epic moment in someone’s life. We joined forces, created Live Happy Studio in 2012, and have been shooting weddings together in Central Florida since then.
2. How many weddings do you shoot annually?
It depends, but we shoot between 30 and 70 weddings a year. We shoot at some venues pretty often, but we also get a lot of diversity in the venues where we shoot.
3. What is your favorite part of the wedding day?
There are a couple of wedding day moments we love, and not all of them happen at every wedding! We really enjoy shooting a first look; it’s a quiet, more private, emotional part of the day. The pictures always come out so natural and the couple honestly looks their happiest in that moment. We also enjoy a private last dance for a similar reason – the day is done and it’s a special moment for the couple to be alone and soak it all in.
4. How would you describe your style?
We are relaxed and candid in our approach to wedding photography. If you can make someone feel relaxed or capture them in a candid moment, the smiles and emotions captured in the image are more real. That’s what makes a great photograph.
We shoot quite bright and true to life with colors, the thought process here being if the image is shot as true to life as possible, you can filter them as much as you want after but still go back to the original image. With heavy filtering, or a very dramatic style, the photos could one day go out of style, and you can’t change them back. We love to use natural light but also have a great off-camera lighting system for some more dramatically lit portraits or fun dance floor shots.
5. What kind of wedding photo packages do you offer?
We offer any package you can think of! We offer photo, video, or combination packages. Most of the packages are highlighted by the number of hours we are there on the wedding day. The most popular packages at the moment are the 6-hour photo-video combo and the 8-hour photo-only package.
6. How far in advance do you recommend couples book their photographer?
How far out you book your photographer depends on your wedding date! If you’re getting married on a weekend in busy months like March, October, or November, then I’d suggest trying to book at least 12 months out. If you’re getting married midweek or during a slower month here in Florida, you may be fine around 6 months out. However, my tip here is—once you have found the photographer that you know you vibe with, book them! Don’t wait.
7. What advice do you give to couples when choosing a photographer?
There are so many questions to ask a photographer. Experience and equipment are big ones, so make sure they shoot plenty of weddings each year and that they have been doing it for a while. Our best advice is to ask to see one or two full wedding galleries. A website will showcase a person’s best work, maybe those 20-30 images on a website are the only good ones they have. Seeing an entire wedding, you can look at the number of images, the organization, the consistency of the edit, their use of natural and off-camera lighting, etc. When it comes down to it, remember you’ll be hanging out with this person ALL DAY, so make sure they’re someone you’re happy to be around!
8. What is a pet peeve of yours during a wedding? (something the couple may not be aware of)
I’m not too sure we have any pet peeves. We are pretty laid back, and are 100% there for our clients, no matter what that looks like. We are there to make the day go even more smoothly than imagined – not complain about anything. 😀
9. What sets you apart from other wedding photographers?
Very few Orlando wedding photographers have been established in the industry for as long as we have, and even fewer have kept the same reliable team members the whole time. You always get two lead photographers, not a random second shooter.
We’re proud of the efficiency of our portrait hour. An hour sounds like a long time to get photos, but getting all family photos, wedding party photos, and some incredible well-lit portraits of just the two of you can take time. Over the years we have developed a super-efficient way of getting all the photos taken in record time. We’ve developed a flow that can include almost every combination of everyone in the shortest time possible. You don’t have to stand there cheesing for too long, and we can even get you to cocktail hour.
We commit to a two-week turnaround time on all edited images and same-day sneak peaks. We know people are excited to see how awesome they look, so we make sure they don’t have to wait.
Most importantly, we are great photographers at a great price. We have always felt strongly that everyone should be able to afford the perfect wedding images, which is why we offer affordable pricing. If we wouldn’t pay for it on our big day, we wouldn’t charge you for it on yours!
