Over the past five years, I’ve created a signature style that allows me to document your big moments and milestones in a beautiful, storytelling way.
And today, I’m pulling back the curtain so you can get a peek at how I go about creating unique images for discerning individuals and couples.
The Why and How of My Style
I’ve always had a passion for creativity. But it was my experience as a Marine while stationed in Japan that shaped my photography career.
It started with video. I would take my GoPro with me on scuba dives and create travel videos of my adventures. Then I got a drone and started taking pictures. But drone photos were hard to edit. So, my brilliant wife suggested I get a DSLR camera.
I took her advice, and it changed everything. I got so excited to use it and see what images I could create with it, I would wake up early to capture the sunrise. And from that, I learned to photograph sweeping landscapes. Part of which is how I got into capturing Milky Way photos.
After my wife and I moved to North Carolina, I became intrigued by capturing people and their stories. I joined the Professional Photographers of Americas where I learned to run a photography business and met a mentor who encouraged me to take my skills and apply them to weddings.
The more I photographed weddings, the more I loved it. So, I got serious about the craft and invested in a workshop where I learned from the best of the best in contemporary and cinematic-style wedding photos and portraits.
The rest, as they say, is history. I invested time and money into workshops, professional photography conferences, image competitions and courses from the best photographers in the industry. Not to mention hundreds of hours of practice honing my style and craft.
Now, I take my experience from those early landscape and Milky Way days and weave them into my wedding photography. The result is a unique style of landscapes, striking close-ups, and lots of movement (even in still moments such as portraits) that is natural and dramatic as well as authentic and artistic.
My Three Editing Styles
A common question I get asked by couples is how their wedding gallery will look when they receive it.
And while I specialize in a more artistic style of photography, I reassure them that not all of their photos will look that way.
In fact, I have three different styles of editing: Signature, Premium, and Basic. All of which they (and you) will receive in their online gallery.
The Signature Edit: Emphasis on color and lighting to give it a painterly look and transform the photo into a rare piece of art. I would love for every image in your gallery to be edited like this but editing these photos takes approximately 2 hours each. I carefully select every image for signature edit and only apply it to 1 to 2 images per gallery or if an image becomes your choice for any wall art size above 16×20.
Premium Edits: Images that are bold and punchy with a touch of stunning artistry.
Basic Edits: Simple editing that covers the essentials like touch-ups and color correction.
Check out more of my signature style edits below
Whether it’s for your wedding or a non-wedding portrait session, the only way to effectively tell your story is to get to know you. Your personality, style, and values. And the need behind the photos you want.
To help get to know you as best as possible, I do an exercise with all of my couples called the WAVE (wall art visualization exercise.) From it, I can determine what’s most important to you. And, in turn, what images you want to see.
For example, I did the WAVE exercise with one of my recent brides, and she painted me a visual picture of her and her partner laughing. It didn’t matter if other people were in the photo. Or where exactly the photo was taken. She only focused on the two of them. Because what it came down to was that they loved having intimate, fun moments together.
From there, I take your values and what’s most important to you, and I focus on them during your wedding or photography session so that I can provide you with the exact images you hope to receive.
Before & After: An Inside Glimpse into My Photography and Editing Process
See for yourself just how I transform your photos into pieces of art.
https://reybenasfrephotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Signature-Edit-Process.mov
Now that you know a little more about my signature style, I would love to get to know more about you and what you envision for your photos.
