I’m a nature lover & adventure seeker. Incorporating these things in with a great love story is what I’m all about! It’s an honor to document moments that will be viewed from generation to generation, to create ART.

You can expect personable, quality service when hiring CBN. I’m always happy to provide guidance along the planning process & to be a person to turn to for advice on the big day.

The role of wedding photographer goes beyond taking pictures. I do everything I can to help the day go smoothly, always keeping the couple’s best interest in mind. I want to be there that day not only as a photographer, but a friend.

I take traditional, camera aware portraits, but do favor those that look more natural. I pose all portraits doing so in a manner that looks more candid. Aside from the portraits, everything else is shot with a candid approach. I strive to capture true emotion & personalities which shine through best when you aren’t paying attention to a camera in the room. My priority is to document the emotion, love, & beauty of the day along with all those little details so that nothing is left to fading memories.

My style is sophisticated, romantic, & artistic. I try to avoid cheesy & the props/posing that’s popular on Pinterest.

With photography, the possibilities are endless. I enthusiastically go into every shoot & look forward to creating something unique.

I’m passionate about my work & I hope that love shines through in your photos!  -Nicole Wagner

Q&A

What’s your shooting style?

Sophisticated, romantic, artistic, dramatic. During the couple’s portraits, I pose everything but do so in a way that looks natural. This helps you to look flattering & feel secure. For all the formal portraits, I’m proactive & kindly assertive. I give a lot of direction & try my best to get the groups done efficiently so everyone can continue on enjoying the celebration. The rest of the day, I do my best to blend into the background as much as possible & capture what’s happening naturally!

Do you take looking at the camera photos?

Yes. Nearly all of the photos I show publicly are a more candid looking style. I absolutely take looking at the camera & smiling portraits! These type of portraits are the main focus for family as well as couple & group shots that I take of guests throughout the celebration. For family portraits, I do also try to get interactive, more candid images as well. Lots of camera aware portraits are taken with the wedding party. I’d estimate about 20% of the portraits taken of the couple individually & together are also camera aware photos.

What’s the role of the non shooting assistant?

There are many moving pieces to the wedding day. I try to do everything I can to make the day run as smoothly as possible and be the most enjoyable! My assistant is there to help with anything and everything to help! Things like carrying scissors for that loose string on the wedding dress, tidying up the getting ready rooms, staying in touch with venue staff, helping to place the groom for the first look, fixing the veil and train, holding bouquets as we walk, helping to gather family & friends for portraits, grabbing their extra items to place somewhere while getting their portrait taken, helping to get children to smile for photos, the list can go on and on haha!

Should we add a second shooter?

I’ve been shooting weddings full time for 14 years now and have become very comfortable fully capturing the wedding day. I am very focused, organized, & hard working, constantly watching & bouncing around to capture the many many moments that unfold. I actually prefer to work without a second shooter because I don’t need to worry about us getting into each other’s shots & coordinating with them throughout the day. It’s less discrete with more cameras, more flashes going off, & their photos aren’t as cohesive in the final gallery. However, certain wedding may find a second shooter to be very beneficial, perhaps if you aren’t doing a first look & will be capturing most of your portraits during cocktail hour, or if your having a church ceremony & want to reduce photographer’s movement, or if your wedding is on the larger side of 300+ guests. The second shooter is always an experienced photographer with a similar style to my own.

What is a first look?

When the couple sees each other before the ceremony. The first look is usually private. I usually stage it so that the groom’s back is to the bride. She walks up behind and he turns toward her. They are then able to have some time to just talk to each other, something you can’t do when your at the alter. Then, we can potentially get all of the portraits done before the ceremony so that everyone can enjoy cocktail hour. I mean, you only get a few hours with all of your guests and that time flies by so it’s a great thing to be able to make it to cocktail hour. Most of my couples go for this option as it allows for a much more relaxed day.

My wedding is only 5 1/2 hours long, do I need 9+ hours of coverage?

Although the festivities of most weddings are only around 6 hours long, it’s necessary to begin the coverage earlier in the day. You can decide how to use your hours, but most couples like to have some photos taken while getting ready, then I HIGHLY recommend getting as many ‘formal photos’ done prior to the ceremony as possible. If the couple is not doing a ‘first look’ then I try to take photos of the bride with her girls and her family. I would also do the same for the groom before the ceremony as well. If this all gets accomplished prior to the ceremony, the only photos that are left to take during cocktail hour are the bride and groom portraits, the entire wedding party together, and the bride and groom together with the families. This allows for a much less chaotic portrait session during cocktail hour! If the couple does a ‘first look’, all of the ‘formal’ photos could potentially be accomplished before the ceremony, allowing everyone to partake in the full cocktail hour. This is why I feel 8+ hours of coverage is necessary to allow for a more relaxed, enjoyable day.

How long does it take to get our photos back?

It’s typically a 6-8 week turnaround time to get your photos edited and your gallery up.

How are the photos delivered?

The high resolution digital files are presented in an online gallery. The client downloads them from there. The gallery can be shared with family and friends. they can download as they please as well. My clients usually do their own printing. I HIGHLY recommend printing through Mpix.com. The gallery does offer print purchase capability from a professional lab at affordable prices. It’s a nice convenience for the guests especially.

Are all of the photos delivered edited?

Yes. I do spend longer on the portraits and some of the more important parts of the day, but every photo in the gallery does go through several steps of editing.

Can I get all the photos that are taken at the wedding?

I take more photos at the wedding than are delivered to the couple. My editing process is quite time consuming and it’s important that I give my couples the photos that best portray the story of their day at a high level of quality. However, if there are photos taken that aren’t amazing technically, but are good moments, I will still provide them. With 9 hours of coverage, I typically deliver around 800 photos.

Do you have backup equipment?

I understand that the moments that happen on your wedding day cannot be relived and therefore I take being prepared very seriously. I do have backup equipment it’s kept handy in case something happens to fail. My two main camera have double memory card slots, meaning the images are recorded on two separate cards. If one fails, the other has the images stored on it.

Are you insured?

Yes.

Do you shoot digital?

Yes, digital only.

What is the payment structure?

A 40% non-refundable retainer along with signing the contract is required at booking and the balance is due the day of the wedding.

Is this your full-time job?

Yes, wedding photography has been my full-time career for over 14 years now.

What should we wear for engagement photos?

Textured clothing & layers photograph best. Large logos bold patterns, & running sneakers should be avoided. Also avoid large amounts of saturated colors. Pops of rich colors work better. Try not to be too matchy matchy. You should wear different colors, but colors that compliment each other. Patterns such as floral, plaid, stripes, & polka dots all work. I’m happy to give guidance as you choose outfits. Check out my Pinterest board titled “Engagement Session Clothing Suggestions” for clothing inspiration (pinterest.com/CustombyNicole/engagement-session-clothing-suggestions)

What type of albums do you offer?

The standard album is 10x10in with 46 sides (23 pages). It can have a recessed photo on the cover or the cover can be foil stamped with your names & date. Usually around 110 photos are included in the design. I ask the client to choose 70 must have photos and to provide me with a “B” list as well. I’m usually able to complete a design that flows well by using those two lists. See sample albums below!