I'll confess, I don't feel comfortable in front of the camera, I never have. But a few years ago I decided to have some headshots done by a professional portrait photographer. I went in to the studio feeling anxious but in that quick session something magic happened. When I got the photos back I couldn't believe it, I actually looked like me? 

The secret wasn't in the lighting or camera gear — the secret was the photos weren't taken in the moments I tried to force a smile and look at the camera. The photos were from all the little moments in between, when I laughed, when I small talked, when I looked away to collect myself. 

This is the day I decided to focus on candid photography. Because I saw myself in a photo for the first time. You don't have to be a model to get great photographs, you just have to be yourself. 

Let me guess, you think you aren't photogenic...

Throughout the wedding I use my background in audio production to record sound from the day. I then combine that audio with the photographs to create a unique documentary of your day, a one of a kind keepsake you can watch over and over again to remember the emotions you felt. 

PhotoFilm

Every moment on the big day, from the preparation to the farewell, is carefully documented with authentic, candid wedding photography. And every digital photo is edited in both true to life color, and timeless black and white, giving you two versions of every photo. 

Wedding Day

My wedding package comes with a complimentary* engagement session. This is a critical opportunity for us to meet and work together before the big day, and gives you a great gallery of photos to use for save the dates, invitations, a wedding website, or even decor at the reception.

Engagement

A Simple Wedding Plan:
Starting at $3000*

Sample PHotofilms

learn more

Engagement Portfolio

  • Wedding Photography by Ben Wagner. Weddings are shot with at least two cameras and backup memory cards to ensure every moment is capture.
  • Professional photo editing. Every digital photograph delivered in both color and black and white.
  • Photos delivered within 8 weeks of the event.
  • A 4K PhotoFilm of the event. 
  • High-resolution digital files.
  • A customized personal gallery for you to download and share your finished photographs. 
  • Welcome discount for the print store. 
  • Copyright release — unlimited usage of the photographs for your personal use for social media, prints, and more.
  • Complimentary engagement shoot for any booking of 6 hours or longer.
  • Ask about film photography options!

All Wedding Packages Include

* Starting price does not include sales tax or potential travel fees, and represents my base, 6-hour wedding package. Additional hours of coverage are available at the rate of $500 per hour of shooting time. Shorter packages also available during non-peak seasons.

My Wedding Process

Finding a Wedding Photographer can be overwhelming, the googling, the instagrams, dozens of portfolios. I've tried to make the process easy and streamlined so you can get to planning the actual day!

Once the contract is signed and retainer paid, you'll receive a confirmation email and a link to schedule the Engagement shoot!

Confirmation

Once the the consultation is completed, package selected, and you're ready to book, I use an electronic contract manager to make sure you always have a digital copy of the contract on hand. Never book a photographer without a contract! It protects both the photographer and the couple.

Contract

I make every effort to respond to any inquiry within 24 hours with a sample proposal and my automated scheduler. This allows you to schedule an over the phone consultation, and gives you a chance to ask questions, tell me a little about your plans, and make sure I'm the right fit for you.

Consultation

1. booking

— Angelica

"From start to finish, Ben was a true professional. Expectations were set, a contract drawn up, a complimentary engagement shoot scheduled, and finally the big day."

Every wedding package comes with a complimentary engagement session. This is a critical opportunity for us to meet and work together before the big day, and gives you a great gallery of photos to use for save the dates, invitations, a wedding website, or even decor at the reception.

2. Engagements

Engagement Portfolio

As you can imagine, I go to a lot of weddings, and I'm always available to help consult on the timeline, vendor recommendations, or photo ideas. 
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A month before the wedding, you'll receive my pre-wedding questionnaire. This asks some basic questions that I've found are critical in making sure I'm where I need to be to document the day, including the timeline, the most important group shots, and some key elements that affect the photography, including whether or not you're including a first look.
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Once I have the questionnaire, I will schedule a pre-wedding video call with you, generally about a week before the wedding. This gives us a chance to catch up, chat through any final questions, and make sure i'm in the right place at the right time.

3. Planning

Frequently Asked Questions

4. The Wedding Day

After all your careful planning and, let's face it, probably a lot of stress, the big day arrives. 
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My goal is not just to make pretty pictures. I see my role as telling the story of your day, from hair and makeup to the big farewell, and all the little moments in between.

Recent Weddings

Those few hours before the ceremony are often my favorite parts of the wedding day and I love to capture them. Hanging out with the wedding party, hair and makeup, a first look with dad, these little rituals make lasting memories. Long after you've forgotten exactly what you said in the ceremony, you'll remember the butterflies, a pre-wedding toast, or dad's tears.

Wedding Prep

the wedding Timeline

Whether or not to include a first look is a key decision in putting your photography timeline together! About half my couples choose to do a first look, while the other half opt for a more traditional approach of the "first look" being as the bride walks up the aisle. Or some couples choose to forgo any type of first look, and don't avoid each other on the day. Each has it's pros and cons which I'm happy to talk through during the planning stage, helping you decide what makes sense for your personality. 

First Look

Wedding portraits are an essential part of the wedding day experience, the photos you hang on your wall for a lifetime — but that doesn't mean they should take up your whole day. I work quickly to get you those key portrait shots, allowing you to get back to enjoying your wedding day with your guests and family. My wedding day portrait shoots are often less than ten minutes — getting you back to the party. 

Wedding Portraits

Wedding Portrait Samples

The main event. Walking down the aisle, vows, readings, ring exchanges, happy tears and first kisses. Every moment is captured with exacting detail. 
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And, beyond just the photos, every wedding package includes a PhotoFilm with audio to preserve the moments you may have otherwise forgotten.

The Ceremony

With the ceremony over, it's time to celebrate with your friends, family, and guests. Your speeches, first dance, dinner, bouquet and garter toss, cutting of the cake, or any other occasions will be documented with the same love and attention as your ceremony, portraits, and preparation.

Reception

The cake is cut, the speeches are given, all that's left is to dance the night away. Don't be surprised to find me in the middle of the action, capturing the energy of the party.

Party On

— Kassandra

"I still marvel at the gorgeous pictures that Ben took. Reflecting on that day, Ben was a super star! He was really easy to work with, exceedingly accommodating, and went straight to work with little direction from me, which - if you've planned a wedding, you know - is a god send."

Photo galleries are delivered at a maximum of 8 weeks after the event.  
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All Wedding packages include every digital photo in both Color and Black and White. If we worked together on an engagement, your engagement photos, wedding day photos, and PhotoFilm will all be hosted in your own personalized gallery website. 

Delivery

When editing, I prefer clean, timeless, film-inspired images over the brown, "moody" trend. Every photo is meticulously edited for exposure, contrast, clarity, and color. My editing philosophy is for clean, true to life colors.
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I use the 2 week rule for retouching: if it won't be there in two weeks I will edit it out. In-depth retouching techniques, such as excessive skin smoothing, liquifying, face-swapping, removing double chins, etc. will not be used.

Editing

After the wedding, every photo is backed up the night of, both locally and online, ensuring your photos are safe and secure. 
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I do not deliver sneak peeks unless specifically requested for thank you notes, and it often takes several weeks before I am able to cull the photos.

Backup

5. Photo Delivery

— Sam

"Ben was very professional and easy to work with from the initial plan all the way through the day of our wedding. He was courteous and professional, and did an excellent job of photographing every important moment."

Yes! I understand that family photos are an important part of the wedding as they are the rare opportunity for everyone to be together. Before the wedding I will ask you to send me the list of the most important family group shots. I do ask my couples to keep the groupings to ten or less, that way we can get the group shots done quickly and efficiently to let you enjoy the day. 

our parents will want family photos, is this ok? 

Of course! From a photography perspective, deciding on whether or not to do a first look is one of the biggest decisions on your wedding timeline. My couples tend to split about 40/40/20 on whether or not to do a formal first look, a traditional, walking down the aisle first look, or no first look at all. I'm happy to consult on which option you feel makes sense for your personality.  

Can we do a first look?

I do not provide sneak peeks as a general rule. I have found this slows down the entire process and creates delays. 

I may provide one or two sneak peek photos on request if needed for thank you notes. 

Can we get a sneak peek of our wedding photography?

Each photo is meticulously edited for exposure, contrast, highlights, shadows, color, temperature, etc. using professional editing software. 

In-depth retouching techniques, i.e. liquifying, removing double chins, face or body swapping, excessive skin smoothing, using AI to remove Uncle Bob's date, etc. will not be used. 

Will you do retouching of our wedding photos?

A general rule of thumb is a minimum of 50 finished photographs per hour of shoot time (in actuality it’s usually more). Each photo is also delivered in both color and black and white, so for an 8 hour wedding day you can expect a minimum of 800 total photos, 400 in color, 400 black and white. 

HOw many photographs will I get?

Photo delivery time varies depending on workload, in my standard contract 8 weeks is the maximum time allowed. During the summer wedding season, 6-7 weeks is around average. Turnaround time is usually faster during the slower season (November - May).

HOw long does it take to get my wedding photos?

Frequently Asked Questions

Yes! I own several film cameras and usually shoot a roll or two of film photography on the wedding day. You may have even seen some film photos mixed in throughout this website and in my portfolio. I don't currently add any additional fees for a a few rolls of film casually taken throughout the day. If you are interested in a more comprehensive film package I am happy to discuss shooting more, or exclusively film, including both 35mm and 120mm. 

We love film, can you shoot wedding photos on film? 

I have anywhere from 3-6 cameras with on a wedding day. This ensures that even if a camera were to break, I have multiple options.

The first thing I do when I return home is offload the memory cards onto a Solid State Drive, this drive is immediately backed up to the cloud and to a local backup in my home office, ensuring that even if my house burned down your photos would be backed up.  


How do you backup our wedding photos?

While I am based in the Seattle area most of my weddings take place in the broader Pacific Northwest. I am happy to travel for your wedding photography and I have shot weddings across the Western United States.

Additional travel fees do apply based on mileage.  

Where are you and can you travel to our wedding? 

Contact Me

Portfolio

Let's Make Something Meaningful

Let's Make something meaningful