“My husband and I went into wedding planning wanting to prioritize photography for our day. Weddings are known to go by “quickly,” or at least that was the note that many married couples gave us when wedding prepping. Because of this, my husband and I agreed that we wanted to be “particular” about our wedding photographer. John Barone was the BEST possible person to be with us on our day, and even though I don’t plan on ever getting married again, I would choose John a million times over!
What really got us on board with John is his eye for capturing a moment. No matter the circumstance, John finds beauty in people and places, and we felt that whimsy really translated into his photography. For posed photos, John found the best lighting and angles, which is especially important since the lighting at our venue (Camelback) can be tricky at the top of the mountain. But for the more “guerrilla-style” candids (the photos we took outside after our first look), John allowed my husband and I to just “be.” My husband and I were enjoying each other’s company, and his photography captured those moments simply and elegantly.
Also, it was raining for our first look, but John took care of us by finding little spots where we could avoid the mud (and he even provided adorable clear umbrellas). We had fun romping around in our crocs and didn’t let the rain stop us from capturing some really fun moments pre-wedding ceremony! Additionally, our first look was well-coordinated, especially considering I did a “fakeout” by having our brother-in-law surprise my husband before me. John coached me through what to do to not only make the moment feel natural, but also to get the best photos. Through both posed pictures or more serendipitous ones, John’s eye guided us throughout the whole photo process.
But more importantly, no matter the photographical “circumstance,” my husband and I actually had FUN taking pics! Both my husband and I don’t really like having our picture taken, which poses a potential problem for a day where there is countless cameras in your face. John gives the perfect amount of direction that made me feel comfortable and beautiful while not feeling overly stiff. His fun personality and bright sense of humor also put me at ease. When taking our posed photos with our family, John even played the song “Superfreak” which was used during our “fakeout” first look—we truly had the BEST TIME taking our pics, which is something I thought I would never say as someone that doesn’t like having my picture taken!
At the reception, John not only captured photos of our first dance (he actually had us “walk through” the dance pre-ceremony to make sure he could properly photograph our moves), but he also set up his black-n-white portrait area to take photos of our guests. What a memorable experience to take fun portrait shots versus a traditional wedding photobooth! We saw SO many of our friends and family get up to have their pic taken, insuring that they got to capture memories of the day too.
TLDR: if you are getting married, PLEASE book John Barone. When looking at our wedding photos, we can see the love and the fun of that day, and I truly believe it is because of John’s keen eye and chill personality. His assistant Steph was also wonderful! Thank you John and team for being a part of the best day of our lives, and thank you for being able to capture it!”
