Ashleigh + Ian
“I hired Frank + Mel to shoot my beach wedding here in San Diego, and they absolutely nailed it. We had a pop-up beachside ceremony, with the reception about 20 minutes away at a separate location. Since the ceremony was in the early afternoon (3pm on October 1st), light was a concern, so both Frank and Mel came by a few weeks before the Big Day to scope out the ceremony location and determine how we could best avoid shadows. SO glad they did, because the photos turned out AMAZING! The framing of the beach shots is gorgeous! They utilized their professional skill to either situate us in a flattering direction or (even better, in my opinion) artfully incorporate some shadows into the dimensions of the photos. They were able to tap into the daytime sunlight to make everything look warm and golden, not washed out!
I’m not sure how often brides & grooms hire photographers that come in teams of two, but after our experience with Frank and Mel, I seriously have no idea why anyone would do it differently with a single photog. Frank was able to shoot my bridal party getting ready for the ceremony, while Mel was able to capture the groomsmen and mother-of-the-groom at the same time. Since our ceremony was on a patio midway down a case of beach stairs, they were able to take photos of everything from multiple angles (Frank from above, Mel at-level). Not only that, but Frank was able to stay behind with my husband and I to take beachside bride+groom shots, while Mel was able to head over to the reception and capture closeups of decorations, guests arriving, etc.
All that being said, the most important thing is how comfortable they made everyone feel. Both my groom and myself are pretty awkward in front of a camera, as were many of our guests…but Frank and Mel were BEYOND successful in just making everyone feel comfortable and chill, which ended up in the best photos any of us have of ourselves! They vibed very well with my family and friends, and were the exact balance of friendly and professional that I’d ever want from someone doing such an important job on such an important day!
Frank and Mel were easy to get in touch with via email and social media; very prompt with their responses to my questions; very punctual not only the day-of but in all their correspondence prior…they made the entire process so convenient for me as I was working 50hr weeks, and they were extremely forgiving of my being (I admit) somewhat of a disorganized bride!
They sent us a few “preview” photos literally the week after the wedding (!!) for us to check out and asked us if we had any preferences/opinions about the editing style. Of course, we were totally thrilled with the direction their vision was going, but it was pretty rad of them to ask our opinion before they began processing all the photos!
These girls were born and raised in San Diego; their business has a collective 60+ years worth of an eye for framing beautiful shots amidst SD’s gorgeous scenery. They are smart, creative, hardworking professionals with good hearts and good heads on their shoulders. No way would I recommend anyone else!”
-Ashleigh P.
