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vendor reviews: photographers
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Reviewing Michelle Kauntz, Owner & Photographer, Captured Soul Photography
From before she was even in high school, Michelle Kauntz has been a photographer at heart. And she's been a wedding photographer even longer than she, herself, realized. Michelle shoots in what her brides have referred to as "a natural, easy" style, and she uses her photography talents to serve up wedding memories that couples can love for a lifetime.
Telling staff at The Ring, "I would never charge to photograph a wedding," there's a lot a bride can love about Michelle's company, Captured Soul Photography. Let us explain...
Personally speaking... Michelle Kauntz was fourteen when she held her first Nikon. "It was a Nikon Manual FE camera. I shared it with my mom but when she realized that I was starting to monopolize it, she gave it to me and bought another." Michelle is pretty sure she never put it down after that. She says she snapped up as many scenes and memories as she could, taking a lot of the shots that went into her school yearbook and family albums. She shot her first wedding while still in high school. "It was a small, intimate wedding for twenty to thirty people, but it was the first of many..." Eventually, Michelle began taking her creativity more
seriously. She went to York University and got her Bachelor in Fine Arts. She says she studied all of the arts with a concentration in creative writing, but then, "I also studied photography, screen writing, theatre and multimedia, and now I use all of them with my weddings. I'm a storyteller through photos."
For the fifteen years that followed high school, Michelle continued shooting both small and large weddings part time, mostly for family and friends. Her 'day job' at the time also had her knee deep in weddings, working as manager of a large family-owned wedding registry company. Michelle says she never could kick her creative instincts though, and in 2006, began looking for a career change. "That was when one of my friends pointed out to me that I already had a satisfying career in photography - wedding photography, to be more specific." For Michelle, that was the moment that her life began to make perfect sense. "I love shooting weddings. I get to see people at their happiest... All of the guests are joyful and there to celebrate. It's an honour to be a part of it." In her first full year of business as Captured Soul Photography, Michelle Kauntz photographed twenty-six weddings and has been fully booked every year since, photographing thirty-one weddings in 2008. Recently, Michelle has taken courses in PhotoShop and album design through Kelby Training in Toronto to keep up-to-date on the latest technologies in the photography industry.
Casual, candid and in it for the
long run
Michelle aims for shots the bride and groom will love that are "sometimes beautiful and romantic, sometimes just plain fun." This is why bride and groom, Lisa and Peter Lankowski hired Captured Soul for their October 6, 2007 wedding. "Michelle was very outgoing, helpful, it felt like she was part of the family... We remember that she was always there taking pictures of the things that you would have not thought of. Happy, silly or sad moments..."
Glen Tig, who had Michelle photograph his engagement and June 2008 wedding photos, told The Ring, "She has a unique and fresh photo perspective... stunning quality." He also said that Michelle made him feel comfortable every step of the way.
On any given wedding day, Michelle will be shooting with her digital camera, focused on the bride, groom, guests, faces and moments that she says make the day so important. "I'm always shooting - even while we're setting something up or getting ready, or leaving. You just never know when the best photos are going to happen."
Kaylagh and Joel Vanwyck, who used Captured Soul for their September 2008 wedding said that Michelle "had a great balance of being very professional and tons of fun. She was easy to get a hold of and she was very reliable. She put everyone at ease, making even the least photogenic of us look amazing. She always found ways to get everyone laughing and she was very intuitive, picking out people's personalities and the type of photos that would truly capture who we are."
Michelle explains that most of the couples who come to see her aren't interested in "the formal stiff photography of years ago. They're choosing the light, fun shots that capture the emotions and spirit of the day so well. And they’re open to trying something new. They can be completely and utterly themselves."
"I love that my pictures really show us as a couple, she really understood what we were about, and what styles we were interested in," say Kelly and David Bonham, who hired Michelle for engagement, wedding and trash the dress photos.
So, with that style in mind, Michelle makes it her goal to keep things light, romantic and fun, with the end result a collection of your favourite wedding moments, friends, family and close friends caught on film.
Must-have memories How many memories you get in each style or pose is dependant on you, the bride and groom. "What you want is what you get," explains Michelle. The only 'musts' are set by the bride and groom. "It's your day and your photos..."
Even so, Michelle says she honours those classic family shots your parents and grandparents will be looking for in your wedding albums. "I'm more than happy to accommodate any special requests you, or your family, might have."
On your wedding day, Michelle wants you to know that she'll be in it for the long run, if you need her. "I love to stay for the reception, if the bride and groom want me to. It's my favourite time of the wedding. It's the real celebration and you can always capture a lot of emotion and fun from your guests." Crystal and Christopher Jones were married March 8, 2008. They say the thing they remembered most about having Michelle as their photographer was how fun it was. "She was having fun and so were we, despite the 41cm of snow we received over the course of our wedding day." Crystal says she also remembers Michelle's enthusiasm, "which did not waiver for the fifteen and a half hours she was with us... When Michelle says she'll be there no matter what, she means it!!"
Juan and Brenda Sanchez hired Captured Soul for their October 5, 2007 wedding day. Brenda told staff at The Ring that one of the things she loved most about having Michelle shoot her wedding was the fact that Michelle was right there when they needed her but blended into the background when it was time for the important moments of the day. "We knew with an unorthodox wedding that we wanted more 'candid' style photos... She captured our entire day beautifully, and helped more than I thought a photographer would," she told us, remembering Michelle pinning the corsages on her husband and sons. "We had so much fun together that day! We've become friends, and I would hire her in a minute for any photography need... When we saw the photos for the first time, it was a revelation. She'd caught many important moments with our guests that we ourselves had missed. She took some truly beautiful pictures of some of the guests, and they've asked for enlargements so they can hang them on their walls."
"Working with Michelle was like working with an extremely competent, experienced, well-versed, adaptable, cooperative, supportive big sister," says Glen. "At every step of the way, we felt cared for, attended and comforted… She knows her craft and her art and I quickly came to trust her eye for knowing what will work."
Engagement Photos For Captured Soul, engagement photos are a popular option. Roughly half of Michelle's brides choose to have her shoot their engagement session. "Wedding photos mark a time in your life, while engagement photos can be more timeless, useable..." Equally important, Michelle says, you are yourself in engagement photos. "You're not all dressed up and in the spot light. They're more casual and comfortable."
Brenda Sanchez said that their kids had a blast at their engagement session. "On the wedding day, they were almost more excited to see Michelle than about the wedding that was about to take place!"
Kelly and David told us that their "engagement shoot was so much fun" and that they were laughing so hard that their cheeks hurt by the end of it.
For session details, Michelle leaves it up to the bride and groom. "Pick a season and a location, wherever you're comfortable. My goal is to tell the story of your wedding as completely as possible from start to finish."
Custom designed guest books for your wedding, using your engagement photos, are offered as an add-on by Michelle.
Trash the Dress Trash the Dress photo sessions with Captured Soul are designed to let brides keep that wedding gown out of its box just a little longer and have some fun with it. Michelle has had brides climb into trees in their dresses, wade through rivers, lakes and oceans, and not be afraid to get a little - or a lot - dirty. Though the dress is rarely 'trashed' at the day's end, she says, "It's an opportunity to really get those fun shots in your wedding gown that are truly you - without the worry of getting a spot or snag on the dress on the wedding day itself."
Your foreign correspondent Michelle says she's been fortunate to be able to book several destination weddings since opening Captured Soul. "From the very first one, I was hooked." Recently, Michelle has seen an increase in the amount of destination weddings and in 2008 she photographed more than ever before. "More and more couples are choosing to have a destination wedding. And more of them are electing to take a professional photographer along with them." That’s why Michelle is no longer taking bookings for local weddings from December to April as she will strictly be booking destination weddings during that time.
For Michelle, wanting to shoot Destination Weddings isn't just about wanting to shoot on a beach, "It's more about it being an adventure; being able to go on excursions... The local market, the ruins... Being able to contrast the bride and groom and their personalities against the backdrop of foreign culture, architecture and environment..."
Michelle has big plans for the success of Captured Soul's new 'Destination' package. She has already begun to investigate as much as she can about popular destination wedding locales so that she can eventually become as familiar with the lay of the land there as she is here.
The 'Destination' package is just $1250 and includes unlimited locations, unlimited photos, two additional photo sessions (up to four hours each) on prior or subsequent days, digital images on DVD and more. As well, it includes an online album and professional printing with a $100 voucher towards prints or gift purchases.
Pricing&Packages With Captured Soul you get virtually all of your photos in every package - all of your many, many photos, that is. Michelle has been known to deliver as many as 2300 images to the bride and groom after their wedding, with her average running about 1300. These numbers depend on the day, hours, locations and circumstances of course. "I always shoot the wedding day for free," explained Michelle, who says that she usually starts the day with the bride getting ready and ends it after the bouquet and garter toss. "What you're really paying for is the processing and editing time that goes into your images." With prices that range from $1250 to only $2450, Michelle's packages fit within most wedding budgets. She also told us that she will work with the bride and groom on a payment plan that works within their budget, if it will makes things that little bit easier for them.
"Michelle's prices are an unbelievable bargain - considering the quality of her product and her maturity in her profession," says Glen.
Brenda and Juan agree that when they found Michelle's website and saw that her prices were more in line with their photography budget, they were thrilled. "Her style of photography was exactly what we were looking for... We met with Michelle and hit it off immediately, and decided to hire her on the spot."
The 'Captured' package seems to be the most popular with her couples, says Michelle, likely because it includes unlimited locations, photos and hours of coverage, all for one $2450 price tag. The 'Captured' package also promises you get all of your memories in dual formats on DVD, a hardcover proof book, an online album and professional printing.
Crystal and Christopher Jones first hired Michelle sight unseen for their engagement shoot. It was her online portfolio that sold them. "We could browse her amazing photos with no pressure and get to know her style..." From there, they hired her for their wedding, which they were planning from five hours away. "Michelle's prices were very reasonable and we love that we could have her with us all day long with no time constraints." Since the couple was busy planning their wedding from a distance, they say it was nice that Michelle was prompt in returning emails and phone calls throughout the months leading up to their day.
A hardcover 'Bookstore-Store' style proofbook is included with every package, along with a $100 voucher to apply towards print and gift purchases. Michelle also includes, at no extra cost, 200 km of traveling distance from Kitchener.
Kelly and David told us, "Her value, style and proofs on DVD were unmatchable in the market. No one even came close to what she was offering... What I received from her is worth sooooo much more than what I paid for."
With Captured Soul you get all of your photos in every package. "I offer three versions of each image." The first version is a disk of low resolution (web appropriate) images with a watermark on each image so that couples can share them online or to send them by email to friends and family members. The second version is a disk of high resolution, unmarked images that are print-ready. The third version of your memories is an online ordering and printing gallery.
Michelle assured us that all three versions of images you receive are optimized. "I optimize every image for colour and contrast and for professional photography printing. For your online ordering gallery, I upload the files to my affiliate printer in Montreal." Michelle does this so that you can order your images online to be shipped to you (or your friends and family who can also be given access). Or you can print your memories locally at a printer you choose. For Michelle, it's all about keeping things simple, easy and convenient for her couples.
New ways to put it in print Michelle says that after hunting through what seemed like every album company available, she finally found wedding albums she (and her brides) could fall in love with. "They're beautiful and simple. I say simple because the album itself does not steal the stage, it compliments the photos, allows them to be the main attraction."
Michelle's new albums are wrapped with Italian full-grain, soft leather and come in three sizes (8x8, 10x10, 12x12). One of our favourite things about these albums is that they come in cool, fun colours like fire engine red. "They also come in a chic cloth bag for storage and extra protection." These new Captured Soul albums also include custom layouts of the best twenty to 100 images from your wedding day, displayed on ten double-page spreads, pre-designed by Michelle to tell the story of your day. You can add pages with more images if you want, as well.
Michelle also offers artistic photo treatments, the newest of which is called grunge. "The photos are more dramatic and sharper at the same time; they look almost drawn instead of like a photo. You can see every detail right down to the rain drops falling and each individual hair." Michelle told us that 95% of her brides are opting for her mixed artistic treatment selection option, "It allows me to 'develop' each image in the treatment style that I feel best brings out the emotion and impact of that image. These treatments include (but are not limited to) a mixed selection of colour treatments, black and white, blue wash, aged photo, artist rendition, grunge, glow, white wash, gold tone and sepia tone processing."
Prints you order from Captured Soul are available in standard colour, true black and white prints, canvas prints, metallic prints, and even photo gift options.
For light, fun and candid photography... Give Captured Soul Photography a call at 519-578-8222, or email Michelle at om.namaste@gmail.com. To see more great photos and even a FAQ, visit www.capturedsoul.ca. Michelle is located in Kitchener, but is willing to travel up to 200 km outside of the city for your wedding at no extra cost!
- The Staff at TheWeddingRing.ca |
Captured
Soul is about fun, romantic memories and never charging a bride to shoot her
wedding
