Mark Kauffman.......Sonicstef

Hi Sonicstef, I'm also getting married in October and I'm curious as to why you decided to go with Mark Kauffman as your photographer? His work is very impressive and I'm in the process of narrowing down to my final decision. Any suggestions/info would be great! Thanks, Lisa Good Luck! P.S. Your website is beautiful

Mark Kauffman.......(So very long)

Thanks for the compliments on the website Lisa. FYI: Mark will not be one of my photographers - Im using Lynn and Laura. Reasons I choose Mark Kauffman's Studio 1. Quality: The obvious one is that I liked all the sample books I saw at his office - and there were lots. I had seen quite a few photographers and the only ones that were better than Mark's photographers work were the really, really expensive kind. There are lots of great photographers in our area so this is a very subjective thing. 2. Variety: When I looked at the sample books, I didn't see the same type of photo over and over again as in many other studios. His sample albums are filled with color/B&W/Sepia pics using all types of lens and setups. Im particularly partial to a good B/W fisheye so that was another plus. 3. Style: Of the photographers I met, I found most of them do the traditional posed stuff very well and have added some photojournalistic style to their reportore. I just never found the traditional poses very interesting - I really wanted to capture the day as it was happening (as opposed to snapping photos of stiff bodies now and again). MK's photographers met this need very well. In nearly every sample book I flipped through, the bride and groom are really smiling - not posed fake smiles like you see in photos but real smiles. That just showed me how good the photographers were at capturing the joy of the day as opposed to recreating it. 4. Value: By no means is MK cheap so if saving $$$ on your photographer is a priority, you will probably find another photographer more appealing. However, when it came to pictures I wanted to get the most for the money I could spend. All of the MK packages include 2 photographers and an average of 1000 proofs - that was such a huge difference from the others. Our package doesn't include a lot of the extras that some studio inluded but we got what was really important to us ( a big album, 1 parent album, lots of proofs, and a few enlargements). Those were the reasons we booked with him in Feb. And that was before I knew what a pleasure he and his photographers were to deal with. Of all my vendors, he is the only one that doesn't make me feel like a total nutcase when I ask him a Bridezilla question. Yikes! I totally sound like a Mark Kauffman advertisement but I obviously feel pretty confident of my choice. Of course, my wedding is still more than 9 months away so I can't vouch for final product but since I just saw those sample albums again on Friday - Im not too worried. I hope that helps - feel free to email me at [email protected]

Mark Kauffman.......Sonicstef

Sorry to jump in here Lisa & Stef - I can swear by Mark`s studio. Lynn (who you will love - Stef!) and Tony worked with us at our 9/2/01 wedding and our pictures are incredible! It was worth every penny we spent and is the true highlight of an already perfect day. If you have any specific questions, please e-mail me at: [email protected] I don`t care if I sound like a commercial for Mark - the quality of our pictures is worth bragging about!! Good luck! Michele

Mark Kauffman.......Sonicstef

I agree totally with Shelby! We used Jody and Jack, the fine art photographer through Mark Kauffman and I nearly cried when I received my proofs. Each of the 1400 proofs captured the mood of joy and love, throughout the entire day! I only looked at one other photographer and saw all their boring posed pictures. In fact, I saw poses that my mom did in her wedding album from the 70's! They are more money, but I found it to be worth it. Remember, these pictures are the last thing you will have from your wedding.

Mark Kauffman.......

I booked Mark for my Nov. 2002 wedding. I meet with 6 or more photographers before signing my contract with Mark. And like the other brides I was just so overwhelmed with the variety and quality of the albums. Each one was very unique and really showed the wedding's style. I booked Lynn and Roy as my photographers. Mark has been great to work with. He is very flexible and responds to every e-mail/phone call.

Mark Kauffman.......(So very long)

When you say your package includes an average of 1000 proofs, are all 1000 proofs actually included or are you paying a price per proof beyond the first 500 or so? I've heard that a lot of photographers are starting to do that (like charging a dollar or $1.50 per proof), and that can get pretty expensive, particularly since you have no control over how any shots they take.

Mark Kauffman.......(So very long)

My package includes 1000 proofs but yes...Marks studio does charge 1.50/each for any over that. He was one of the only photographers that I interviewed that had this policy and it was one of the main reasons I booked him. (Most of the others said they could only gaurantee 300-500) If a photographer does not charge you per proof then he will stop taking shots after a certain # since he still needs to make a profit. In this case, their profit margins are not hurt by taking lots of pictures - which is what I wanted. Of course, I feel pretty comfortable that our photographers are not going to try to rip us off by taking hundreds of useless shots (if they did, their reputation would be very bad). Since I am so picky, I wanted lots of photos to choose from and this was one way I could assure that happens. But its all a matter of preference.

Mark Kauffman.......(So very long)

Just so I understand correctly -- the extra charge, in your case, first kicks in after 1000 proofs? Not before then? (I'm very nervous about getting hit with hidden charges after the fact!)

Mark Kauffman.......(So very long)

Yes, I have already paid for 1000 proofs in my package but since Mark customized my package based on what I wanted, I don't think 1000 come standard. There is also an 'unlimited' package that includes an unlimited # for a set price (but I didn't get that) My suggestion is to make a list of the things that are important to you and ask Mark to work out the best package he can for your budget. Tell him upfront you're concerned with getting hit with a lot of extra charges afterward - Im sure he will work with you.