Wedding Photographer

Over 1,000 weddings photographed

It’s your life, your love, your story. You want the moment to last forever... the romance, the excitement, the celebration. That’s what we do. That’s what we’re here for. Over 1,000 weddings photographed in the Washington, DC Metro Area.
— Steve

Serving Frederick county, MD and all surrounding areas, Washington DC + VA

My wedding style is a mixture of Documentary, Fine Art, and Traditional. Let me show your story as it unfolds, with over 1,000 weddings experience, and 20 years of photography.

Steve Whysall is the winner of The Gold and The Silver Award in international competitions sponsored by the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Associations. (AG)WPJA is comprised of outstanding wedding photographers.

WANT TO SEE Full WEDDINGS BY COUPLE?

My Top Notch Wedding photos show vibrant colors with powerful lighting

Even these three wedding reviews have rich and vibrant colors

Some Wedding Reviews

  • 868 Estates Wedding Review

    The most under-rated and perhaps brilliant photographer within the D.C. Metropolitan area. I simply cannot recommend a better or more talented individual for any of your photography needs. Whysall Photography is hands down, the best kept secret in Northern Virginia. Your pictures will turn out remarkable, trust me! ((:-”

    — Amy

    868 wedding review
  • Breaux Vineyard Wedding Review

    Steve is absolutely fantastic. He will give you art. I honestly want to hang his pictures everywhere. I was completely surprised at how quickly he took pictures after the wedding. This guy knows what he is doing. His assistant Patrick is great as well. I wanted someone who wouldn’t just take still shots of everyone, and more candid, and he gave me exactly what I wanted. The moments he caught are magical.

    — Cathleen

    Breaux vineyard wedding review
  • Bluemont Vineyard Wedding Review

    Steve is AWESOME! He is edgy, creative, and far from your traditional photographer! He has an amazing eye and great vision! Great traditional pictures and breathtaking edgy pictures with flair, but still family appropriate. Such a true pleasure to work with! We would recommend him to all our friends and family! Best photographer EVER!!!!!

    — Suzy

    Bluemont Vineyard Wedding Review

What to look for when comparing photographers.

When you are comparing professional photographers, don’t get swayed by the pretty pictures.

You need to study the photographs in the portfolio with a critical eye. Look for negative space.  For instance, many professionals shoot horizontals when a vertical would have been better.  So look at the space from left to right of the main subject on a horizontal photo.  Can you cover the spaces with a piece of paper without ruining the look?  If so, there is too much negative space and it could be better. 

Look where the photographer cut off the photo of the people.  Was it at the waist, the feet, the shoulders?  Many photographers shoot and cut the people without understanding so they look weird. 

Do the colors look muddy and blah?  When you interview your photographer, ask to see his or her portfolio under all lighting conditions from bright sunlight, to cloudy days, to dark nights. The range of light will help you to see whether they can handle your 8 hour assignment.

Gold Award Winner

Steve Whysall is the winner of The Gold and The Silver Award in international competitions sponsored by the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Associations. (AG)WPJA is comprised of outstanding wedding photographers.

Some questions to ask your professional photographer: 

How many lenses do you have and for what purpose?

What are your lighting techniques, and how do you implement them?

Are you licensed and bonded?

Do you have props and backdrops?

Do you have an emergency contingency plan if you get sick?

What is your training and education for professional photography?

Do you charge extra for travel?  How far will you travel without charging extra?

Do you shoot alone?  Or do you have another photographer cover the event with you?

Do you charge extra for the negatives?

How long do you keep my negatives?

How many photos will I get?

What is your experience level and for how long?

What is your event style, documentary, traditional, or artistic?

What do you focus on when you shoot an event?

Wedding Style

Is a mixture of fine art, documentary + Traditional

When your wedding day is over, all you have are your memories and your photos. Make sure your photographer has the experience to capture the beauty of your day that will leave your friends and family breathless!

Educated at The Corcoran Gallery of Art

Educated at The Corcoran

I studied art and photography at The Corcoran. What art school taught was the classics. I learned how to pose you at your most flattering angle to get those amazing magazine style shots.

With every wedding my goal is to make you look like a magazine model no matter your age or weight.

 
Bride on sofa Flaming June Style

This is my twist to a famous portrait called The Flaming June

Many of my photos are created from art study with my own twist.

Learn About Flaming June

A good photographer needs to know more than art because the heart of photography is lighting.

The Heart of professional photography is lighting

Trained by National Geographic

What art school did well was teach art. But, lighting is the heart of professional photography. NATGEO is where I learned my expert lighting skills.

Having graduated top in my class at The Corcoran, I was chosen to accompany a locally well-known National Geographic photographer, Richard Nowitz, on travel assignments around the county.

I spent five years working for Richard before opening my own photography business.

My lighting will make you pop!

I understand how to see the light and how to make the most of it. Can you tell my assistant is holding and bouncing the light off this couple?

I’ve shown my solid wedding photography, but do you actually hire me or an associate of mine?

I shoot all my weddings. every. Single. One.

Many photographers display their best images and then book you with one of their associate photographers.

I don’t do that. You will get me and an assistant fully trained by me for every single wedding no matter how large or small it is.

Be sure to ask your photographer who will show up on the day of your wedding.

What we provide for every client

Satisfaction - Client satisfaction is our number one top priority because we want you to refer us to your friends and family

Experience - Photographer with 20 years of professional photography experience

No fads - We create a portrait that holds its value through generations

Professional - Photographer whose sole job is Photography.  We do not shoot weddings "on the side"

Educated - Photographer who is art school educated for creative compositions

Trained - National Geographic trained photographer for expert lighting techniques

Two Photographers - All weddings come with two professional photographers

Wishes - Photographer who is experienced in interviewing to capture our clients wishes

Full sized images - You get all edited full sized images of your wedding day for free regardless of the wedding photographer package chosen

Reliable - Photographers with a reputation of consistent, punctual, reliable show ups

Value - Excellent quality for a reasonable price

Simple Pricing -  Simple wedding pricing packages without upselling on the back-end

Ease - Our relaxed personality soothes and comforts to get your best expressions

Lighting - We understand how to SEE THE LIGHT and how to make the most of it

Staging - Creative on location staging to capture your most flattering angle

Insured - We are insured and bonded

File Storage - We keep your wedding photos for years

Service - Behind the scenes we act as wedding coordinator, necktie tier, hair stylist, and family manager

Know you - We meet again just prior to the wedding to understand your personality and needs

Focus - We give you 100% of our focus so you can relax and enjoy your big wedding day

Equipment - Professional equipment to shoot your wedding right such as lenses, transmitters, stands, and lighting

Exposure - We understand how to expose for different lighting scenarios, to get it right in the camera so we don't have to rely on Photoshop 

All wedding photography packages include edited full sized photos on dropbox and/or a thumb drive with joint copyright at no extra charge.  If you have questions about how far I will travel, what I charge, or what your copy right use of my photos will be please get in touch and I will be happy to go over your concerns.  Or you can email me.

Why Do You need a Professional Photographer for Your Wedding Day?

There are two main reasons. One is just because you have a digital camera, doesn’t make you a photographer. And, wedding photography is more than just taking pictures. It’s multitasking and managing common problems from the bride and groom arriving late, equipment malfunctions, storms raging in while your bide falls in the mud, or drunk Uncle Harry who is causing a scene. Here’s some real life examples.

Ever since digital cameras came onto the market, and they've become more accessible and more affordable, anyone can pick up a camera and take a picture.  Quite frequently, in the quest to save money, more couples are opting to have Uncle Harry or friend Mary take their important wedding pictures. Sadly, sometimes it doesn't go well when friends or family take your wedding pictures.

The problem is just because you can see the picture in the back of the screen doesn't mean you have a good picture.  Digital photography and proper exposure has to be more precise and more finite than ever before.  Digital cameras are way more unforgiving than film ever was, not to mention the fact that being able to get the technical side right is one thing, but to actually be able to see a composition or a picture, that's an entirely different thing.

You can study photography all you want to get the technical side right, creativity and problem solving on a dime cannot be taught. Creative photography is more innate than taught. Even though through technology more people can create pictures, true creative craftsmanship technically and creatively still remains the same. You need a craftsman and an artist to create professional still images.

In wedding photography, not only do you need a professional who can balance the technical side of photography, and the creative imagery, but you also need a strong and capable leader who can think fast under pressure.

Wedding Photography is also problem solving on a dime

For example scenario # 1 . The make-up artist was an hour late causing everything in the wedding to be behind an hour. The bride was fuming. The make up is done and we need nice bridal portraits, but now the sun is setting. Given that time is of the essence, your technical ability has to be exact, and your ability to see great compositions has to be exact. The shots have to come out precisely correct. There's no room for mistakes. You don't have time to fiddle with your exposures and your compositions. Get it done right, and done in the camera.  Under that scenario, I used available light (see prior post on available light) as I had already scoped the facility for the best shots at the best times.

Scenario # 2.

If your equipment fails on you, you need to be able to problem solve on a dime.

 The groom forgets the ring. I, the photographer, have to send my assistant to go get the ring. Meanwhile, the bride and the groom want pictures of them taken ahead of time due to the time constraints of the ceremony. A member of the wedding party assists me by holding the light. The light starts to smoke. What happens now? No assistant. No light. Quickly, and without hesitation I drew on my education and experience.  I used reflectors and dedicated flashes to solve the problem. These things really do happen during weddings. And the bride and groom have paid me to make their wedding pictures turn out professionally and creatively.  So you see, you need a professional who doesn't get          flustered and can work calmly through the issues.

90% of wedding photography is problem solving.

Just owning a digital camera does not mean you will take great photographs.  And, that's especially important on your wedding day.

Want to learn more? read my most frequently asked questions by bride and grooms over the years, or see where I’ve been published, or see Places to get married in Frederick.

  • Read my most frequently asked questions

    FAQ
  • See where I’ve been published

  • List of top 27 wedding venues in Frederick, MD

Wedding Client Concerns

I hate being photographed!  It makes me feel uncomfortable.

Many don't like getting their pictures taken, not even I LIKE IT!  We all feel a little self-conscious.  One thing I like to do is meet with the bride and groom within a week or two of the wedding to get re-aquainted.  Believe it or not, this helps ME take better professional pictures of you!  Getting comfortable with each other is very important to make your experience better, and to provide better photos.  On the day of your wedding while we are working I show you the photos in the camera, so you can get a sense of how they are looking great.  I have found that this helps the bride and groom to relax, and trust that everything is going well. 

I have no idea how to stand for the posed photos

Don't worry about that.  I will guide you on how to separate your feet, where to put your hands, how to turn at an angle, all the things you need to create a beautiful portrait.  This is why you hire a professional photographer, to help you look your best by posing you and taking your photo in the most flattering way.  My goal is to make each bride and groom feel like they could be in a GQ magazine regardless of age or weight.

I don't want the couple's photos in front of a large crowd

We don't take all the photos right after the wedding ceremony.  My style is to pull the bride and groom away from the crowd, periodically, and shoot some romantic photos of just the two of you, in an intimate, quiet area. This also helps build trust that as your professional photographer, I am in charge of your day!  Once it is just the bride and groom and the photographers, we take a few romantic and photojournalistic photos of the two of you, for about 15 minutes.  Then I send you into the wedding reception room.  Whenever I see the sun move, change color, or discover a new and interesting place to take a photograph, I pull the bride and groom aside, shoot for another 10-15 minutes, and send you back to the wedding reception again.  I do this periodically through the afternoon and evening, gathering interesting photographs that showcase your unique story as the sunlight changes.  I find it to be less intrusive, more fun, and we get more natural looking photographs at the end of your wedding.

I Want A Photo Just Like I Saw On Pinterest

Some brides fall in love with a photo they saw on Pinterest, or other social media, and they want to recreate it.  I love to recreate photos, however I always add MY twist to it.  It won't be identical. But, it will be professional.

About My Professional Wedding Experience

I tend to focus on the bride and groom, and the emotions of the day.  I strive to shoot my couples photos in a fine art style, making you feel like a magazine model.  Also, I shoot in a photojournalist style, capturing all the little moments when no one seems to be looking.

If you want a professional who captures your wedding in a fine art style, with some traditional posed portraits, and powerful couples shots with expert lighting, then I may just be the guy for you.