WeddingDay Pro Spotlight: Kelsey Naab of Captured by Kelsey

The worst thing that could happen to a couple would be booking a photographer, going through the stress of planning a wedding, feeling the joy of your wedding day, then getting your pictures back to realize they weren’t at all what you expected. Overly posed photos and cheesy smiles fill your wedding photo gallery, and you know that you can’t use those photos for anything and wish you had a different experience.

Captured by Kelsey knows that feeling all too well and will do everything in her power to make sure it never happens to any of her clients. With her main goal being to get to know her couples and their expectations for their wedding photography, Kelsey is a photographer that wants to stick with you from engagement through your wedding and even beyond! We got the chance to chat with her about her passion for photography and the skills she brings to her industry.

What inspired your business? What keeps you motivated?

"When my husband Adam and I got married in 2009, I booked our wedding photographer entirely through emails (YIKES)! I was planning an Ann Arbor wedding while living in Costa Rica—and video calls were not the norm that they are today. The experience was not a good one and our memories are not preserved the way I envisioned or expected. When I look at our wedding photos, I see way too many posed photos, and a couple who is uncomfortable because they didn’t know their photographer. I can’t tell you how much I wish we had had a different wedding photography experience.

When I decided that I wanted to become a wedding photographer, I knew that my couples had to have an experience that would leave them feeling valued, loved and served from our first meeting to well beyond their wedding day. I’m committed to providing an experience that I wish I could go back and have."

Tell us about your experience/skills.

"Photography has been a hobby and passion of mine ever since I got my first camera back in middle school, but I officially started my photography business in 2017. At the time, I was still a full-time high school teacher as well as a wife, mom to my three year old son and pregnant with my daughter. Like any Type 3 Achiever would, I dedicated all of my available time and brain power to getting real-world experience with some amazing local photographers and soaking up as much photography and business education as I could from nationally known photographers. My communication, planning and organization skills from teaching have helped me create a stress-free experience for my clients—they can relax and enjoy their wedding day knowing the details and memories won’t be missed. I’ll never be done learning and growing, but after five years I’m confident in my craft, the client experience I provide, my style and my mission."

Give us an overview of your services. What makes your business unique?

"I offer engagement photography, wedding photography, wedding album and wall art design services, a modern photobooth and drone photography to my couples. While I love being a wedding photographer, I pride myself on also being my couples’ forever photographer. I offer exclusive portrait photography sessions to my past wedding couples so they never have to go through the process of finding a photographer they can trust their memories with again. Basically, I’m not a 'Have a nice life together' photographer, I’m an 'I can’t wait to capture the next chapter' photographer!"

As a business owner, what do you wish to accomplish with your customers? What can a couple look forward to when booking you?

"I want my couples to be filled with excitement and peace when I walk through the door on their wedding day because someone who knows and truly cares about them will be there to capture their story! My couples know that their wedding photos will look and feel like their memories. My editing style is bright and timeless, and I love capturing the authentic and emotional moments that unfold during a wedding day".

What do you love about the industry you work in?

"It’s impossible to not love getting to celebrate one of the best days of peoples’ lives on a regular basis! I am also consistently impressed by the creativity and passion that all of my fellow vendors put into their crafts and so honored to capture it all!"

What’s the most common question you get from couples? What’s your answer to it?

“'Have you photographed a wedding at our venue before?' is a common one. Obviously my answer to this question is dependent on the truth. I would caution couples from making this a deal-breaker question though. Can it be helpful if your photographer is familiar with the space and staff? Sure, it can be…but it also can stifle a photographer’s creativity if they photograph in the same location too often. If there are certain aspects of your venue that are important to you, share them with your photographer so they won’t be missed. If it’s truly important to you that your photographer has seen your venue in person before your wedding day, we can always connect with the Venue Coordinator and set up a tour or schedule your engagement session at your venue. Capturing the venue isn’t the most important part of your photographer’s job—capturing your love, the people and the moments most important to you matters so much more!"

What are the best tips you have for helping couples prepare for their big day? Any other words of wisdom to share?

"Take the time to know what your vision and priorities are before you start booking anything. At the end of it all, you deserve to have your wedding day be exactly what you want it to be and have no regrets. Then, adjust your budget and expectations based on your priorities. If having all the people there is what’s most important to you, you’re going to have to allocate more of your budget toward your food. If your memories of the day are what’s most important to you, plan to invest more in your photographer."

How do you calm the nerves of anxious customers? What do you do to make them feel comfortable?

"This is at the core of what I do—I get to know them! I take time to get to know my couples’ as individuals, their love story, their values for their present and future. Having a connection with your photographer is how the magic happens. Relationships and trust are how you can be comfortable and be you in front of the camera."

What are your future goals for your business? How do you see it growing?

"One of the amazing things about being my couples’ forever photographer is that my business will continue to grow naturally over the years as I get to capture more and more portrait sessions for my wedding alumni. I absolutely love getting together with my couples year after year to capture the newest chapter of their love stories—pups, babies, adventures, seniors…there’s so much more to come!

Also, after being a secondary educator for 13 years, I have a heart of a teacher that will never go away. I can see myself mentoring other photographers in the future and possibly expanding my business to include photography and business education for other creative entrepreneurs."

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