Blog

 

How long has Siesser Photography been around, and where are you located?

I started my company in 2004 while finishing my senior year of LSA at UofM Ann Arbor. All my housemates thought I was crazy because I invested so much time into photography that year, and not enough into my degree. Turns out the Philosophy/English major isn’t too practical.

 

How did the company get started?

It’s funny actually - when I went of to college in 2001 my parents bought me a Point and Shoot digital camera so that I could share my time at college with them. It was a way for them to experience it with me, and also to find out what the 30k a year was going towards! While I did photograph all my adventures I actually found that I really enjoyed photographing other things: computer keyboards, mouses, pens… Back in those days computers were slow so you had to find ways to spend your time while Word booted up! Around my Sophomore year one of my good friends started photographing weddings. I was really blown away by his images. If you were to ask me at that time what wedding images should look like I would have said: “Well you need a bride and groom at the front of a church with all their family standing around formally.” His images were totally different. They were full of life, natural, and spontaneous. Around that time another one of my friends was studying journalism and she had this huge Nikon camera. I was really impressed with that as well. I’d say between the two of them I knew that I wanted to explore imagery more, and so I just started studying it on my own. I would study images, read books at the bookstore, read online forums and just loved it. I was obsessed. Eventually I built a website to show off my work, and to my surprise people wanted to hire me!

 

What is the most important question that couples you meet with forget to ask - and how would you answer it?

Q.Can we see your work from a whole wedding? A.Yes!

 

So many wedding photography businesses out there have a lot of great portfolio images but when it gets down to what they are producing week in and week out it doesn’t look the same at all. I think my work every weekend is special and unique. I want to show couples I produce all the time and that is a big deal.

Do you work alone at weddings, or do you bring a second shooter?

Always two photographers. This is a big deal especially during the ceremony. It’s great to be able to have someone capturing the processional while I am able to be in back with the father and the bride. I also love to get that sweeping panorama shot of the bride and her dad coming down the aisle from behind, as well a close up of the groom’s face. I can do that while the other photographer captures the bride and her dad’s expressions walking down the aisle. There’s usually so much emotion there and it’s critical to get the shot.

 

How far in advance do you typically book a wedding?

I typically book about 8 months in advance.

What other types of photography do you offer that might be of interest?

I am really interested in shooting film and large format fine art photography. I really just dabble in this but you can check my blog for the latest updates. I also run another company that shoots Super 8 wedding films - IN Films. If you are bride that should definitely be of interest! I am honestly amazed at the raving reviews we get from 100% of our clients.

 

What are some of your favorite locations to shoot?

Downtown anywhere. Detroit is great but any urban-y area is always the best! Even lighting, big backdrops, etc.

What makes a location less desirable for a photographer?

Terribly lit locations. While photographers can use flash, generally it just doesn’t look as good as natural light. This is one thing brides never really think about either: how well lit will my reception or ceremony be? This is huge not only for the photography to look good, but also so your guests can see whats going on.

 

What makes Siesser Photography different from other companies out there?

There a few things.

1. I only work with 20 or so brides a year so I think that alone makes me special from 80% of the studios in Detroit. I really like to get to know my clients, and can because there are so few of them.

2. I not only work with 7 different album companies that all rock (think custom tailered album) but also make tons of amazing custom prints (you’ve really got to come in to see them - there is no lab in the country that makes the things I do).

3. I am an obsessive perfectionist. I love for things to look good and really care about my work. You are guaranteed to get quality because it is important to me not only for my business sake but my personal soundness.

4. I think I am a fine art photojournalist. I think this is unique combination of qualities. I love beauty and the feel of images but I also like the real moments. My style is unique blend.

What is something that people would be surprised to know about you?

I love to Rock Climb. I travel all over the country to do it, and spend way too much time every week training and climbing.