Meet Mariah, owner of Mariah Joy Photography, a Minneapolis-based multicultural wedding photography business.
Mariah’s love of photography started at a very early age. “When I was 14 years old, I traveled across Europe and that’s when I first had an inspiration to document everything around me.” Her parents supported her newfound endeavor-and were her first paying clients! Mariah was hired to take her sister’s senior pictures. The rest they say, is history.
Mariah Joy Photography specializes in multicultural weddings, thanks to a study abroad trip to Kenya Mariah’s senior year of college. Mariah describes shooting Kenyan weddings, “It was a total thrill to be photographing a wedding that had cultural traditions that were new to me. Because of the language barrier I couldn’t exactly predict what was coming next, and I found that to be a fun challenge.” This specialty photography is perfect for Minneapolis, where Mariah lives, because “many cultural communities are very under-represented in the wedding industry,” and she “set out to change that, and make it known that people of every culture and background have equal worth and deserve gorgeous wedding photography.”
Mariah’s favorite events to photograph are weddings. Although days can be long and sometimes stressful, she loves “that there are so many high emotions on a wedding day. I love getting to know the entire family and adding a positive vibe to the room.” And, of course, the music and dancing are always fun! We loved getting to work with Mariah on Kim & Kene’s Nigerian wedding, held at the Landmark Center.
When asked about her photography style, Mariah says she has a documentary approach to taking photos. She explains, “I love to document the unexpected moments, in real time. I much prefer this style over staged, pre-planned photos that someone maybe got from Pinterest. I like playing with both natural and artificial light, so my style is also dramatic and vibrant.” And when it comes to editing photos? “I would describe my editing style as timeless opposed to trendy.”
Mariah has great advice for couples looking for a wedding photographer:
Go with the one whose work makes your heart melt. There are lots of photographers out there. But usually, there’s just one or two that your mind keeps wandering back to. Pay attention to the way the photographers approach every moment, and pay attention to the style of their editing. Ask yourself if that’s what you want hanging on the walls in your home.
Meet your photographer before booking – you might love their photos but not jive with their personality. Remember that your photographer will be with you all day, so you want to really like them as a human being too!
Ask your prospective photographer lots of questions! We can handle it. Literally you can Google questions to ask your photographer before booking them.
Book an engagement session with the same photographer you book for your wedding! This is key, because this gives you and your photographer a chance to get a feel for working together. You will learn to feel comfortable with their prompts or personality while shooting, and they will observe your chemistry and be able to maximize on that on your wedding day!
We asked Mariah what she loves most about her job, and her answer will make you swoon: “Just as much as I love creating art, I love creating chemistry with other people. I love showing people the way I see them or their world, because it’s beautiful and sometimes people just need to step out of their own perspective and see it from a different angle.” She went on to tell us that she loves “that photography gives me the opportunity to help people see things differently.” Another plus? She’s a team player! “Weddings require lots of teamwork, and I love collaborating with others to make that magic happen.”
Are you interested in booking a wedding photographer for your big day?You can find Mariah on her website or on Instagram.
Elevated Style Events makes sure to help you envision, plan, and execute this one major decision for your wedding preparation. Our team understands how this can be an overwhelming yet exciting part of gearing up for your dream wedding. We are committed by giving our clients the utmost satisfaction and quality of service for your most-awaited lifetime celebration.
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