Today, I get to introduce one of APW's newest sponsors: Kelly Prizel Photography, this is Kelly's first advertisement ever-ever-ever, and she picked APW because she specifically digs you guys, and what you're doing, and I love that.
I have so much to say about Kelly, it's kind of absurd, so here we go. Kelly is the co-founder of So You're EnGAYged, which is the best (or only? Ahhhh) wedding website for LGBTQ couples and their allies, which means her values rock. She is an art school graduate who now works as a wedding artist, and she shoots weddings in the New York City and Washington DC areas (hooray!!!) We've featured two of her weddings before, Desaray and Lauren and Sarah and Megan. I normally don't quote photographers here, but what Kelly said to me is so great, that I'm going to let her speak for herself. This is why she wants to work with Team Practical:
It's an interesting paradox to work in the wedding industry and yet be skeptical of it. I came to weddings after interning for a prominent photojournalist in DC who also did weddings. At the same time, I was planning my own marriage to my wife Natalie and it was very important to us that we have a wedding that reflected us as a queer, Jewish, non-conventional couple. As I started shooting weddings, I found myself falling in love with the myriad ways couples, gay and straight, found to express the uniqueness of their love without falling into all the conventional and commercial traps set by the wedding industry writ large. I want to work with couples who see the wedding day as a reflection of love, commitment, and family (of choice and origin) rather than a day to keep up with the Joneses. I've had several couples who have discovered my work on APW, and I have found that their values and vision really mesh with my own. At weddings, I'm often told "You're the happiest photographer I've ever met." I love weddings. I'm a bit of a sap- I tend to cry at weddings because I get to fall in love with the couples I shoot as well as fall in love with their love.
Oh. And for all her kick-ass values, Kelly is totally down to earth. So New York City and DC, your moment is now. Grab it!
Kelly photographed my wedding in September and she is FAB! My husband and I didn't want super-posed photos OR a ridiculously long session of family-staging pre-cocktail hour, but we DID want a person who would made us look as great as we felt at our wedding. Kelly and her wife both made that happen. I'm so glad she's joined up with the APW crowd!
February 1, 2010 12:25 pm
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Those are some amazing photos indeed! And nothing could be better than a photographer who's vision matches up with your own. Great post.
February 1, 2010 1:03 pm
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That top picture is just really amazing…I couldn't stop staring at it!
February 1, 2010 2:36 pm
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Hey! That top picture is me and my honey!!! What a mice surprise on an otherwise crappy day! I do not have enough great things to say about Kelly. Best photographer ever.
February 1, 2010 3:15 pm
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happy and down to earth are definitely *perfect* words to describe Kelly. But also, interesting. She didnt go to art school for nothing. If you ask nicely, she might send you her thesis on, like, feminism and medicalization of stuff and the body. And just when you thought youve seen it all and know everything, she'll blow your mind with a description of Laura Splan's blood scarf. So great.
February 2, 2010 2:57 pm
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[...] year, when my first sponsored post went up, I’d only had two APW couples. And I loved them. This year, it’s been crazy: [...]
June 23, 2011 9:45 am
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