Amber Wilkie Photography

Why do you want to work with APW Couples?

I really admire the way APW couples go about planning their weddings.  This community is so awesome for giving folks permission to create an event that matches their personalities, budgets and, yeah, dreams.  While 99% of the wedding industry is focused on selling something, APW is focused on helping you choose what’s right for you.  I love that and I love that when someone contacts me from APW, they have decided that photography is a priority. Plus, they don’t make fun of me for being a nerd. That’s an important trait.

Describe your artistic approach to weddings?

A wedding is about the couple, about their families, about people. A wedding is not about photography and it’s not a stage show – my job is to capture, not disrupt.  On a wedding day, I will pose 5% of the photos I take: couple portraits, family pictures and casual groupings at cocktail hour.  That is it.  Otherwise, I’m hanging back, looking for the moments that tell a story about who you are and what happened that day.

For couple portraits, I give simple cues and create candid, clear images.  I don’t use a lot of Photoshop actions or filters, leaving my images very clean and that means they’ll never be dated.  Time permitting, I also love to make some artsy portraits for you to hang on your wall.

What are your non-work-related hobbies?

I love road trips and traveling in general.  I do everything from incredibly cheesy tourist-trap stuff to seeking out taquerias in alleys.  Planning the trip is half the fun, but then I throw out all the agendas immediately upon arrival and just start wandering around.

If you could have a one minute dance party at your desk, what song would you pick?

Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough, Michael Jackson of course

Explain your travel policy:

I serve the entire DMV metro area – from Baltimore down to Richmond. Travel fees kick in if I need to get on a plane (did I mention I love to travel?).