When three out of four of my closest BFFs were planning weddings in Maine last year, there was one checklist item I was worried about for all of them: photography. Because if there’s one thing that I know about Maine—having grown up and gotten married there myself—it’s that our wedding M.O. typically falls somewhere on the spectrum of “J. Crew ad.” Like, somehow there’s always a sailboat? And if that’s not quite your jam, it can be difficult, to say the least, to hook up with vendors who are up for doing things a little differently. All of which is to say I’m so excited to introduce Justine Johnson Photography, based in Portland, Maine, and serving all of New England and beyond, to you guys today.
For starters, Justine is here for your nontraditional ideas. (Big Gay Wedding Extravaganza carnival complete with bounce house anyone? Psst: See if you can spot the Wonder Woman cufflinks!) She will also make you look good even if you’re convinced you’re gonna feel awkward, and the best part is her pricing is super flexible with rates starting at just $1,000.
When clients talk about Justine Johnson, what they love most is how happy and comfortable couples look in her photos:
My (now) husband and I are not the kind of people who love taking pictures or consider ourselves very photogenic—and that is exactly why we were drawn to Justine. I knew she would bring it out in us!!! Right away she was chill, informative and competently non-judgmental! She was always on top of communicating with us and was full of information that was helpful to us. On our wedding day she and her assistant were totally on point. I can’t recommend her enough, and I wish I lived closer because I would have her photograph my entire life if I could!!! LOVE HER!
When we chatted with Justine (who really is as delightful as her past clients insist), she gave us this reassuring advice for everyone who thinks they’re not photogenic: “If you’re worried about looking awkward, that usually translates into laughing a lot, which will actually make the photos amazing and happy and fun.”
Because Justine Johnson gets that no two weddings are alike, she believes wedding photography packages shouldn’t be either. Her rates start at $1,000 for a couple hours of coverage (for shorter days and smaller celebrations) and go up to $4,300 for a full 8-hour day (with every amount of coverage in between). And all packages include a free engagement session to get to know each other and get those “I’m being photographed” jitters out.
But the best part is that you don’t need to figure out what any of that means. You can just contact Justine, tell her about your plans, and she will make a package just for you. (I mean, it’s about time someone figured out that no one was born knowing how many hours of wedding day photography they need.) Custom pricing will also always include any travel needed outside Portland, Maine—about half of Justine Johnson’s weddings each year are outside Maine, including Austin, San Francisco, New Orleans, Santa Cruz, New York City, Philadelphia, and Puerto Rico so far—and since she wants to make sure no APW readers are too far away, she’s offering a $500 credit toward any wedding outside of New England!
Justine’s solidarity with y’all dates back to her own 2009 experience trying to plan a wedding on a budget:
I’ve been following APW for many years and have always found that the messages and posts here ring so true to me! When I got married, our tight budget really made us focus on what was the most important to us during the day: that the people we loved the most got to have a fun party and watch us get married in the midst of it.
When a couple says to me, “We want to have a huge family and friend reunion and just see all of our loved ones smiling,” I know we’ll be a great match. I’m always willing to get creative to help couples who are super passionate about us working together but maybe don’t have the budget—so I always encourage couples to get in touch, even if they think I might be out of their range!
And with that, what are you waiting for? Check out her portfolio, learn more in the FAQ’s, then contact Justine, and let’s do this thing.
Justine Johnson is offering a $500 credit for weddings outside of Portland, Maine—just mention this post when you CLICK HERE TO GET IN TOUCH.
