WHO: Mitch Maher and Jessica Mericle of Ritual Photo Work in San Francisco
WHY: The best part of working with APW sponsors is that you never have to wonder if they’re going to get you (let’s be real: APW sponsors come here because of you). Ritual Photo Work in San Francisco is no exception. Mitch Maher and Jessica Mericle, the married team behind Ritual Photo Work, are the kind of cool artists I secretly wish I could be like. (Jessica runs the San Francisco lifestyle blog Thread & Bones, and Mitch is a brilliant commercial photographer who studied photography at Spèos Institute Photographique in Paris.) Mitch and Jessica use their twenty-plus years of photographic experience to create wedding photos that are part-documentary-part-editorial (translation: seriously good), but they’re all about respecting the significance of your wedding and never imposing their vision onto it. And to top it all off, Ritual Photo Work is offering a special APW-only package that includes full-day coverage at ,000, which is… half of what I was expecting, so take that and run, y’all.
WHERE/HOW MUCH: Ritual Photo Work is deeply embedded in San Francisco culture, and they have mad love for their city. While their full-day wedding coverage is normally ,500, Mitch and Jessica are offering a special APW-only package for $3,000, all-in. (I know. I had to read it twice to make sure I wasn’t making it up.)
Most wedding photographers I know these days are self-taught. And while there’s nothing wrong with that, Ritual Photo Work is kind of a unicorn in this business. Not only are Mitch and Jessica classically trained photographers, but they’ve got more combined experience than I have years on this earth. Mitch says:
We both studied photography abroad in creaky wood-floored studios in Paris. Photography is so egalitarian now that I think the amount of wedding photographers who really made serious studies of the craft is diminishing (studied photo as a highly technical vocation, I mean, not in art school where anything goes).
Skill and a sense of humor? Yeah, I’ll take that.
So what does that mean for your wedding photos? Well, for starters, Ritual Photo Work can handle just about any technical situation you can throw at them. (Low lighting? Outdoor reception? Whatever, they got this.) But for Mitch and Jessica, it’s about so much more than just applying their technical know-how to your wedding; it’s about respecting both the traditions of weddings and breaking them. Mitch and Jessica explain:
Couples are packing ever more meaning into the promises made in front of families and friends, and that’s largely due to the APW community. Your celebrations are full of intention. We’re seeing an evolution from traditions and clichés to unique, memorable, and individual rituals for each partnership. We couldn’t be more excited to both watch and be a part of this transformation, creating a body of work that documents every kind of wedding from all walks of life.
We’ve never had a client who wasn’t a dear friend, although few have started out that way. We are personable and easy-going while also being professional, timely, and respectful. We solve problems that our clients never ever knew existed and everyone has a great time while it’s happening. We have continued friendships with all our clients, but we’re not going to be too pushy or cozy with you during your event; we’re excellent communicators; we’re very clear with our clients about what they want and what they’re going to get.
Full-day coverage with Ritual Photo Work starts at $3,000 (a special APW-only price, because they love you) and includes an online gallery of web-sized JPEGs and digital delivery of hi-res TIFF files. They also offer elopement coverage, which begins at $1,300, and portrait photography for $700. As for travel, Jessica and Mitch say, “The Ritual Photo Team loves new places and has no fear of flying. We will travel to your destination event at no additional cost.”
I know how hard the wedding photography search can be in this crazy expensive, over-saturated market. So if you’ve been coming up empty in your search for experienced Bay Area wedding photographers who are laid back and don’t cost twice your budget, then Ritual Photo Work is here for you. They’ve got just the right mix of knowledge and experience, with zero pretension and lots of love for all the things that make APW weddings awesome and unique (not to mention… the photos). So get on that. Because unicorns don’t just happen every day.
Ritual Photo Work‘s special APW-only package starts at $3,000 for full-day coverage. Click here to get in touch with Jessica and Mitch today!
