The world of weddings sure loves its labels. From bride and groom, to “traditional” versus “DIY,” on down to color choices and themes, many vendors think if they string enough buzzwords together they’ll understand who you are and where you’re coming from. But then there are others—like photographer Raven Shutley, AKA You Are Raven—that get that you’re more than the labels their industry tries to throw at you. Raven gets that beyond your wedding, your background, your job, your interests, you’re a deeply unique, multi-faceted, genuine rainbow of a human being and that is what should be celebrated in your wedding photography.
Raven gets that, and even more magically, she’s able to capture it:
If there’s one thing you should know about You Are Raven, it’s that she puts just as much intention and thoughtfulness into her approach to wedding photography as you have into your wedding. (And if I had to guess, that’s why APW readers have been trusting her to shoot their weddings for years now.) So if you’re looking for a wedding photographer that will go beyond doing the same old same old every weekend, and will dig in and get to know the real you, she’s the one:
Over the past few years, I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching to better understand exactly what I bring to the table for my couples. I realized I’m the kind of photographer who invites couples to be themselves so that I can showcase all the cool and amazing things they bring to the world and to each other in their relationship. It’s not about any of us being in any particular “box” or “club” so to speak; it’s about people celebrating what and who they care about in the way that really resonates with them. Period.
That’s why I love APW readers—because they’re so comfortable in who they are, and they are the type of couples who celebrate getting married in a way that’s meaningful to them. They are doing it their way, and I am here to help show that off with just as much of the same honesty, enthusiasm, and excitement in my photography. They might be introverts or extroverts, tattooed or buttoned-up, lions or unicorns, or all of the above. No matter what kind of magical creatures they are, I am there to just let them run free and have fun, and then capture all that love and energy at its best.
Raven not only loves working with you magical people but supporting and documenting you doing you has inspired her to be more confident about who she is and how she’s working to help make the world a better place:
Truthfully, I am being more honest about my passions than ever before, and I am very excited to share that with my clients. That means that not only am I showing them who I am and what I believe in, but being more supportive and outspoken in general for the ideas that matter to me. For example, I’m working on donating more this next year to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and Stand for Trees, which has been my longtime charity of choice.
At the same time, I’m working on an even more candid and “you”-centric approach to my photos, so my images reflect all the amazing beauty and creativity of my clients more clearly than ever. I’m putting myself out there, and that means I think the couples I work with feel open to doing the same. That kind of honesty means we can really have a great time together when it comes to showing off their party-animal selves in their images.
And you guys, Raven’s clients love her just as much as she loves them:
We love the crap out of Raven!!! We seriously could not have asked for a better experience. It was incredibly important to my husband and me that we found someone that was off-beat and super awesome in addition to being able to take a quality picture. I came across Raven’s site and couldn’t take my eyes off her work, and we fell in love with her demeanor before we had even spoken a word. Raven “soared” beyond our expectations in literally every category. Having the desire to travel and being reasonably priced about it was a big concern for us, as we had our wedding out in the-middle-of-nowhere, West Virginia. Raven was pumped to venture out and explore the site that we had chosen and by the time we first met with her in person, she had already done research into our venue and thought it was just as awesome as we did!
Personality also was a huge factor in deciding who to go with, and Raven totally stole our hearts. Not only does she talk business about pictures, but she asks questions about your relationship and gets details on the entire day. She really cares that your wedding day goes well and is seriously a mini wedding planner holding a camera. It’s something we weren’t expecting and really, really appreciated. Not only is Raven an absolute blast to work with in general, she is a creative genius when it comes to being behind the camera. The gallery of our wedding photos is astonishing. Raven did a phenomenal job, and I couldn’t recommend her more. —Jordan and Matt
You Are Raven is based in northern Georgia, but travels alllll over. She offers three wedding packages that can be tailored to just about every need:
PACKAGE 1: $2,900
- 2 photographers
- 6 hours of coverage
- Online gallery for viewing and sharing
- DVD of edited images
- Print release for future projects
PACKAGE 2: $3,900
- 2 photographers
- 8 hours of coverage
- Online gallery for viewing and sharing
- DVD of edited images
- Print release for future projects
- Portrait session + DVD of the images
PACKAGE 3: $4750
- 2 photographers
- 10 hours of coverage
- Online gallery for viewing and sharing
- Viewing and print ordering appointment
- DVD of edited images
- Print release for future projects
- Custom built 12 x 12 forty-page heirloom album
So if you’re someone who isn’t afraid to be yourself, who’s excited to share your love and your wedding to the world without apology, who is one of the beautiful and awesome weirdos that this world is made up of, then when you meet Raven, there’ll probably be a lot of “YASSS, YOU’RE IT! YOU GET IT!” and happy dances, because she’s one of those too.
Want to know more about You Are Raven? Raven’s an open book. Find out what she’s reading/watching/listening to, and see her in action here. Curious about what happens during a photo session? She’s got ya covered. Want to read what other couples have said about their Raven experience? Do it. Looking for totally transparent pricing options? You got it. And of course you can always get in touch to find out if you and Raven are the same kind of magical creatures.
APW READERS GET 15% OFF THEIR WEDDING PACKAGE BY MENTIONING THIS POST. AND YOU CAN SNAG AN ADDITIONAL 5% OFF IF YOU BOOK YOUR 2017 or 2018 WEDDING BY APRIL 4.
Plus 25% off travel fees, always!
