When we met Carolyn Pongracz, owner of In Bloom Photography, we could tell by her infectious smile and the enthusiasm she has when talking about photography, that she truly loves her job – and it shows in her work. One of the best features of In Bloom Photography is that Carolyn doesn’t have pre-set packages – she allows couples to put together their own customized package; plus, she works on an hourly basis and offers unlimited shooting locations throughout Southern Ontario. And that’s just the beginning.
Couples rave about Carolyn’s style. She’s laid back, casual and likes to stay behind the scenes- part of the secret to her incredible candid shots. She’s so good that many couples get their photos back, completely shocked to realize that she was even taking pictures at that moment. Here’s Carolyn’s story...
Personally Speaking....
Carolyn worked in radio before pursuing a career in photography, which she says accounts for her silliness and sense of humour. She was always interested in photography and decided to enrol in applied photography courses at college, just for fun. Within a few years of shooting part-time as a hobby, Carolyn was gaining enough of a reputation in the industry that she became busy enough to leave her day job and make photography her full-time career! She admits it was her “best decision ever!” She's been eagerly working with Southern Ontario couples now for the better part of a decade.
Carolyn is the only photographer for In Bloom, so you're always guaranteed to have her on your wedding day - not a random associate photographer. She regularly shoots more than twenty weddings per year in addition to engagement, boudoir and family sessions. For longer wedding coverage, she will sometimes bring an assistant with her (at no extra cost to you) to help carry equipment and set up shots. "Being the principal photographer gives me total control on the style of photography and the kind of shots that come out of the wedding". However if your heart is set on adding a second shooter to your package, Carolyn can certainly arrange one for you.
Roll With The Punches
Carolyn describes her style as, “casual, very flexible, and accommodating with just a touch of humour!” Her laid back, relaxed approach helps her capture those natural, candid shots that show off a couple’s genuine emotion. "My job is to document how the day goes, and to be as unobtrusive as possible so that real moments are captured -- not posed, imaginary representations of how the wedding happened." Carolyn often hears that couples love how easygoing and “anti-cheese” she is when she’s shooting. Because she loves natural looking shots, she’s not going to throw awkward posing instructions at you all day- she really wants you to feel comfortable and stress-free on your wedding day. "It's the only way to capture real joy and truly romantic moments as they happen."
Couples that book In Bloom Photography are usually young professionals that love to laugh and enjoy a great party on their wedding day. They’re outgoing and looking to have fun without taking overly posed, traditional pictures.
Karen Yolevski was married November 2010 and couldn't have been happier with Carolyn's work, "Carolyn has such a positive personality, it was easy to work our way through the different shots looking natural and having a good time. On the day of the wedding, Carolyn arrived early, and was in the bridal suite to greet me and my bridal party when we arrived. She was fantastic, capturing the flurry of activity leading up to the ceremony, without ever being obtrusive. She also managed to strike an excellent balance between the posed family shots that my family desired, and the more natural, photojournalistic shots I was looking for. Everyone was thrilled with the end result!"
Part of Carolyn’s appeal is her unobtrusive style. She likes to blend in with the crowd, something that helps her get those natural shots. She wants couples and their guests to relax and enjoy themselves without feeling like they have to be “on” all of the time for the camera. And, she's able to blend in with any type of wedding day you've got planned. She’s seen everything from short civil ceremonies to lavish Buddhist weddings and everything in between. Part of why she loves her job; “Every wedding is literally one hundred percent different than the last. It's exciting to watch the day unfold, capture all the details that so much hard work went into planning for, and document all kinds of interesting personalities from the wacky best man to the eccentric great aunt!”
Vanessa Cameron says Carolyn made a huge impact on her October 2010 wedding day, "She went above and beyond the role of a photographer. Even going so far as helping me get into my dress! We opted to have our photos done before the ceremony, and everyone was super nervous. She was cool, calm and collected and great at directing everyone. She took care of all the need-to-have shots and quickly accommodated any suggestions I had. I didn't have to worry about a thing, which was a great relief."
Build your own package
Couples that aren’t into pre-set packages will love the flexibility of In Bloom. You can choose exactly what you want without settling for items that you don’t need. Carolyn’s unique “by the hour” pricing lets couples create totally customized packages and choose exactly what they're looking for and for how long.
If your wedding is between April and October, you’ll pay $295 per hour with In Bloom. For weddings between November and March, you’re looking at $280 per hour. Weekday and Sunday weddings year round are $280 per hour as well. There is a 4-hour minimum booking for all weddings but other than that, you have the freedom to choose any type of package you like!
Your hourly rate includes unlimited shooting locations during the consecutive hours you've booked, all of your proofs edited with colour and density corrections, all of your proofs featured in an online gallery for three months so you can share your photos with family and friends, all of your proofs unmarked in high-resolution JPEG format on a DVD.
Everything else, like fully retouched prints, canvas gallery wraps, unique wedding albums and customized thank you cards are completely optional and available a la carte. You don't even have to book those up front -- you can wait until after your wedding is over to decide what kinds of 'extras' you're interested in.
Another added bonus with In Bloom Photography is their location. Because Carolyn's located in Brantford, she's central enough to travel to London, Niagara and most of Toronto with no travel fees. Contact Carolyn to find out more!
Carolyn’s process
Email is usually the fastest way to get a hold of Carolyn to set up a consultation- she’ll try to get back to you within a few hours.
Once you’ve set-up a consultation, you’ll meet with Carolyn at her home studio where she’ll show you a full wedding’s worth of pictures so that you can get a really good firsthand look at her work. She’ll go through her frequently asked questions, show you samples of her retouching work and explain the details of the wedding contract. She can even help figure out exactly how much coverage you need. "A lot of couples don't know how much time to budget for photos while they’re planning, so I can help them sort out a timeline to get all the photos they're dreaming of." The consultation is fairly informal and it’s an opportunity to get to know Carolyn and check out her work. There is no obligation to book.
Couples that decide to book In Bloom will sign a contract and put down one third of the total cost to secure Carolyn for their wedding date. A month before your wedding, she’ll contact you to go over the final timeline and locations for your photos. If you have a particular shot that you’ve always dreamed of, or anything special that you want her to know about, she’ll be happy to work out details with you. She also likes to go over back up plans in case the weather doesn’t cooperate or any other details that need to be ironed out to make sure your wedding day is seamless!
On the day of, Carolyn will be on location, ready to shoot! If it’s a long day, she’ll bring an assistant to help carry equipment and act as her “go-to” person, just to help keep everything on track. She likes to be as unobtrusive as possible, so that couples can really enjoy their wedding day without feeling like they have to constantly pose for pictures. Lastly, she’ll follow up with you to let you know when to expect photos of your wedding day.
Wendy Rego says Carolyn played a big part in her December 2010 wedding day, " I thought she was hilarious. She would throw in a subtle joke throughout the shoot, making everyone feel at ease. And she has such a great style of photography. Her creativity, great prices and flexibility in meeting our needs made her our obvious choice!"
Details, details, details
•The average bride spends between $2000 and $2500 on wedding photography and $500 to $750 on extras like wedding albums and prints
•Payments are divided into three equal parts. The first is due when you sign your contract. The second is due one month prior to your wedding. The balance is due within thirty days after the wedding, before your disc of images is shipped out.
•While most couples book nine months to a year in advance, but last minute bookings are always possible.
•HST is applicable.
•Couples can book In Bloom by the hour (four hour minimum).
•Newer work and current promotions are featured on Carolyn's blog: www.inbloomphotos.blogspot.com
•All pricing and information, as well as an extensive gallery of her wedding, engagement and boudoir work can be found on her main website: www.inbloomphotos.com
