Andrew Essig and Kate Gass's company, Visual Roots Photography, is based in Woodland Beach, offering wedding photography all across Ontario with a specialty in catering to weddings in Muskoka, Georgian Bay, Collingwood and surrounding areas. In a mix of candid and unique portrait shooting styles, this photography duo comes to your wedding armed with 10 years of experience working together as a photo team. With a love of the outdoors that's reflected in their photography, and the fact that they aren’t afraid to get dirty, Visual Roots has photographed over 150 weddings. They focus on putting clients at ease and delivering a high quality finished product. And, judging by the feedback from brides who used their services, mission accomplished. Let us explain...
From studying together to shooting together
Andrew Essig & Kate Gass met at Fanshawe College in 1999 while taking the photography program. After graduation (and Kate's post-graduate diploma in Digital Imaging), Kate moved to Vancouver, something she had planning to do before she'd ever met Andrew. Andrew decided to move back to his hometown of Wasaga Beach. "I lasted three months before I missed Andrew and my family too much," remembers Kate. She moved back to Ontario and bought a house with Andrew in Woodland Beach where, in Jan. 2001, they opened Visual Roots Photography. The couple admits their personalities are "very ying and yang which makes for great decision making." Kate says that she works best in the moment whereas Andrew is the planner. "He likes to view the area we'll be photographing and then plan out great shooting spots."
Together, this photography duo shoots an average of fifteen to twenty weddings each year - mostly in Muskoka, Georgian Bay, Collingwood and surrounding areas - with over 150 to their name since officially opening the Visual Roots doors. They are inspired by life, people, magazines, nature and other great photographers.
Brides who love Visual Roots
This photography couple describes their brides as fun-loving, outgoing, and non-traditional. "They love the outdoors, they're daring..." Often, the brides that come through their doors are from out of town. "They're cottage lovers, sweet, down-to-earth couples who are obviously in love." And most often, they're having a destination wedding in Ontario - Muskoka being a gorgeous area to do so!
Kate and Andrew know that personality is important. They tend to describe themselves as relaxed, flexible personalities. "We're working for you and your vision of your day. Photographing every minute of it," they explain. They pride themselves on their ability to keep clients relaxed & having a great time.
Ed and Christine Tjeerdsma used them for their wedding in September 2010 and say they were friendly and made them comfortable from the first meeting to their engagement shoot to the wedding day.
“Kate and Andrew were very casual, yet professional - which I think produced more relaxed and natural photos.”
Specialties
With Visual Roots Photography, you're getting two professionally educated and experienced photographers at your side on your wedding day. Kate and Andrew specialize in candid photography and unique portraits. They also love doing outdoor photo shoots, capturing natural backdrops and natural light within each of the memories. Sometimes this means working in almost any weather condition to get the perfect shot - and that's just fine with them. They believe that going above and beyond is part of the job description. “We go the distance to get the image. If that includes laying in the mud, walking into a cold lake, climbing a tree... Not a problem. We are not afraid to get dirty or wet! We have photographed many weddings in the freezing cold or pouring rain.”
Andrea Merrington and her husband Michael used Visual Roots’ services for their September 2010 wedding. What they like most that Andrew and Kate’s photography was candid and natural. “They seem to incorporate the natural environment in many of their photos and their photos do not appear staged,” says Andrea.
The photographing duo captured Lindsay Murphy’s wedding in August 2009, and she loved the end result. “I didn't feel posed and when I had a request or suggestion they were very accommodating… We took two months to decide which pictures to enlarge because we had so many AMAZING pictures to choose from.”
Walking you through it
Couples can email or phone to make an appointment at Visual Roots Photography. Kate and Andrew then find out everything they can about your wedding plans, and by listening begin to discover the vision you have for your day and offer any help they can from their years of experience. From there, they will start discussing products and help you figure out how many hours of coverage would suit you best.
Once you book with them (they suggest 8 to 12 months ahead) you will meet one or two more times to chat, depending on what works best for you.
Since most of their brides are from out of town, they work to accommodate their needs and they also help with vendor referrals for their area. They pre-scout locations prior to the ceremony, making sure they will not be surprised by anything and deciding where to shoot in case of a busy area or inclement weather.
On the big day, both Andrew and Kate are there. They split up at the beginning of the day, Andrew with the groom and his groomsmen and Kate with the bride and her bridesmaids. They meet up just before the ceremony and then photograph the rest of the day together.
Brides love the fact that they are a husband and wife team.
“The other photographers I looked into only had one photographer and with Visual Roots you get both Kate and Andrew. It made it so easy on the wedding day because Kate spent time with me as I was getting ready and Andrew was with my husband while he was getting ready,” Lindsay says.
All the preparation pays off, and brides that have used Visual Roots photography were thrilled with both the photographing couple and the results.
Emily and Darren Illingworth, married in August 2010 say, “On the big day, it was like having your close friends with you. They fit in, got along great with all the guests, and got some amazing pictures that really captured the tone of the day.”
Packing your Muskoka memories Packages and options to choose from
Visual Roots Photography offers several wedding packages ranging from light coverage to full day service. With prices that range from $1700 to $6000, Kate and Andrew offer coverage for shorter, local weddings and for all-day and multiple day destination weddings. Their average bride spends between $3000 and $4000.
They offer two different types of proofing, online galleries and paper proofs, depending on what the client is looking for. They also offer engagement photos, trash the dress sessions, signature books and mattes. Custom designed wedding albums come in three price levels.
High resolution files are included in some of their top end packages and can be added to other packages.
Their most popular products are thank you cards, engagement sessions and engagement signing albums. Kate and Andrew say this is because they get to know their clients and what they love, “their wedding colours, themes and plans and put all that into photographing them and designing these special items that match them and their weddings.”
Trends
Over the years, Kate and Andrew have likely seen just about everything when it comes to trend and photo shoots. But right now, they're seeing brides going breaking away from tradition, going for a more vintage vibe, trashing the dress or shooting the day after the wedding images.
A few of The Ring's favourite things...
• That they fell in love with each other at the same time they fell in love with photography
• Fabulous online portfolio (be patient, it’s worth the wait) & blog!
• Destination weddings in Muskoka are one of their specialties
Details, details, details
• The average bride spends $3000 to $4000
• Prices are subject to tax
• Shipping and travel expenses are extra, where applicable
• An $800 retainer books your date with Visual Roots and remaining payments can be split up however you like.
• The full balance is due three weeks before the wedding.
• Kate and Andrew recommend booking them eight to twelve months ahead of your wedding date. "We have and can accommodate last minute requests if the wedding date is still available. Every year is so different from the last on which dates are most popular," says Kate, making booking time difficult to predict.
