Q&A with Sacramento wedding photographer, Teresa Klostermann

Wedding, Swedenborgian Church, San Francisco
Photo by Teresa K Photography

 The summer wedding season is rapidly approaching, and the first few months of the year is the time when planning is crucial. Trying to find a photographer with the highest level of quality-work to meet the wedding planner’s budget is one of many elements that make planning a wedding stressful. Hiring a photographer for the big day is one of the most important decisions in the planning process as it will be the primary visual documentation, aside from video services planned, to remember and celebrate the event for generations. It is not uncommon for a professional wedding photographer to have his or her summer calendar completely booked before the year even begins.

Choosing a notable industry professional with over 10 years of experience is really a game of chance when booking a specific summer weekend date five to six months in advance. If the date is available, the price for Insisting on paying high-demand rates can run upwards into the $10,000 range. Which is fine if you can afford it. Regardless of the scenario, there are plenty of alternatives out there that will get you equal, and often better, quality photographs from someone who is much less expensive and has a calendar that is much more accommodating.

Today we meet Teresa Klostermann of Teresa K Photography. Teresa is celebrating 13 years of marriage on March 1st, 2010, and she is the proud mother of two children. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Information Systems, and she has been running her photography business since 2007. The quality of her photography is nothing short of amazing, and her wedding and engagement photos are generating a buzz in the Sacramento area. Better yet, her rates are affordable, and her calendar is a little more forgiving than the over-priced-impossible-to-book photographer.

I managed to catch her in between visits to Starbucks, and she agreed to answer some questions. Please see Teresa’s slide show below the Q&A that follows:

At what point in your life did you discover that photography would have a profound impact on you?
I purchased my first DSLR in 2006 with the sole intent of documenting my family’s life. Well it turned out to be so much more than that for me to say the least. I was instantly addicted. I have always been a fan of the arts and really admired that kind of creativity -- from the sidelines. With my camera in hand I was able to take my view of the beauty of the world around me and translate that into beautiful pictures I could share with everyone. To finally find my calling in the creative world was a feeling that still gives me a high today.

Your portrait work is extraordinary. Was the decision to do wedding photography an easy one for you?
Aww, thanks! I wasn’t comfortable jumping in on the wedding scene when I first started out until I felt I had strengthened my photography skills as much as possible. Portraits are one aspect of a wedding and just one of the areas I worked on before deciding to become a wedding photographer. The transition to wedding photography was very natural for me because I had independently been practicing the skills of all aspects of a wedding just one piece at a time.

What is your creative philosophy when approaching all weddings you are hired to photograph?
I think it is very important to have a good relationship with my brides (and grooms) first to help develop that chemistry that will eventually translate to the final images. I spend a lot of time getting to know my couples before the wedding so that things flow more naturally on the day of and they know what to expect from me and my camera.

There is a lot of value in traditional wedding photography and capturing the planned moments and group shots. I like to expand on that tradition by not only getting the expected shots, but to also have a touch of that fashion and glam I love so much in my portrait work. And of course the photojournalism aspect that includes all of the emotion that is a key part of every wedding.

It’s also important that wedding photos stand the test of time. As a photographer I have to be adaptive to what’s beautiful and in the magazines today and what will compare nicely to Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa’s wedding pictures.

I find myself blending into the crowd at the wedding which allows me to capture the emotion of the day without intruding on it. By the end of the night, I’m usually regarded as one of the family!

Have you ever witnessed a Bridezilla moment, or a disruption during an event, that had a negative impact on you doing your job effectively?
You know, wedding planning can be a very stressful thing and even the most upbeat and happy brides can have their moments. And it’s completely understandable. For most brides, this is their first wedding and there is always at least one thing that doesn’t go according to plan. I try to be a calming force if my bride is starting to get tense. It’s important to reassure her that things will be okay and that the hiccups will be the things that make her day even more memorable. Being calm and helping people relax makes them happier and makes my pictures better.

What equipment do you always have with you on the day of the wedding?
I bring everything in my camera bag. But I generally lock my bag up and pull out only certain equipment to carry around in my shootsac depending on the venue and what part of the wedding I’m working on. I always have a back-up camera available and I always work with a second shooter to ensure every moment is captured. The day is too important to leave to chance.

I shoot primarily with my full frame Nikon D700 and a mix of fast zooms (f/2.8) and primes (f/1.4) all Nikkors. I think my favorite lenses are my 85mm f/1.4, my 50mm f/1.4, my 17-35 f/2.8 and my 70-200 f/2.8. I only use flash when absolutely necessary. I prefer soft natural light for my images.

The quality in low light settings with this camera and my fast lenses is incredible! Many churches do not allow flash and for me it’s NEVER a problem. I also carry 3 Nikon speedlights with stands and light modifiers for situations where the natural light isn’t quite enough and I generally am using an on-camera flash with a bounce card for indoor receptions.

I’m sure you get occasional Must-have-shot requests from your clients. Aside from those, what are the most important moments of the wedding day you feel the need to capture the highest level of quality?
I shoot everything and give my clients so many pictures; and for me, they are all very important and must be of the highest quality possible. The best pictures are often the unscripted ones. Quiet moments between a bride and groom that happen all throughout the day, mom crying while her daughter dances the first dance with her husband, Uncle Bob partying on the dance floor having the time of his life. They are all important shots, the bride and groom looking like they just stepped off the pages of a magazine or capturing the details of the reception or the bride’s shoes and dress. Clean, well-balanced, distraction free images that highlight the subject is the bottom line. And I love it all. Truly.

If you could photograph any specific wedding theme imaginable, what would it be?
I like the rock and roll bride stuff, but really any bride with a specific idea of her wedding and how she wants it to look is a good enough theme for me. Although…I think a Vegas Elvis themed wedding done right could be awesome. I’m a detail oriented person and when a bride pays attention to the details of her wedding it thrills me to no end because I get to capture it all for her!

What brief advice would you give someone who is photographing a wedding for the first time?
Make sure you know what you are doing. You are taking on a GREAT responsibility in photographing one of the biggest events a couple has in their lives together. There are no do-overs. I advise anyone who wants to do wedding photography to be sure-certain they have a good working knowledge of their equipment and how to use it in ALL situations. Don’t use someone’s wedding as a learning experience for how to shoot your camera. You really must have proven photography skills.

Make sure you’ve done some second shooting/assisting with a professional before you take on the responsibility of shooting a wedding as the primary photographer.

And if you’ve done all this already and are now venturing out on your own, I say good luck! This is a very open industry where people are willing to share their knowledge. Not many businesses are like that. Take advantage of it and make some connections! Knowing other experienced photographers with whom you can share ideas, get advice from, and pass weddings to when you are booked is a very good thing.

How do you deal with situations where photography enthusiasts attending a wedding or reception try to impose their own creative vision on your direction of the event?
Kill ‘em with kindness. Really. It doesn’t bother me much. Sometimes when I’m trying to get a crucial shot and a guest jumps up in front of me with their camera it’s annoying of course, but I just try to work around it. It’s impossible to tell people in today’s digital age not to bring their cameras to a wedding, so it’s just something you have to deal with.

As for the “creative” person in the set who likes to give me advice, hey, everyone had an opinion. I usually listen so as not to be rude, then excuse myself to go take more pictures of the bride and groom. The bride and groom hired me because they like my images so I stay true to my own vision.

Ok final question. You can choose two celebrities, or models, to put together for a bride and groom spread in a bridal magazine. Who would they be and why?
Models are too easy! I prefer working with everyday people and making them look their best on their wedding day. I’m not sure I could handle the pressure of a celebrity wedding anyway. Unless Brad and Angelina ever get married. Those are two really, really beautiful people with a great sense of style. I suppose I could make an exception for them (she winks). Call me Angie, when you’re ready…