Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Santos
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
It seems unreal to say I have been shooting weddings for over 18 years. The very first time I captured any wedding photos at all, it was completely unplanned. At that first wedding, I found out that the father of the bride was going to be the one taking his daughter’s wedding photos, but he was also the one walking her down the aisle. Something in me couldn’t let that moment be missed, which it would have been, since this was before every single guest had cameras on their phones. I ran and grabbed my friend’s film camera, shot a few wedding photos and developed them for the couple. I was hooked. Since then, I have been flown all over the United States by my amazing couples, as well as 5 other countries to shoot their weddings. I absolutely love what I do and still get excited about each wedding this many years later.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Thankfully, most of my stories from working in the wedding industry this long are just over the top, too much fun, crazy types of stories. Unfortunately, there have been some absolute horror stories along the way, too, but I found a way to limit those as much as possible. Now, I make sure that I meet or talk to both people in my couples before signing on to shoot their wedding, not just to one of them, or only to their planner. (I do love talking with planners though, please hire one!) Whether that is a quick video call, or meeting them for the first time during their engagement session… meeting both of the partners helps us all see if we are all a good fit for each other, we all want to be there, and from there we can create some amazing results together! Don’t worry, if any of your readers out there crave the wedding story drama, some of those have already made their way up on my blog… & I still have plenty more to write.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I specialize in some epic night time portraits, if I do say so myself. I love looking back on how I made shots work at the very start of my career without all of the fancy tools I carry with me now. Looking back that far, it’s hard to believe I really shot full weddings solely on film (and not because it was trendy, but because it was all that I owned). I am beyond thankful for that type of get-it-right-in-camera training. Now, nothing scares me when I show up to a new venue anywhere in the world. It gives me the freedom to create magic out of anything.
If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?
I was born and raised in South Florida and like to think that I was pretty well rounded growing up. I started playing the piano at 8 years old, continued on to events and some state wide competitions, and I still play on that same upright piano almost every day. Our varsity volleyball team let me be the setter, and I honestly thought it was the coolest thing ever that our paper would print out the game stats so we would get to see our names in the paper. Traveling drama team was a big part of my life and also, there was puppet team. Let that sink in. Yes, I was a puppeteer and we put on shows for younger kids. Personality wise? I’m not sure if I have changed that much since I was in about fifth grade, I’ll ask around.
Pricing:
- Wedding Photography & Engagement packages can be found on my website, with full details of what is included.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.elizabethbirdsongphotography.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/photographeramy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PhotographerAmy/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@photographeramy3116
- Other: https://elizabethbirdsongblog.com
Image Credits
Only one behind the scenes shot by Budge Sarver. All others taken by me.
