LeShay's RM Review - Part 6: RM PHOTOGRAPHERS

[madenerg2]

During my stay in RM during Memorial Day Weekend – I was fortunate to meet with 3 great photographers:

1) Elizabeth Medina – We met at the El Dorado Royale. She was doing a wedding there, and she showed me an example of her portfolio in a photo book. Elizabeth shoots with a digital camera. Her style was photojournalistic and very beautiful. She works alone, and she takes plenty of back up equipment. Occasionally her daughter assists her. She actually lives in (or near) the Yucatan Peninsula – so her commute is about 4 hours to the RM, so her accommodations would need to be paid for. Her packages ranged in price from $3450-$5250, and the photo story book is an additional charge.
She also referred me to a videographer – Paul Schrank: Playa Weddings - Videography in Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya.
My FI asked her what we would do in case she was sick, and she said she would definitely cover our wedding – however if she absolutely couldn’t make it, she has other photographers in the area she would be able to refer us to if there was such a situation.
Many of her ’08 dates are quickly being filled.
For more info on Elizabeth Medina – Her website is: Mexico Wedding Photography, Yucatan, Mexico, Elizabeth Medina photographer

2) Later that day Claudia, of Claudia photo met me at my hotel. That was impressive. I was already confused enough driving up & down Rt. 307, so it was nice of her to meet me. Her dates were also booking quickly. She said thanks to the internet and the brides on this Forum, her calendar was quickly filling up as well. Claudia works with an assistant, and she also has a few photographers that work for her studio. Claudia showed me her work in a portfolio with 4x6s of many weddings she’s done. Her style was also photojournalistic, different then Elizabeth’s, but still very nice. Claudia and her team live in the RM, so you don’t have to pay for their accommodations. Her packages ranged in price from $1500-$3100, and the photo book is an additional charge. The deposit to hold the date is $200.
Claudia also referred me to a good videographer – Her Husband. She showed me his video reel, and it looked really good. His prices were very reasonable as well, although they are husband & wife, the video business is separate.
Claudia was also very knowledgeable about Hot Spots, and good places to eat in the vicinity.
For more information about Claudia, her web address is: Claudia Rodriguez, Photographer, Cancun & Riviera Maya

3) The last photographer I met was Vanessa Vargas. She’s only been doing photography for a little over a year, however, her work is great. Her style is also photojournalistic and she shoots with a digital camera. Since she is a new photographer she didn’t have the same type of portfolios, and photo books that the others had – HOWEVER, she was very flexible and willing to learn. She admitted that she didn’t have the experience creating the photo book yet, but she’d be able to produce the photos in a special hand made book. Her packages ranged in price from $750 - $2000. She gave me a video CD of her work. Vanessa was also very knowledgeable about the surrounding area, referring me to different resorts in Playa that she’s done photography.
For more information about Vanessa her web address is: Your Wedding


This last section concludes my RM review!

Thanks for tuning in -

HAPPY PLANNING!

[MagsieMexico]

LeShay -- Thanks for this! It's so helpful because I'm just starting to do my photography search!

Super helpful.

[TA Jill]

I'm glad to hear you met with Claudia, she seems very sweet from the email exchanges we've had. We are using citlalli from her studio as claudia was booked for our date.

[madenerg2]

You'll be happy with her! You made a great choice Jill :)

[CourtneyV]

So, do you know what photographer you'll be going with? They all sound great!! If you were to rate each of them, say on a scale of 1 - 10, how would you rate each of them? (haha, I know - it can be hard to do!). By the sounds of it, you can't go wrong choosing any of those photographers! Thanks for the review :)

[madenerg2]

I haven't chosen to photographer yet - I probably will do it by Monday the latest. Ok if I had to rate them, I would say:
Elizabeth Medina - 8
Claudia Photo - 7.5 (but a close
Vanessa Vargas - Strong 7, and close to a 7.5

[lambert13]

Thanks for posting all that info.

As an add on, we are booked with Vanessa Vargas for our July wedding. She has been absolutely wonderful to deal with so far. She answers emails the same day, welcomes questions and concerns and put together a package price to meet our budget.

[madenerg2]

Yeah I thought she said your name. You'll really like her! :)

[Morgan]

Thanks for the reviews. They are very helpful. I'm trying to hire a photographer soon!

[madenerg2]

You're so welcome. I hope this helps you find your photographer. :)