Names: Trish & Jared McMillen
Location: Las Vegas, Nevada
Company Name: Studio ATG
Number of Years in Business: 5
Website: www.studioatg.com
Blog: www.studioatgblog.com
Twitter: @studioatg
How did you get started in photography? We both attended the school of hard knocks when it came to photography. Jared and Trish are both self taught photographers, however, Trish’s dad was a professional photographer when she was a kid, so she learned about shooting and working in a dark room. Jared was a professional rock climber who was used to being in front of the camera and eventually jumped to the other side of the lens. Eventually we ended up working for such clients as The New York Times, National Geographic Adventure and US News & World Report to name just a few….
What did you do before photography? Trish was the international Public Relations, Marketing & Sponsorship Director for an oil company and Jared was a Professional Rock Climber.
If you didn’t do photography for a living what would you be doing instead? Working at Ethel M Chocolates… Lucy and Ethel Style…Tough job, but someone’s got to do it.
What are some of your hobbies? Skiing, Hiking and Photography.
What is the craziest wedding experience you’ve ever had? Long story, mostly it was having Mr. T as a minister at one of our events. He was awesome and we pity the fool who doesn’t use it for their wedding!
What is the best wedding experience you’ve ever had? Every wedding experience is the best for us. We love the experience of getting to know our couples and being a part of the most important day of their life. It’s a very unique position to be in, and we both just feel very lucky that our couples put their trust in us when it comes to their memories. And, we feel very glad knowing that they will look back on how hot they looked and thinking of us….
What is your inspiration? Life….we’re humbled by the enormity of it and the pressure of making it count.
Name an exotic location you’d like to visit soon. Fiji, Bali, Bhuton, our back yard…..
Why do your clients choose you over some of your competitors? Cause we like to have FUN! Oh, and we take some seriously kick ass photos!
What is the best piece of advice you can offer a bride and groom on their wedding day?
Couple of things: first and foremost, enjoy yourselves; it will go so fast, you might miss it. Have fun and most importantly-know what you’re getting when it comes to photography.
A couple of great ways to help in selecting the right photographer:
1.) Hire a photographer with whom you have a strong connection. The result will be incredible photos and a life long rewarding relationship as a result of someone greatly caring for your memories.
2.) Don’t just trust the internet to determine quality of the photographer-any more it’s very easy for folks to throw up some photos and call themselves photographers. Meet with your photographer in person or speak on the phone if possible, view the quality of their work, and gain a real understanding of what you’ll be getting so there are no surprises later.
3.) Ask questions; if it makes you feel more comfortable to have a greater amount of knowledge, answers shouldn’t be a problem for a professional photographer. Wedding photos are the absolute most important part of a wedding as they are what remains after your incredible event. It’s great practice to treat them with the utmost care, while taking the time to seek out a professional photographer who too will treat your memories like gold.
Anything else interesting you’d like to share? No. Just kidding!
