Catherine StraumeWeddings & Portraiture

My style I would describe as bright, happy, dreamy, intimate, and fairytale-esque. I am best at shooting entirely or partially outdoor weddings & receptions with abundant natural light. I also like to keep posing to a minimum and rather use ways to get genuine reactions with a little guidance on what to do. I'd rather have photos that feel authentic and full of emotion for you to look back on that capture the two of you and the feeling of your day perfectly. 

It all started in highschool almost 10 years ago. From there I went to college and into various photography related jobs including working in a local studio & printing lab. I branched off on my own over 5 years ago, made a name for myself as a freelance photographer before discovering my passion for photographing weddings and deciding to specialize in/primarily fill my schedule with them and the rest is history!

We are located in Everett and travel all over the greater Seattle area as well as travel! 

Yes! We do have two sweet kiddos at home that I have a hard time being away from for too long before I go through snuggle withdrawls though so I limit booking destination weddings to only a few select dates a year. 

Never ever! I have loved weddings since I was little, having an obsession with The Princess Bride, Ever After and basically anything magical and romantic. I cry at almost every wedding I attend both as a hired photographer as well as weddings I'm attending as a guest. I love every pert of weddings and being surrounded by the sheer happiness of the day. There is no other profession that would give me as much pride and fulfillment to be a part of. Hiring me to share in your joy and document one of the most important day in your lives is an absolute honor and it will never get old for me. 

We have been doing around 20 weddings a year on average and keep bookings at or below that so I can focus on each one and give every wedding and it's images the time and dedication they deserve to give a stunning finished product.  

Our Elopement Package offers one photographer for very intimate and limited coverage, otherwise we have 3 other package options which all come with 2 photographers. If you would like 3 photographers that can be added to your package but we rarely see the need unless the wedding is a large size. 

You will receive the vast majority, I only exclude images that may include someone blinking, or sneezing for example, images that are virtually identical and a handful of test shots I take to make sure the lighting is correct. We will be delivering every good image we have taken which is a lot, a minimum of hundreds and hundreds! 

I do not have a specific number I give because so many factors will be at play including one versus two photographers, how many hours of coverage, how many details, events and elements you have incorporated into your ceremony/reception, as well as venue size and number of guests. I am comfortable giving a range of at least hundreds if not a thousand or two thousand images if you are receiving all day coverage. We take a lot of images!

On average up to 4-6 weeks for an entire wedding gallery and 6-8 weeks in peak wedding season (June through September here in WA.) Although I like to get them out as fast as I can and upload sneak peeks as I work to help tide you over, I know my couples are dying to finally see their photos and I am just excited to share them!

You will receive all of your images initially on an online viewing gallery from which you can download all of your images as well as share the URL with your friends/family who can also download selected images and even order prints directly from the website. There is a great slideshow feature to sit back and relive your day as a beautiful series of images blown up large on your screen. This is such a convenient way to view, download & order prints as well as share with family! My packages also all include a custom wooden USB drive which will have your images pre-loaded onto it for you to have a physical copy. 

All of the images you receive will include light editing which is basic adjustments including making sure the exposure/lighting, color, sharpness and contrast etc are all even and perfect. I go through all of your images and will do this more of a "batch" if you will, selecting more photos at once that need the same adjustment and apply it at once. All of these photos will be beautiful. Now the final images of your choice I call "custom fine art images," these final photos you have selected as favorites according to how many are assigned in your chosen package will be individually brought into photoshop where I will refine in closer details selecting specific areas to brighten/darken, sharpen/blur, add overall tone adjustments, remove distracting objects in the background, even remove blemishes etc. These edits take me anywhere from 10-40 minutes depending on how many different elements are going on in the image. All of your photos will be beautiful but these are going to be ones for your album, stunning and perfect for you to proudly show off for generations to come. 

You may either order your album directly through me or I can give you the names of professional printing labs I would highly recommend. Take a look at my pricing for more information and a list of products I offer. You may also order prints directly through your image gallery's website which has high quality images at competitive prices. Once your images are delivered you may make prints through whichever company you'd like as you have unlimited printing rights, no need to only go through me to get prints of your photos as some photographers do.