Johnny Cheng Photography
vendor review: photographer
how we found him
we can across Johnny's work by word of mouth - that is seriously the best marketing campaign a business owner could have. two of my coworkers gave me Johnny's information on two separate occasions. when I went to his website, i was in love. and his instagram! his photographs are timeless, elegant, graceful and beautiful; exactly what we were looking for as our own wedding memories. when i reached out, he sent me his pricing sheet with package and we immediately scheduled and appointment to meet with him.
first meeting
we met him at the Starbucks across the street from work. his first impression was perfect - always wearing a smile, down to earth and comfortable with conversation. he didn't mind me bombarding him with the questions Pinterest, Ruffled Blog and The Knot had prepared me for when i met with a photographer. but after 10 minutes, i felt sure we had found our guy and the interrogation turned to casual conversation about his pup and recent trip to Italy. we left feeling like we didn't need to look any further.
engagement session
it was a freezing day in February when we all met at the Krog Street Market end of the beltline. seriously, it was so stinking cold with a horrible wind. he suggested renting bikes, but i had worn a dress and wasn’t sure how well that was going to work so we passed. we ended up walking down the beltline to Ponce City Market, taking pictures in front of this skyline or that building. he was able to tell us how to pose, when to turn and where to look. Which i was very appreciative of since i haven’t learned my angles. i know, Tyra would be disappointed.
while the photographs he ended up taking that day were great, looking back, i should have shown him a couple poses i knew i wanted because in my rush to get everything done and my burnt out wedding brain there were definitely some positions i wanted but forgot to suggest. however, he was able to make a freezing cold day look warm, inviting and happy which was impressive.
as far as turnaround time for our engagement photographs, it was about 4 weeks.
Jas and i both thought that overall, it was a good shoot; he provided tips and tricks for how to stand, lean and engage the camera that helped on the actual wedding day.
wedding photos
our wedding photographs are amazing, even better than our engagement ones. we love their light and airy quality with pops of color; he kept the whites incredibly bright maintaining a clean, crisp appearance. they look timeless.
he took a ton of pictures, which meant there were a lot of options when selecting our favorite, which i loved. he was able to capture our faces before, during and after whatever we were doing at the time which was fun to get to see.
something i did not do, was provide a checklist of poses. Johnny was able to capture many of the ones i had wanted and more that i hadn’t even thought of, but because i hadn’t given a checklist he didn’t know i had wanted a photograph of my entire family (cousins, aunts and uncles) or more photos of the girls getting ready (applying lipstick, sipping champagne, sliding on my garter). and because that day was a whirlwind, i did not even remember to ask for these. my suggestion, remember to talk about the pictures you definitely want to have forever.
the turnaround time for our wedding photographs, it was also only 4 weeks. and we love them!
communication
overall his communication was good, with email responses professional, but friendly. in-person conversation was honest and casual. we always enjoyed speaking with him.
we did experience some lengthy delays in email several weeks before the wedding which did cause concern at the time. he did end up getting back to us shortly before the big day though and was able to ease our minds.
a communication hurdle i ran into was when i was trying to outline the day of schedule. he did not estimate how much time would be needed per section of the day so i was left to make that decision. he said he could work within the schedule i had and while this is flexible, it did make planning difficult because i wasn’t sure how much time he needed per section or what poses he was going to try to get at each area. my suggestion is to ask specifically how much time is needed to photograph getting ready (him and her), the first look, family photos, cocktail hour photos, etc. and be sure to mention what you’re hoping to capture through each session so you don’t forget anything.
final thoughts
overall, he was fantastic to work with, very professional and delivered superb work. he was able to make his clients feel at ease and comfortable; he was an absolute joy to work with. we felt we definitely were given our money’s worth - he really does great work!
the communication that caused concern was minor and does not make me hesitate when suggesting him to anyone who needs a photographer. he’s top notch and we highly recommend him! thank you Johnny for making our day incredible and for capturing the memories forever.
i think wedding venue shopping was the hardest for me in the process of wedding planning. there were so many options, especially within Atlanta. once we chose our venue, everything else fell into place.
with the view of Piedmont Park and a pretty outside space, Park Tavern is a pretty venue within the heart of midtown. if you're looking for a wedding venue and need some insight, read about our experience here.