About Heidi Borgia Photography

Thank you for considering my photography services for your wedding! I love what I do and am proud to be the top rated, local wedding photographer on WeddingWire.

Of course, you have a lot of options when it comes to hiring the person to capture one of the most important days of your life. Here are some things to consider:

• Hire Local. A photographer based in Monterey County that knows the venues, vendor teams, planners and coordinators will ensure a smooth wedding with the least amount of stress. I have lived on the Monterey Peninsula since 1993 and have photographed at 190 venues (indoor and outdoor). My equipment is here as well as backups in the highly unlikely event of an emergency. As a local, I know about all of the permit requirements and all venues (including the State Parks) has my insurance on file.

• Hire someone with a lot of wedding experience. Since 2009, I have photographed over 600 weddings ranging from small elopements to larger events with 350 guests. As co-owner of Weddings in Monterey, I have also been involved in at least partially planning hundreds of weddings. If something at your wedding just doesn’t seem right, I will work to fix it. My goal is to not only provide you stunning images, but to work seamlessly with the rest of your vendor team to give you the wedding you deserve.

• Avoid paying for digital files. My fee includes all of your edited images delivered via digital download in both social media and high resolution files. There is no need to purchase additional prints or the “digital file” at an additional cost. You can print images when and where you wish (high resolution).

• Out-of-town photographer? There are some out of town photographers that offer wedding photography (either on their own or through national companies) at a reduced fee. My caution is this: Will someone who travels from far away, who doesn’t know the area or the local vendors, be capable of providing the same level of service as a local professional? If something goes wrong, and they have no plans to return to the Monterey Peninsula, will they offer the same level of care that a local would? If working through a national company at a low rate, how invested are they in making sure your wedding photos turn out their absolute best? Do know also know where they can legally take your portraits (if not at your venue) without getting fined for not having a permit?

• How important is lighting? On the Monterey Peninsula, our weather can be quite unpredictable — even hour by hour. Starting to shoot in bright sun and then having to adjust to rolling fog or overcast skies is not unusual. I have studied lighting techniques for the past twelve years (local seminar, national trade shows - WPPI, mentors). I come to every wedding prepared with an assistant (helps me to be super efficient with your time) and lighting ranging from on camera flash to two portable studio strobes (off camera flash). I have photographed in bright sun on the beach (the hardest situation), heavy fog in the park and receptions in dark rooms with low ceilings. I can get creative when I need to and it shows in my work.

About Heidi:

I am a local wedding photographer based in the Monterey area. I'm also a mom to twin 17 year old daughters, husband to a great guy named Brian (married locally here in Monterey) and dog mom to Max - our 13 year old German Shepard that we adopted a few years ago and Gino the black cat. For fun, I like reading, hiking, going to movies and volunteering to serve breakfast to our local homeless here in Monterey on Saturday mornings.

What do you receive when you book a wedding with Heidi Borgia Photography?

Each wedding comes with a private online shareable photo gallery. You will be able to print the high resolution digital JPEG images on your own with a photo release. I have the latest canon gear, so you'll be able to print them out to as large as a 30"x40" canvas on your wall. I can get you prints, canvas and albums as well and offer substantial discounts the first month after you have received your full wedding gallery. You can also download the images for social sharing.

What's my photographic style and what type of style do I edit with? My photographic style - I use a mixture of guided posing and shoot candid as well. I'll easily guide you both along the way with prompts to encourage the most natural expressions from you both - hoping that you'll forget that I'm even there!

My shooting style - What you see is what you get (minus shadows!). If there is a blue sky, that's what you'll see in your images. To enable this to happen, I've trained extensively in the art of photography as I know what needs to be done to ensure this happens. I bring portable lighting as needed on location as well as use scrims to ensure the least amount of shadows during those sunny California days. I also ALWAYS have an assistant on hand that helps me with my gear so I move quickly and efficiently.

I edit all images for tone, color and contrast and if needed, will "re-fresh" you if needed. I compose each shot with a trained eye, so I normally don't need to photoshop out elements that are not wanted in the image. I don't provide RAW images.

I produce images that are seen very similar to the naked eye. I don't overly expose images and also don't add dark filters to my images. My goal is that in 25 years time - your images will be as classic and timeless as they are today.

What other items do I offer?

Prints, Albums, Canvas, Movie Slideshows, 2nd photographer (comes with 7 or more hours), Engagement shoots...

What makes me unique? Why should you consider me to shoot your wedding?

I've been a full time photographer since 2006 - that translates to a lot of wedding photography experience. I don't get flustered with any lighting situation I walk into - I think that is important when you hire a wedding photographer. The photographer really needs to know how to read light and how to work their magic with your camera. I've shot almost a thousand weddings. In addition to being a photographer, I'm also a wedding planner. My husband Brian and I own a business on the Monterey Peninsula called Weddings in Monterey.... www.wedddingsinmonterey.com . We've had this business since 2009. We assist with almost all aspects of wedding planning and also provide tables/chairs/arches if requested. We assist with the wedding set up amongst help from other great local vendors. Why is this important? I've been in quite a few situations where something let's just say does not go "as planned" and someone needs to step in and help out the situation. Sometimes the wedding planner is not with us each moment of the day - and I can help out by professionally knowing what to do and how to handle the situations that may arise. My husband Brian is the officiant and I am the wedding photographer. Of course, we work separately as well.

I've been in the hospitality industry locally since 1994 which is also super helpful as I personally know quite a few in our local industry here on the Monterey Peninsula. Working with friends you've known for years is a huge plus for all.
I don't have a fear of speaking to large groups of people. If I have to get everyone's attention for a shot (say group of 200?) - not a problem. I do it in a kind/gentle way. Your time is valuable and we'll do our best to keep to the schedule we've laid out together. With that said, I'm super flexible. Your timeline is really a 'guide' for us - if we are able to stick to it - great... if not, we'll roll with it and be flexible.

My husband told me to mention that I'm one of those people that is super friendly and gets along with everyone. He also said that I "keep things moving" during a wedding, which is super important. He said you "don't want a photographer that fiddles with their equipment or is slow in the photo process of shooting". There is honestly no lag time when I'm working. I'm always shooting something during our time together.

How long should you hire me for?

It's really up to you. If there are only the two of you (no guests) and hour may be just perfect. I do require over a certain amount of guests that you hire me for additional time. On weekends in the summer, I also require a minimum amount of hours. I do love elopements, small and intimate weddings as well as large 300 person weddings with 24 people in the wedding party. I've had experience will all types. Just ask!

I've assisted hundreds of couples with setting up their full day wedding timelines and I would be happy to do the same for you both. The average wedding is about 4-7 hours. Please contact me and I can send you a timeline questionnaire... this basically will guide you along in the process of what is possible to be captured during your day. For example, you could do a first look with your partner before the ceremony down at the beach as well as decide that you really want to throw your bouquet at your reception! There are many things to consider and I will happily help give you all of the options available and we can plan your memorable day together. You may decide that you want everything captured during your day and you may decide that not everything is necessary! Let's talk!

Can I stay longer on the day of your wedding? YES! If for some reason you feel that you'd like me to stay on, I can easily do so. We can decide right at that point. I can stay on for even just a 1/2 hour longer if needed.

Last little thoughts...

Your wedding is such an important time in your lives. It marks the beginning of your new lives together. The two of you have spent countless hours making sure that everything is how you wished it would be. Photography captures all of this. All of the important details. At the end of the day, you will have everything you have worked for in pictures for a lifetime of memories.

Investing in these memories is priceless. For that reason, I highly suggest that you meet/sit/talk with your photographer about these very same things. Ask them what their style is and look at their photo galleries. Ask to look at full photo galleries and not just the one's in the portfolio (ask me too!). As you may see.. I post MANY pictures on my wedding portfolio for just that reason. I am not the norm. I want you to know what is possible and how all of my work is similar and cohesive.

Once you know what they technically can do (work in any given situation at hand), you also want to make sure that you "connect" with your photographer. That means that they will be able to connect with you both and work easily with your guest/family members. Only through this real connection will you be able to get lovely moments back through the lens - authentic and real images. I don't do my job because I have to, I do it because I love it.

Reviews are important too! I'm honored to have the most amount of five star reviews on Wedding Wire of all of the local wedding photographers. When people are happy with the service/product - they tend to share their thoughts!

Areas Covered
Heidi Borgia Photography serves all of the Monterey Peninsula area, including Monterey, Carmel, Carmel Valley, Pebble Beach, Pacific Grove, and Big Sur.