Wedding documentation for in-the-moment obsessed lovers;

looking to spend their day with friends and family.

For the family archives;

The photographs that you’ll get printed and pass on to your generations to come.

INQUIRY FORM

If you have any questions, please email me directly at madelinemullenbach@gmail.com

Each wedding package is fully customized based on location and time of the event. Elopement packages start at $3250. Wedding event packages start at $4400.

I primarily document through analog film mediums so there are no “film add-ons” as the package price reflects the documentation usage.

*I only take on up to 5 weddings a year to better and thoroughly serve each couple

Think of me as

a guest with a camera.

My Wedding Photography Philosophy

  • Your wedding day is meant to be spent with your closest friends and family, not spent posing all day in front of a camera. I'd rather capture more of the moments of you just enjoying your day - laughing with a friend, hugging your grandfather, just being with your people.

    I want you to spend your day with the people who have chosen to come and celebrate with you. Think of me as just a guest with a camera - who also takes your family photos post ceremony. And the photos of you and your friends laughing about a funny thing that happened on the way to your wedding. Or the guy who's trying to hit on your cousin.

  • Aren't I supposed to WANT you to care, being the photographer? Sure, but I'd rather you care more about other things than making sure a specific photograph is taken or not. My job is to document the day as it comes -- sun or rain, spills and stains, laughing mouths and crying eyes, a wedding crasher! I'm not there to fabricate how the day looks, I'm there to capture the real moments that I see. The real emotions that you and your guests show.

    I want to give you the space on your day to truly enjoy and soak it all in, not stand with me all day and smile for the same photo of just you two.

    Not to mention, the photo of you sneaking a kiss in between family photos to your new spouse is the one you'll love the most because you were the one who decided to kiss them, I didn't prompt your pose. (I like those the best, too)

  • I won't be taking photos just for the sake of Instagram (LinkedIn, whatever you fancy). The photographs that document your day are archival and timeless, at least I believe they should be. They deserve to be printed and in an album that is saved and shown for the generations you'll create.

    The blurry photo of you hugging your mom? You'll print that.

    The wide-open-mouthed laughter of your grandparent caught on camera? You'll print that.

    The dance floor photo of you and a friend you've known your entire life? You'll print that.

    The off-the-cuff "hey, smile!" photo of your mom's group of friends. You'll print that.

    Even if those prints live in a photo box in the closet to pull out to show your kids one day, they can live next to the formal portrait of you and your lover. Trust me, they'd rather hold a photo of you two than just see it on a screen.

  • Not every photograph will be in-focus and well exposed - and that's what I love about weddings...it's real life!

    When I'm given the creative freedom throughout the day, the creative work meets you and your family in unique ways with each wedding day/event. Each wedding is unique and the way I capture each day will be unique. Sometimes the colors will be different because the colors you have at your wedding are different than one you've seen me post about - but I always try to keep colors true to life, nothing that will age out in 5 years or is based on trends.

    I would rather deliver less photos to you but each and every one tells a small story in the blanket of your story. There won't be photos that you flip through, and skip over; only photos you stop and laugh through knowing the exact story behind a photograph OR letting me show you a different part of your day that you never saw; a perspective from a guest.

    (An 8-hour wedding day can expect 500 photos at the very least.)

FAQs

  • Analog film keeps me inspired and moving in photography. It’s not just the “look” that now everyone loves, it’s truly the process. Having worked at a film lab myself, you get to further understand what using a physical medium for documentation means.

    I love the scratches from the cameras that show up here and there, occasional piece of dust, and the fact that after using film, I walk away with an actual tangible negative, not just mystery files on an electronic card. I have tried to replicate the film ideal look with digital and every time, it's just really hard to do and personally, I’d rather just use the real thing!

    My pricing is already set up to account for the price of film and development, just like accounting for any other gear price. That being said, I currently use a hybrid method of shooting where I use both analog film and digital cameras. Sometimes it’s best just to have the digital as back up in case something jams or if the film is damaged in the process - the realities of using physicality.

  • Absolutely!!!

    I have an ongoing list based on location and experience of photographers that I keep updated. I love referring those who I know personally and have worked with before. I believe in there’s a person behind the business and I really love every opportunity I can get to brag on some of my artistic friends!

    My goal with only making myself available for up to 5 weddings a year is in hopes to find those couples that really click with me, who agree wholeheartedly with my wedding day photography philosophy (see above), and who genuinely WANT me to document their day. If you’re stuck between 2-3 other photographers and me, then we probably aren’t the right fit for each other and that is okay! When there’s money, time, and your wedding day involved, I’d rather you choose someone that you don’t have to think twice about!

  • Once you send a message to me above through the questionnaire, I will get back to you within a day or two responding with maybe a few more dialed in questions about your day or what you’re looking for, potentially with pricing if we’ve gotten that far. My pricing is set up a little different than most, where I custom build a package for each wedding (more on that below) Following that, I like to schedule either an in-person meeting or video call to get to know you a little more if we don’t already know each other. If it still feels like our visions and hopes for your day align and it feels right to move forward, we talk through logistics of pricing, contract signing, and travel (if necessary).

    I really want my couples to feel 100% sure about working with me and that means maybe a few more meetings or emails than you might send with someone else. I like to know family by name on the day of a wedding and that means getting to know each other! I’m only taking up to 5 weddings a year to best serve each and every couple with their planning and preparation of their day, as well as to be fully present to them through the entire process.

  • I work best (and to the fullest) when I’m given the space to create.

    I’ve been a part of too many wedding days where someone says they want the “creative, artistic, and documentary focused” photographer…but they never give them the space in the wedding day to fully create to the best of their ability or talent!

    Laid back schedules and a true desire to be more “in the moment” than “posing for a specific photo” is where I truly thrive on wedding days. Being given a shot-list and told what “creative” photos you want taken is not how I work best, and it will show in the photos. (See my wedding day philosophy above for more)

    Let the day go how it goes, whether their be an unexpected rain storm or someone drops the cake, just let it happen and let me document it as it happens. I’m not there to fabricate a day OR to have you stand and pose in front of me all day. I’d rather be seen as a guest with a camera, walking around, hanging out with your family, tagging along with you both right after you’re officially wed and then let free to roam.

    You’ll know I’m there sometimes, and other times, I’d rather you didn’t know I was there. That’s when the best natural moments happen.

  • Of course! I’m based out of Louisville, Kentucky, but I am willing and happy to travel anywhere!

    I do offer discounted travel pricing to a few cities where I have friends and family to stay with.

    Any travel pricing will be included and stated in the invoice and initial conversations. There will never be an “Oh! we never talked about that being something we pay for!” Everything will be very up front and stated clearly in contracts and invoicing so we’re all on the same page.

  • I truly love the interactions between you and your friends and family that ONLY happen at weddings. There are, of course, all of the other exciting things going on in the foreground, but there is something special about those stories that arise from weddings that seem to transcend time.

    These are the kinds of stories you share decades after it’s all done, eaten, and faded away.