hey!
My name’s Erika (she/her); Rikki to my friends, Fletcher to most people who know me in high school, Joy to anyone who didn’t take the time to read this page.
I live in Lynchburg, VA with my partner Jessica, our three cats and one puppy in an almost 100 year old house. (Don’t worry, we had it blessed so if there are any ghosts they are nice ones)
How did I get here?
By accident? I could tell you that I knew I wanted to be a photographer when I was 6 years old. But I won’t because that’s a lie.
I did always love looking at photos though, so subconciously I was learning what made a photo that would be treasured and eventually that led me to want to take photos for myself.
To me the photos that really mattered were photos of and with people where I could see the joy in my loved ones faces! Shots of joy one might say. 😉
I know you didn’t ask to see a bunch of photos of my life… but you also didn’t not ask? And a girl likes to show off her cats. (Coincidentally their favorite nap spot is on my camera bag?)
When I’m not running a business (so like, on Tuesdays, my only day off?) I like to bake, lift, thrift, garden and – when I’m able – travel!
-Fun
-Down-to-earthness
-Diversity
-Spreading the truth about Narwhals (they aren’t real.)
I am lifelong Nikon user. I have multiple Nikon Z series cameras in my bag and my all time favorite lense is my 35-150! I try to keep things in natural light much of the time (I feel like a flash can make you too aware of the camera) but I also keep everything on me for both on and off camera flashes as needed.
Yes. You can read more about this on my blog, but just know that most of the photos you see here are of people who feel just like you right now.
I’ll match the energy you bring to the table and try to stretch your comfort zone but not throw you in the deep end if you’re not ready!
So. Much. Editing.
Within 2 days of your session you can expect a small gallery of previews, because I know you’re excited to have some photos to share.
At a wedding I take anywhere from 3000-6000 photos. I don’t want to miss a moment of your memories. However, I promise you don’t want to see all those. Editing starts by me going though and deleting the awkward half blinking pictures, the duplicate shots, and the unflattering images. Then I go back through, and edit the photos that I know you’ll treasure. In the end you’ll receive around 75 photos for each hour of coverage.
I won’t do any body modifying edits on you, because you are beautiful just as you are, but I will touch out things like zits.
You can expect your gallery by your 2 month anniversary. (Yes, I do believe in celebrating those!) That gives me time to give dedicated attention to your photos!
It starts with an email – well, a few emails. We’ll talk through questions and I’ll send you some galleries to look through.
Then, if you’re booking a wedding, we will hop on a Zoom or Facetime call where we can get to know each other.
If, after the meeting, you’re certain we’re a match then I’ll send you a contract to sign and you can pay the initial retainer to lock in the date. No matter what type of session you’re booking, it’s not locked in until you’ve completed this step!
Transparency is super important to me, and sometimes in the course of emails or meeting together if I can tell I won’t be able to provide what you’re looking for I will recommend you to other photographers that I know can meet your needs better than I can.
You heard it here first folks! I’m on a mission to photograph a wedding in every US state by 2030. So far I’ve covered VA, WV, NC, MD, PA, NY, TX, TN, FL, MI, MN, SC, and CO. Just about 1/4th of the way there.
If you’re getting married in a state I haven’t been to yet, I have super affordable deals for you. Just check out my bucket list!