Here’s 20 things you should know about Will and Lucia, the wedding photographers of Focus Photography.
We're married to our best friends too!
We even work with them – we’re married to each other. Our success working with couples in love comes directly from our success being a couple in love.
Yes, we have different last names (William von Wenzel and Lucia Razionale), but don’t let that throw you. We were married in a church in the North End of Boston (St. Leonard’s – it’s pretty), and neither of us wanted to see a nice Italian name like Lucia paired with Will’s Bohemian surname.
“
I really wanted to work with photographers who would understand how I felt as a bride. One woman we met with, though she is a great photographer, she was bitter about her own divorce. Not a vibe I wanted. Another couple had a houseful of kids at home, and seemed more exhausted than in love. Another woman was really friendly, but she wanted to know if any of the groomsmen were single, and I wanted her to be focused on us.
Will and Lucia were the perfect fit for Derek and I. They’ve been married a while, but they’re still a couple trying to hang with each other whenever they can. We were completely comfortable being ourselves around them.
”
“
We wanted photographers we could be ourselves around, and not feel self-conscious. We wanted to feel good about who we are, and about our relationship, and not judged.
When we met with Will and Lucia, you could tell they were more interested in us, and what would make our wedding perfect, than in boasting about themselves. They understood us in a way other photographers we met with could not.
”
We work Weddings from Newport to Bar Harbor
We work weddings in Providence, Boston, Portsmouth, Portland, and up to the midcoast of Maine without a travel fee.
Though we’re based in Portland now, we’re both from the Boston area, so this territory reflects our stomping grounds 🙂
Convenient for you!
Even though we have a 2500 square foot studio in Westbrook, we also have a wedding showroom at the Maine Mall because it’s often more convenient for couples to meet with us there.
And if Portland isn’t convenient for you, we can meet you midway between us, on a zoom, skype, or facetime call, and even at your wedding venue.
We’re full-time photographers who run a full-service business, and we’re here to help.
Our background is Fashion - not journalism!
We create images that will make you look great, because our background is in fashion photography.
With 95% of New England’s wedding photographers describing themselves as photojournalists, this point is huge!
Wondering what the difference is?
Photojournalists follow the mantra that says “document an event without coaching or interfering” which is great for perfectly photogenic couples who don’t want arranged pictures. Patience and aloofness are important skills for PJ shooters.
Fashion photography is all about making the subject look fabulous so viewers will aspire to be them. Lighting and posing are crucial skills, as is communication with the client.
At Focus Photography, our clients hire us to make them look the best they can in their wedding pictures; to take group and family portraits that flatter everyone; and tell their stories in a way they’ll want to relive.
If a room is cluttered, we’re going to get it straightened. If someone can look better in an image with just a little direction, we’re going to give it.
If you think your photographer should be working with you to get great images, and not just photographing what they see happening around them, click the link below to start a dialogue about your wedding.
We'll plan & schedule a relaxed wedding day!
Doesn’t that sound like an oxymoron?
Planning and scheduling sound like the opposite of relaxed and laid back, but they’re not.
Chaos and stress are the opposites of relaxed and laid back, and they’re what happens without a good plan.
When you choose Focus Photography for your wedding, we’ll work with you to produce a photo timeline so we can both know that we’ll capture everything you want, and that you’ll have plenty of time to be able to enjoy your wedding day and your friends.
Your family and wedding party will appreciate the clarity of knowing when they’re supposed to be ready and where they’re supposed to be, and you’ll get the confidence of knowing your day will be perfect.
“
Will and Lucia were fantastic, they made sure everyone was where they were supposed to be and when. The plan they made with us told us where everyone should be, and what we had to do, making it so we could be relaxed and enjoy ourselves. We didn’t have to worry that we’d be late for anything, run out of time, or not get images we wanted. We were able to fully be at our wedding and know that all of the important moments were being captured.
”
Wedding @ The Colony Hotel
We'll take great care of your wedding party!
We’ll never forget that your wedding party is made up of your closest friends and family members, and we’ll treat them like our closest friends.
We’re going to treat them like VIPs, but a little like VIPs at a celebrity roast, where Tinderella and the Lady Killer (don’t even pretend they’re not in your wedding party) will be the ones being roasted.
Here’s how. You’re going to tell us all about the people in your wedding over the next few months as we put your timeline together, and we’re going to use the stories you tell us to keep your friends laughing.
“
Our families and our wedding party can’t stop talking about how much fun they had being photographed at our wedding!
Brady and I knew we would love working with you, but he was amazed at how quickly Will became one of the guys, and never imagined his buddies would do any of the things they did, never mind enjoy it!
Photography was my most important priority for the wedding (after Brady I guess). I love reliving every picture, how much fun we all had, and how good we all look!
”
We really believe that 'Love is all you need'.
If you are two people who love each other, then that’s all we care about.
It doesn’t matter to us if you’re marrying a man, woman, or a martian – we only care about the emotion you feel.
And inclusivity isn’t just about gender and sexuality – we’re age and ethnicity inclusive too.
Our couples have ranged from their teens to their 80s, and we’ve worked with people who are from every continent except Antarctica, as well as American couples who can trace their family history to those continents.
As Lennon and McCartney wrote:
All you need is love (All together, now!)
All you need is love. (Everybody!)
All you need is love, love.
Love is all you need (love is all you need).
Will & Lucia shoot every wedding themselves.
Forgive the momentary lapse into third person, it made a better headline.
Lucia and I shoot all the weddings at Focus Photography, usually together. When you look at our website, we photographed every wedding, and we’ll shoot your celebration the same way.
We don’t subcontract weddings out. Photographers refer to subcontractors as ‘associates’, and we think the practice is deceptive.
If a wedding photographer tells you they have an associate available, they’re literally telling you they’re planning on hiring someone else to shoot your wedding for less money than you’re paying them. And if that’s not enough to make you uncomfortable, subcontractors themselves can send a different person – totally legal as long as the ‘job’ gets done.
We think weddings are no place for subcontractors, and we don’t do it.
When you choose Focus Photography, you’ll work with us.
“
”
Rachel’s wedding is featured in the attached slider.
This won't be our first rodeo!
We’ve worked hundreds of weddings together (and even more separately). And just like TB12, every time we suit up we’re a little bit quicker anticipating what a party is going to do, a little sharper in our own focus, a little bit better deciding how to cover a shot, and we store up a little more experience for when things get tricky.
At every wedding we shoot we strive to improve on what we do, and your wedding will be the best we’ve ever shot, have the most complete plan for the images, and give you the most variety of images we’ve ever presented. All of the events we’ve photographed over the last dozen years have prepared us for your wedding, and we can’t wait to show you what we’ve learned.
We think your dancefloor is as important as the wedding altar!
When your party heats up, we don’t head for home – we head straight to the dancefloor!
Did you ever wonder why most photographer’s portfolios only feature images during the day outside?
It’s because it’s so hard to get great party pictures! The lighting is low, the floor is packed, and camera flash can ruin the atmosphere. A lot of photographers say ‘No one is ever going to hire us for our party pictures’, and they call it a day.
We think that’s crazy! With all the time and expense that goes into planning a reception, you deserve party pictures that are awesome.
Will there be a band, wandering into the crowd? Will you have the hottest DJ who keeps your friends in perpetual motion? Will your grandfather jump into the circle?
Whatever happens, we want to make it epic. We’ll be right there alongside you, ready for that moment!
“
”
“
Will, you captured the picture I’ve always wanted! In all the years our band has performed, we never got a picture that captures what it feels like to see the crowd enjoying our performance like this.
Thank you so much!!!
”
Leader of the Bob Charest Band
We got our start in Black & White!
Will actually had a darkroom in his basement growing up, and learned to develop B&W film before he ever handled a camera.
Our clients get images that have been individually processed to show the full range of blacks in each picture. These are rich, authentic B&W images, and not just color images converted to grayscale.
You’ll get artistic black and white images from you wedding, and as a bonus, you’ll also get those same images in vibrant color as well!
The most vivid colors
Love isn’t dull – it’s dramatic, bright, awe-inspiring and fully saturated.
Our images reflect the vibrancy of love, full of rich hues, and never washed-out, drab, or faded.
As you look at our galleries, note the chromaticity of the images, and how your eyes react to the color.
Family is in our blood!
We both come from big Italian families, and so we understand the meaning of getting your family together at your wedding. (Lucia’s family is all Italian, and while Will is only half, it’s his Italian relatives that he considers his family).
We moved back to New England from Southern California to see our moms more often – that’s how important our families are!
The pictures of our parents and grandparents at our own wedding, both the formals and the candids, have become even more important as we’ve lost people to time.
Family, after all, is the reason you’re not getting married in Fiji, and we’re not going to overlook yours at your wedding.
“
So, I just wanted to drop a note and say an above-and-beyond thank you for your attention to taking so many wonderful pictures of my grandparents. We will treasure them always….You are amazing and we had a terrific time with you both.
”
We play well with others!
Some kids behave in the sandbox, and others think its their own fiefdom. The same thing is true at weddings.
At Focus Photography, we know that everyone has to work together smoothly for your day to run the way you want. We won’t let you be late for the introductions, we won’t get snooty when your aunt takes a picture with her iPad, and we won’t sneak you off without telling your DJ. If you hire videographers, we’ll share our time with them.
And that’s one of the reasons why more than fifty wedding venues in Maine, New Hampshire, and Massuchusetts recomend Focus Photography.
“
We love having Focus Photography work at the Wentworth by the Sea. They keep things fun, they run on time, the images are great, and my couples are always happy.
That’s why I’m using them for my own wedding!
”
Catering Sales Manager
Wentworth by the Sea Hotel
We're not distant and aloof
We custom design all our wedding albums ourselves!
Here’s another benefit to having a full service studio – you’ll be able to talk to your album designer personally, and make as many revisions as you’d like!
Most wedding photographers have their albums designed by a service, and couples have little to no input on the finished product.
That won’t fly at Focus Photography. We know that we’re creating your first family heirloom, and we want it to be perfect for you.
You’ll be involved in your album design from beginning to end, and we wont’ go to print until you’re 100% thrilled!
We know your choices will make your wedding unique
There’s 6, 502 important decisions you’ll have to make after choosing Focus Photography to be your wedding photographers, and its our job to create a little piece of art out of each of them.
Whether it’s the design of the napkin ring, the color of the men’s socks, the hand painted welcome sign, or the individual table numbers at your reception – your touches and your decisions will be important, and then gone.
We promise, we won’t let them be forgotten.
We'll show you all the ways we can photograph you - ahead of time!
It’s one thing to look at a wedding picture and think it looks nice, and another entirely to be the people in that picture!
Wedding photography is a little unfair, because we all have things about us we don’t love in pictures; ways we stand or face that we think don’t flatter us.
If you could see yourself in all the pictures beforehand, you’d know what you liked and what you didn’t.
That’s what we do. We include a pre-wedding romantic shoot for all our couples for this very reason. Think of it as an engagement shoot on steroids. We’ll create images where you’re a little piece of a work of art; tight images that capture the closeness of a couple; choreographed images, where we give you just a little direction; camera unaware images, where you’re lost in each others’ eyes; and traditional images, where you’re looking towards the lens.
We’ll show you all of the things we could do on your wedding day, and you’ll tell us “I really like this, and not so much that. I think my face looks ____ here. We both like Mike not smiling.”
And on your wedding day, we only shoot images we all know you’ll love. There will be no awkward moments; no images that make you look ____, and you’ll both be pros at the wedding photography thing.
We've been a team for longer than a decade.
On any team, consistency is necessary for excellence. Lucia and I have worked together long enough (15 years now) to always know what the other photographer needs them to do to make an image perfect.
There’s no confusion about who will shoot what, and nothing gets missed because of confusion.
Contrast that with other photographers who work alone, or pick a different assistant, second, or associate photographer for each wedding.
And because we’re Patriots fans, we want to remind you that Brady and Belichick played in 9 Superbowls over 20 years working together. That may have nothing to do with this, but it’s always fun to brag about the Patriots. 🙂 Maybe you’re a Jets fan, and then it’s twice as fun!
“
Will and Lucia were great. I am a graphic designer, so I have an eye for detail. If one thing is off I’ll notice it, but I love all our pictures. The angles they used, the quality of the pictures, the landscapes, the balance, clarity, everything was just right.
If you want to remember how great your wedding was, and not how much you wish you had picked a better photographer, Focus Photography is the the best, and they exceeded my expectations.
”
