George
Wedding: 1/28/12
James & Kate of the âThe Feds Studioâ are simply the best! We would highly recommend them to any couple looking for a photographer.
One of the most important parts of choosing a photographer is making sure you feel comfortable with them, seeing that you are going to be spending your entire wedding day with them. Having James & Kate is like having old friends with you all day. They are also extremely unobtrusive when taking the photos. They get the great shots without being right in your face. They are also tremendously accommodating! During our âLove Shootâ we brought our 1-year-old lab with us. James and Kate were great sports when she slobbered everywhere and made some of the shots a bit more difficult to get. We also choose to do the love shoot throughout one of our favorite walks in the woods. Kate was 7 months pregnant and didnât think twice about having to do a 2-mile walk through the woods!
The photos they take are simply breathtaking. They do a great job of taking the traditional photos that my parents wanted and taking the more âfunâ photos that we wanted. They also shot my Sisterâs wedding back in June and did an amazing job. Unfortunately, there are no more weddings in the family; however we look forward to using âThe Feds Studioâ for many family photos in the years to come! Highly recommend!
Kathryn and Chris
Wedding: 9/3/11
James and Kate did a spectacular job. We were able to do engagement pictures prior to the wedding which allowed us to get comfortable with both of them and being in front of the camera. At every step of the way, from the first time we met with them, they were very supportive of what we wanted and careful not to impose their own ideas on what we had in mind. On the day of the wedding, they were incredibly easy to work with and their pictures came out great. One of the best wedding-related decisions we made!
Sara&Myla
Wedding: 5/30/10
James and Kate are wonderful! They are so talented and have a special knack to produce the most beautiful photos. My husband isn't the easiest person to take pictures of, he makes this awkward and uncomfortable looking smile. After our love shoot, my husband was able to relax and the Feds got really good photos of us. They are very responsive and exceeded all of my expectations. They are professional and they make you feel so comfortable that you feel like you're working with your friends. They offered to help in any way they can, and they really mean it. They are amazing!!
clawtiger
Wedding: 10/18/09
James and Kate were amazing. They have a very laid-back style which allows you to feel comfortable in front of the camera. They understood that weddings are expensive and were able to tailor a package within our budget. We first met James when he came to do the love shoot at our City Hall. Then, we had the pleasure of meeting Kate at our reception. They work great individually and together as a team. I love their sense of style, knowledge-base, and artistic flair and it is reflective in their photos. I would highly recommend The Feds!!!
kelly_z82
Wedding: 10/4/09
James and Kate shot our wedding a few weeks ago and I was more than impressed with not only the end result of the photos but the way they handled the process of the day. They were so professional and quick! They got the shots they needed without me even knowing they were there! They make you feel extremely comfortable when being infront of a camera can be hard. They are AMAZING photographers and can't imagine going any other way with our wedding. Their photos are exactly what I was looking for. Artistic and classy to show the story of the day. Fliping through the pics had me re-living every moment, some I even forgot about!!! You will be truly pleased if you hire the Feds and not only because of their beautiful photos but also because they are such wonderful people. Thank you James and Kate for being at our wedding :)
TheK's
Wedding: 6/20/09
From Tara and Kris,
Most of you who are reading this are looking for a photographer and have no idea why one is better than the other. We had no clue what to look for, but a stack of contacts from Newbury Street that was given by friends of ours. We wanted contemporary work; our parents wanted the normal family shots. We wanted art; our parents wanted conservative shots. With The Feds you will get the best of each world. We were astonished how many different aspects they caught of our wedding. There wasn?t anyone that didnt say "wow", "amazing", "astonishing", "unreal", "who did your pictures?", "that should be in a magazine". And that was only for some of our highlight pictures! We just cant wait to show them the other 600+!
Lets start from the beginning:
Part of the package that they do is called a "love shoot". They will travel wherever you would like around the area and take pre wedding engagement pictures. Dont waste your time trying to say you dont need it, because that in itself was worth the investment. We cant tell you how much fun we had getting to know them! We are not people that enjoy having our pictures taken either, and we were nervous before the shoot. James and Kate changed that within seconds of showing up. 100 pictures later (which takes about 10 minutes by the way that they shoot; think Hollywood red carpet...)and we were laughing together and smiling like we had known them since we were kids. We must have been shooting for 4 hours and now have the best pre wedding pictures a couple could ask for. An amazing experience... more on this later in review...
But it doesnt end there...
We didnt know what to expect when they showed up the day of the wedding. But when we say professional, we mean professional. Both dressed in black, and both decked out like Rambo with camera gear. They were covering every angle, view, and person while being invisible, yet interactive during the ceremony.
When we arrived to the reception they immediately kicked into family and bridal party picture mode. We thought it might take an hour just to bang through all the normal pics, but The Feds orchestrated each picture like Holtz's Planets and we were on to bride and groom pictures in no time.
Ahh yes, now comes the fun. Next thing we know Kate is driving a golf cart with James holding on for dear life snapping shots as we drove down the 18th fairway at Worcester Country Club. Kate was always looking around for a new location, a different angle, or taking shots, while James was lying in tall grass or balancing between rocks and a pond just to get another perspective. It was so much fun, and a great break from the chaos of the wedding.
Now if I didnt convince you that the love shoot was already an amazing part of The Feds experience; this should do it. At the reception they printed out hundreds of copies of the best love shoot pictures for people to take home with them from the reception. Think of it as another favor for your guests! As the Guinness commercials say... BRILLIANT!
The Feds surprises don?t end there either. During their break, they reviewed some of the best shots of Tara getting ready and the ceremony. They then put a slide show out on an Apple Ibook with a signup sheet for family and guests to be notified when the pictures were ready to be purchased online. We had a fantastic band which drew quite a crowd, but that laptop drew an impressive crowd as well!
Even when it was time to cut the cake; We had no clue what we were doing. But James and Kate guided us through the process like Cliff Notes. We dont know what we would have done without them there.
Oh, did we mention that Kate was 7 months pregnant at the time and on her feet for 11 hours? She was AMAZING for what she had to carry around all day!
If you are not sold after reading this review you already made a mistake. Stop wasting time looking for a photographer and just contact The Feds. This will be the best investment you have ever made for your special day. Not only were we blown away by their work, professionalism, and personalities; but being able to relive our wedding day over and over for years to come. They bring true meaning to "a picture can say a thousand words". And after 800+ or so pictures... Thats a lot of words.
Oh wait, Two Warnings from us... if you want to call it that.
From Tara:
Be prepared to cry. Yes, when you see the pictures you will actually relive every emotion of your day all over again and shed a tear... or in our case a million tears.
Even you Mr. Macho husband to be...
My husband was able to watch me get ready before the wedding and live out every second of that morning (he was not there to see me that morning due to "wedding etiquette"). Not just "shots" in time, but artful, emotional, beautiful pictures that we could look at years from now and get the same shiver up the spine. I couldnt stop crying for at least 5 hours during and after seeing the pictures and Kris couldn?t hide the crocodile tears from falling. I think we created a tissue shortage in the greater Worcester area.
From Kris:
This "warning" is for the husbands to be: The only downside is that I am now terrified by the prospect that my wife is spending more money on frames than clothes. And if you know my wife, that is a scary thing. Thank God for TJ Max because I would have more debt on frames than student loans. But, the positive side is that our house has been transformed by the art that James and Kate provided us with.
In closing; The Feds are not just photographers, they are artists; and most importantly, friends.
Thanks again to the Feds! and see you at our sister's weddings next summer!!!
(Thats right people reading this, both booked The Feds immediately after seeing their work)
Erin
Wedding: 5/9/09
The Feds were amazing. Before we signed a contract or provided any money they took the time to give me some things to think about and some suggestions on how to work the day. After we selected them as our photographer we did our love shoot and that gave us an opportunity to get to know them and feel comfortable with them. All this had us feeling confident that they were a vendor that was going to show up on time and perform as promised which in itself is a relief.
They did just that and in such a way that you sometimes forgot they were there. Our experience was great. Then we got the pictures....I didn't think it could get any better. The pictures were perfect. They did a lot of creative shots which is what I requested. Both my husband and I were able to relive the day by going through our wedding photos. In a way it was telling the story all over again which was great b/c as the Bride and groom you miss so much.
The colors of their photos are so vibrant and their ability to catch a scene or create one is better than any other wedding photos I have scene. I could not be happier or more satisfied with the story they told through the lens. They are an absolute MUST!
Jenna26
Wedding: 10/18/08
absolutely LOVE the Feds. We used them for our wedding photography and they have exceeded my expectations every time I interacted with them.
We got to know them when they did our "Love Shoot" which they offered for free with our package. It was a great way to get to know them so we felt comfortable on the big day. James and Kate are high school sweethearts who are SO much fun to be around. We had a blast with them for the few hours we were shooting around the city.
The pics from the love shoot turned out SO amazing - and mind you I was SICK that day so if you can make me look GOOD when I'm really feeling TERRIBLE then you get double props from me - but the pics were so amazing that I couldn't wait for our wedding day and to see the pictures from the wedding day. I knew they would do an AWESOME job of capturing everything for me - which is saying something because I'm photo-addicted. I think i took like 2000 pictures during our honeymoon - MAYBE more! So I'm big on pictures.
I haven't seen my proofs yet (but they will be ready soon!!), but here's something I've never seen done before and I LOVED IT. The Feds did some quick edits from before the reception (getting ready, bridal party pics, etc) and had them on a slide show during the reception. Every picture I saw on the slide show was amazing. I'm not kidding you - I stood there and each one that came up I was like OMG I love that one! Every. Single. Time.
I can't recommend them enough. They are fantastic.
ekmoreau
Wedding: 8/8/08
Hi Kate and James,
I can't express in words how glorious your pictures are.
I had so much emotions that day that I could not really enjoy the moment.
I am living my daughters wedding through you and I am so very very grateful
that you both have such artistic souls that you captured beauty in every moment.
Please accept my appreciation for making my vision for my the kids wedding so vivid and illuminating.
I have 2 more kids to marry off, at least I don't have to worry about photographers.
I will take every opportunity to spread the word about "The Feds".
Wishing you much happiness and success
Beth Moreau
Daniel
Wedding: 7/9/11
The Feds just finished shooting our wedding this past weekend, July 9th, in Boston. Our wedding was at the Marsh Chapel at BU then reception at Boston Harbor Hotel. We cannot say enough good things about the Feds, and loved every minute working with them. We met with various photographers a year and a half ago, meeting them at various locations including studios or homes. With James and Kate, my then-fiance-now-wife and I met them at the Bond Lounge at the Langham Hotel, their idea. We hung out for over an hour talking weddings and photos and Boston and anything and everything else. We knew we liked them immediately, and the choice was obvious. Plus, Meredith could tell immediately that Kate had the right personality to manage Meredith's family on the big day! Every time we met with them, it was more like spending time with friends than a vendor. Our engagement shoot was an afternoon meandering through the Boston Commons, and the Feds took great shots of our dogs too! As the wedding approached, the Feds invited us to their home to go over timeline and photo ideas, while James cooked us steaks on his grill (he is a great cook and great photographer!). PS, they also have amazingly behaved children. For our wedding day, we could not have asked for a better experience. In between ceremony and reception, the four of us went around Boston in our limo and took iconic city shots in gown and tux. So far, we have only seen a few of the shots that the Feds previewed for all guests at the reception via a computer slide show, but they are so much more incredible than we could have imaginged! check them out at danmeredith.thefedsstudio.com.
We highly recommend the Feds to any couple getting married in the Boston area, and we hope to use them again for family photos in our future!
Lauren
Wedding: 10/10/10
We were looking for photographers who would do candids (photo-journalism style) and we liked what we saw on The Feds website. We chatted on the phone because we werenât in Boston yet and signed our contract thru the internet. We loved that they were willing to work with us long distance (we had another photographer tell us that they didnât like to book until they met us).
We had trouble getting together for our Love Shoot but when we finally met James and Kate, we loved them. It felt like we were hanging out with old friends. Kate was great at making us comfortable and coaching us with poses. They spent over two hours with us walking around downtown and taking photos. James had great location ideas for our wedding day photos.
On our wedding day, they were on time and great to be around again. They made a few awkward family moments easy (we didnât want my brotherâs girlfriend in all the pictures so James called out names for the photos hoping that she wouldnât feel singled out).
I put a slightly lower score on responsiveness because they were tough to get a hold of. Responsiveness is key for me. I know they had a lot going on but it made me very nervous when they didnât respond to an email within a few days. I did voice my concerns and James called me immediately. The week of the wedding, I reviewed the timeline with James so I was very at ease at that point. I have to say that meeting them made up for their lack of responsiveness.
It also took a while for us to get our Love Shoot photos but when we did get our Love Shoot photos, they were great!
I would definitely recommend the Feds!
Melanie
Wedding: 7/19/08
The Feds Studio (James and Kate) were wonderful. They were so down to earth and fun to be around. They took wonderful pictures and my guests loved them. I would recommend them to anybody and not just for weddings.