Welcome to a new feature on the blog: Vendor Spotlight. This is a chance for you to meet some talented Calgary (and area) wedding vendors and get some expert tips on how to plan your wedding too.

Please meet Nikki McArthur from EpicDanger Photography. Nikki has a big personality and talent to spare — I think she can talk to anybody about anything!

What I love about Nikki (aside from her personality) is her ability to capture quirky & fun moments in your wedding while maintaining timeless style.

When you look at photos from EpicDanger, be it family photos, photos of gorgeous brides and grooms or of Nikki’s ridiculously cute kids, you know you’re getting FUN. But don’t let me try and convince you, check things out for yourself:

EpicDanger, Calgary wedding photographer — Q&A with Calgary wedding planner

What are 5 words you use to describe yourself?

Quirky, Fun, Detailed (that’s my way of not saying type A), Wacky & Gregarious. Fact: the last one was a suggestion from a friend… I had to look it up, cause I’m fancy like that. Then I immediately agreed!

How did you get into wedding photography?

I’ll be honest, I am not that person clinging to a camera in the womb. I didn’t get my first camera until I was one my honeymoon with my hubby almost 9 years ago. I’ve never been so happy. Slowly and surely I’ve taken classes and workshops, upgraded gear, (again and again) started a family and then eventually started a business. I’m now heading into my 4th season.

Describe your photography style

Hmm…it’s always so hard to answer this question as my style always reflects the people I’m photographing at least a little. My images tend to be bright and airy, with an emphasis on letting loose and having fun. I love capturing big smiles, belly laughs and bear hugs!

What are your 5 favourite things in the world?

• My Family, specifically my little lady Danger and her brother Epic
• The way my husband plays the piano
• The sun
• A great hoodie
• An amazing concert

What do you like best about working with brides and grooms?

The best part about working with brides and grooms is seeing how two people with their own quirks and personalities can come together and create this amazing thing. I love the dynamic between people and the fact that I get to show them exactly what their love looks like. As dorky as that sounds 🙂

What are your top 3 tips for brides and grooms to get the most out of their wedding photography?

1. It’s likely that the bride might spend more time with her photographer on the day of the wedding than her maid of honour so make sure you damn well like them!

2. Two Photographers are always better than one. Although I’m pretty awesome, I can’t be everywhere at once which is why I always show up to a wedding with a second photographer. As one person it’s hard to capture every little thing that’s happening on the wedding day. It’s inevitable that if it were just me I’d be taking photos of the guys getting their boutonnieres on while the brides great grandmas shows up to give her something “blue”. It’s just Murphy’s law.

3. Get a wedding album! Imagine if the only copy of your parents wedding photos were on a floppy disc? Can’t wait to show the grandkids that 🙂 Plus, seriously what if zombies come! Wedding albums have come a long way in the past 10 years. You could definitely fit today’s awesome wedding albums in a backpack while running for your life:)

BONUS! 4. Go with Quality over Quantity. Sometimes people get hung up on wanting 12 hours of coverage, with the goal of receiving 1500 images in both colour and black and white. But at the end of the day, your album will fit 100ish images and you’ll print 3-10 for your walls. If you can afford all 12 hours then awesome. But if not, 6 hours of great images is always better than 12 hours of mediocre ones.

Thanks a bunch to Nikki for taking the time to share more about her photography with us. If you want to get more info on Nikki and what she’s all about, be sure to head to the EpicDanger Photography website.

Look out for the next Vendor Spotlight in April!