Joe Appel

Contact Joe Appel

Joe Appel brings the storytelling skills learned from years of experience photographing for newspapers and magazines to his client's weddings. That, along with a real love of people and a curiosity of who you are as individuals and how you express your love to each other means that the photos you'll get are uniquely yours.

Please call or email for more information. I'd love to be with you to tell your story on your wedding day.

Where are you located? Do you charge a travel fee for weddings not in your location?

I'm located in Pittsburgh, PA. While most of my work is in Pennsylvania, Western Maryland, and West Virginia, I have traveled to places like New York, Connecticut, Washington, DC for weddings. In those cases I have a pricing guide that includes travel expenses built in.

How long have you been in business? How many weddings have you photographed as the main photographer?

I've been around a very long time :) So the total is in the hundreds.

Describe your "style" of wedding photography.

If asked to describe my "style" in one word that would be: Storytelling. What that means is that I bring the methods, aesthetics, and work ethic from my years as a newspaper photojournalist to weddings. It's a little bit different with weddings in that I'm not a dispassionate observer, I'm on the team working to get images that will help you to remember one of the best days of your life.

What's the typical wedding coverage package that you offer? What is the price?

It all depends on what the client wants, but with coverage, files, and an album you're probably looking at around $5000 for a local wedding.

Do you have a studio where we can meet in-person?

Not since the pandemic, but I encourage an initial meeting over Zoom, Skype or FaceTime. It's important to get to know each other.

What are your professional degrees, credentials, affiliations? Have you taken any recent educational workshops or classes?

I attended the Southeast Center for Photo/Graphic Studies which is part of Daytona State College in Florida. It's a very well established, diverse, and respected program. We learned everything from street photography to studio portraiture. I've been fortunate to have served as a staff member and teacher at the Foundation Workshop. I am also a member of a small group of photographers who share a passion for improvement and growth. We meet each year to share knowledge, stay on top of the latest techniques, best business practices. Oh, and we cook fantastic meals together :)

Is there anything else you'd like to share about yourself?

I'm active in my community as an elected official on our school district board of directors. I'm passionate about education and ensuring that young people have opportunities to find their passions and the ability to build a life and career around them. I am grateful to the people who gave me a hand up and am committed to doing the same for young people.

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