artedevie.com

Best photographer in New Orleans   posted 3/31/2011 (updated 4/12/2011)

I just had my wedding and had Doug as my photographer. I can not say enough amazing things about Doug. When we first met with Doug I instantly clicked with him and knew I would like having him around all day at the wedding. Doug really listened to what we were looking for and what types of pictures we wanted. Doug’s pictures are unbelievable!!!! I feel that Doug (being a tall guy) can get every shot (high and low). My mother-in-law said “he sees the picture and then he SEES the picture.” Doug notices all the great moments and truly captures those memories that you only have on that one day. You can’t get those moments back but you do have pictures and that is why it is so important to pick the right photographer. Doug understands each bride and groom have different personalities and once you look at his portfolio of work you will realize how he depicts each bride and grooms personality through his work. Doug’s pictures from my wedding show exactly the type of people my husband and I are. I feel as though some of the other photographers do the same pictures over and over for every wedding and it is not personalized to the couple… Doug makes the pictures personal to the couple. My wedding was about 200 people with a lot of surprises, family, action, and lots of dancing. Doug made sure he knew who all the grandparents and close family were to get those important pictures. Doug and his amazing assistant made sure to take pictures of all the action. They can for sure handle ANY size wedding. I am absolutely thrilled with every single picture Doug took and trust me if you use Doug you will fall in love with his photography just as much as I did. You can’t go wrong with Arte de Vie, and I look forward to using him again for all of the future milestones I have!     –Brooke Rabin

In one word, FANTASTIC! CheyAnne Bradfield is the most efficient and organized wedding vendor we worked with. Not only is she an outstanding photographer with a quick turnaround of your pictures, but she also filled any role needed (such as bustling my dress!). She was always on time, on the ball, laid back, and a great person to spend your wedding day with! We couldn’t have made a better choice! When we got married CheyAnne and Doug hadn’t yet officially merged businesses, but we were able to spend some time with both of them and they are a great team!! Before we got married we’d heard that you have to pick a photographer you like to be around, but our most important concern was getting some fabulous pictures. With CheyAnne and Doug, you get the best of both worlds. I felt so calm and relaxed working with her on my wedding day, and I am looking forward to meeting up with her again soon to make our album!   — Ashley & Daniel Salvaggio

Doug is amazing capturing every moment of the wedding love him! — Jennifer Nickerson

 

CheyAnne shot our engagement shoot as well as our wedding. From the very beginning, she was efficient, professional, and fun! She was also definitely the calming presence on what can be a very hectic day. My hubby and I loved the release party. What a great way to relive the most wonderful day and look at the stunning pictures! I would definitely recommend Arte de Vie to anyone looking for a photographer. — Sofia Curdumi Pendley

We hired Doug as our photographer for our wedding, and I could not be happier! He photographed our engagements and our wedding, and our pictures are amazing! He was so helpful the day of our wedding, going above and beyond. He even got us a piece of our cake because he knew we wouldn’t make it over there. We ended up with over 800 pictures from our wedding, and I truly got to see every aspect of our special day. After our honeymoon, it was so nice to come back to a viewing party with wine and cheese. It was such a nice way to view our wedding pictures. From beginning to end, Doug has been amazing and I would recommend him to anyone.   katie carlisle?

Photography is very important to me, and I knew it was one of the biggest things to me in planning my wedding. I knew I wanted a photographer that would capture my day in a story telling way with pictures that would be timeless and classic, but with a vintage style. After meeting with a couple of different photographers, I just wasn’t seeing what I had envisioned for my day, until I met with CheyAnne. As soon as I saw the portraits on the walls of her studios, I had a feeling she was going to be the one for my wedding. We sat around and talked, got to know each other, and looked through some albums, and we both got goosebumps. I knew she would be perfect. She worked with me over the next couple of months, planning our engagement shoot, and how we would do the events closer to the wedding, since my husband and I are from out of town. She was extremely helpful. Finally, my wedding day arrived, and she was there every step of the way at my beckon call. She and her assistant were wonderful through the whole event. A couple weeks after our wedding, I got the email I had been anxiously awaiting that my pictures were ready to view. I couldn’t open my computer fast enough. I spent the whole day with tears streaming down my face, reliving my perfect wedding day, that CheyAnne had captured beautifully. I couldn’t have been more pleased with how my pictures had turned out. You will not be disappointed when choosing Arte de Vie as your photographers for your special day or any other life events that are worth capturing.  – Blythe Matthews Wallace

Selecting a photographer is one of the most important decisions you’ll make regarding your wedding. Long after the day is over, the photographs you have will be the way you relive one of the happiest moments of your life.  I cannot say enough good things about CheyAnne Bradfield. Her pictures are absolutely stunning.  From the very beginning of the wedding planning process, CheyAnne was such a pleasure to work with. She was very organized and professional which was just what I needed during such a hectic time. Her photographs were just beautiful, and she took everything I said I wanted and did not want into account. She took time to get to know me and my husband because she thinks it’s very important to get a feel for the couple in order to do the best job she can.  She is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever had the pleasure of working with. On the actual wedding day, she was more than a photographer. She helped as we were getting ready, and she even calmed me when I realized part of my dress didn’t make it to the hotel room. She took charge after the ceremony during family photos, ensuring that it didn’t eat up a lot of time.  She really understands how important your wedding day is, and she truly enjoys being a part of it. Any bride would be lucky to have CheyAnne as part of this very magical day.  And once my photos were ready, CheyAnne had a revealing party at her studio and my friends and I got to drink wine and nibble on snacks as we watched a slide show of the photos which was super fun! My girlfriends and I plan to book her for a budoir session next year. — Heather Amison Ney

 

We had Arte De Vie for our wedding in September and everything they did was amazing! Doug and CheyAnne are extremely professional and thorough in everything they do. On the day of our wedding they were there to document everything from my bridal preparations to our final exit. Doug had a way of making me feel comfortable with everything. When we were taking the photos of me in my dress if I moved a certain way he had an eye to see what looked best and easily conveyed to me how to pose and position myself for the most flattering angles. I cannot stress to you how important this is on the day of your wedding! When you’re getting married you want to feel comfortable and at ease and Doug was able to do this effortlessly. We had a “first look” before the ceremony and the location was right up our “alley”. The first look was great because we were able to see each other and get all of those jitters out of the way. I know it’s tradition to see each other the first time for the procession but I highly recommend this to all future brides: consider the first look. After we saw each other we were able to have a little bride/groom photoshoot, which would’ve been hard to do after the ceremony because it would’ve been dark and we would’ve been using up our reception time. After that we were able to take all of our group photos which was great because again, if you wait till after the ceremony to do this you’ll be using up your precious reception time! Now for the final product: We had a little “viewing party” at the studio which was great because we were able to see the photos for the first time on a big screen with a few of our closest friends and family. This was wonderful because it wasn’t just viewing them on a computer screen. This added benefit is a great experience and another way to extend the beauty of your wedding day. As we saw all of the photos we were amazed at all of the moments that they captured. For many of them we don’t even remember them being there. The quality was amazing and they obviously have command of their equipment and a creative eye to be able to capture shot after amazing shot. The thing I loved so much was that they also captured so many of our friends and family. The Ceremony shots were perfectly shot which had to be difficult because it was dark by the time our ceremony took place. The reception shots were amazing and caught all of the action. All in all I can’t think of how our photos could’ve been any better and how our experience with a photographer could’ve been any easier. Throughout the entire process after the wedding he kept us informed and was professional in all of his responses. Going through this whole process you do so much planning and scheduling and the todo lists take over but after it’s all done you realize all you have left is the memories (which fade) and your photos and video. As much as we loved our flowers, my dress and the venue, those things are only for a day. Your photos and video are the only vendors that actually increase in value over time. Both Doug and CheyAnne and their whole team are so talented and professional you won’t regret choosing them for your wedding day photographer! — Joe and Jeana Taravella

Trust me, you will not regret using CheyAnne! She is absolutely the best and a wonder to work with! This was the best decision I made during the wedding process (besides marrying my husband) was to have CheyAnne photograph the wedding. I can’t wait to work with her again in the near future!— Alison Muller Hackler

I am the mother of the bride, but I know that my daughter loved working with CheyAnne. She and her assistants were wonderful! She listened to our needs and was incredibly unobtrusive during our special day. CheyAnne was also very patient with everyone. The image release party was a blast too!! — Beverly Zanotti

Chey Anne Bradfield is the most amazing, and sweetest, photographer in the New Orleans and Northshore area. My photographer was my BIGGEST decision throughout my wedding planning process and the night I met with Chey Anne I knew I had found my photographer. She was awesome- she had wonderful ideas, was comfortable to work with.  From the moment I met her I knew she would make our wedding day more than just memorable- she would care, listen to what we wanted and liked and become a part of our wedding party! She was amazing through every session, every email and all of the million questions and requests that I had for her. We had our engagment session in New Orleans in the warehouse district and on Royal Street- she captured some amazing shots along with our true personalities. They all look like they could be on a magazine cover! My fiance’ even loved her after the first few minutes of our session! The first few pictures she shot of us we were giving her a thumbs up!  Our engagement photo session was a GREAT day and it was our first day that I truly felt like an engaged couple- She took some photos that captured our personality so well and she had just met my fiance’ that morning. I did my Bridal session at English Turn where the wedding was and Doug joined her as her “assistant”. They were amazing together! They were both so creative and captured the exact look that I wanted for my portraits. We took some one top of a baby grand piano and I never imagined they would come out the way they did. They had to move the piano and change the lighting so many times just to capture what I had asked for! Our wedding day was a dream come true- I couldn’t wait for CheyAnne to arrive for the Bridal Prep.   She and her assistant arrived at our venue around 1:30 and immediately I felt like she was one of my life long friends. She fit right in with my family and bridal party. I could not believe all of the photos she captured when I saw them after the wedding- half of the time I didn’t realize she was around!  We took her and Doug’s advice and did the “First Look” pictures and I am so thrilled that we did. It was such a special moment and she captured so many beautiful shots. She captured every single moment of our wedding- the bouquet toss, garter toss, every dance move, everything!!!! I cannot wait to use Arte De Vie for every huge moment in our lives! Maternity, babies, anniversaries!   – Ashley Miller Howell

CheyAnne is wonderful!!! My husband and I had our engagement photos taken with CheyAnne and fell in love with her style of photography!! She captured what we were all about and really felt connected to her. We booked her immediately for our wedding; she kept in touch the months leading up to the wedding and really kept us organized. She also took my bridals and was so patient with me and my mothers. She let me peak at some of the photos, and I never realized that someone could make you look so beautiful in a photograph. Her photographic eye is absolutely remarkable and she could really charge much more for her services!! On the day of the wedding she was definitely in charge and had a plan for dealing with the families, because it might have gotten a little hairy but she really took charge and kept everyone going. She made everyone feel so comfortable with her and captured the moments. She really tried to get the pictures that were not setup and posed, it made the photos real and you felt like it captured you. I cannot thank her enough and cannot wait for her to take pictures of our children and our family when we eventually have them!! — Jen Hale Ianni