Creative Arts Photography: Wedding - Traditional, Natural and Photojournalistic artistic Wedding and Bridal Photographer, Portraiture

Our images reveal your wedding's storybook so that each picture brings to mind every heartfelt, joyous moment.

We show the bond between family and friends.

We blend traditional, romantic portraiture with a contemporary photojournalistic style to convey the mood and the ambiance of the day, reveal meaning and significance, and capture moments that you'll cherish generation after generation.

You will be delighted with Creative Arts' unique story-telling approach. Your wedding album, the storybook of your wedding day, will bring memories and joy for years to come.

Many of our customers tell us that what separates us from other photographers is our ability to capture a very natural look, whether posed or story-telling.

"First, I wanted to say thank you SO much for the professional job you did during our wedding! Everyone was so impressed at how unobtrusive you and your assistant were, but how you also seemed to be in all the important places at all the right times.", Casey and Mike Smith.

"Thank you so much for the beautiful wedding pictures. You work truly captured all of the wonderful details and emotions of tour special day. We greatly appreciate all of your time and effort. We are sure that we will treasure your work for many years to come. ", Emily and Anthony Dove.

"The photos you took were so amazing and we were both laughing because we had no idea that you even took half of them. We wanted to extend our sincere gratitude for your amazing job. Your true creativity as a photographer is very evident in the photos you took! I thought all of the emotions were finally gone from such a hectic time and reliving the photos of everything and seeing those adorable little nieces and nephews of Tom's made me cry all over again! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you! And we will absolutely recommend you to all of our friends and family for future occasions!", Amy and Thomas Mannnarino.

If you would like us to send you a DVD portfolio of weddings we have photographed click here and put "send DVD Portfolio" in the comments line. Be sure to include your shipping address.

Planning and consultation
Engagement portrait
Love story photo session
Bridal portrait sitting
Unlimited number of images taken on the wedding day
Coverage from bridal preparation to couple departing
Certified Photographer Rodney Lee Gibbons with over 20 years experience
Second Photographer
Preview images on Photo DVD
On-line previewing
Custom-made Traditional Matted or Contemporary Artistically Designed Album
Minor retouching and custom cropping
Black & white, spot coloring, and sepia-toned images
All high resolution images from the wedding day in RAW and JPEG format on photo DVD(s) with copyright release
Over 24 hours of expert consultation, preparation, photography, design, retouching and production time
(see behind the scenes)
Referral service to over 100 qualified wedding professionals

Packages can range from $975 to $3500 depending on the wedding date and what is included from the list above.

Rather than presenting our standard packages here, we prefer to meet with you in person and customize our packages to fit your needs. If this is impractical for you, you can receive a estimate now, submit information about your wedding by clicking here and we will email you a quote within 24 hours. Special consideration is given to brides who call us for a more personalized quote at (540) 722-9000.

We offer a discounted package for weekday, Sunday, off season and non holiday dates.

Every single print that we create is expertly printed to produce superior color, lightness and detail. This attention to detail also allows us to produce black and white prints that are superior to most prints made from film. Minor retouching, image modifications, and custom cropping, at photographer's discretion, are also included. All prints are made using traditional photographic paper.

We offer a full line of custom made albums for the couple, relatives and friends. For more information on our custom albums click here.

All of the images from your wedding day along with a copyright release can be delivered on photo DVD's in both raw and high resolution jpeg format allowing you the ability to reproduce your images in print form without the need of acquiring permission from the photographer. All images are color and exposure corrected prior to delivery.

Do you need portraits taken of the guests as they arrive at the reception? We can provide portraits as they arrive and deliver instant prints. These make great gifts for your friends and family to take home. This service can be provided in addition to your wedding coverage, or supplement your current wedding coverage without interfering with the contracted photographer. See our Event Photography for more information.

A Love Story Album is a wonderful, fun way to show the romance and intimacy that the two of you share. The idea behind the Love Story Album is to tell your love story, in pictures, using settings that are meaningful to you. We might, for example, photograph you as a couple at the place where you first met, or at the place where you accepted his wedding proposal. Perhaps we could photograph the two of you sharing a favorite outdoor activity or a special, romantic location.

A studio Engagement Portrait of the bride, or the bride and groom together, is a nice addition to any wedding album. The Engagement Portrait is taken during a brief studio session, usually lasting about 15-minutes, using two or three poses. Your outfits and poses can be either casual or formal. Images will be ready for review immediately following the session. An Engagement Portrait session is provided at a discounted price to our wedding customers, and session dates are scheduled four times a year.

Bridal Boudoir is a sensual, natural, fun experience which can be tastefully captured the morning of the wedding day, or server al weeks before. "It can be an amazingly fun experience" - Wedding Photography Directory.

Boudoir refers to a woman's dressing room, bedroom, or private sitting room - all of which represent beautiful things: the wonderful smells, the soft lighting, the stillness, and the woman inside preparing for something wonderful that is about to happen.

The session can be captured in the privacy of your home, your bedroom, in the space you choose, or our studio prior to the wedding day. It can be playful, powerful, sensual, sexy or glamorous depending on your level of comfort or personality. You can be photographed in your wedding gown, the things you hide underneath, lingerie or whatever else you choose.

This can be a wonderful surprise for the groom, or include him in the photography when the time is right.

Don't worry about those unflattering areas. We use many techniques, such as lighting, posing and retouching, to hide those areas. A female assistant is always present to help with posing at studio sessions.

Upon completion of the session, we will help you choose a wonderful set of images to present in our "For Your Eyes Only" album just for the groom.

A Bridal Portrait, taken before your wedding day, is recommended for all brides.

This is an opportunity to be photographed in your formal bridal gown in a relaxed, private atmosphere. Close-up portraits, three-quarter length and full-length images are photographed in a variety of poses. You may choose a special location, or we can take the photos in the Creative Arts studio. The session typically takes between one and two hours, and may include the groom in some or all of the photos at no extra fee.

Images are ready for review immediately following the session. Selected images can be arranged in a beautiful personal bridal album or delivered as custom prints for framing.

These images make wonderful family heirlooms to pass along to your children and grandchildren. If you are planning to display your bridal images at the reception, you should schedule the Bridal Portrait at least six weeks before your wedding. Also, you must notify your dressmaker that your gown must be steamed and pressed for the Bridal Portrait.

If you have a problem with any Creative Arts product or service, we will make every effort to remedy the situation. Creative Arts Photography is a member of the Kodak Promise of Excellence Lifetime Guarantee.

We photograph only one wedding per day. Reservations are on a first come first serve basis. We recommend reserving your date(s) as early as possible. A written agreement and a retainer are both required before Creative Arts will accept a reservation. Pricing is finalized when an agreement is signed.

As a matter of policy, we do not accept or pay commissions, kickbacks, referral fees, booking fees, etc. to or from other vendors. We believe this kind of activity is not in the best interest of the bride. In addition it also violates the Code of Ethics set forth by the Shenandoah Wedding Professionals Association.

Rodney Lee Gibbons is the man behind Creative Arts Photography. Rodney has extensive experience, having photographed over 800 weddings in his twenty years as a professional wedding photographer. He earned a Bachelors Degree in 1986, specializing in Fine Arts and Photography. He joined the Virginia Professional Photographers Association in 1991 and became a member of Professional Photographers of America in 1993.

Rodney earned his Certified Professional Photographer (CPP) designation in 1994. The CPP is awarded to only those photographers who meet the highest professional and ethical standards. To become certified, a photographer must successfully complete a rigorous examination to evaluate the quality and consistency of his work. Further, the photographer must participate in continuing education programs to keep his skills up to date, and his work must be periodically reevaluated to maintain the certification. Worldwide, only 1,600 photographers have met the stringent requirements to become a Certified Professional Photographer.

Rodney has studied with nationally known wedding and portrait photographers at the Winona International School of Photography and the New England Institute of Professional Photography. He was named one of the top three photographers by The Quad State Business Journal, and has received awards at the Kurtz Center Moulden Gallery.

His work has appeared in magazines such as Country Inns Bed & Breakfast, Loudoun Magazine, The Knot, and PC World, as well as the Winchester bridal directories and a recent edition of the Winchester-Frederick County calendar. His unique style of wedding photography has been featured in the Northern Virginia Daily, the Winchester Star, The Journal, The Fauquier Times-Democrat and The Wedding Pages.

Creative Arts photographs have been displayed at the Apple Blossom Mall in Winchester, VA, the Martinsburg Mall in Martinsburg, WV and at the Frederick Towne Mall in Frederick, MD.

Rodney is currently President and cofounder of the Shenandoah Wedding Professionals Association - a non profit association that promotes the wedding industry in the Shenandoah Valley through networking, marketing, education and promotions.

To receive a estimate now, submit information about your wedding by clicking here and we will contact you within 24 hours. To arrange a free consultation for a more personalized quote call us at (540) 722-9000.