FAQ

Julie Lowry (that’s me) is the owner, chief photographer, and resident ninja of Chanterelle Photography. My scruffy dog Watson runs the quality control department. I was born and raised in California, but have lived in Alabama for years, so I like sushi AND grits (not together, but if you know of a way to do that and make it taste good, I’d try it).

My goal is to take pictures that look like they came straight from a magazine, but also make you feel something. It’s about making all your best qualities stand out, without making you look like you’re trying too hard. It’s about waiting for the right moment when people forget I’m there, and they act like themselves.

But let’s be real. It’s also about making sure you don’t have a double chin or back fat. 🙂

When I started my business, most photographers I knew of were using their own names in their business names. I wanted something a little different (because Lord knows I’m a little different, lol), so I started looking through lists of French and Italian words to see if anything jumped out at me. When I came across “chanterelle”, I knew it was a mushroom, but I couldn’t remember ever eating one. So I Googled it, and found a website that described the chanterelle’s flavor as “mild with a slightly spicy edge”. If I had to describe myself and/or my photography style, that was it!

If you’re a foodie, you’ve probably heard someone say “chanterelle” on a cooking show, and it may have been pronounced a couple different ways. For my business, I use the common American English pronunciation, which sounds like “shann-tur-ell”. Three syllables, not two!

I’m based in Montgomery, Alabama, and travel is welcome! Most of my commercial shoots (conferences, magazine editorial shoots, etc.) happen in other states, and many of my weddings are outside of my local area. If there are any additional travel fees for your session/event, I’ll discuss that with you before you book.

Yep! I’ve been recognized by several professional photography associations, as well as multiple art organizations for my work. I’ve also been published either online or in print by companies such as T-Mobile, The Knot, and PopSugar. You can see a list of some of my awards and press HERE.

That started at a wedding I shot many years ago. A couple of weeks after the wedding day, the bride told me that one of her guests had asked her, “Did you have a photographer at the church??? I never saw one!” The bride said she just laughed and replied, “Yeah, Julie was there! She’s like a ninja.” I thought that was super funny so I mentioned the story on Facebook, and it stuck.

I do try to be as unobtrusive as possible when photographing events such as wedding ceremonies, conferences, or speaking engagements. My thinking is, the people who are there didn’t come there to see ME, so part of my job is to not distract them from what they came for. I’m also really small, so that helps. 🙂

I shoot almost exclusively on location, but also have a shooting space in my home reserved for food/product photography. I had a small commercial studio space in East Montgomery for many years, but as time went on, I found myself traveling for shoots more and more, and using the space less and less. Seemed dumb to keep paying rent for a space I was rarely setting foot in!

Yes and yes! I like to play around with several different mediums, but in my local art community, most people probably know me as “the one that makes paper art”. I’ll be adding a fine art gallery to my portfolio here soon where you’ll be able to see and purchase some of my paper art pieces, paintings, fine art photography prints, and other artwork. If you’re looking to refresh or just add some new art to your home or business decor, get ready!

Since I shoot weddings all over the U.S. and sometimes internationally, pricing will vary due to several factors (travel requirements, weekday vs. weekend, etc.). But to give you an idea of the price range, my wedding packages start at $2195 for a Saturday wedding that is local to me. If you are eloping on a weekday, or having a 3 day wedding in another country, your wedding package price may be very different! The best thing to do is contact me with your wedding date and location (just the city and state is fine if you haven’t booked a venue yet), and I’ll email you with the appropriate pricing.

All of my wedding packages include coverage time, as well as digital files with a license to print. Packages including longer coverage times as well as custom-designed albums are also available, because real pictures are more fun than the ones that just sit in a folder on your computer or phone!

I love destination weddings! I’ve shot them in The Bahamas, Hawaii (twice!), New York City, Jamaica, Key West, and more! Since travel costs vary A LOT from one destination to the next, destination wedding pricing is quoted on a case by case basis. If you head over to the “Contact” page and send me some details about your wedding (the date, destination city, venue, etc.), I can send you a custom quote based on your specific circumstances. All travel fees will be included in your quote, so there are no hidden costs.

I don’t offer videography services. I can however, create a multimedia slideshow of your wedding that incorporates bits of video. You can see examples of that HERE.

Yes – stay tuned for a blog post on that very topic soon!

Portrait sessions start at $150 and go up from there based on several factors (how many people are being photographed, how far the shoot location is from me, etc.). If you send me a message through the contact page and give me a few details about what kind of portraits you’re looking for, I can give you a more specific answer!