ARE YOU LOOKING FOR A PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHER WITH CREDENTIALS?
Educated at The Corcoran for Creative Compositions
Trained by National Geographic For Expert Lighting Techniques
Serving MD, DC, VA
Located in Frederick County, Maryland
My Portfolio has bold colors and edgy lighting
My expert lighting techniques will make you pop!
Wedding Style is Documentary and Stunning Fine Art
Over 1,000 Weddings Photographed
Gold Award Winning Photographer
Steve Whysall is the winner of The Gold and The Silver Award in international competitions sponsored by the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Associations. (AG)WPJA is comprised of outstanding wedding photographers.
THERE'S NO SUBSTITUTE FOR GOOD LIGHT IN PHOTOGRAPHY
Lighting matters whether it’s for commercial photography OR Wedding photography
When it comes to lighting, I have learned when to use artificial lighting, or whether to go with the natural light. Strobes are great, but why use them when there’s a beautiful, natural, golden sunlight? Artificial lighting techniques can’t compete with glowing, natural sunlight. It’s so important to understand when to come in and light something separately, or when to use the better natural light around you.
Professional photography is a blend of art and science. It is important to understand both to take your work from mediocre to extraordinary. You need art to create good compositions, and science to understand how to get a correct exposure.
I teach my photography assistants how important the technical information is in photography, such as F-stop for exposure, shutter speed, and how to create depth of field, when creating images. Lighting is the foundation of professional photography. You need to feel the light as if you’re submerged in it. You need to feel it in your heart and see it with your eyes.
I emphasize learning to look more at the light around you under all circumstances on a daily basis. Sometimes just returning to a site with a different sunlight will yield a more powerful photograph with drama. Look at how the light touches a subject, and what the effects are that it has on the subject.
This was Photographed for Audubon Magazine
The photos below were also shot for Audubon. Watch the landscape change with the light changing.
Some Wedding Reviews
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868 Estates Vineyard
The most under-rated and perhaps brilliant photographer within the D.C. Metropolitan area. I simply cannot recommend a better or more talented individual for any of your photography needs. Whysall Photography is hands down, the best kept secret in Northern Virginia. Your pictures will turn out remarkable, trust me! ((:-”
— Amy
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Breaux Vineyard
Steve is absolutely fantastic. He will give you art. I honestly want to hang his pictures everywhere. I was completely surprised at how quickly he took pictures after the wedding. This guy knows what he is doing. His assistant Patrick is great as well. I wanted someone who wouldn’t just take still shots of everyone, and more candid, and he gave me exactly what I wanted. The moments he caught are magical.
— Cathleen
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Bluemont Vineyard
Steve is AWESOME! He is edgy, creative, and far from your traditional photographer! He has an amazing eye and great vision! Great traditional pictures and breathtaking edgy pictures with flair, but still family appropriate. Such a true pleasure to work with! We would recommend him to all our friends and family! Best photographer EVER!!!!!
— Suzy
When your wedding day is over, all you have are your memories and your photos. Make sure your photographer has the experience to capture the beauty of your day that will leave your family and friends breathless!
The number one question commonly asked by my brides and grooms is, do I really need two photographers to shoot my wedding? Yes, you do need two photograhers to do it right.
When I shoot your getting ready pictures, my other photographer, who is fully trained by me, will shoot the groom and groomsmen getting ready.
Even if you don’t want a photographer for the whole event, I still come with two. I need my assistant to hold the light. That’s how I get those magazine style photos with the lighting placed at the right angle to show you at your best. To shoot it correctly, you really do need two professional photographers.
Are you worried about the cost of having two photographers? Don’t be. My pricing is competitive and having a second shooter does not make me unaffordable. Check out my pricing page to learn more. Included is a section showing what the local photographers in Frederick charge. You can find this by reading my pricing page.
If you want to learn what to expect on your wedding day, please read my FAQ. It shows my top eleven questions asked by brides and grooms over the years.
See all my raves and reviews
Always think about where the light is when posing your clients
After a few lessons, I send my assistants out for photo assignments. I instruct them go back many times and revisit a site you previously photographed. Something as simple as a few hours may improve the subject dramatically. Also, if there's been a storm, recognize it through the light that changes. What do the clouds look like? Using billowing, dark clouds will make a dramatic photo. Sometimes a storm can knock down the haze and reveal a crisp, golden light.
Spend more time looking at the light around you. Proper lighting is the big secret to professional photographers. We learn how to SEE the light, and how to make the most of it. As photographers we don’t just take photos, we make photos. And, that takes a lot of practice.
I shoot my clients always thinking about where the light is, and how to pose you in the most flattering way in conjunction with the lighting.
I AM A LOCAL FREDERICK, MD PHOTOGRAPHER WITH HIGH-END QUALITY PHOTOS
I have been in the Frederick MD area for the last ten years. Prior to Frederick I was in Washington, DC.
While in school at The Corcoran in DC, for my senior thesis, I volunteered at the Kensington Fire Department. For two years I catalogued and created a powerful portfolio that was shown on the local TV station in the DMV. I was published on local channel 7, in The Washington Post, and all around around the Washington, DC metro area.
My photos included action shots taken during a three-alarm fire in a commercial building, where I got so close I nearly burned my hand and melted my camera. In fact, one of the firefighters shouted, “Get that photographer out of here!”
I rounded out my thesis with portraits of firefighters hanging around the station but also in numerous life-threatening emergency situations requiring ambulance services.
If you are looking for an artistic photographer, you might want to look at me. I once built a camera I made from a kitchen pot, and then took photos downtown in D.C. with my “pot camera”. The police approached me to clarify what I was doing. I then developed the photos myself in my own darkroom.
While I have a passion for shooting portraits, I also excel at still life, like products, that you want to sell.
A Good Professional Photographer knows that photography is a blend of art and science
Being a good photographer requires a difficult blend of art and science. Art to understand what elements to include in the photo so it’s not cluttered, and the science to properly expose and use the light. I learned my lighting techniques from NATGEO. I didn’t learn my expert lighting techniques from art school.
Having graduated top in my class, I was chosen to accompany Richard Nowitz, a famous National Geographic photographer, on editorial assignments around the country for five years. This training prepared me for a career in photography.
I also learned how to think quickly on my feet and capture those moments when it seems like no one is looking, just from working for Richard at NATGEO.
You need a true professional to showcase your products or to pose you in your most flattering angle, all while considering the best lighting scenario in the moment.
Shot for Frederick Magazine
Why hire a fancy New York photographer, or an expensive Washington, DC photographer to shoot your commercial or wedding photography when you can get that high-end quality right here in Frederick County, Maryland, and the surrounding areas?
Published Photographer
At the Corcoran Gallery of Art. My final thesis was published all over the DMV news outlets including the Washington Post, at local TV stations and other newspaper outlets. My work with NATGEO photographer Richard Nowitz landed me in some publications, and my wedding photography rounded out my publications including Bridal Magazine.
I am proud to be a published photographer, and make it my mission to shoot everyone like they will be in a magazie photo shoot.
Why do you need a professional photographer these days with the advent of high-end cameras? Because a digital camera is just an extension of the old film cameras where you still have to understand how to get a correct exposure. Shooting in P mode and hoping for the best does not make you a true professional. Although the technology keeps getting better, a human is still necessary to control what goes into a picture, and what you should leave out. Knowing when to shoot a vertical, or whether a horizontal will work better comes from years of practice.
You need good training to compose people and products in a professional way. Just having a “good eye” doesn’t make your photos consistently look professional.
Imagine how much better your website would look with professional imagery.
My COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY INCLUDES FITNESS, GOURMET FOOD, HEAD SHOTS, MITZVAHS AND PORTRAITS
I SHOOT MY COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHY LIKE EVERY JOB WILL GO INTO A MAGAZINE
We come with two photographers
One holds the light for the portrait session
Or one sets up the lighting for the product session
Or, send your products to me and I will photograph them and send them back
FOR JEWELRY YOU WANT EVERY STONE TO SHINE
For small, delicate products, such as jewelry, you want the entire piece to be in focus. There is a method to doing this that only a professional photographer understands. Shooting your piece so every stone shines, and every area is tack sharp cannot be done just because you sit next to a window, and shoot in a natural light scenario.
I AM NOT A "NATURAL LIGHT" PHOTOGRAPHER
A true, professional photographer does not advertise to be a "natural light" photographer. A professional understands how to light the set through years of learning. You pay a professional to light your subject with expert lighting techniques. Yes, there are times when you sit someone at a window and use the available light. But, you need to recognize when to separately light with professional lighting equipment, and when to use natural light.
This skill set is dying with the advent of digital cameras and photography schools that just don't stress this as much anymore.
The old school photographers, like me, who were taught using film, and who developed their own photos in a dark room, really grasp the technical aspects of photography through years of hands on learning, and critiquing by other professionals.
Never trust a photographer who claims to be a natural light photographer.
WHAT THIS REALLY MEANS IS THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THE "COMPLEX" LIGHTING SCENARIOS.
When you compare photographers, don’t get swayed by the pretty pictures. Make sure to ask to see the portfolio under all lighting conditions from a dreary, rainy day, to a cloudy day, under bright sunlight, to a dark evening. This range of light will help you see whether your photographer can handle an 8 to 10 hour session.
But, the most important part of being a professional photographer is BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH MY CLIENTS.
Find out how a powerful photographer can be the difference between selling your products online, and struggling to sell them online, when you failed trying to photograph them yourself, or you hired a professional who did not understand lighting and composition. You need a professional to show your products professionally so you can make that sale and get paid.
PHOTOGRAPHER FOR ADVERTISING
After extensively interviewing you to learn what your sales message is meant to be, I will then begin to feel your visual message without stopping until I get it right. I need to feel my vision of what to include in the sales message. I keep tweaking and thinking about the message of what to include. You want to include enough elements to share your message, but not too many that it looks cluttered. Once it feels right then I begin shooting.
YOU WILL SEE A LOT OF RICH COLORS IN MY PORTFOLIO
I tend to shoot showing the deep, rich colors. My work shows the skin in its natural tone, just as you see it. I don’t wash the photo bright which makes the skin look a pasty white. For products, I tap into my 20+ years of professional photography experience to make your products pop in the frame. Sometimes I use clean, simple and even lighting, (like natural light) and sometimes I choose a more dramatic, colorful, gel lighting. It depends how the product feels, and what my client wants in the sales message.
A few Commercial Reviews
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![The Perfect Gourmet Review]()
The Perfect Gourmet
I was searching for a local photographer to do food photos for our website, and talked to several before deciding to work with Steve— whom I chose because he was the most pleasant, had the most experience, and was a former chef! I definitely made the right decision. I’ve worked with him on three separate occasions now, and have had nothing but wonderful experiences. He is professional, accommodating, and super fun to work with— as is his assistant. He was able to translate our vision (which was admittedly vague at times) into gorgeous photos that we are very excited to showcase on our new website. Cannot say enough good things, and would definitely recommend his services. Thank you, Steve
— Clare
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![GWSPA REVIEW Doctors photo]()
GWSPA REVIEW
I can’t quite remember how I happened upon this photographer, but I am so very glad that I did! We hired him to take photos of our staff and facilities for our Doctor’s office and he definitely exceeded our expectations.
The work that he does with lighting alone is simply incredible. He gave us amazing corporate head shots, group shots, and action shots to name a few.
His patience and professionalism during a day long shoot with almost 20 women was extremely admirable. Take a look through his amazing portfolio and see his work for yourself. I would definitely recommend him for anyone’s big occasion.
— Alexis
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![Head Shot Review]()
Head Shot
I needed headshots for work that are not too stiff and show my personality. I also wanted some for family. Steve was a joy to work with and HE MADE ME LOOK 10 YEARS YOUNGER. Of course, I’m shouting! I’m 52 and his lighting was beautiful. No airbrushing, just lighting. If you look close, you can tell I’m starting to get wrinkles, but the lighting really diminishes them. And Steve had me cracking up so he got some laughing shots my family members love. The one you see here <<< that tiny head shot, that is the one I chose for work. I think you can click my link and see a few more. You can also see how this one looks in full length. They were not all identical and it was a very hard choice. When you go to Steve’s full web site, take a look at the commercial, travel, weddings and architecture shots. Wow. Walking around in the studio feels like being inside of a National Geographic magazine.”
— Beth
Steve Whysall and his dog Pheonix
PHOTOGRAPHY CAREER
As a photojournalist, I’ve learned that a great photo is created when you anticipate what is going to happen. Just as important is understanding professional lighting. Combining both takes your picture from mediocre to extraordinary!”
— Steve Whysall
To learn a little more about me, and where I have been published, please read my about page. This may help you decide if I am the photographer for you.