Kate McElwee Photography

Kate was simply phenomenal from start to finish. We met with her shortly after our engagement and her enthusiasm was contagious. Fast-​forward to the day prior to the wedding: she actually went and scoped out our first look spot to come up with picture ideas. She also reached out to the Hair and Makeup vendors to coordinate the morning of time line so that the bridal party would not have to think about it. Day of the wedding: she starting taking pictures in the getting-​ready rooms and true to her word, she made it seem like she wasn’t even there while snapping a bunch of candids. She arrived on time and her enthusiasm and perky mood were contagious! Then we went for our first-​look photos and she truly shined! She set up our first look in the very spot we met for the first time and had many beautiful shots in mind. She commanded attention and authority in an easy going and friendly way. She was flexible with us adding in extra stops for silly pictures at our two favorite food trucks. When it came time for family portraits, she executed the different family set ups in an extremely quick and efficient manner. We both have large families that can be unruly and everyone took to her immediately and she was able to precisely capture each picture! Throughout the night she was a smiling face who I honestly rarely noticed. We received previews just a few days later that were just stunning and a beautiful slide show of many pictures while on our honeymoon! All of our images were accessible in an extremely timely manner on an elegant and easy to use site. Looking through all our images, the memories and feel of the day were truly captured. The moments with in the images are beautifully composed and the emotions can be felt. I especially loved the way Kate managed to capture our guests reactions to the ceremony and reception. Our dance floor was full all night and Kate was able to get in the thick of it for some truly fun pictures! Working with Kate was one of the best decisions we made for our wedding! From start to finish, she was professional, timely and a truly wonderful person to be around! We would highly recommend Kate for any photographic needs!

I cannot begin to explain how fantastic Kate was as a vendor and a person! Not only did every person that was a part of our wedding want her to be their best friend by the end of the night, but she took us back through our wedding moment by moment in a way that is completely priceless. She «gets» people and reflects that in her photos. She is worth every single penny she charges and more! Our wedding will live on (and on and on) thanks to Kate… PS she was so bound and determined to capture our wedding to the best of her abilities that she even met us the next day to get some outside shots because it was so miserable the day of our wedding. I could not recommend a vendor higher, on both a professional and a personal level.

LOVE LOVE LOVE Kate!!! Kate is so talented and amazing! We met Kate at a friend’s wedding and after talking with her for a few minutes, we knew we had to have her for our wedding. She has amazing energy and is so sweet and kind. Her work is out of this world amazing and we are still getting compliments on our pictures 7 months later!
Hands down I would recommend Kate a million times over! We feel so lucky that we found Kate and got to work with her. You will not be disappointed!

Kate was awesome to work with. We had a lot of fun, and the pictures look great! Kate made us feel totally at ease. We didn’t have to pose, we were just ourselves and she captured some great moments.

There’s not much to say– Kate is simply amazing.
We met Kate through a recommendation from another photog who we initially wanted to photograph our wedding. I’m not sure if it was fate or just great luck that we ended up booking her for our wedding. Either way — THANK GOD.
Kate is awesome — her photographs are just stunning and she is so easy to get along with. My (now) husband and I are not great picture takers– we never know what to do or where to stand — but Kate made us look like we had been taking pictures all our lives. Shes funny and easy going and our guests loved her. We had actually only booked Kate until 11pm but she ended up staying way later to get the shots that she knew we would want.
I can’t thank her enough for making our day that much more awesome — so I will now stop gushing and say — book her! You will not be sorry!

It’s not just the camera; it’s the eyes behind the camera… specifically, Kate’s eyes. I wish I could see the world through them some time.
Kate was recommended to the hubby and myself by S&B, whose wedding she had photographed the year before. I can’t say enough how much I love the pictures that she’s taken of us during our engagement session and of our friends, family, venue, everything (and us!) at our wedding… despite how weird and awkward the hubby and I can be sometimes. ;) I also can’t say enough how much I love Kate as our photographer (yes, not just the photos!). She’s warm and friendly, and our guests all had nice things to say about her. (My mom also had to point out that she was impressed with how Kate was up, down, and all around, shooting away).

Our engagement photos were in a woodworking studio with strong colors and no natural light. Our wedding photos were taken with afternoon sunlight in a soft, romantic outdoor setting. Kate nailed it both times.
Unilocal led me to Kate after I had procrastinated on booking a wedding photographer and finding that everyone was already working on my date. She had just moved from Seattle with a wide-​open calendar and impressive portfolio of natural, elegant shots. A very lucky thing, since I was worried the only photographers left in Boston were the ones who photoshop everything to look like a Twilight cover.
Kate is funny — if your SO can’t make you smile, she will.
Kate is easygoing — there’s no photoshoot stress.
Kate is adventurous — she was down for an early morning shoot in an MIT basement.
Kate is professional — she shows up when and where she says she will, with the right stuff, and an assistant to make sure it all runs well. Teasers go up online the next week, and I got my disc of images three weeks after the wedding even though it’s her busiest month.
Kate is a ninja — no one even noticed her taking photos. She also wears black! QED.

I cannot recommend Kate and her photography enough! We had an engagement photo session in January with her. While we were very nervous to be in the spotlight, Kate made us feel right at home. She got us thinking about ideas, props, location and clothing before the shoot which was very helpful. She is completely gay-​friendly, which was also very comforting.
We had a few locations in our neighborhood for the shoot; indoor and outdoor. Kate was excellent at making us feel comfortable and gently giving us direction, giving us lots of reason to giggle and be ourselves. She was incredibly professional and the photos are to die for. The turn around time was very quick in receiving our photos; we receive so many compliments on them!
Thank you so much Kate for capturing our relationship so beautifully!

We are so happy we selected Kate for our family portrait session! She is very easygoing, friendly, and sweet. A photographer’s personality is important so everyone feels natural and at ease, and Kate definitely created that atmosphere. And as for what it’s all about, the pictures, I was amazed at how creative and special her shots were. She captures delightful expressions and interactions and magically brings out highlights of the surroundings we didn’t even notice were there! Definitely recommend, and will definitely use her talented services again.

I attended Jason F.‘s wedding and just have to add that Kate was amazing! She was so friendly and we had a lot of fun at her photo booth throughout the night. But aside from her great personality, it’s her photos that win her 5 stars. She posted some highlights and a slideshow on her blog a week after the wedding (so quick!) and the photos are simply phenomenal. I am a bit of a photography snob and interviewed so many photographers for my own wedding last year… I’m so sad I didn’t know about Kate a year earlier. I definitely wish I had hired her instead of who I ended up with! So, my advice to future brides and grooms (in the Boston area since she’s moving)… Hire Kate! Now!

There are so many good things to say about Kate, I don’t think I can fit them all here. Not only does she take amazing pictures, but she is cool and easy going… exactly the kind of person you want around on your wedding day. She is easy to communicate with and very professional. She makes everyone look great in her photos, and takes special care to catch candids of guests looking their best. We have gotten so many compliments on our wedding pictures… many people told us they were the best wedding pictures they had ever seen. It can’t get much better than that! Watch out Boston, you are sure lucky to have Kate headed your way!