Vaughn Wood Photography consists of Charles Wood and Chris Vaughn, North Texas Lifestyle Photographers located in the Dallas / Ft. Worth metro area. 

We have been involved in photography collectively for over 20 years. We specialize in engagements, weddings, seniors, and families.

We love the vast amount of fun and picturesque spots for all types of photography sessions that the DFW area provides and it would be our honor to work with you on your special day.

Our goals for our clients are simple. First, provide an absolutely incredible client experience from start to finish. Second, provide our clients with creative photography that matches the vision they have for their photography needs. 

· I am married  

· I have one daughter, step-daughter, son-in-law, and precious grand-daughter.  

· I have one dog and three cats.

  I like to SCUBA Dive

· I have always been a creative type.

· I’ve been called MacGuyver, because of my ability to think “outside the box” and find unconventional solutions.

· I use to draw a lot as a kid. I actually started in college as an Architecture major

· Photography has always been a mysterious and beautiful art that I admired.

· Photography is something I genuinely love to do. I am always continuing my Photography education. One can never learn everything there is to know about Photography, and that’s part of why I love it!

· I love traveling. I’ve been to the following countries and territories in my travels: Mexico, Belize, Grenada, St. Lucia, Antigua, St. Martin, Cayman Islands, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, Canada, Belgium, Netherlands, Scotland, Ireland, Greece,  Dubai, and Honduras.

  My camera is a Nikon D850 and I like to shoot natural light as much as possible, although we have several different lighting options that we shoot with when needed.   

In high school I took a photography class where I built my very first camera, a pinhole camera using a shoe box painted black inside with photosensitive paper inside. While that image wasn’t the best it was of a flower. I learned how to remove film from the roll, spool it and then develop my own black and white photographs in a dark room. Shortly thereafter my dad handed me the Olympus OS2 SLR camera he had purchased for my mom and told me to show him how I see the world, that was when I was 16 and I haven’t put my camera down since. 

Photography and the arts have been my passion and hobbies since I was young. My favorite memories center around shooting photographs of places like Niagara Falls, Costa Rica and Roatan Island, Honduras. I created my own coffee table photography book that I gifted to family and friends and for Christmas one year I designed individual calendars for my family using photographs I had taken over the year of their families and special events.

I'm a long time Canon user and I currently shoot with my Canon 80D and my R5. I prefer to use natural light whenever possible, but I have access to portable lighting when needed. 

Capturing authentic moments for our clients drives everything we do behind the camera. In our opinion, capturing life’s moments is what our photography is all about.

We love what we do because we love the stories behind our photographs. The personalities, connections, behaviors, and beauty that creates the story is what we want to preserve.

People come to us because they trust that we will tell their story in an honest way, with emotion, life, and creativity. We strive to shoot photographs to depict how life feels rather than just how it looks.  We are always on the lookout for authentic and honest connections over and above everything else.

We especially love the challenge of capturing genuine moments…. Our passion is making sure that the magic moments of a wedding are captured for people to cherish forever. The raw love that shines across a bride and groom’s face. The pride that shows up in a graduating senior’s smile. The giggling of a toddler as they uneasily stride toward their mom…. With our cameras, we get to preserve it all.

Our photography blends our passion for visual storytelling with a desire to remember a moment in time. Memories fade. Our goal is to preserve life’s cherished moments as they unfold naturally and to capture that moment so they can be relived throughout time, to begin a legacy for your family.

Our style is best described as artistic-documentary. We are documenting your day as it folds, capturing real emotions, but we also put a lot of energy into artistic perspective of each shoot. We often experiment with different lighting techniques, backgrounds, styles, to get the most of your creative portraits. Whether photographing a small intimate wedding or 500 people ceremony, our goal is to capture every memorable moment, the atmosphere and your emotions.

From the moment someone gets engaged, hours are spent carefully thinking about what is going to make this particular wedding special. Couples painstakingly decide every detail to create the wedding of their dreams. It is safe to say that a person’s wedding day may be the single most thought about day of their lives. It is for this reason that wedding photography must strive to capture the day with perfect timing and clarity. However, one does not want only to remember how things looked or what color the bridesmaids wore; wedding photography should also inspire those who view it to relive those moments and feel those emotions over and over again. The wedding photography style you choose should capture all the details timelessly. You want to have framed photographs for your walls, but you also want someone to have noticed the flower girl sneaking a taste of the frosting.

Typically, our photographers will use natural light portraiture techniques to capture photos that will stand the test of time. You can expect images such as a portrait of the cake, a picture of the bouquets, a pose with grandma or the giggling flower girls, and happy photographs of toasting bridesmaids. 

Pick a photography package that fits your needs. Your proposal will include full photography coverage, the number of photographers, the expected amount of photos you’ll receive, and when and how you’ll receive them.

TIMELINE CREATION

Rely on us to create a photography timeline that includes the day’s important events, whether it be an engagement session, wedding day, or a portrait. We consider the time of day to optimize the natural light, sunset, and dusk. Everything is created and reviewed together weeks in advance so everything is planned in advance and worry-free.

DAY OF COVERAGE

Never worry if important moments or details will be missed.  We will be present at your event, looking for those moments to capture.

VENUE PREPARATION

Feel at ease from our in-person walk-through as we scout for places with the best lighting. After our meeting, we’ll adjust the photo timeline, if needed – Making sure we have plenty of time to and from the venue so that you don’t feel rushed or like certain photos will be missed the day-of.

SNEAK PEEKS

Start reliving your special day the very next day with a handful of sneak peeks. Then, get excited to receive and share your full gallery of photos up to 4 short weeks later.

ALBUMS, PRINTS, AND DIGITAL MEDIA

We work with our clients to portray beautiful, authentic, emotive documentary-style pictorials, realizing the vision of every image from its origination to perfect completion.

Touch and hold the moments documented in your photos with an album and/or print or receive a customized USB Drive containing the digital files of your photography session. 

Let us know your desires and we can provide you options.

Can you describe your lighting style?

It's SUPER important to understand how this works. Tonality in imagery is not the same as style. So if you see images that are darker, or low-key, then that was because the environment that we photographed them in was also dark and low-key.
 

Where are you located?

We are located in the North Dallas area, but consider the entire DFW metroplex our area. We are also open to destination weddings, so if you’re looking for that type of photographer, let’s talk. 

What are you travel fees?

Time, travel, and accommodations. Let's talk.

Do you photograph non-weddings events?

Yes, we photograph Senior portraits, Family portraits, children, newborns. We are open to having discussions with you regarding your exact needs.

Are you insured?

Yes, we are currently insured for liability and data loss 

Can I just get the digital files?

Yes, you can get the digital images. But, keep in mind that our session fees take into account the photographer’s time on location, the editing time, and the product model.

Do you offer payment plans for products & art collections?

Yes, we offer payment plans. Ask for details.

What kind of printed products do you offer?

We offer albums, standard prints, canvas, acrylic, and metal wall art. We bundle these into different collections and can do custom sizes as well.

I had my shoot done with another photographer, can you edit the images for me?

We cannot, mostly because we cannot guarantee that we will be able to meet your expectations. Our images look the way they do mostly because of lighting and composition. Post-production is thought out at the time of capture, leading to a master final image. But we cannot skip the first part of that and be able to create beautiful photos for you.
 

So when a client asks this, a suggestion that we typically have is to book us for a shoot. If it’s your wedding photos you are looking to have edited, it likely means you were not 100% satisfied with the original result. So we can put you back in your wedding attire, plan a shoot at an incredible location, and make some really beautiful photos for you.

What types of payment do you accept?

We accept cash, money order, cashier’s check, and other electronic payment methods.

What kind of photography equipment do you use?

Chuck uses the Nikon D850 DSLR camera 

Chris uses a Canon  80D  DSLR camera . Our cameras shoot in high resolution to allow for the greatest flexibility in post production.  Vaughn Wood Photography has a large inventory of lenses and lighting equipment to fit most needs. 

Location Portraits

Although tourists or private citizens can take photos almost anywhere, professional photographers are often constrained by local laws or by regulations enforced by private property owners.

Regrettably, many locations in the DFW area require some sort of permit or special property permission—for portrait photographers or wedding photographers.

We typically recommend a location where we'll be isolated from large groups and other distractions. For this reason, in urban settings, we recommend early morning sessions when many of the businesses are closed and the sidewalks are mostly deserted.  Choosing times when bystanders and observers are not present improves your ability to focus and expands our options in terms of photographic locations at that venue. In most cases, we typically discourage choosing multiple locations during your session as we can easily spend 2 hours at most of these locations without exhausting the most obvious photographic opportunities.

We want to replicate this amazing shot on Pinterest!

So do we! We are creative at heart and would love the opportunity do something different and challenging. Let’s talk.

Should we do an engagement session?

Yes! Yes! Yes! The engagement session is a great opportunity to get to know your photographer, allow us to understand how you like to be photographed, and to create artwork to decorate your home and your wedding with. We include a waiver of our engagement session fee with every wedding package booked.  

Steps to hiring us for engagement photography

 1. First, send us an email by filling out the form on the                   "Contact Us" button so we can get some basic information about your shoot and what you are looking to create

2. Pay your session fee and choose a date

3. Complete a pre-session consultation

4. Prepare for your shoot by selecting outfits.  

Engagement Photography Locations

We offer a variety of photography locations for you to shoot at both outdoors and indoors. You can choose to do a studio session with us indoors, or an outdoor location. We want you to feel comfortable knowing that we are here to help you look and feel your best. 

How long in advance do you recommend we book?

We don’t place limits on our clients from booking in advance. Being that rates go up with time and discounts are limited the closer we are to your dates, we highly recommend reaching out to us as soon as you get engaged and book your wedding date. 

Will you be there for the whole day?

Our photographers are devoted to making your special day the best it can be. Depending on your needs, we will devote enough time to making sure that endeavor is accomplished. The last thing you want to worry about on your day is whether or not a timeless moment will be missed.  

Would you travel to my destination wedding?

We definitely would consider that, let’s talk more.

How will the wedding day go?

Depending on your needs, our photographers can document the day by photographing those special moments of preparation, venue, ceremony, and reception, along with private bride and groom portraits. 

How many hours of coverage will I need?

This is a very good question that can be best answered during your initial consultation. But, generally weddings can be covered from getting ready to the last reception events in 8 to 10 hours. If you are having a cultural ceremony or you have a long gap between the ceremony and the reception, you may need more hours of coverage.  

Do you recommend one photographer or two?

We include two photographers in all of our wedding packages. It’s important to be able to capture multiple angles of a similar story. 

Do your photographers have backup equipment?

Yes, we always shoot with 2 or more camera bodies per photographer in case equipment fails at an inconvenient time.  Our photographers are required to upload your images to our servers within 48 hours of the wedding, and from there the files are backed up to multiple locations all automatically.

When are my payments due?

Wedding payments are split between your 50% intitial payment (non-refundable), which is due upon booking, with the balance due on the day of your event. All other products & services are due at the time of booking.

Natural Light Wedding Photography 

We know that not all clients like the dramatic look for every image. It’s important to understand that we give our clients a variety of images and the light on the day will dictate the aesthetic of the images.  If you are interested in a more brighter aesthetic, choosing locations with amazing natural light is key. The more open shade we can get, or large windows, the softer and more beautiful the photos will be! 

How old do kids typically need to be?

There is no age we recommend as a minimum. In fact, we encourage you to capture images of your little ones 4 times in the first year, and then yearly after that.  

How much do your average families spend? 

Most families will invest between $300-$700 for their portrait session depending on the artwork they choose. Keep in mind we have NO minimum orders.

 Steps to hiring us for portrait photography

     1. First, send us an email by filling out the 

form on the  "Contact Us" button so we can get some basic information about your shoot and what you are looking to create

2. Pay your session fee and choose a date

3. Complete a pre-session consultation

4. Prepare for your shoot by selecting outfits.