About

Hi there!
We're Morgan & Ryan

Storytellers by trade, best friends who found each other after heartbreak, mom and dad, expert veil tossers (well, one of us), obsessed with local coffee shops, making friends wherever we go.

A story about a love for storytelling

And I’ve been telling stories since I could talk. In studying and practicing journalism, I only grew stronger in my conviction that every single person has a story worth sharing and celebrating. That love for storytelling turned visual when I started taking pictures of my cousin’s three adorable kids - Will, Eloise, and Graham - when they were born in the early 2010s.. I fell in love with capturing moments in time with a camera at their birthday parties, baptisms, and even trips to the pumpkin patch. With my cousin’s loving, persistent encouragement, and a burning desire to create a career where I loved showing up every single day, I started Morgan Madeleine Photography in 2019.

Stories are engrained in everything Ryan and I do. We met in the news industry - I was a news producer at a local TV station, and Ryan was the operations manager (after many years of being a director).

Now, here's where the other kind of love comes in.

I’m talking about the love between two people. Like your kind of love!

Even though Ryan and I worked together for years, it would take a long time before we realized what was in front of us (I tease that I could never remember his name for the longest time). We both had to overcome separate heartbreaks, and work through trials that forced us to realize what we both deserved in our lives.

This is why we hold our role as your wedding photographers so close to our hearts. We know exactly how special it is to find the person who loves you unconditionally. Who is worthy of sharing your life. We know that it deserves to be celebrated and cherished.

We have so much fun getting to know you, celebrating your love, and documenting your wedding, and our excitement for your wedding day is often the topic of conversation in the evening. But we also know that what you have is about more than just your wedding day.

That’s why we get to know you and your story, help bring your vision for your photos to life, make sure you actually have time to celebrate your love at your wedding, and capture your relationship and your memories in the most beautiful way. Because that’s what you deserve. That's what your unique, unconditional, never-take-for-granted kind of love deserves.

To say we love working together would be an understatement - we wouldn't want to capture weddings any other way!

We had two kids in two years - Beckett and Evy. They keep us on our toes, and we love being mama and dada!

And we can't leave Lucy out! We adopted our rescue pup in 2021!

What does our news background have to do with your wedding day?

After photographing over one hundred weddings, we’ve made one huge realization: Our former jobs in news and what we do as wedding photographers have A LOT in common.

And it’s not just the storytelling. That’s engrained in the way we’ve done things our whole lives (school, work, business and weddings!). It’s also how we work with our couples leading up to the wedding day, the details we pay attention to, and the joy we find in doing all of this!

A news producer is in charge of the news rundown - which is a detailed plan for the show, with hard out times, scripts, cues and more. Nothing ever goes perfectly according to plan in a newscast, and the producer is ready to make quick adjustments.

As wedding photographers, we guide you through your photography down to the minute, so you can get beautiful photos and enjoy every moment. We know how long things usually take, we anticipate delays, we always add in buffer time, and we are calm, cool and collected if something needs to change.

Our goal is to help you experience your wedding day fully - to get the beautiful portraits you dream of (coaching you through all of our natural poses), AND have the most amount of time possible to relax and celebrate - giving us the chance to capture all of those beautiful emotional, candid moments. It’s all about preparation, attention to details (alllll of them!), and buffer time. It’s exactly how I Ryan and I produced and directed newscasts!

It’s not just about the photography for us (don't get me wrong, we LOVE beautiful details) - it's also about telling your story, planning for these important moments, and preserving memories - it’s all such a natural extension of what we’ve always loved doing. And on top of it, we get to work with the best (I mean the BEST) couples. How could it get any better than that?

Ryan had to fix something in this building on a weekly basis. If you have a problem that needs solving, there's no one better to have in your corner!

Our son, Beckett, and Ryan on his last day at work - before joining me full time in our business!

Ryan was the station's operations manager after many years as a director. I was a news producer, and yes, sometimes I produced the shows he directed!

Our belief: You deserve a top-notch wedding experience, just like you deserve the love that you found.

If a few pictures could sum it up - it might be these! Ryan has become known for his dramatic veil toss technique. He looks the same every. single. time. and as his loving partner, of course I have to share them with the world! And although it leads to some beautiful veil photos, our couples often request I leave Ryan IN some of them too. If he puts this much effort into your veil toss, imagine how hard he works the rest of the day!

What's a wedding day like with us as your photography & videography team?

Every wedding we photograph includes both of us — Ryan and Morgan — so you always have two photographers on your day. I (Morgan) will always be your lead photographer - guiding you through natural poses and making sure you feel comfortable in front of our cameras (I promise - even if you aren't usually comfortable getting your photo taken!). Ryan will be the photographer you never saw coming - he'll be capturing your portraits through beautiful alternative angles that only he can see, or he'll be catching your guests in sweet, emotional or hilarious moments - and they won't even know he's there!

Yes, when you hire us to capture your wedding photography and videography, Ryan becomes your lead videographer. He has more than 20 years of experience in video production and editing - this is his wheelhouse! We hire a trusted third photographer for these weddings, so you always have a second photographer.

From the moment you book us, we become your wedding photographers - not just on your wedding day, but throughout the entire planning process. When we show up on your wedding day, we feel like friends. I know that sounds cliche, but our couples tell us that - and there's a reason for it! When you book us, there may be many months - or even over a year - before we get to your wedding day! Throughout the entire process, we ask you questions, we talk about your details, and help you bring your wedding photography visions to life. Wedding photography isn’t just about documenting what happens. It’s about knowing you. How you interact, what makes you comfortable, what you’re most excited for, who’s likely to tear up, and how your family and friends show their love. So we can capture it in a way that in a way that lets you relive those emotions all over again.

We treat your wedding day with the same professionalism and preparation we'd want for our own wedding — starting long before we ever arrive. We're capturing one of the most important days of your life, so we are there to capture it all! Your wedding day starts well before we get there, from our detailed planning to prepping our backup equipment. Ryan's often working 3 or 4 video cameras during your ceremony, capturing beautiful candid moments during cocktail hour, and somehow still setting up our light stands before your grand march! Our number one goal is for you to be able to relax and enjoy your wedding day to the fullest, so we handle the logistics and help keep everything on track!

How many photographers will be at our wedding?

Do you provide photography and videography?

What can we expect after booking you as our wedding photographers?

What does your coverage look like on a wedding day?

What is your wedding photography style and approach?

Do you help couples with posing and directions during photos?

Our wedding photography approach blends documentary storytelling with intentional, directed portraits, captured in a bright, natural and joyful way. Our number one goal is for you to be relaxed and fully in the moment on your wedding day, and to photograph it in a way that lets you relive every moment. Our job is knowing when to step into the role of documentary photographer and when to be the director, decision-maker, and guide who helps create beautiful portraits that look and feel natural and joyful. It’s knowing how to find the best light, when and where to direct you to the most beautiful background, and how to compose an image that frames you perfectly - bringing all the focus and attention to you as a couple and the emotion between you two.

There’s a time for us to just be flies on the wall, capturing the real, candid moments and emotions as they unfold while you’re unaware we’re even there.. And there’s a time for us to step in and set everything up intentionally. To create the portraits and memories that will be framed on your walls and printed in your albums for years to come.

We guide every couple through posing step-by-step, because we never expect you to know what to do in front of a camera. And we always strive for natural, joyful photos - hopefully making you feel as comfortable as possible in every part of the experience. When we have an engagement session with our couples, we are able to establish what works best for that couple. And most importantly, you’ll be so familiar with our poses, directions and how we photograph you that you’ll be pros on your wedding day!

...and in case you love details like us, here are some FAQs that will give you a better idea of what it's like to have us by your side on your wedding day!

FUN FACTS

01

Ryan has seen every season of Survivor. I am now into it too. Although I usually won't admit that I get distracted when it's on, and then never knows what's actually happening. Ryan pretends not to be annoyed by all my questions.

We spend most of our weekdays at local coffee shops. We will go out of our way to order from a local coffee shop over a chain any day. Our orders? Ryan - coffee black. Mine - iced latte, even in the winter.

I grew up playing competitive tennis through high school, college and even now! Ryan played in junior high, and he's ok. But he's surprisingly good at ping-pong, which does not go over well with me (I'm the competitive one). We love playing pickleball too!

We love traveling together! Arizona is one of our favorite spots stateside, and we've enjoyed visiting France together. We have dreams of spending our winters in France someday!

Ryan cries the most at weddings. Although now that I'm a mom, I WILL lose it during mother-son dances. And I always tear up watching Ryan's final edits of every wedding video!

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Ryan taught me how to downhill ski early in our relationship. My only experience had been middle school ski club, and I just went straight down the hill. We now LOVE skiing together. I think it's my second (or third) calling in life.