As someone who has been in wedding photography since middle school, Keith Muller knows how to make your day special.
Everyone has their own story, and Franklin Square Photographers want to help you tell that story on your most special day. As someone with over 20 years’ experience in wedding photography, Keith Muller, owner of Franklin Square Photographers, knows what he’s talking about. Keith is there for his couples from the moment they call until way after the wedding. He even says people will call him for venue or vendor recommendations even before they’re engaged. But he’s just so full of wedding knowledge, that people know they can ask him just about anything.
So why wouldn’t you trust him with photos on one of the most important days of your life? Brides of Long Island recently spoke with Keith to learn more about what Franklin Square Photographers, located in Garden City, has to offer.
It’s no surprise that Keith has been a photographer at more than 1,000 weddings. He has been working with his parents as a photography assistant since middle school. He started shooting them when he was 18. “It’s the best job in the world,” he says. As he explains, photography goes back even further than 1979, when his parents started in wedding photography. His grandmother worked at Kodak, and his grandfather had his own camera repair shop in the city. “It’s definitely what I was born to do,” says Keith. “It’s a family business, which is not always a good thing, but in my case, it was a very good thing.”
“Dealing with people on the best day of their life is something that you can’t compete with,” says Keith.
When it comes to their working style, Keith says Franklin Square Photographers always works in pairs for weddings. He is the one who sets people up and makes them look spectacular. “We call it herding cats,” he says. Giving people the opportunity to look their best is his job. The second photographer is a photojournalist, who is in charge of candid shots. Keith says most of the time, the photos are fun, and you don’t even know the second photographer is there – which makes it perfect to catch those rare moments. According to Keith, there is no one particular style that Franklin Square Photographers have, though. He says they work and adjust to each of their couples and their needs.
Couples looking for customized packages should really look no further than Franklin Square Photographers. They will sit down with you, show you samples – either in their Garden City office or virtually. And they’ll put the pieces together based on what you like and your budget. According to Keith, it’s pretty flexible when it comes to customizing not just photography packages, but weddings in general. “It used to be a lot more cookie cutter with a standard wedding package, but now, and BOLI gets a good amount of credit for this, [there is] the ability to customize things that always used to be automatic.” Keith believes couples have unlimited opportunities to put their own stamp on things, and “that’s the fun part.”
If you’re a nervous bride, you will be in good hands with Keith. As we mentioned before, everyone goes to Keith for advice. Franklin Square Photographers are there every step of the way from planning down to scheduling your big day. They’ll tell you everything from what time your hair and makeup should be done to what time your family should arrive for photos. They know that on your wedding day, it can be a balancing act, and they like to be there to help. They always make sure to build in extra time for unexpected things, as well as time for brides and grooms to relax. A piece of advice for any bride, Keith says, “Put the right people in charge of their particular thing, and then you don’t have to micro-manage and stress out over every little detail.”
Even before your wedding, if you’re looking for engagement photos, Franklin Square Photographers have some great ideas. Keith says if couples have no idea where to take the photos, he picks their brain. Are you beach people? Are you into flowers or gardens? But it gets even better than that. Keith will recommend picking something unique to you and your significant other. Maybe the bar you met or a park where he or she proposed! “Sometimes it might not be as spectacular for scenery, but it means something to the couple. I recommend to personalize it as much as possible.”
Keith and his team at Franklin Square Photographers are unique in that they customize themselves to each of their couples. They get to know who you are, what you’re into and what you don’t like. With wedding formalities, they are eager to learn which ones are important to you and why, so they can focus on that. The last thing that they want is for a bride to be generic! They want to help you put your own spin on your wedding day.
“Everyone has their own story,” Keith says. “We have to figure out what that is, and we’re happy to help with it.”
Still not convinced Franklin Square Photographers is right for you? BOLI member Jenna Patricia highly recommends Keith and his team. “Keith has been nothing short of amazing throughout the entire wedding planning process,” says Jenna. “From the day we met, he stayed with us late on a Friday night to explain anything and everything about what he had to offer. When we had to postpone the first time, he was so understanding and even reached out to us as we were getting close to our second date (which we later postponed) with such positivity. He is everything we want in a vendor and more!”
