Mountainaire Gatherings Reviews
Reviews
5.0 out of 5 rating
5.0 out of 5 rating
51 Reviews
100% recommend it
Awards
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![Cass]()
Cass O. Sent on 05/30/2023Whitney is a DREAM
I am incredibly long overdue in writing this, but hiring Whitney was the BEST choice I made for my engagement and wedding photos (yes, better than saying yes to my husband, Jeff ;). In fact, she was my only photographer choice; in my mind, there was no other option. See, I had been following Whitney on Instagram for a few years. And while not local to the ADKs, I visit them multiple times a year, and I always knew that some part of my love story would take place there. Sure enough, Jeff proposed to me one December in Lake George, and I immediately reached out to Whitney for engagement photos the following fall in Lake Placid. If I had it my way, we would have also been married in the ADKs, but given family arrangements and travel, we decided to stay local on Long Island. Once we made that decision, I briefly looked at some LI/NYC based photographers, all the while saying, “this one KINDA is like Whitney… this one SORTA has a Whitney feel…” until I thought, wait, maybe Whitney can just travel down to LI — and travel she did!
We got married this past December (2022), and we knew getting married in December on Long Island could really mean any type of weather — we were NOT expecting pouring rain and 50 MPH wind guests. I’ll never forget looking outside the window that morning and getting a text from Whitney — she was at our photo location (a lighthouse on the north shore); she told me the weather was dicey and she was up for anything, so what did I want to do. I didn’t hesitate, pretty sure I legit said, “F it, I’m game if you’re game” — of course, she was game! And we got, truly, my favorite photos of the wedding — rain, wind, freezing bridal party, and all!
In many bridal Facebook Groups, brides would say their photographers wouldn’t go outside in the rain, not Whitney. Or photographers who didn’t go and scout the location, not Whitney. Or photographers with exhaustive shot lists or ultimately missed photos, not Whitney. Or photographers who could not tweak timelines/locations on the fly, not Whitney. Or photographers were not delivering sneak peeks or albums until months later, not Whitney. Simply put, Whitney is a bad*ss — she was dressed for all terrains; handled my bridal party with ease, humor, and patience, all while keeping us right on track; and I knew so confidently that if ANYTHING popped up that day, Whitney would help navigate the situation and figure out a solution.
If you’re reading this and already like her photos/style, I can assure you her personality is even more incredible. Feeling so anxious and overwhelmed the day of, it was nice to just speak to her or watch her take detail shots — she was never out of reach and always in tune with what myself or the whole bridal party needed. She’s organized AF and was the only vendor I worked with to offer so much advice, resources, and a detailed email paper trail ahead of the wedding. I could write a novel, but I echo with what every other 5 star reviewer has said (and there’s a reason she only has 5 stars) — Whitney is a dream, and we thank every higher power that she was available to shoot our wedding day. No matter where you live, PNW, ADKs, anywhere — I promise you won't make a better choice than booking Whitney -
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![Jessi]()
Jessi H. Sent on 03/18/2022Simply the Best
This review is long overdue- we apologize, Whitney!
My fiancé proposed to me in on January 12th, 2022, in Lake Placid, NY on the grounds of the Whiteface Lodge- it was perfect. Part of the reason it was so perfect was Whitney. Talk about one of the most genuinely kind and happy souls you’ll ever encounter! Whitney was the utmost professional while shooting our engagement session, but that didn’t stop her from having fun with us- and Gus! She laughed when we laughed and never for one second made us feel awkward about being our authentic selves. Her shooting style was just the right vibe for us, mostly candids with some guidance here and there.
From the perspective of the proposed: The photos we have from that day are amazing and looking at them transports me right back. I look through our gallery often with a smile on my face and tears in my eyes- I’m not kidding, they’re that good! The funny/kind of awkward things she has you try when she’s shooting seem SO WEIRD at first but looking at our gallery, I can see why they work. Who would think of acting like you were just a tad too tipsy after leaving a pub-crawl? Whitney! One of the BIGGEST bonuses from our shoot was evening of sneak-peaks, they were the perfect way to show our friends and family that we got engaged.
From the perspective of the proposer: My original proposal plan fell to pieces due to COVID travel restrictions, and just when I thought all was lost- Whitney saved the day! I knew the time and a place, but finding the right photographer was a whole other battle as not all photographers are LGBTQ-friendly. Thankfully, Whitney made the process smoother than I ever anticipated. She ran through my plan with me and how I could make it work; we Facetimed/text and Whitney was so easy to talk to. Thanks to her brilliant acting skills, we were able to keep it a surprise until the very last second (literally, when my knee hit the ground)! I couldn’t be happier with our photos, it’s exactly what I wanted- Jess and I being ourselves and our love shining through.
Whitney has ruined us and set such high expectations for ANYONE who ever takes photos for us in the future. We can guarantee this will not be the last time we see her!! For those in the upstate NY area and those in the PNW- don’t miss your chance to hire this amazing photographer, you won’t regret it!
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Carolyn B. Sent on 12/16/2022
Relive the magic of your special day for years to come!!
Hiring Whitney was THE BEST decision we made for our wedding. Her photography style captures the *true* emotion of the day. Every picture from our wedding immediately transports us back to that moment because her images tell a story. We will be able to relive the magic and warmth of our wedding day over and over again for years to come because of her eye for detail.
She's able to get those intimate moments on camera because Whitney begins the process by deeply wanting to get to know you and your significant other.
She video chats all of her clients before they book to get a feel for their personalities. Within less than three minutes of meeting her via FaceTime, my husband and I KNEW our wedding day would not only be impeccably captured - but *enhanced* because we would have so much fun with Whitney throughout the day.
That couldn't have been more true! After months of shared phone calls, e-mails, bouncing ideas off one another and getting to know each other better - my husband and I were SO excited to meet Whitney in person on our wedding day.
Whitney's positivity is infectious. She is *determined* to make sure you get every image you want. She will keep you (and most importantly, your friends and family) on schedule.
On top of that, she is an incredible resource. She lets you know right off the bat, she is there to help you throughout the entire process (regardless of whether it even has to do with your photos or not). She is the best sounding board for all your wedding planning because she is a true professional and she'll give you an honest opinion.
When I initially stumbled upon her Instagram, I was toying with the idea of having a destination wedding in the Adirondacks. We hadn't booked anything yet - but I was definitely drawn to the woodsy, gorgeous lake setting of the Adirondacks. Scrolling through her pictures, I was gob smacked. So artistic, so intimate, so whimsical! I decided we ***had*** to book her and she captured our wedding in Lake Placid so beautifully!
I truly could not imagine the wedding day or wedding planning without Whitney and I could never thank her enough for the gift of her photography! -
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![Molly]()
Molly P. Sent on 03/05/2023Amazing ADK elopement
We heard about Whitney through a friend who thought she might be the perfect fit based on what we were looking to do on our wedding day. I checked out her website and social media and was immediately amazed at her work. After our initial chat over FaceTime we both loved her personality and knew we wanted her to be our photographer. When the week of our special day finally arrived, the weather was looking extremely iffy. Typical September in the ADKs! We booked an adventure elopement package and our plan was to hike Jay Mountain and have our ceremony at sunset. Knowing that the weather might present issues for our original plan, Whitney developed several alternate options for us, even offering to do something the day before! She really went above and beyond. We decided to hope for the best and initially stuck to our original plan. The weather in the morning was perfect and we were able to get photos together, with our two dogs and with our immediate family at our AirBnb. By the time we were ready to begin hiking, clouds quickly started covering the sky. We still pressed on. As we hiked, you could feel the temperature drop and it started to rain. We reached the first overlook and were fully socked in a cloud! We had time on our side and Whitney was down to do whatever we felt most comfortable with. We ultimately ended up hiking back down and doing our ceremony along the Ausable River. Despite the crazy weather and a last minute change in plans we still had the absolute best day. We will always have great stories to tell and will be forever grateful for Whitney’s creativity, flexibility and top notch talent!
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![Kerrie]()
Kerrie C. Sent on 03/08/2021Perfectly Right
We are so so happy with Whitney's work! Each photo is better than the next and she really captured the moments that mean the most. We LOVED reliving our wedding morning looking through all of our pictures!! She made our day so special and memorable- not only because of the pictures you took literally documented our day, she helped keep our day flowing smoothly and stress free!! We keep bragging to everyone about how amazing Whitney was and how we could not imagine working with anyone else!! We are so obsessed with staring at these pictures!! It is going to be so hard to choose which ones we hang around our home, and that's the best kind of problem to have if you ask me! So so happy we got to work with Whitney! -
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![Rachel]()
Rachel H. Sent on 10/21/2022Whitney is an angel and magician.
Deciding to hire Whitney as our wedding photographer is one of the best decisions we've ever made! Her journalistic and nature-forward shooting style was something we fell in love with immediately and she captured us and our loved ones honestly and beautifully on a stunning mountaintop weekend in upstate NY. On top of her technical skill, Whitney's general expertise, unflappable demeanor, sense of humor, and love for her work infused our wedding with an infectious enthusiasm which carried us not only through a 15-hr day with two ceremonies but also through the entire planning process in months prior. Whitney offers insight and input at just the right junctures to keep you informed, grounded, and on-pace without making you feel behind, hurried, or pressured into anything that doesn't feel authentic to you and your partner. She'll help anticipate as many issues as could possibly be planned for and THEN she'll help you adapt to the inevitable plot twist(s) which skews your timeline and requires some quick thinking. We feel so lucky to have gotten to know Whitney as a person and artist over the course of this process and our friendship with her, along with the truly stunning gallery she delivered (ahead of schedule), will forever hold a place in our hearts. For what it's worth, we strongly recommend purchasing one of Whitney's bundles which includes an engagement session and some printed photos. Both things were well worth the investment and increased the value of the project as a whole. We love you, Whit! Thanks for all you did to make the best day of our lives everything we ever dreamed. -
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Jenna R. Sent on 06/30/2022
The Easiest 5 Star Review
Hiring Whitney of Mountainaire Gatherings is easily one of the best decisions we made for our wedding. Let me first say that Whitney is such a cool, genuine, fun human to be around. We had major friend crushes ever since our first video call and they're even stronger now. Whitney is also essentially a one stop shop for all of your pressing wedding questions. Need help crafting your perfect day? Creating the ideal timeline so that you're never in a rush? Finding the right outfit (or even borrowing from her huge client closet)? Coordinating the timelines among vendors? She's got it all covered and more. Not only that, but she is a stellar communicator. She responded to our questions and my rambling emails way faster than I anticipated with tons of details, making planning and coordinating a much smoother experience. We were lucky enough to meet Whitney a month before our wedding (yay for her transition to the PNW!), where we recognized her ability to make you feel immediately at ease. Even if you're goofy and self-conscious in front of a camera like us, Whitney will gently guide you into a session with tips, prompts, and funny stories to keep you feeling relaxed and natural. When it finally came to our wedding, seeing Whitney again was like greeting one of our close friends. Everyone loved working with her and she somehow managed to work through our family/bridal party shot list with time to spare so that we could take part in the cocktail hour! I would say I have no idea how she managed that, but it's because she is on top of everything at all times (and even maintains a relaxed air throughout it all). Her finished photos are stunning and her editing process is super speedy too. Hiring Whitney is a gift to yourself--you will enjoy every moment working with her and will treasure the final products. I'm already scheming how our paths can cross again...ideally as soon as possible. -
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![Quinn]()
Quinn R. Sent on 01/08/2022Whitney is a gem of a human and an impressive photographer!!
Whitney was our wedding photographer on 10/01/21. She is really, really, really good at what she does. You might think that means she’s just good at taking pictures, but it’s so much more than that. She is organized, an excellent communicator, honest, reliable, funny, and friendly. Combine all of that and you have one heck of a person who also happens to take amazing pictures. She makes you feel like you’ve known her forever and you’re just taking a quick photoshoot as friends. I’m so thankful for her organization and ability to plan a realistic timeline. Whitney was the one who kept the day moving along as it should and ensuring we had time for all of the pictures we wanted to take. She is flexible and able to easily adapt where needed (like when our engagement session was negative degrees outside lol).
As to the pictures we got back - SPEECHLESS. I am obsessed with every single picture she sent us. My friends and family on Instagram are probably over seeing wedding pictures because I can’t stop posting them. Not only are the photos beautiful to look at but they also capture our emotions so well. I loved that I didn’t have to stress about trying to come up with a “shot list” for her - she didn’t miss a single thing that I would have wanted and our pictures don’t look overly staged. Instead, our pictures make me smile/laugh/cry because they are capturing real moments as the day progressed.
Whitney was incredible and I cannot recommend her enough. You will absolutely not regret your decision to have her capture your wedding. 10/10. -
![Aileen]()
Aileen Sent on 01/02/2022Just Perfect
Working with Whitney was an absolute dream. She was able to squeeze in our day after a last minute cancellation and I am thankful beyond words that she did. She was incredibly detail oriented and on top of things from the moment we first reached out to her - from our initial skype introduction to the weeks following our wedding - she was responsive, professional, and not to mention fantastic to work with! Her work is perfect - she magnificently captured the full story of our wedding day. Our photo album doesn't just feel like a compilation of photos - but a perfect retelling of our day. In addition to all that, she is so FUN to work with! She instantly made us feel at ease. My only regret from our wedding weekend was not hiring her to capture the full weekend - hire Whitney! -
![Sarah]()
Sarah G. Sent on 10/26/2021Mountaintop Sunset Elopement
Whitney’s personality and photography style was everything we dreamed of for our mountain elopement. She was attentive and flexible (we switched from sunrise to sunset due to weather) and it really paid off as we ended up with the most amazing mountaintop sunset photos!
She made it fun, stress free, and truly captured our personalities (even our black lab, Rado, haha). Whitney helped turn dreams into reality! -
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![Heather]()
Heather W. Sent on 12/01/2020Mountain Wedding Photog of Your Dreams
Whitney was incredible at our wedding at Forest Lake Camp! Obviously she's an incredible photographer -- her work speaks for itself -- but even more appreciated was her calm, yet decisive presence and trustworthy advice leading up to and during our wedding day. I was pretty emotional the week of our wedding because the weather was looking unpredictable and less than ideal. Whitney handled my emails and texts and calls that week and the day of our wedding like the seasoned pro she is. I called her the morning of because we were about to make a last minute ceremony time change to accommodate the weather (which she was happy to do.) After I said my piece and asked her thoughts, she hit me with the truth I needed, "You might not want to hear this but as a photographer, I would much rather stick to the original timeline and maybe have a stormy cloud or two than change the timeline you've worked so hard on and potentially deal with harsh direct sunlight." It was exactly what I needed to hear. Throughout all of our planning, I could always count on Whitney to tell us what she truly thought. She was the only vendor that encouraged us to keep our original timeline that day and I'm SO glad she did. (The skies parted at exactly the right moments and it was a beautiful day.) All that said, she's just wonderful to work with. We've gotten so many compliments on not only our photos, but on the type of person that Whitney is. So many family and friends came up to us to say how lovely and unobtrusive she was. It was like having a friend photograph the wedding. Thanks for everything Whitney!!
& here's what I originally wrote after our fall 2020 engagement shoot: Whitney is the best! We knew she was awesome from our first facetime call, but she still exceeded all expectations in person. Our engagement shoot up on Whiteface Mountain was SO MUCH FUN. We were both a little nervous about taking photos and feeling awkward, but Whitney immediately put us at ease... and made us feel like models. Can't wait for our wedding this summer! -
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![Adriana]()
Adriana M. Sent on 08/02/2021Couldn't have asked for a better experience...
I truly cannot say enough about Whitney and her work. We really wanted someone who could capture all the in between moments, not just the big ones, and Whitney does just that. We are in love with our photos and love reliving the day through them. So many little details were captured that were real time reactions (big laughs, lots of tears, and everything in between). Whitney was so helpful in figuring out our timeline and worked with us so that we also got to hike the next day in the mountains we love and do an adventure session just us two. We had the best of both worlds because of her. Whitney is a wonder to work with and we are over the moon with our experience with her. -
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![Alyson]()
Alyson M. Sent on 06/29/2021Whitney is amazing!
Whitney is an incredible photographer with a true talent for capturing love and emotion. Each and every photo she captured from our wedding day is stunningly beautiful.
On top of being a talented photographer she is such a wonderful person. She is easy to communicate with and prompt via email through the planning stages. We had some last minute changes with ceremony location due to some bad weather and Whitney was not only incredibly flexible but she also made us feel at ease with her expert advice. We did have quite a bit of rain but that did not stop Whitney from taking amazing pictures, even if that meant getting totally soaked herself (which she did so willingly). Throughout the day she made my husband and I feel so comfortable while she was photographing us. We felt calm and confident knowing our wedding was in the hands of a professional like Whitney. She is truly in a class of her own! -
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![Jillian]()
Jillian H. Sent on 11/02/2019Everything we could have wanted!
Whitney was the dream photographer to go with our dream wedding! Her photography skills speak for themselves when looking at all the beautiful pictures she has taken. But her personality and ability to make Josh and I comfortable was the cherry on top of it all. We looked at and inquired with various photographers but once we saw Whitney's photos and did a FaceTime interview with her we knew who we wanted. Whitney only exceeded our expectations and made our wedding day so much more special. She delivered our photos a week ago and I have looked through them everyday since! -
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Stephanie B. Sent on 03/07/2021
Best. Photos. Ever.
My husband and I planned to only have three guests at our wedding and one of those would be our photographer. With our intimate ceremony, we knew photos would be essential to share our wedding day with all our loved ones and, while looking for photographers, we were immediately impressed by Whitney's work. Once we met her over Zoom we knew she was the photographer for us.
As with any outdoor event, little glitches with weather/location popped up and Whitney was SUPER quick to respond to us with us with some fantastic expert advice.
During the day Whitney brought amazing energy and fun photo ideas that made us comfortable in front of the camera. We were pleasantly suprised by an extremely quick turnaround with our entire portfolio and every single photo tells the story of our day. We have SOOO many favorites to pick from. Seriously, if you're thinking of going with Whitney - do it! She will ensure you have the absolute best photos on your wedding day. -
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