Bio Brian L. Garman

About the Photographer

Brian began his interest in photography in elementary school in Nevada Iowa. He had always loved drawing, but was hooked on photography when he learned that it was a quicker way of capturing an image.

Later he studied photography at Hawkeye Institute and journalism at the University of Northern Iowa. In 1979 he opened his first studio "Memory Lane" in Nevada Iowa in a partnership with Mary Ann Gardner, specializing in family, wedding, and senior high school photography". Brian was 21 at the time.

In 1980 Brian purchased a studio in Algona Iowa, "Reflections in Photography" as sole owner, again specializing in family, wedding and senior high school photography.

Although things went well for several years, Brian closed his studio and moved to Escondido California and worked at Craig Photography. There he fine tuned his skills in the Family and Senior High Portrait arena and attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara.

In 1987 Brian once again partnered with Mary Ann. He enjoyed the partnership, but wanted to create his own vision of what portrait and wedding photography should be.

"Photography is art. It should capture a certain expression, image and memory of the person you are photographing. It should evoke emotion, because that two dimensional image is the one you and your family will keep." says Brian

Brian currently specializes in wedding photography, artist rendering of digital image files, and designer albums, utilizing all of the newest technology at hand. "You can alter color images to black and white or many stylist looks and even change the mood of an image" All of this allows the photographer to give the customer a better product than ever before. Brian also pursues his love of nature in photography, click HERE to visit his Nature Gallery.

Brian currently lives and works in Urbandale Iowa, he has been married to Leslie for 17 years and they have two children, Vanessa and Adam. Leslie manages Artistic Wedding Albums a family business creating Artist Rendered Images and Designer Albums all created by Brian. Vanessa has joined the family team as an assistant and photographer in training.

Testimonials

Wow! We are really pleased with the pics. Others that have looked have commented on how good they are (best they have seen!). The Farm Bureau pics along the lake turned out better than I expected - I don't even look cold! The best thing they do is bring back the day and how much we enjoyed it! Chris commented on how professional you were throughout the day. We both appreciate that. I know the getting ready process took longer than it should have and I appreciate your patience!! The slow progress made me anxious and the fact that you rolled with it very much helped.

Kathy and Chris

Bravo! You did a superb job, and my standards are very high... Again, from a colleague and a proud dad as well, my compliments to a job superbly done.
Gary Silber,. Master of Photography (father of the bride)

Wow! We knew you were good, but the pictures and slideshows are so awesome! You did an amazing job! I keep looking at everything again and again! Thanks again!
Krista and Ryan

I just wanted to let you know that the pictures are AWESOME!!!!! We just love them!!!!! You are a rock star!!!!!!
Chrissy and Jared

Absolutely Fabulous!! I'm almost speechless!! Can't wait for everyone to see your collection. Thank you so very much...you totally captured the day for me!
Jacque (mother of the bride)


I wanted to let you know, on behalf of the entire family, how delighted we are with the wedding photos! They are absolutely and beyond a doubt the finest I have seen anywhere (and I've seen quite a few across the country). We will recommend you and your work whenever we have the opportunity. Deciding what to order will be a significant challenge for all of us -- please be patient. One thing that amazed Rachel and me was that we were never aware of your presence. We were stunned by everything you captured. Truly, it was wonderful to have you be part of our day. Many thanks.
Margaret (mother of the bride)

Wow. When I can form more words of English, I will send more compliments! What a great present to get right when we returned from our honeymoon.

Monique and Ryan

I agree with everyone, that these are absolutely the most beautifully comprehensive professional photographs of a perfect celebration in love I have ever viewed!!!! Absolutely awesome and I thank you
Rebecca (mother of the bride)


You are brilliant beyond words! We all think the pictures are the very best we've seen, they're incredible. It's hard to decide which ones to order.
Rachel and Taylor


I am so happy with my wedding pictures!! It was exciting to see them online while we were honeymooning on Martha's Vineyard. Thank you so much for the wonderful job, I wouldn't have changed a thing!
Theresa and Matt


Brian - You have done an amazing job!!! Your photos are awesome!!! Everyone who has seen them has been so impressed with your photography! Your photos bring a smile to my face every time I look at them (which has been a lot!). Thank you again for doing an amazing job - we are so very pleased with your work!
Joyce (mother of the bride)


We were extremely pleased with your professionalism and service at our recent wedding. You came highly recommended and we expect our expectations will be exceeded.
John (father of the bride)


We wanted to thank you very sincerely for taking such beautiful wedding photos. We couldn't have asked for more pictures or more attention to detail. Thank you for helping make our dream day come true.
Jessica and Kelly


Lee and I just wanted to thank you for our pictures, you did a wonderful job and all our family members loved the pictures.
Debra and Lee


We love this! These are great pictures. A wedding Saturday and pictures available online Tuesday afternoon! What a way to share, the wonders of modern technology. Our families and friends are enjoying the pictures. You did a wonderful job.
Sandy (family of the bride)


I wanted to thank you for the beautiful shots you took at our daughter's wedding. They are absolutely beautiful and I thank you for your time, sensitivity, humor, and great pictures.
Diane (mother of the bride)


The photos are absolutely incredible! We can't thank you enough for the wonderful job you did at our wedding. We had a lot of fun and you captured everything perfectly! Everyone thought you were awesome! .... Thank you so much.
Melissa and Tim


We love the pictures from our wedding a few weeks ago. They are so wonderful! We couldn't be happier. Everyone who sees them wants to know who the fabulous photographer is! So I get to tell them all how great you were to work with and then let the pictures speak for themselves. Thank you so much for the perfect pictures from our special day!
Amy and Aaron


Thank you, Brian. I also want to thank you so much for your professionalism the day of the wedding and your patience when time ran late. And a big thank you for staying an additional half hour beyond your scheduled time to help us out. It was so very kind and thoughtful of you, and we truly appreciate it. So many have already asked who our photographer was, and we proudly tell them that you are not only related but a very successful photographer whose work has been published in major publications and in high demand. Thanks again!!!
Arlene (mother of the bride)


My fiance and I were talking to some people in a restaurant about our wedding planning and they asked us if we had a photographer yet. When we said yes, they said that was too bad because they had a great one to recommend.....you! I consider that a good omen.
Ashley


Thank you so very much for doing such a beautiful job capturing our wedding. Our pictures turned out absolutely wonderful and really exceeded our expectations. The DVD set to music was so touching that it brought us both to tears. Thank you again for the beautiful pictures... you are truly an expert at what you do.
Nicole and Tom

Photographer: Brian L. Garman
Brant: A+, Photo’s were very important to me. Since I enjoy taking photos, I was put in charge of finding a photographer. I knew I wanted more than traditional photo’s. We choose Brian based on his photographic style, the packages he offers, has been published in many magazines and the fact that he does ONLY weddings.
Since Brian is all digital, we already have our previews. I was blown away watching the on-line slideshow he made for us.
I honestly could write pages on how happy I am with Brian’s work. Jen and I both have said to each other many times I can’t believe he got that shot. When we interviewed Brian, he kept stressing that his main goal for the day is to tell the story and give you a feeling that you are there. He truly delivered that.
Since it was ungodly hot that day, we didn't get as many outdoor shots as we wanted. Brian was nice enough to offer a free bridal photo session for us. We are going to take advantage of this.
You can tell Brian really enjoys his work. He was taking photos of me and my groomsman when he told us to freeze. He crouched down and took a shot. Then he came over and showed us the preview. Again, when we were dancing in between songs I talked to him since he was right there. He said here’s a cool shot I just took and showed it to me. It was way neat to be able to see a few previews right there. And it made me feel good that he was excited about the shoots he was taking.
Jen: A+, I will not bore you with the same things that Brant has already written but Brian was great to work with and I couldn't be happier with our pictures!

A review by the Bride and Groom as posted to 'The Knot' - used with permission