WEST OCEAN CITY — When Pam and Garry Elliott decided they wanted to be the first people married in Ocean City in 2011 they put out a call to a photographer they were confident could do their wedding twice. 

Photographer Lynda Gruber grew up in Ocean City but made her bones shooting models and television stars in 1980s Miami and South Beach, Fla. After a couple years away from the craft, she’s recently began accepting clients again those who’ve chosen her for their special events couldn’t be happier.

In her Sunset Avenue studio, Gruber has a state of the art setup with green screen abilities, as well as a number of different backdrops and accessories to make her clients’ studio shoots equal the caliber Gruber built her reputation upon. Setting aside the lighting gear and other accouterments, the professional attitude with which Gruber approaches her work is what sets it apart.

As a makeup artist, Gruber is able to make sure her clients are not only professionally appointed, but that the makeup work she does compliments the lighting and background of the shoot. A good makeup job could be lost if it doesn’t also compliment the photographer’s vision for the shoot. By doing it herself, Gruber gets the most out of her models’ preparation.

Her success in portfolio work in Miami has already begun to translate here as local aspiring models seek her out to help them put together a portfolio they can afford. In fact, both portfolio sessions and special event coverage have been repeatedly cited as having an affordability to quality ratio that is nearly unheard of in the photography world.

One of the reasons the Elliotts chose to have her shoot both of their weddings was that both shoots were still less expensive than most of the quotes they were able to get for just the main event. Gruber gets $180 per hour and for that provides edited disks of whatever she shoots.

The price differential is mostly about Gruber breaking into an already soft market after some time away. She’s not afraid to establish herself all over again in a new market. Plus, she also has a great love of taking photographs often donating her time and talents to local charities, documenting their events.

One of the keys to a successful photo shoot is having an assistant who can not only take additional shots but make sure the various setups go well logistically, allowing for a smoother, more natural flow in the final product. Linda’s son, Paul, works as her assistant and as a result has developed his own shooting style and talents.

When they’re on location or in the studio the mother and son duo work together to get as much done in as little time possible to make sure that people get their hourly money’s worth.

As Valentine’s Day approaches Gruber has established a special for either couples who’d like to have photos taken or those who want to give a photo of themselves as a gift to their significant other.