Posts Tagged ‘Friends Of The Family’

Your wedding day is one of the most important days of your life, however; unfortunately at times either as a result of a lack of planning or a lack of sufficient skills and knowledge it is possible that your wedding photographer may not provide you with the beautiful photographs that you would expect on your very special day…

Some photographer can be either formally educated at institutions such as colleges, universities, or; perhaps they have gained qualifications working with a professional photographer or worked their way up through a position such as photojournalism while other photographers can be friends of the family, people with very limited experience or people are simply keen amateur photographers. Many of our personal friends may fall into this category?

Unfortunately, we may fall into the simple trap of choosing someone that has very little experience with a camera to photograph our very special day. This can be a very dangerous decision to make as the success of your wedding photography is in the hands of someone that may know little more than how to take a photograph using the automatic settings on the camera.

Finding a wedding photographer is not an easy process; considerable thought should be put into making this decision and hear a few steps that will assist you in making this decision:

Experience Level – You need to ascertain the level of experience that the photographer has, not only as a wedding photographer but also as a portrait photographer as the principles of both wedding photography and portrait photography do have some similarities.

You also need to have an understanding of the attitude and level of enthusiasm that the photographer has in regard to their photography, people they work with, their customers and the quality of their work.

Remember to view the portfolio, take your time looking through the photographs and ask many questions about the photographs are you looking at, the location, was the photograph staged all set up etc. When looking at a photograph ask the photographer if the photograph was taken during a customers wedding shoot or if the photograph was set up with either friends or a model(s) posing to the shot.

To me this is a very important question to ask as some set up shots can take considerable time to prepare and there is a lot less pressure on the photographer as they generally have a lot more time to take the photograph. The photographer will have a beautiful image in their shop window, however; you need to ascertain how well they work when photographing a real wedding…

Photographic Style – This refers to the type of feeling or mood that you wish to have portrayed in your photographs. For example, you could have your wedding day photographed entirely in the style of photojournalism this is generally where the photographer does not pose many of the photographs, this style is generally what they see is what you get – candid photography with a story book feel to it.

The style of photography can be very effective in either color or in b&w, however; to have your entire wedding photographs taken in the style may become a little repetitive in the shots and a little mundane to view in your wedding album.

You also need to consider that the photojournalism style photography is normally achieved by photographers that have a lot of experience in as photojournalist will have practice their skills as part of their wedding photography.

From a personal point of view, I have noticed that this style of photography can be an excellent way of showing the excitement of your wedding day, however you need to consider the requirements of the audience that will be viewing your photographs.

By this I mean, when you select a wedding photographer perhaps you should think about the fact that the photographer is not only required to please the needs of the bride and groom, they may also need to meet the needs of your parents that may have a very large photograph hanging on a wall in their home, or your grandparents that will have a photograph sitting on a mantelpiece.

Another style wedding photography is the traditional wedding photography, this is a similar style of photography that you have probably seen in your parents and grandparents wedding albums. This style is traditional, and it continues to work even today. More about this on my blog…

You may also wish to consider your requirement for a certain number of color and b&w photographs. Fortunately with the invention of digital photography and post processing computer programs such as Photo Shop make it possible to easily change color images into b&w images – this process will not convert B&W images to colour. For example, it is now possible to photograph an entire wedding in color and then convert any images into b&w during the production process.

There are many more issues that we need to consider when considering a wedding photographer for our special day.

Truth in Advertising – You need to be certain that the portfolio that you are viewing actually belongs to the photographer that you have booked for your wedding.

I cannot stress how important it is to do this is as the results of your wedding photographs may differ considerably to the quality of the images that you envisage in your mind. Regardless of what you think, the quality of photography will differ from one photographer to another.

You also need to speak face-to-face with the photographer that will be photographing your wedding, more on this shortly.

Personality – The photographer that you will be using for your wedding must be very easy to get along with, you need to feel comfortable with the interaction and communication between you and the photographer.

In addition to the above, you need to be certain that you can convey your ideas, thoughts and suggestions into the style of photography – most importantly you need to be heard and you need to be certain that your message is getting thru.

The photographer needs to be able to convey exactly what they are trying to achieve with their photography to the bride and groom. For example, they may have to explain why a particular pose for a photograph may feel a little awkward when doing it, however looking through the lens of the camera the image will end up being beautiful.

The photographer may wish to explain why they are photographing the bride by herself with a wedding party way off in the background. The photographer may tell you that the reason to doing this is to focus primarily on you (the bride) while the wedding party in the background will be visible but out of focus.

It’s all about interaction, it’s about explaining the reasons why the photographer has selected a particular location; it is also about having chemistry between the photographer and the bride and groom. We needed a particular chemistry or feeling between these people to ensure that the results are what you anticipate, expect and deserve.

Appearance – Also remember to inform the photographer about the style of dress that is required for your wedding. For example, if the wedding is a Black tie affair – formal dress is required. If the wedding is casual event then the photographer may be able to simply wear jeans with a shirt with a collar.

This decision is left entirely up to the bride and groom; you need to be certain that the photographer understands your requirements.

Price Range – Remember the saying “you get what you pay for?”

You could go out and ask your friends to take a few rough photographs at your wedding, we all know people like this they are often the people with all the equipment but no idea.

I have seen many weddings where this type of person offer a lot of advice to the photographer, however; they really have limited experience and knowledge in relation what they are talking about. Professional wedding photographers should know something about photography…

I would not recommend that you use a photographer friend to take your wedding photographs unless they already have sufficient experience in either photographing portraiture, or photographing weddings.

Sure, you could get your friends to photograph your wedding for a much cheaper price, however; as I mentioned earlier ”you will get what you pay for”… if the level of experience of your photographer is low, the quality of your photographs will also be poor.

Alternatively, you could select a photographer or photographic studio that may charge thousands of dollars to photograph your wedding. You may feel that this is a good idea, you will need to take into consideration the additional costs related to your wedding – that is how much will it cost you for each photograph that you purchase, how much will it cost for a wedding album etc.

Unless you have a huge budget for your wedding it may not be a realistic decision to choose the most expensive wedding photographer in your town?
So, you need to consider some aspects such as your wedding budget, the necessary travel and accommodation costs for the photographer (if required), the quality of the photographs you require, the cost of any large prints that you may wish to order and the cost of your wedding album.

As you can see there is more to consider when selecting a wedding photographer than simply saying that will do…

Delivery – you need to find out how long it takes you to get your photographs back so that you can go and view the shots as this is a very exciting time for the bride and groom as it feels like they are opening another present, that present is the memories from their very special day.

Perhaps you could tell your photographer / photography studio that you are going away for a honeymoon for one or two weeks, ask them if it is possible to view the photographs a day or two after you return.

WARNING: When it comes to planning your wedding album, there are many aspects you need to consider. I will mention a few more of them later…

Offering – you need completely understand the particular photography package that you are signing up for. Don’t expect the photographer to attend your wedding for 10 to 12 hours is your only paying them a two-hour package.

Once again, as mentioned earlier you get what you pay for. Although on this occasion you need to understand exactly what you’re paying for…

If you’re considering making changes to the wedding package either before or during your wedding you need to ask at the initial interview with the photographer what happens if you change your mind about a particular aspect of the shoot. Will this alteration incur a fee, and if so how much will it cost?

You also need to ask and in relation to the ability to make your wedding package flexible enough to meet your requirements, after all you will be in a large amount of money from your wedding photography. Will this flexibility come at a cost?

Remember to ask how long the photographer will be in attendance at your wedding and you need to know the sequence of photographs. For example, you may request photographs of the bride getting ready to the wedding, getting makeup applied, getting dressed, and photographs with Mum and Dad preparing for her wedding day.

You may then want photographs of the groom getting ready for the wedding, with his parents, or enjoying time with his friends.
Then there are photographs at the church, in other specified locations and then at the reception venue.

Ask the photographer about plans in the event of unexpected whether such as snow or rain as the last thing you want to do is to have to come up with ideas where to take photos if the weather is poor.

You may also wish to request that the photographer provides an assistant on the day, good assistants are worth their weight in gold and that they act as another set of eyes for the photographer.

The Wedding Contract – Almost all professional photographers and photographic studios will provide you with a contract for your wedding day.

Generally, the contract provides the obligation of the photographer / studio to the bride and groom and it also explains the expectations that the photographer has from the bride and groom.

Basically, contracts explain the photographer’s liability in the event of equipment failures and other incidents that may affect the quality of your photographs such as problems in relation to obtaining prints from a professional photographic laboratory. Although this is not a great issue now that many photographs are using digital cameras, however; this was a problem in the days of film photography. At times things can go wrong, memory cards may fail, camera bodies can fail, cameras lens may jam or some other unforeseen event may occur.

I do not mention this scenario to scare you in any way, I simply tell you as this is something you may need to be aware of and is something that you need to be prepared for if it does occur. However, after saying this is extremely rare and events like this will actually occur, so I wouldn’t worry to much about it….

Wedding Contracts also explain the requirements of the bride and groom to be obligated to this particular photographer / studio for their wedding photography and to follow specific rules in relation to copyright of images, payment plans, wedding package and other information. You need to know what you are signing…

Another issue that is mentioned in wedding photography contracts, actually as mentioned in almost any photography contract that you will sign is that by signing the document you’re giving the photographer or studio permission to use any of your images in any way they wish. For example, they may wish to use your wedding photographs for advertising on the Internet, in photography competitions etc. You may wish to ask the photographer or photographic studio how they intended to use your photographs and make sure you get it in writing.

If for some reason you make a decision not to allow your photographs to be used for advertising purposes or in any other way that is not specified by yourself and your partner, you need to tell the photographer or the studio representative and you need to have this condition in writing. To put it simply, some people do not agree with having their image or information released without their consent.

The most important aspect to remember about any wedding photography contract is that all wedding photography contracts are designed to protect the interests of the photographer / studio and not the customer. You need to read and understand everything in your wedding contract, if you have any questions or doubts at all, ASK!

What about deposits and payments? This issue is also in relation to the wedding contract. You really need to be aware of what happens in the event of any cancellations by the photographer, or if for some reason the photographer decides not to show on the date of the wedding. Although this is extremely rare it is an issue that you need to discuss at the time of signing the wedding contract.

If was some reason the photographer or studio representative refused to provide you with an answer to this question, I would consider finding a photographer that will answer this question for you as there are so many photographers out there. Also, you need to get the answer to these question in writing if it is not included in the wedding contract.

You also need to ask the photographer what compensation you will receive (if any) in the event that your photographer does not show up to photograph your wedding, or; for some reason they need to leave early as a result of personal injury or illness. This also needs to be in writing…

What is the plan to replace the photographer in an emergency?

You may feel that what I am saying to you is looking at the wedding photography experience as being something to be afraid of; this is not my intention I’m only making you aware of some of the incidents that some people have experienced in the past.

References – Ask the photographer or studio representative to provide you with a list of testimonials / references from previous customers and also ensure that you obtain either phone contact information or e-mail addresses.

Once you’ve done this, you are now free to contact these people and ask them what their wedding photography experiences like. You need to be certain that the experiences that other people have had with your photographer is what you would expect.

Ask them about the good and bad aspects of using this photographer and any issues or incidences that may have occurred either before, during or after the wedding.

Ask them how the photographer interacted with other guests, the priest, the videographer, reception staff etc.

I would personally contact these people via e-mail as you will then have a written account of their experiences and you can then contact the photographer or photographic studio and discuss this information if you wish.

Almost all photographers will be pleased to provide you with the contact details of their previous clients. After all, the photographer is trying to sell their reputation and it does not simply involve a face-to-face discussion with the photographer. For this reason you really need to understand the perception that other people have of the person that will be recording your precious memories of your special day.

I would not recommend that you use a photographer that does not provide you with the contact details of previous clients as this may indicate that previous customers may not be pleased with the quality of work the photographer produces, or; perhaps the photographers interaction with their clients is not as good as expected?

Other Questions: Here are a few questions that you should ask the photographer or studio representative before signing the wedding contract.

• Have you shot a wedding at my suggested location before?
• Do you have an assistant?
• Do you have backup equipment in the event of failure and is it the same quality as the primary equipment?
• What time will you begin taking photographs and how long will you stay?
• When will the proofs be ready?
• Do we get to keep the proofs?
• Do you mark your proofs?
• Where and how are your proofs marked?
• How much extra do we need to pay for unmarked proofs?
• Do we get to keep our negatives / computer images?
• How long do you keep the negatives / digital images and will you sell them to us?
• Do you use high speed film / high ISO to expose natural light?
• Do you have tele-photo and wide-angle lenses?
• Do you work well with the other vendors? i.e.: coordinators, caterers, priests, videographers etc.
• Can you work from a photo checklist that we create?
• How will you be dressed?
• Do you process and develop your own film / digital images and prints?
• What level of compensation will I receive in the event of equipment failures, illness, injury etc – events where the results are not as good as expected / provided by the photographer or customer?
• What is the plan in the advent of poor weather – snow, rain, high winds etc?

What goes on the all important contract?

• The name of your photographer
• The time that he/she arrives and leaves
• The number of proofs you will view in order to pick your enlargements and / or keep.
• The description of the package you ordered – how much and how many photos will you receive?
• A list of guaranteed prices for enlargements. If they have a brochure with prices then get the photographer to write down that the prices on the brochure they gave you are the prices that you will be charged.
• The cutoff date for these brochure prices.
• All additional charges, services, taxes, travel, etc… Get the exact cost on the contract.
• An explanation of what happens if your photographer doesn’t show up.
• The date and deposit amount and how much is owing.
• Your name, address and phone number. The names and addresses of the ceremony and reception locations.

My final thoughts…

Some photographic may studios rely on the gullibility of their customers. For example, they know that once you are in the studio and sign the contract you are basically trapped into a service that at times may be considerably expensive than you expect.

The services they provide may actually be of a similar standard provided by other photographers although their prices may be extravagant. You really need to shop around for a good photographer that will provide a service that is of the quality you expect for the price that you are willing to pay.

You need to be aware of the additional costs involved in your wedding photography, but this I mean the cost of purchasing a wedding album, you need to consider how many pages you will have within the album, the size of photographic prints, the cost and sizes for each photograph etc.

I would recommend that you do your very best to purchase all digital images so as you can take them to a fine quality photographic laboratory to be printed in whatever size you like, you could then search for a wedding album either locally or on the internet. Photographic studios and photographers can make considerably more money from the after sales service than they make from simply showing up to take your wedding photographs.

So, you need to ask the question at the time of signing your wedding contract whether or not the photographic studio or photographer will allow you to purchase the digital images (if the shots were taken digitally), or negatives if they were taken on film. If you can successfully do this, you may save yourself hundreds or even thousands of dollars in post-photography costs.

Most photographic studios and photographers will not agree to do this as they will lose so much money from their customers, however; I think it’s worth the effort in asking the question as it may save you thousands of dollars.

I hope you are enjoying the information that I have provided today, as I mentioned earlier is not my intention to scare you in any way it is my intention to ensure that you are aware of some of the issues that you need to consider when selecting a wedding photographer or sign your wedding photography contract. I want you to avoid the possibility of being ripped off and hopefully, some of this information will be of assistance…

So remember to keep in touch by visiting my blog occasionally as there will be a lot more information in regard to wedding photography, landscape photography, portraiture etc.

Thanks for reading this review from http://clickherephotographytips.com/ .

In addition to my blog, I also have many videos on YouTube. My YouTube channel address is http://www.youtube.com/user/clickherephotography .

And remember to enjoy your photographic experience…

Cheers
Dean.