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A Bride's Choice Photography (206) 783-2239 Seattle, Washington This article is published on Ultimatewedding.com and was voted a 5 ***** Star Rating by Thousands of future Brides!
"Print or Bookmark This Page" Because you may want to read it more than once! 'Recently Updated' This page is meant to provide helpful advice & tips on what to know, & what is involved in hiring the photographer who will capture your wedding day images. It is wise to be very selective about the photographer you choose to record these once in a lifetime images. Image quality: Are the exposures the right color and density (Too light or too dark). Are they sharp when enlarged. Do the pictures look natural, not overly posed or staged. Do they communicate feeling through expression? Digital Images Are the pictures sharp and not over sharpened? Can you see detail in the highlight areas, an example a wedding dress in bright sun? Do the skin tones look natural in color, not orange or too red? Does the photographer hand correct the images before he gave you the CD? Portrait Studios: If you are considering hiring a studio that has more than just one photographer. Make sure you preview his work! It is a common practice to show their best photographer's work and then send some else. Insist that you meet with him or her, before you book the day. Chemistry between you and your photographer is a least as important as skill; trust your intuition and feelings about their level of sincerity. Real love and joy, is what great wedding photography is all about. A High Package Price is not a guarantee that you will get quality Photographs. I assume that my customers have perfect knowledge, I guess that is why I have been selected by so many advertising Art Directors, PR people, and Marketing Director's. They hire photographers all the time, and they also know how much to pay for the photographs they buy. I have been blessed with their helpful advice and personal insights. One told me "Joe, you should raise your prices." I love what I do, it's like an emotional joggers high while taking pictures. A Low Package Price: Photography is not a generic product. Comparing print or package prices for example; presupposes that you have similar products to compare. The last class I took at the U. of W. was "The Philosophy of Art." Shortly after, I decided to become the Artist; and after 25 years it is given, that I made the right decision! This quote is from a paper I wrote for that class. "Where in the emotional content, and weight of the medium, true value can only be judged in a very selective way after the photographs are seen and viewed for their content." So "Price Shoppers", be notified, that in the purely Aesthetic sense, the cheaper product you purchase may have a true value of "0", & in effect be less value, than a likeable product fairly priced. The size of the print, or cost of an artists canvass, has little relationship to the price of an artists work. Mainly it is about time, and artistic skill. For example: I just completed a 30 page Renaissance Wedding album from my Sapphire Collection ( 5 hours of wedding day coverage) At the recommendation of my friendly accountant, I kept track of all my time involved in the Wedding, and was very surprised when I found out that it all added up to 30 hours of my time film coverage, and 54 hours digital coverage. Even I didn't realize how much time I was spending per Wedding! The more services you are provided, the more time it takes your photographer. So it is also likely that if you Price shop you will not only get less quality, but also much less service and help from your photographer. Ask if the photographer is a full time professional. People do what they do best! Not just on the weekends. Generally, a photographer that spends his whole life making pictures, brings much more experience and equipment to your wedding than a weekend warrior. Speaking of professional photographers, there has been a huge increase in the number of wedding photographers as a result of the advances of Digital Photography. They are casually known as the Rebel Shooters. But would you trust your life time memory's to some one who actually makes their living doing something else? Skill and craftsmanship are not learned over night, and technology, and a fancy camera, will not instantly overcome the lifetime of experience of a true professional has. Lighting: Studio strobes with soft boxes and umbrellas make much softer lighting. Look for detail on a pure white wedding dress. Do the faces show 3 dimensional shape, or are they flat, and one dimensional. An indication that he uses straight flash instead of a soft box. Digital: I now offer digital services in addition to my tradition wedding services. It is so exciting, and fun to see and share your wedding images on the web with your own Wedding Web Page or my latest offering is a Wedding Album DVD also complete Digital Camera wedding coverage is also now available. Disposable Cameras: I see these at more & more weddings. I have even had a couple ask me if I can correct some of the bad photo's that invariably come from them. They are in no way an adequate substitute for having a professional photographer shoot candid's. In fact are on a (good shot by shot basis) they are incredibly expensive. Ask your photographer to be sure and shoot plenty of candid's. You will be much better off, and happier with the results. Save your money, don't buy them! If you do, don't expect much. Medium format cameras can be a plus for formal portraits. They allow much greater freedom for enlargement & cropping. Hasselblad, Maymia, Bronica are the main camera brands. Fast shutter speeds are necessary to balance natural light and flash, so the faster sync speeds available from medium format cameras are a necessity for an outside summer wedding. Small format cameras are easier to operate when doing candid's. That's why the great photojournalists use them. Ask if the photographer uses both camera sizes at a wedding, I do. (Depending upon the package and coverage selected.) Be wary of photographers that offer to give you their Negatives or Digital files as a bonus. Telling you how much money you will save on enlargements. It can be very time consuming to do a wedding print order, and those labs won't spend the hours it take to do a typical wedding print order, waiting on you at their front counter, so you will wind up masking each negative by hand yourself. In the case of a digitally photographed wedding, even more time is required than a conventional wedding shot with film. I shoot each wedding in Camera RAW format, because it provides the most options and creative freedom. 1:) Each file needs to individually corrected for White balance, 2:) the Histogram analyzed, and adjusted using the Levels for white and black points, 3:) sharpness set for each image is size dependant, and each print image need to be set to the correct DPI, 4:) and extensively "Photoshopped", saturation and color balance corrected. I figure two hours spent correcting images, for each hour of wedding coverage, so keep this in mind when your photographer wants to hand you the CD at the end of the wedding! On a six hour wedding that is 12 hours of extra work, not including your enlargement or print order, which can take another day or more to do, or even many days, if album design is involved. If you include album consultation of 2-4 hours minimum, you can see how the whole process could take 50 hours or more! Hmm getting that free CD doesn't seem like such a great deal after all the hours of frustration you will spend doing your 'photographer's job' for him. Also Because I care about my wedding clients, and I give them finished enlargements from a professional lab. They cost me lot more money, but it is not worth the hassle to have to redo them many times, just to save a few dollars per print. A professional photographer makes the money to keep his equipment in good working order through selling photographs. Not by giving away his negatives, and his best work. So be very wary of this lure! Look for magazine quality photography that is expressive and has feeling. Published work lends credibility. Ask to see other photographs, landscapes, commercial, journalistic assignments. A photographer's eye, (style) is sometimes easier to see in other examples of his work. The fuzzy portrait school is a whole different style than the photo- journalistic school. Look for a reoccurring style or theme. Most contemporary photographers now shoot a combination of both styles. The Contract " A verbal contract is not worth the paper it is printed on!" Sign a contract and make sure to read it completely. Ask the photographer to clarify any questionable parts. Make sure it spells out, hours of coverage, photo's included in your package, refunds for non-performance or errors, the date and time you are to start taking pictures and reprint prices. Be wary of "Prices subject to change with out notice." If his print prices are on a separate sheet have him, sign and date, what time frame those print prices are good for. It has become a common practice to raise print prices after the brides initial print order. I do raise my prices from time to time, but always honor the price at the time they sign my contract. Even years down the road. A good studio survives on quality enlargements from happy customers, but not like this. Shooting List I use a photo selection list. It lets your photographer know what pictures you want and is in effect, what your are getting for your money. Include any special shots you would like to have taken. Grandma & Uncle Jim with the bride and groom. But I do try to limit the formal coverage, and don't go overboard, as the real memories do come from the candid shots. I like to have 2 hours at least, for formals before the ceremony. Also don't allow guests to take pictures during the formal shooting. This can be very distracting and even ruin some of the professionals pictures! Multiple flashes can over expose even a professional photographers film. It also robs them from sales, tell your guests to wait until the professional is done to take pictures. Enthusiasm: Caring about people is a determining factor about how well the whole process will turn out. Referrals from family and friends, caterers & other professional wedding vendors are the best source, not fancy ad campaigns and an impressive booth at a bridal show. Look closely at his other wedding photo's. By looking at the expressions on faces, you can tell how well the bride, guests, and the photographer were getting along during the wedding! Final Thoughts Please note that I am a photographer, not a web designer. I built this web site myself with Microsoft Front Page. My mission in life is to create photographs that capture the emotional spirit of your wedding day, Photographs that can stand alone on a Mantelpiece, or Framed on a Wall in a Family place of honor. The styles of wedding photography have changed over time, but the one thing that remains constant is that peoples feelings portrayed in facial expressions have not. The sparkle of joy in a new bride’s eyes, a tear of sadness from mom and dad are timeless. Often I am reminded by my customers with comments like “Joe, Your photographs are Real and Natural, that exactly how I want to remember my wedding day.” I have been rewarded by their gratitude, and humbled by the extent of their appreciation. After 30 years as a full time professional photographer I continue to be amazed at the rapid change digital image capture has done to this industry. Some photographers shoot 1,000 or more images just to come up with 200 acceptable images, where a trained eye can do it all in less than 100 images shot using a film or digital camera. Funny, but I have had customers tell me just one single image says it all! The still image has the power to freeze a moment in time, an image that captures the essence of the human spirit. Photography is the single most practiced and appreciated art form, and yet I search every day for its true meaning. Making photographs that make sense, and have meaning is a goal for my lifetime and more. A great photographer lives by his reputation & happy customers were my only advertising for 30 years. Look at the photos, not just the brochure. Great photos Speak out and they will touch you, and if you find the right photographer, you will remember them, and your day for the rest of your lifetime. Call me I would be happy to assist you any way I can. Joe Meadows Photographer A Bride's Choice Photography (206) 783-2239
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