Behind the Wedding Lens... Part II of III

Onward with Wedding Photography Info: Services that should be provided!

- Your photographer should always discuss a shot list with you. I can't recommend this enough. While your photographer should be trained to arrange and execute any sort of group shot on the fly, a shot list ensures that the moments and people that are most important to you are accounted for. Just like a schedule of events is important for ceremony musicians and reception bands or DJs, it is also helpful for a photographer for planning purposes. The better we know the order of your day, the better we can photograph it! And as helpful as it is for a photographer, the real benefit is that it takes the pressure off of you! For example, you won't be standing in the middle of your family formals, trying to remember which photos have already been taken and which still need to be. The photographer will be checking off a list of photos you've already laid out, making sure that each family setup you've requested is taken care of. It can be very simple or very detailed, it's up to you! Be wary of photographers who try to talk you out of using a shot list or refuse to use one... your preferences and requests are first priority!

- Your photographer should offer secure online gallery viewing after the wedding. In this age of technology, this is a simple request, and benefits everyone involved... for you, it allows you to view your images from anywhere, and share the password with friends & family so they can view them, as well (especially those who may not have been able to make it!). For the photographer, such a gallery would drive traffic to their website, resulting in future clients and additional print orders from the wedding. It's an added bonus if people can order prints directly through the website, because then you don't have to gather people's orders and money and then distribute the photos once they're printed... they can do it on their own!

- Lastly (and maybe most importantly), your photographer should include a CD of copyright released images in your package. For the premium prices you pay for a wedding photographer, you should own the images afterward and be able to use them as you please. Some photographers will hang onto these digital "negatives" and retain exclusive printing rights, then charge premium prices for prints. The good thing is, there are enough professional, cutting-edge photographers out there who have abandoned this archaic practice that you won't have a problem finding one you love who will happily oblige.

That's it for today... one more installment in wedding photography, and then we'll move on to another wedding service, to be announced!! :)

Until then, Happy St. Patrick's Day tomorrow, and I'll see you soon!

Cory

P.S. Btw, Matt is TOTALLY right on when he says to ask photographers about their training. You'll definitely get to know photographers better based on their answers!

P.P.S. I'm getting married in THREE AND A HALF WEEKS! EEK! :D

Wedding photography training

So today at Prelude Photography, we had one of our training days with the whole crew. There are certain things that Prelude focuses on when we shoot weddings and we have training days to make sure all my shooters are on the same page. It was fun, inspiring and gets us excited about our upcoming wedding season.

I do have to say, I lost the team's focus a bit when our two pet bunnies (that I let run around) started jumping in the air and playfully chasing each other. That's fine, though, we start pictures with those live bunnies in a few weeks.

TIP: If you are looking for a wedding photographer, ask them how they train for their weddings. Is there a plan? A cohesive strategy? There are a lot of great photographers out there. There are also people that just show up and click away. Make sure you can differentiate between the two. It will change how your day goes and how it is preserved. Because after the wedding day, only photography stays. (hey that's kind of catchy, maybe I should start using that :)

-Matt (prelude)

Behind the Wedding Lens... Part I of III

Alrighty... Wedding photography is my business, but I'll try to talk about it from a consumer's standpoint as best I can, and point out some of the most important tips & tricks.

First of all, while you're shopping, be VERY cautious of friends, family, or other amateur photographers offering to take photos for you for your wedding day for a drastically reduced price. Not to offend any of them, of course, as many of them may be quite handy with a camera! There are BIG reasons to go with a professional company, and I'll list the most important ones below.

- Price: There are professional photographers out there for just about any budget. If you don't see something in your range on a photographer's price list, ASK. They may be able to negotiate features in their packages to fit your budget.

- Liability: What if your family friend gets sick? What if your uncle's computer crashes and all of the images are lost? What if your sister's boyfriend's cousin's camera malfunctions halfway through the wedding? Professional studios should have backup photographers, backup hard drives, and backup cameras, not to mention insurance. Protect your investment!

- Editing: Your accomplished amateur may have a fancy camera, but do they have software to handle editing bulk photos? Trust me, you do NOT want to sift through 3000 images to find your favorites. Your photographer will filter for blinking eyes, awkward faces, and perfect exposure and focus in your images.

And lastly, you want your friends and family to be able to ENJOY your wedding instead of having to work! You can always tell them to feel free to shoot as much as they'd like, and their images can supplement your photographer's. Just be sure to mention to give the professional photographer priority in taking a shot, and discuss it with your photographer so they know someone else will be taking some photos.

If you do absolutely need a less expensive photographer, search for a freelance photographer who can prove professional experience or affiliation.

More on photography in the next post!

Happy wedding planning... see you soon!

Cory