Posts Tagged ‘Wedding Day’
Planning your big day is a big deal and finding the right person to document your big day should also be a big deal. Getting married is an event that every bride and groom will cherish for the rest of his or her life. There is a lot of preparation and details that go into planning a wedding including finding the right photographer to capture your day. The memories you take with you from your wedding day can be looked at over and over again through the photographs. As a Vancouver wedding photographer from Purple Rose Photography I have comprised some helpful tips to follow while looking for a wedding photographer or even a portrait photographer.
First, make sure the photographer is willing to meet you at no charge. The consultation is a great way to see if you connect with your photographer. You want to ensure you feel relaxed with your photographer, as the last thing you want is to be uncomfortable having your pictures taken on your big day.
Second, ask your wedding photographer to see their portfolio, this will show you their level of experience and also the main style they use while photographing weddings. Every photographer has their own unique style and you want to make sure you love the photographs they take. You should find out if the wedding photographer is open to suggestion and is willing to take the photographs that you request.
Third, many Vancouver wedding photographers are switching to digital cameras; you should ask your wedding photographer if they will be shooting with film or digital. If film, will you get to keep the negatives? If digital will you get a CD or DVD with digital negatives? A large benefit to having a wedding photographer that will shoot digital is that not only can the photographer easily make touch ups to the photographs, they can also add a variety of effects.
Fourth, do not consider price to be a judgement of the photographer. Just because the photographer is expensive doesn’t necessarily mean that their work is superior to the rest or vice-versa; this is where viewing the photographers portfolio can determine the quality.
As you can see on my site Purple Rose Photography not only do I display some of my work I also have an FAQ, which can help answer some questions even before meeting me. Feel free to use these questions as well, when searching for a wedding photographer. I hope you can use these tips as a foundation to finding the right Vancouver wedding photographer. If you have any questions please don’t hesitate to send me an email or call. Happy planning!
You’ve done it! Yes, you’ve decided to get married and the long crazy train called ‘Wedding Planning’ has just started to roll. Dress, rings, cake, venue, celebrant, invitations, the list goes on. At some point amongst it all, you will no doubt consider the photographic aspects of the day.
How do you choose a Wedding Photographer? Here are a few tips from the inside:
1) Importance of Photography
How important is Photography to you? If the answer is “not very”, then selecting a photographer should be very straightforward as the quality of the output is not going to make or break your wedding day. You are also probably not going to spend much time researching every option available. However, you will still benefit from following the tips below in terms of getting the most suitable photographer in Sydney for your needs.
2) Budget
First up is to establish the dollars that you have allocated to the Photographic elements of your wedding budget. Just as with any profession, fees can vary wildly from a few hundred dollars for the ‘shoot’n’burn’ weekend warrior to the full-time legends of the wedding photography world – think Cantrell, Ghionis, Buissink, Yervant, Ascough – any of the latter could run well into the five figures depending upon your requirements.
Secondly, be very clear on what you would like to include in your ‘package’ so as to allow you to make an ‘apples for apples’ comparison. Do you just want a copy of the images from the day or are you looking for an album? Do you want extra prints and parent albums included?
3) Apples for Apples
Be sure you understand the charging basis under which the photographers that you are considering operate. There is no point in trying to compare one package which includes a twenty-sided top quality album with one that includes twenty sided coffee table book as the costs associated with each are clearly very different. By the same token, even albums vary wildly in quality from highly crafted, hand assembled, locally produced to often inferior low quality overseas products.
4) Availability
Best advice here is simply to get in early. Many of the best photographers are booked over a year in advance. There is little point in drawing up a shortlist of unavailable photographers. Furthermore, few photographers will hold a date without a booking fee. My advice, therefore, is that once you have seen a wedding photographer in Sydney that you like, you really need to get their services for your day locked in with a signed contract and deposit to avoid disappointment.
5) Style
Some photographers follow a more traditional posed style of wedding photography whereby the day is highly directed so as to create every moment that is captured. Others are disciples of the more ‘Photojournalistic’ or candid style; the intent of which is to photography key events as they happen with minimal or no direction from the photographer. Both have their place and it is common to see some photographers mix a little of each into their work. Nor is there a right or wrong approach – it is a purely subjective choice for the couple to make based upon nothing other than personal preference. Be aware, though, that the more direction that there is on the day, the higher the awareness of and impact of the photographer on proceedings.
Finally, both bride and groom should ask to see some recent work of the photographer who will be shooting their wedding. At the very least this should be a complete album or two from recent weddings and not a mixture of images from different events.
6) Recommendation
I guess this is a bit like hiring a new employee. You have interviewed them, like their style and personality – they are definitely talking the talk. However, what is the reality of working with this individual? Nothing like following up on recent references to validate your gut instincts.
Of course you may well have arrived at a meeting with the photographer in question by way of a recommendation from a friend or relative. Again, this kind of information is valuable in helping you choose a photographer from Sydney Wedding Photography with whom you will be comfortable and confident with on the day.
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7) Professional accreditation
Again, just as when choosing the services of a number of other trained professionals, there are trade bodies that offer memberships those meeting certain criteria. Photography is no different. Take the time to find out who the relevant bodies are that operate within your particular location and bear this in mind when choosing your photographer.
Personality
Well this is final but probably the most important criteria from my perspective. Let us say you have found this amazingly talented photographer who is available for your big day and fits within your budget. Surely you should just go ahead and book him or her? Absolutely not! If you have not book yet, it is wise to go and meet them first. I have heard tales of couples booking a photographer only to find out on the day that the photographer that they had chosen had the most dominating and controlling style that completely took over their wedding day. Both Bride and Groom need to feel that they can work with the photographer and “click” with them. The other aspect to this is that not only is it a case of having to tolerate someone who is a major part of your big day but that your discomfort will shine through in the photographs. If you can not relax and enjoy your newly acquired marital status then that is exactly what will be captured on film.
My final advice on this point is that you absolutely must insist on meeting the photographer who will be shooting your wedding. Some studios will not allow this or will not commit to a particular photographer – I suggest you consider very carefully whether or not this scenario is one you are willing to accept.
I will finish this article with a brief true story: I recently met a lovely young couple that were looking for a wedding photographer to cover their wedding day the following year. They came down to the studio, sat down and promptly informed me that I was the eleventh photographer that they had seen! There is a moral to this story: having considered all of the above points and, in the words of one famous series of adverts, “Just Do It”! For more information on wedding photography you can visit: http://sydneyweddingphotography.com/.
In this time of digital cameras there are a some people that think that a professional photographer is no longer necessary. They think that anyone can be a professional photographer while in fact, being a professional photographer is still something you need to have an eye for and you need a proper photography education. People often end up being very disappointed with the result their amateur photographer has produced. But by that time it is to late, you can’t celebrate your wedding day or any other event for a second time. When people realize this, they know that for some events it is best to hire a professional photographer.
There are many qualities you need to have as a professional photographer and some of those can be learned but some just need to be part of your personality. A eye for detail, patience and a charismatic personality are just qualities you have or you don’t have. If you are a professional photographer specialized in portraits or weddings it is important to make people feel at ease in front of the camera and although there are a few tips and tricks you will learn at photography school it should also be part of your personality. For nature photography however, patience should be a big part of your personality.
Interest is not enough
For the type of photography that fits best to your personality and interest you need to learn some skills before you can call yourself a professional photographer. If you know how to look and have an understanding of equipment, light, and technique you will make better pictures and make a better career in the end. The best way to gain this knowledge is to attend a university or college that provides professional photographers courses.
If you really want a profitable career as a professional photographer you need to keep the following in mind:
It is important to build a proper reputation as a professional photographer and you can not do that without a good understanding of the techniques and mechanics of photography. Especially in the celebrity and fashion industry there are a lot of young photographers that want to be the best and if you want to compete with them you need the right education, the right tools, the right skills, a very good portfolio and lots of practice.
The professional photography industry is big and there will be specializations that need more investments then others, you need other equipment for nature photography then for fashion but both are very viable professions. And as a beginning professional photographer you can start small, build your portfolio and then buy some new equipment if you can. In the mean time make sure you get the practice that builds your self confidence and self esteem.
For a profitable business as a professional photographer you need to be an all round photographer and to be able to manage yourself in all kind of assignments or you need to specialize yourself and try to be the best in your field. You need to listen to your hart and understand what type of photography you are willing to specialize in. Listen to your clients and always try to perform more then 100%. A profitable career as a professional photographer is perfectly feasible if you follow the tips above and enjoy what you are doing.