| This is a common question that is asked a lot. Here | | | | bridesmaids is doing so to help the bride so she won't |
| are some things to consider when placing a value of | | | | have to dread dealing with the extra drama that can |
| Wedding photography. | | | | be created by slow and late bridesmaids, after all its |
| Professional prints are a rip off, I can get a print for | | | | her day. |
| 0.19 cents at Xmart! That's true you can and all it | | | | Scouting the area. |
| costs you is a little time. You were at the Wedding | | | | If the events are at an area I have not shot at |
| having a good time, you pulled your camera and | | | | previously I will go to the wedding site and the |
| snapped off a shot, easy. What about the Wedding | | | | reception area and photograph the areas and meet |
| photographer isn't it that easy for him too? | | | | the people who will be in charge on the day of the |
| Wedding photographers (the good ones) really care | | | | wedding. I go back to the studio and load up the |
| about the bride and groom. We want to take the | | | | images and plan out shot I want to get using what is |
| best photograph possible for the given situation and | | | | available in the area and then I organize the shots |
| in order to do so it requires us to be prepared and | | | | and plan them in a logical order. There is another 3-4 |
| put some thought into every shot. | | | | hours of planning, plus travel time. |
| First is the equipment. | | | | The rehearsal. |
| You must have good quality gear and you must have | | | | We attend the rehearsal. This is good way of learning |
| back up. At any given Wedding we bring 5 camera | | | | about last minute changes, getting to meet the |
| bodies, 6 flashes, 4 power packs, 8 lenses, lots of | | | | family and wedding party and of course handing out |
| AA batteries, 50 GB of memory chips, extra | | | | the photography schedule. So there is another 2 |
| batteries for the cameras, tools to clean and repair | | | | hours on average. |
| cameras or lenses, extra cables. Light stands, | | | | The day before the wedding. |
| reflectors, a white balance target, light meters, 800 | | | | All of the equipment is cleaned, inspected and tested. |
| watt strobes for formals (3 of these), umbrellas, | | | | Batteries are charged. Equipment is organized. Cards |
| flash bracket, diffusers, and well you get the idea. | | | | are formatted, cameras have their clocks |
| A good camera and equipment (gear) do not make | | | | synchronized, lenses and sensors cleaned, I organize |
| one a good photographer. A skilled photographer can | | | | my shot list, pack up the lighting equipment, tripods, |
| make good images with even mediocre equipment. | | | | etc. Another 6 hours of work. |
| The reason to get expensive gear is because it can | | | | The Wedding day. |
| make good work great, but it won't save a poor | | | | The average wedding for us is 8 to 11 hours, yes we |
| photo no matter how much money you have spent. | | | | are not the 4 hour wedding photographers. I always |
| Pro cameras focus more accurately, track moving | | | | wonder how they can get away with that. |
| objects better, focus in low light conditions faster | | | | Now it's nice to think that you can plan out a |
| and better, they are more rugged, weather sealed, | | | | wedding day and after that you just execute the |
| shutters have a life of 250,000 frames. They have | | | | plan. Well now it's time for a reality check. |
| larger buffers so you can take more shots with | | | | Weddings are organic. |
| slowing your camera down. The camera is only part | | | | They have a life of their own and not everything |
| of the equation. Your lenses can play an even larger | | | | goes as planned. But, that's ok. Part of being a great |
| role than your camera body in the quality of the | | | | Wedding photographer is being able to think on your |
| images. In other words if you have an $8000.00 | | | | feet, to be flexible and change all of the plans in a |
| DLSR and put a cheap $300.00 lens on it you just | | | | moments notice and still get great shots and keep |
| wasted $7000.00. | | | | everyone smiling. You want a challenge try squeezing |
| Why do we need all of that gear? Simple, for | | | | 2 hours of shooting into 45 minutes. Oh yeah, the |
| backup, reliability, quality, and to create images that | | | | shots still need to be great. |
| can't be created without the proper tools. We want | | | | After the Wedding. |
| to make images that have a third dimension to them. | | | | Ok the Wedding is over we get home about 1:00 am |
| It's called the WOW factor. | | | | unload the equipment, start reading the images of |
| Yes anyone can buy a camera, flash, flash bracket | | | | the chips. Throw them online and wait for the money |
| and run around and call themselves a photographer. | | | | to roll in!!! In my dreams. |
| It's also a fact that anyone can buy a pair of scissors | | | | Just taking the images off the chips take about 3-5 |
| and cut hair, but I will bet you are going to have a | | | | hours. Next the images have to be processed. |
| skilled person cut YOUR hair. The same is true for | | | | We do not shoot in jpg file mode, we shoot in RAW. |
| photography, there are skills, technical learning, people | | | | RAW is to digital what negatives are to film. The files |
| skills, posing skills and things you can't learn like having | | | | have to be loaded into a RAW editor. We use |
| a vision, seeing the light and looking beyond the | | | | Capture One. |
| obvious to create something great from something | | | | Processing the RAW files. |
| Others see as common. | | | | The average Wedding will have 1000-2000 shots. I |
| Anyone can buy brushes and paint and take art | | | | will spend about 10-16 hours processing the RAW file |
| classes, but not everyone will become an artist. | | | | to get the absolute best quality from each one. You |
| No it's true there are people out there that shoot an | | | | can take shorts cut and not be so picky, but any |
| entire wedding with 1 camera, 1 flash and call | | | | Wedding photographer worth their salt will want to |
| themselves by various popular names (photo | | | | make the proofs look great. |
| journalists). Now I don't want to start any fights but | | | | It takes time to do proper color correction (actually |
| many professionals feel that the majority of PJ | | | | correction and white balance begins before the |
| shooters and people who don't know how to light, | | | | images were taken, that's what the white balance |
| pose or frame their subjects. Don't get me wrong | | | | target was for). Files are backed up on three |
| there are a few that are really good, but I do feel | | | | different external hard drives for redundancy. The |
| that many people whom just one to make an extra | | | | chips are not formatted until all of the files are |
| buck hide behind the reputation of the good PJ | | | | backed up. |
| shooters in order to take advantage of their clients. | | | | The Album. |
| These are usually the guys who at one time realized | | | | The RAWS are output as high resolution jpg files for |
| that anyone can snap a picture, so why not get paid | | | | building the albums and for posting on the Internet. |
| for it? The photojournalist wedding photographers | | | | Now we build the album. The average album takes |
| that are really good are in a league of their own. | | | | 40-60 hours. You could buy software that |
| They have unique skills, and have one BIG advantage | | | | automatically dumps photos from a folder into |
| over the wanna be photojournalists and that is they | | | | pre-made templates, and it takes about 20 minutes. |
| actually have been photojournalists before getting | | | | But there is no creativity or customization involved. |
| into Weddings. | | | | The photographer selects the images for the album |
| Ok. I am off that soapbox for now. | | | | and the bride and groom get to make changes 2 |
| Hidden labor and time worked but not seen. | | | | times. Many photographers work this way because it |
| There is a lot of time spent after the wedding for | | | | is faster. But if the bride and groom really appreciate |
| the final production of the images and album that will | | | | good images and don't want a cookie cutter album |
| be created. But before we go into that lets take a | | | | then it requires creativity, communication and time. |
| look and the hidden time and expenses that you | | | | Using Professional lab. |
| would never know about unless you did wedding | | | | Professional photographers use quality monitors and |
| photography for a living. | | | | hardware devices that create a profile thatmodifies |
| At the initial meeting of a bride and groom we will | | | | their screen display so when we edit and color |
| spend about 2-3 hours discussing their day, giving | | | | correct, adjust the density and sharpen and image |
| them ideas and writing down information. We provide | | | | the print will come from the lab looking like the image |
| forms to help them organize their day (and their | | | | on our monitor. Professional labs charge more |
| thoughts) and to help them plan. Our job is not only | | | | because they offer a level of quality and consistency |
| to photograph the day but to take stress off the | | | | and used calibrated machines that are checked daily. |
| bride and groom by giving advice and helping them | | | | So let's total it up. |
| plan the wedding day. The photographer you choose | | | | Initial meeting of a bride and groom 2-3 hours. |
| will be responsible for a good part of your day. If | | | | Time on phone and writing email's to iron out details |
| your photographer only wants to meet with you to | | | | and answer questions 2-4 hours. |
| take your check and then ask you what time do you | | | | The time line for the day 1-2 hours. |
| them to show up you might want to consider a | | | | Scouting the area, travel and research, planning shots. |
| photographer that wants to actually get involved | | | | 3-4 hours. |
| with the wedding day. | | | | The rehearsal 2 hours, plus travel time. |
| The average bride and groom will spend about 2-4 | | | | The wedding day 8-11 hours on average. |
| hours on the phone with us asking questions and | | | | Uploading data from chips. 3-5 hours. |
| preparing for the day. Add more time if there is an | | | | Processing the RAW files, building web pages for the |
| engagement session. Let's also remember all of the | | | | online shopping cart, uploading files and data back up |
| email's that will be sent back and for. | | | | 10-16 hours. |
| The wedding day photography schedule. | | | | Build the wedding album pages 40-60 hours. |
| We will spend 1-2 hours with going over the | | | | People who are talented make their work look easy. |
| sequence of the day and helping put in writing a time | | | | Talent, hard work, patience, flexibility and a good |
| line of events. The purpose of this time line is to help | | | | sense of humor are all part of being a great Wedding |
| the couple get the photographs that they want. This | | | | photographer. You are inviting this person into your |
| is also a major stress reliever for the bride because | | | | life for the day of your Wedding. |
| the photographer becomes that bad guy and gives | | | | So, when you buy a photo from the Wedding |
| the wedding party a schedule for the day. There is | | | | photographer your not just buying a piece of paper |
| nothing worse on the day of your wedding then | | | | with some printing, you are getting a part of the |
| having a wedding party member be a no show until 5 | | | | time, emotion and investment that the bride and |
| minutes before, especially if you wanted pre | | | | groom put into their day, and they trusted in that |
| ceremony photos. There is always one bridesmaid | | | | photographer to be there for them. |
| that takes forever to get ready and is famous for | | | | This person they have put their trust in has done a |
| being late of forgetting things, the mean | | | | lot more than just snap a few pics. |
| photographer that gives a schedule to the | | | | |