Of course there are times when my expertise in all things weddings is helpful in keeping the day flowing smoothly, and I will of course assist if I can. Typically, I am assigned the task of securely pinning the boutonnieres on the gentlemen in the wedding party, and I gladly oblige to assure that the flower remains secured to the lapel through the day. 

But I prefer that to remain the extent of my involvement.

Apparently other photographers handle their event coverage differently. I safely assume this because since the first wedding I covered as a semi-pro photographer every officiant has made a point of discussing with me the rules regarding where the photography team is to be positioned during the ceremony. This is especially so for the religious ceremonies, whether in a house of worship or not.

I understand that my fellow pro photographers are just trying to capture the best images for their clients, and I assure you that is my goal as well. However, no matter how well-intentioned, these overly enthusiastic photogs do a great disservice to their clients and their fellow photographers by prompting officiants to limit us in our ability to cover as many angles and perspectives as possible.

The solution is simple, and one that I follow as often as possible and practical: First, have the photographer scout the location to determine the best places to set-up camp. Then contact the officiant and discuss your plans for the photographer to cover your event.  (The rehearsal is ideal for this) Usually, when you demonstrate the proper respect for the ceremony, the officiant will help you determine the best way for everyone to do their jobs so the special day can be captured in images without compromising the solemnity of the occasion.

I’ve said it before, and I’m sure I’ll say it many more times. The one wedding expense you should not cheap out on is your photographer. And now a survey by online photo lab Shutterfly has the results to prove my point:

“ Should’ve spent less on the dress; more on the memories. Of survey respondents married within 12 months prior to the survey, 28 percent felt they didn’t spend enough money on the honeymoon; 22 percent felt the same about the photographer. 19 percent of the same sample reported spending too much on the bridal gown and food.”

Your wedding day is one that you have carefully planned, with every detail carefully considered. Perhaps it is even the day you have dreamed of since you were old enough to dream. Why would you put the job of capturing those memories into the hands of an inexperienced amateur? Would you go to a butcher to have a cavity filled? Or to a seamstress for heart surgery?

With the dawn of digital photography, everyone who can afford an SLR thinks that wedding photography is an easy way to make some extra cash, but I assure you, of all the photography specialties, capturing weddings on film is one of the most difficult to master. We are capturing a once in a lifetime event while keeping track of exposure, depth of field, and a myriad of other factors. Our photos must come out right the first time, because with weddings, there are no “do-overs” (we hope!)

So maybe your Uncle Bob has a beautiful Nikon kit, and he has many gorgeous images of his vacation in Tuscany hanging on his wall, but those are not wedding photos. As the saying goes walk a mile in the wedding photographer’s shoes before you take on this very important task. It is a big job, and entails quite a bit more than it seems.

When you have spent the better part of a year or more planning everything from the color scheme to the flowers to the menu and seating arrangement, you want to make sure the images captured that day preserve the details and evoke the emotion of this day of days.

Skip the sushi bar and hire an experienced photographer. You won’t regret it.

Since wedding photography provides the physical, visual record of the day, it is a great way to preserve the traditions that your families have developed. However, it is important for the photographer to know that something has a special meaning, so it can be captured on film. One family I worked with took special care to tell me about how the wedding album in each generation had finished with a photo of the matchbook, with the bride’s and groom’s first names followed by “a perfect match!”  Of course once we knew about it, we made sure we captured the matchbooks in a couple of different set-ups so the new couple’s album would finish with that too.

Does your family have special traditions? Share them here with us, but also remember to tell your photographer!

In fact we at Vivid Visions Photo think it’s great thing.  This isn’t a debate about global warming, but reminder that conservation of our resources, environmental and financial are the smart and right thing to do. As a photographer, I want to see the beautiful vistas of seascapes, landscapes and wildlife remain as the backdrop for my photos. And conserving our natural resources is the way to do it.

There is a TV personality who likes to say “Just One Thing” when referring to the difference we can make as we figure out how to minimize the negative impacts of human activity on our natural environment.

Vivid Visions, we have done a few things, such as using recycled content materials for our products and supplies, and recycling our used materials. In fact, we have positioned ourselves as leaders in this effort to green the way we conduct business, and we are very proud to be certified members of Greener Photography, and the Green Bride Guide. For details, look for the badges in our sidebar.

So as you plan your wedding or your next family portrait sitting, I hope you will consider taking a walk on the greener side with us.  You’ll see how easy it is to be green.

Just today Kevin Focht posted in the Digital Wedding Forum about this topic, DWF Blog, from the photographer’s point of view. I couldn’t agree with him more.  One of the first things I discuss with my prospective clients is the need to feel comfortable with their photographer, no matter who they choose.  On a wedding day, the photographer is usually the vendor who will spend the most time with the bridal couple and their families, especially the bride. You don’t need to be best friends, but you have to at least enjoy each other’s company in order to capture photos that will present you naturally.

I approach each event or session with a sense of humor combined with a respect for the reverence of the day. It’s important to respect traditions, but it’s also essential to capture the personality of the subjects. So, I like to spend some time with my clients, usually at a pre-wedding engagement portrait session, which we include in most signature packages, and get to know them in a pressure-free relaxed setting prior to the big day. This is their chance to get to know me, too. So when the big day arrives, we aren’t trying to figure each other out, but focusing on getting the best images.

So if you are looking for wedding photography services soon, why not give me a call? I’m always ready to make new friends!

A typical wedding timeline allows time right after the ceremony for the family and group formals, along with the romantic intimate photos of the bride and groom.  Everyone primps to make certain hair and make-up are touched up, and the gentlemen straighten their ties and button their jackets.  And everything generally stays in place until after the cocktail hour and the formal introductions of the wedding party.

Next is the Bride and Groom’s first dance as husband and wife and the best man’s toast. Everyone still looks great…then the partying  begins…energetic dancing, a few more raised glasses, the ladies ditch the high heels, hairdos start to fray, the men loosen their ties and hang their jackets on the back of their chairs.  Well that’s fine for the guests, but what about the wedding party?  There will be another round of photos when the Bride dances with Dad and the Groom dances with Mom, the bouquet is thrown and the cake is cut.

Of course there are some events that must wait until its proper time later in the reception. The cutting of the cake and the bouquet/garter toss both come to mind here. However, the Bride and Dad dance and the Groom and Mom dance can be moved to the beginning of the reception, right after the introductions. Emotions are still high in the beginning, but everyone still looks fresh and beautiful which will make a world of difference when presenting these images in the bridal album.

So, as you finalize the details of the big day, why not consider it? Your photographer will thank you, and you’ll love the images!

Thank you Jenny & Matt, for allowing me one last chance to feel the sand between my toes in 2009.

Congrats to Kailei and Shane!

One wedding I recently worked had the bride arriving 45 minutes late for the photo shoot, which translated into many lost photo opportunities because the limo driver, and then the officiant, were rushing us to pull things back on schedule.  When the ceremony finished, there was no time for formals in the church because the sanctuary lights were off and the priest was already off to prepare for weekly mass. And, the planned stop for photos at the place the bride and groom met was out of the question because that would have required additional time with the limo-at an extra cost.

So, the bottom line here is to be realistic about your timing to avoid unnecessary rushing. Do as much as possible in the days before the wedding day.  The manicure should be done the day before. Hair and make-up stylists should be given plenty of time early in the day. Bridesmaids and Groomsmen should clearly understand the importance of not only getting to the church on time, but to be ready early!

It’s true that the festivities can’t start without the bride and groom, but it will be much more relaxing and enjoyable if everyone is ready to start on time.  So make sure that when you are planning the agenda for the day, that you allow enough time to do everything you are planning.  Talk your professional services providers about the amount of time they will need to do their job for you so everyone is where they are supposed to be when they are supposed to be there.  For the bridal couple, the wedding party and their families, the day will feel like it ended before it began, but if you allow enough time for preparation, travel, and the formal portrait session, the service professionals will be ready to do their best work to make your special day the best it can be!

Heidi & JR showing off their rings.

If you know of any wedding day scheduling nightmares you would like to share, please tell us in the comments section.

Congratulations to Rebecca and Ben! We wish for you a wonderful life together, filled with love, laughs and not too many meadow muffins!

Our last post about saving money on wedding photography discussed how eliminating the pro photographer can lead to disappointing images.  This time, we’ll compare the cost savings of the “Friends and Family” method with the value received from pro photographer services

“Friends and Family”:
Your wedding guests are just that-guests, and once they get caught up in the celebration that your special day deserves, they may be too distracted to capture the important moments.  And, you are gambling that they know how to use a camera properly in the varying light that churches and reception halls are notorious for.  Lighting for ambiance creates real challenges in capturing properly exposed images. The usually come out too dark, or if they are well-lit a slow shutter speed means blurry pictures. But let’s look at your actual costs-disposable film cameras cost about $5 to buy, and another $10 to develop the film and make the prints.  If you have 100 guests, you’ll have about 10 tables, and most likely 2 cameras per table with 27 exposures each.

Total Cost: $300
Total Prints: 540 4×6 prints-if all exposures are printable.
That’s right, you’ll get the good, the bad and the ugly. So you may get 540 prints, but you might only get half or less that are truly keepers. There will be many that are too dark, too light, poorly composed (chopped off head, a thumb in the lens), out of focus or just plain indecent. Yes, your guests may also share some very nice digital images, but there is no guarantee that they will suitable for enlarging-especially if they are taken with a camera phone.

Professional Photographer:
Proper coverage of a wedding or special event is a big job. We anticipate the action and then snap the shot at the decisive moment with the camera and lighting at the proper settings. We make sure that there are captures of the details, such as the flowers, invitation and place settings, the special moments before, during and after the ceremony, and the festive atmosphere of the reception. And we have contingency plans in place in case of bad weather or other unexpected occurrences. No matter how many there are in your wedding party, we will pose them so they look their best in the gowns and tuxedos that you selected specially. We’ll make the rounds at the cocktail hour and the dinner to make sure that everyone is included in the photos, so your record of the day includes your specially selected and invited loved ones.

The total cost depends on the options chosen, but let’s match “Friends and Family” and go with just coverage, processing and proof prints, based on Vivid Visions Photo current price list.

Total Cost: $575 for 5 hours of coverage and unlimited images captured in that time frame
Total Prints: 200 usable images guaranteed and mounted in proof album with typically 100 to 200 additional prints provided
Extras: Password protected online gallery, DVD or CD of all proofs delivered formatted in print and email resolutions. All images presented will be keepers. They will be properly lit, optimized for color and dynamically composed.

When you have put so much effort into making sure your special day is as perfect as it can be, you’ll want to remember it in photographs that are the best they can be.

Even before Vivid Visions got involved in wedding photography services, I would cringe when I heard of brides planning to forego the hiring of a professional wedding photographer in order to save money.  The photographs of your big day are the record of what is one of the most important days of your life.  I know it is easy to underestimate how valuable these photos will become to your family as you travel through life. But do you really want to count on your guests to capture those once in a lifetime shots of your first kiss as Mr. & Mrs,  the bride dancing with her father or the mother of the groom brushing a stray hair off the forehead of the man who will always be her little boy?

Yes, professional photography services can cost a few bucks, but be careful that you are not mistaking cost for value. Pro photographers make their living capturing beautiful images and preparing them for presentation. We spent countless hours preparing for the shoot, and have made a considerable investment in quality gear that will help get the job done. We are continually training to keep up with the latest techniques and trends, so we can work seamlessly with the other professionals you have hired to make your special day uniquely yours.  Plus, our only reason to be at your wedding is to provide the photography services.  We won’t be distracted by seeing Cousin Emma for the first time in 15 years, and be in the ladies room for the wedding party introductions. We’ll be capturing the festivities so you will have a record of your day. When we take a break, we will tell you, so you will know where to find us if you need us.

The price a pro photographer quotes you reflects the cost for materials such as photo prints and proof albums, the time it takes to capture the images and then the studio work later to sort and select the keepers, plus the layout, design and printing of the photobook, album and enlargements you have ordered.  Very often if you express early in the consultation that you truly are working on a tight budget, we at Vivid Visions (and other studios too) will help you customize a package to fit your budget.  That might mean reducing the amount time spent at the wedding, or waiting until your finances are better to purchase an album.

You only get one chance to properly record your wedding on film. Do you think it is wise to gamble on the photography skills of your friends and family?  In part II next week, We’ll compare the cost savings of a “Friends and Family” approach to the value you receive when you hire a pro. In the meantime, here is a sample of the type of images you can expect from a pro photographer’s portfolio:

Adrianne & John were blessed with a beautiful September day at Martha Clara Vineyards in Jamesport.