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As a wedding photographer I see all toooooo often photography being put on the back burner while the wedding dress, the cake, the reception venue and more take center stage. I don’t say this because I’m a wedding photographer, I say this as an individual that wants you to have the best memories captured! PUT THE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY on the top of your list. There are many reasons for this, some of which are outline below, but before we go any further I want you to just think about it from one direction…
3-7-15 years from now, the day will be way in the past… Now stop, what will you have to remember YOUR day, possibly the day you dreamed of your entire life??? You’ll most likely have the dress, heck, you may even still have the top of the cake in the freezer…. What you won’t have are all the small details, you won’t have the DJ, you won’t have the food, you didn’t purchase the venue where the reception was held, nor the Limo, the church and more. But what you will have are the photos. You’ll have the wedding photos which you will have hopefully looked through since your day. So now the question is, do you want photos that are just that, photos, or do you want so many of the moments, the laughs, the smiles and the details in beautiful pieces of work? The photography truly is one of the few things you’ll still have years down the road. And below are a few tips to help you find the right photographer… Before those are 3 simple guide lines that I like to pass along…
- LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPHERS WORK!
- LIKE THE PHOTOGRAPHER SO THAT EVERYONE GETS ALONE
- And last but not least, MAKE SURE IT WORKS FOR YOUR BUDGET
- In my eyes it’s advisable that you begin looking for a wedding photographer the second you get engaged. Why? Quite simple, first off, the more you get done and the sooner it happens, the less stress you have in the future. Secondly, wedding photographers book up fast, at least the great wedding photographers. We’re not even done with 2008 yet and I personally have weddings booked into 2010! The photographer you find should provoke a reaction with in you, and not a bad one.
- Find out how much experience the photographer has, not saying that in-experienced photographers don’t know what they’re doing. I mean heck, we all needed to start some where. But what I can say on a personal level from as a wedding photographer is that experience means we know where to be and when to be there. We can generally be ready for shots before you even know what’s about to happen. Let alone knowing how to work with other vendors on your day, the schedule, not being in anyones way and more.
- Studios which employ more than one photographer can be a bit shady. Why? Because at times you never really know who’s going to show up to shoot your day. They can promise one person and have another show up and more. How would you feel with a stranger walking into your day??? Let alone following you around for the entire day. God forbid you not get along with said photographer.
- Make sure you know what you’re getting. Now adays with digital, most photographers include all images on CD, just make sure you also share the rights so that you can print images if you so feel the need. Get everything in writing, no verbal promises at all!
- Get a contract and book with a deposit. Wedding photographers truly do book their days fast and you don’t want to spend all this time finding the right photographer only to lose them to another wedding because you didn’t leave a deposit and get a contract.
- Make sure to schedule all the time you want. From before the ceremony through the reception. I personally don’t believe in setting strict time limits, but you will find some photographers that put 6-8-10 hours time limits with no wavering. 6 hours hits and they’re gone!
Honestly, I could go on, but that’s a good place to start… Just find someone that you like, has great work and fits with your budget and style!!!
Shine on,
~Tim
I came across this video and thought it would be something many would find quite useful! I’ll have a video up very soon about some trash the dress shoots as well!
Shine on!
~Tim
We all hear it, each and every day, be green, going green, and from Kermit the Frog, it’s not easy being green. Of course he was quite wrong, at least when it comes to the world. I’m sure being the colour green is much harder. Anyway…
I will say it again, as wedding photographers, we all see the inside and out of a wedding, we see just about everything that goes into it, from the food, to the materials to the transportation. And many times, at the end of the night, we see a large amount of waste. But honestly, just because my love happens to land me in New England as a wedding photographer, where we have generally always been eco-minded, doesn’t mean there aren’t some tips we can all use. SO, about a green wedding… Some tips are here…
- Setting the tone, when choosing a location, if your thoughts are pointing to the outdoors, choose a location that truly brings out all the beauty of the surrounding area. Apple Orchards, sea side, nature centers or even just some beautiful vast gardens. Being outside means that there is no need for heaters to be run, a/c’s to be pumping pollution and using energy and even more so, fresh air for all the guests. If your thoughts are leaning inside, think about museums or theatres where many of them donate or at least use the funds from your day for a good cause. And when at all possible, hold your ceremony and reception at the same location to cut down on total driving times. Not only will it cut down on pollution but your guests will enjoy not having to find their way from one place to the next.
- The rings, many jewelers now use recylced gold and or silver, let alone fair labor gemstones to make sure you’re not getting a “blood diamond”… With the right research you can easily find “green” jewelers.
- Though your wedding dress could easily be the most treasured item, tradition tells brides to use their mothers or grand mothers dress. I know what many of you could be thinking, it’s ugly. What about taking it to a seamstress with your own ideas and seeing what kind of transformation it could under go??? You may just be surprised what you could end up with! And if you just can’t fathom that, check out charities where you could buy and or donate a dress such as brides against breast cancer. All proceeds there go to the support of women with breast cancer.
- Used recylced paper, I know, I know, common thought back in the day was that recylced paper can’t be beautiful. How wrong you are if you make that statement today! Try checking out Tasha Rae Designs. Her theory: “Who said recycled invitations can’t be beautiful?” Her invites are just that, beautiful! And to cut back on paper even more, build a wedding website where guests and relatives can look further into the planning side. Such as Paula and Matt had done. www.paulaandmatt.com
- Flowers – quite simply, if you have the space and the time of year permits, grow your own. If that’s not possible, try a local organic farm or florist. And to go one step further, use potted plants as center pieces to be given away!
- Go organic with the meals, vegetarian dishes can be quite delicious! And don’t use disposable plates and platters, if your location or caterer doesn’t provide dishes, try renting them to cut down on waste. And remember to recylce all the bottles, beer and more.
- Instead of wedding favors, quite simply, donate. Let the guests know that you have donated in their honor. And remember less waste, so instead of leaving a little something with the note at every place setting, try one per table or a larger poster for all to see. Sites such as www.ifoundation.org let you raise money for your charity of choice.
I could continue to go on and on but I believe you get the point, if you’re thoughts are on the earth, try it out. Maybe you don’t have to go completely green, but maybe a light green will do??? Might just be worth the time and consideration!
Going green with theknot.com http://wedding.theknot.com/real-weddings/green-weddings.aspx
WWW.TREEHUGGER.COM (who would have thought. LOL)
http://www.greeneleganceweddings.com/
Shine on!
~Tim
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