When you're planning a wedding there tends to be lots of things you'll have to sort out before the big day, one of which will be the photographer. Though some may perhaps see it as simply another task to tick off the to do list, you'll hopefully be admiring your wedding day photos for countless years to come, therefore it's well worth taking the time to make sure you go with the ideal wedding photographer for your wedding. Below are a few pointers that could help. Do some research - The internet is a great place to start when you're hoping to find a decent photographer in the local area. Most are going to have their own web site offering numerous examples of their past work, so you can get a feel for their style and whether or not it matches up to what you are expecting. You should also talk to family and friends who've got married fairly recently and find out exactly what they thought of their photographer - personal endorsements are a fantastic way to find the ideal photographer for your wedding day. Make sure you meet them - You might be hiring them to deliver a service, but you need to make sure that you and your photographer are going to get on. It's really important that they get your personality, and subsequently the type of photography you will be looking for, and photographs of your wedding are going to be better if there's some chemistry between you and your photographer, and they are the type of individual who you and your wedding guests are going to feel at ease with. They need to be able to direct the photography on the day without coming across as too pushy or overbearing, but also be able to remain in the background, so you're able to get on with enjoying your day. Quality of the pictures - The majority of photographers' web sites are terrific but try and see previous examples of their work in real life so you're able to properly check the quality of the pictures. If they are using a digital camera confirm it is a high enough resolution so there aren't going to be any limitations on the size of the photograph you can have. Also, ask the photographer to let you see a complete set of wedding pictures, as some may simply let you see a selection of the best shots from the wedding events they've worked at, and you want to make sure that they're consistently good throughout the whole day. Budget - Cost can often be a consideration, as good wedding photographers are rarely cheap. This is a very special day and although it's almost never a good idea to hire a photographer just on cost, you do want to ensure you are getting value for money. ensure you appreciate exactly what you will be receiving for your money and also that there aren't going to be any costly extras. When you are wanting to try and save a bit of money, June and the rest of the summer months are always popular for wedding dates, therefore if you're getting married in the winter, or on a day during the week, you may be able to negotiate a discount. Outline the photos you want - A lot of wedding photographers offer special package deals which have a schedule of the pictures they'll take during the day. Do not be frightened to ask for flexibility when you would prefer something a little different. Make sure your wedding photographer knows exactly what shots you want taken at the different points during the day. This helps them to understand exactly what is expected from them and it might also help the formal photographs to run a lot more smoothly. In the run up to the wedding - A pre-wedding photo shoot, normally at the actual wedding venue, offers you and your photographer an opportunity to see exactly how you will be able to make the most of the setting you have selected, so the wedding day goes a lot more smoothly and your pictures will be just what you wanted. It can also be a really good idea if you're a little camera-shy, enabling you to get over your nervousness and become accustomed to posing for the camera. After the big day - Make sure you are aware of how long it will take to have the photos delivered, as well as what specific format they are going to be delivered in. Regular wedding albums aren't as popular as they once were, plus the increased use of digital cameras means pictures can easily be delivered on a disc, so you are free to do anything you want to with them - just verify that you will own the copyright to them and that there won't be any watermarks on them.
Lets be frank, planning your wedding day is a nightmare! Other than building your own house, you will probably never have to employ so many different services. From cake makers to the DJ and from the limo drivers to the dress maker, it is easy to be overwhelmed by the choice. But of all the people you will engage to make sure that you have the perfect day the photographer is probably the most difficult whilst at the same time being the only one that you are relying on to leave you a lasting reminder of the day (husbands don't count here). Just one day after and your cake will be eaten, your venue is being used for a 21st birthday, your car is being used to ferry kids to a prom and in a few months even the dress will be a bit tight and relegated to the attic or worse eBay. But when you are sitting in your rocking chair with your grandchildren on you knee you will still have your wedding pictures to relive your special day. So having decided that choosing the very best wedding photographer is important where do you start? Good personal recommendation is about the best starting place, but note that I said "good". People like to help others out, it's human nature, so they may well recommend their photographer who in reality was, well average, therefore it is important that you ask for some details. Start with asking to see their album, this is easy as what bride doesn't like to drag out and show off that? Ask how they performed on the day, what you need to know here was, where they punctual? where they polite? did the guests like them? where they unobtrusive? where they dressed appropriately (some photographers think its OK to turn up to wedding dressed in T shirts and jeans)? how much did they charge and what did you get for that money? how fast did they take the formal family pictures ( none of the guests like these so a good photographer should be able to whip through them at an average sized wedding in about 20-30 minutes)? How long did the album take to arrive? How much where additional prints? Did they supply a CD of the wedding images that you could print yourself, if so how much was it? Don't limit yourself to asking just people who have been recently married, but also make sure to ask friends who may have attended at a wedding for their opinions too. So you have tried personal recommendations and none are pressing you buttons, so what next. Well by now you will probably have booked your wedding venue so ask the coordinator there for suggestions, you will almost certainly will be given a list of photographers who have worked there before, but remember some venues will be taking a cut of the photographers fee for the recommendation so whilst a good starting point you still have some research to do. Last but definitely not least, the world's greatest research tool is at your command, the internet. If you type wedding photographer into one of the search engines you will get literally millions of results so narrow down your returns by adding your area or town for example "wedding photographer wilmslow" or add your venue for example "wedding photographers crewe hall". Having done this you will still be faced with a huge list as it seems that everyone who has bought themselves a nice camera for Christmas is trying there hand at wedding photography. So how to cut the wheat from the chaff? Firstly, click onto the website, does it look professional, easy to navigate around, contain the information you need, have lost of images? Is there a proper telephone number (be wary of mobile numbers only) or better still a toll free number. And above all is the photographers address shown, after all you will be handing over a lot of money for this service and you want to know where they are if it does all go wrong. Now pick the top 5 photographers that you like the sound of and arrange for a meeting, ideally this should take place at their office or studio so it will give you a chance to see just how professional they are. The type of questions you should ask. Here is a list of the questions you should ask, remember it is by no means a complete list, but it is a good start. - Are you a full time professional wedding photographer? - What are your prices, including any taxes and expenses and what do we get for our money? (Don't say what your budget is before they tell you their prices) - What is the payment schedule? Most will require a deposit to hold the date and full payment in advance of the event itself. - What payment methods can I use? If possible pay by credit card as this will offer you some form of protection. - What happens if you are ill on the morning of my wedding and can't attend? If they say that a "friend" will attend, ask to see some work done by this "friend". - How many photographers will be attending? If you are being charged for two photographers (often this will be the spouse), again ask to see work by the other photographer. - What will happen if it rains on the day? Every pro should have a rain plan and be able to show you photographs from wedding where it rained. - How much will it cost to purchase additional photographs after the event? - Can we have a disc of photographs to print ourselves and/or use on social networking sites? - How will you deal with friends taking photographs? Some photographers simply don't allow this, so if it's important to you, walk away. - Do you take formal group shot pictures? Again be cautious of photographers who don't do this, formal photographs are tricky to do well and are a sign of a real professional not only from a photography stand point but from how they handle organizing people. - How do you proof our photographs? There are several ways this can be done, from providing you with individual prints, CD's or small proofing albums. - How soon will our photographs be ready? A reasonable time would be about two weeks. But overall the question you should be asking yourself is do I get on with this person enough to have them with me on what is one of the most special days of my life? If the answer is no, then politely tell them that you have other photographers to see and leave. So what should it cost? Well prices for wedding photography varies enormously from just a few hundred to several thousand, in that case go for the cheapest right? The answer surprisingly is maybe. Some fantastic photographers are just starting out and are desperate to build a portfolio and therefore are charging well below the rate they should be for their skills. Unfortunately there are also lots of photographers who are quite frankly rubbish and charge low because that is all they are worth. At the opposite scale there are photographers who will charge many thousands more than they are worth knowing that some people will assume they are good because they charge a lot. Don't fall for this, meet with them, ask them the questions I have said, look at their work at least 3 albums worth of full weddings they have done. Do you like their style, do the people in the pictures look relaxed? One of the most common mistakes by inexperienced wedding photographers is that they loose color in the sky so it shows as white on the pictures or the loose the detail on the wedding dress and it shows as pure white so look for these things. Professional wedding photographers should be able to accept credit cards so if possible pay that way to ensure you have some come back should you need a refund. But above all, make sure you get on with your photographer, so you can relax on the day an not be worried that your pictures wont turn out.
One of the most essential elements of a wedding is the photography. This element preserves the memory of the couple's special day forever. Wedding photos record every detail of that day beginning with pre-wedding preparation, ceremony, reception, and the couple's send-off. Wedding photography also involves a wide range of photographic skills and equipment. Skills involved include a keen sense of timing as photographers must watch out for the ideal lighting condition, a heartfelt moment, an unforgettable expression, and the perfect shot of the bride and groom. Wedding studio promotion can encounter several challenges due to competition with numerous other photographers. Studios need to learn how to stand out from the rest using effective marketing materials and strategies. Since the product or service sold is photographs, printed marketing materials are essential in conveying the concept and philosophy behind the studio's style. The following are examples of printed promotional materials for wedding photography studios. Booklets - Booklets are practical and handy marketing materials for a wedding photography studio. These materials can feature a collection of photos and captions illustrating the studio's concept. For studios with several wedding photographers, booklets can feature sections of the photographers' work including profiles, a list of services, equipment used, and field of expertise. Bulk orders of booklets can easily be printed through online commercial printing companies. Catalogs - Catalogs can be used as helpful, in-house informational and promotional materials for a wedding studio. Studio owners can print them with larger photo prints accompanied by descriptions of suggested themes and details such as type of wedding, equipment used, venue, and date of wedding. A catalog can also be used to show several profiles of photographers in a wedding studio. Customized catalogs can be printed through the services of online printing companies. Posters - Poster printing can serve as large-format, in-house promotional materials for a wedding studio. They can feature the studio's best wedding photos combined with powerful taglines. They can also be used to promote the studio at wedding fairs, trade shows, and exhibits. Online poster printing companies offer customized poster printing using digital or offset printers.
Over the last several years a photographers vision and their visual approach has become the major defining tool for Art Buyers. Shockingly, most photographers are still unaware of how important it is to define, develop and market their vision. Many still feel that their current relationships and their technical skills will win assignments. What is your perception of why clients hire talent? Do you feel that your personality, technical abilities and professionalism are the key elements that you are selling? Or do you realize that your clients are demanding that you define and market a specific vision? Assignment buyers now look to each photographers visual approach to clearly show them if the shooter is "right" for a particular project. Previously "the fit" was defined by the relationship with talent as much as it was by the photographer's abilities and that has now changed, "The fit" is defined by Vision. If the photographer has a vision that matches the assignment they are considered for the job. One of the major reasons for this shift can be summed up in two words, CORPORATE BRANDING. Corporations have spent and continue to invest tens of thousands of dollars to define, identify and sell their "Brand." The Brand is their value message to consumers and that is what is clearly front and center in each annual report, and ad campaign. In addition, companies have done their research and have clearly identified and defined their audience. They know who they are, what publications they read, what TV shows they watch, what they eat and drink and what types of music they listen to. Before art is assigned to any photographer the art director has defined the look of the campaign and that look is based upon the corporate brand with tha target audience in mind. Because of that an art buyer will look for a photographer whose images represent that look and feel. Different visual approaches speak to different company messages. You may be a lifestyle photographer, but is your visual approach to lifestyle defined? Do you shoot moments that are quiet and reflective or are you shooting sports lifestyle that is active bold and demands lots of color? Different visual styles appeal to different corporate messages. To understand how corporate branding works and why it has achieved such a monumental place in the advertising process, lets look at the example of the automotive industry and see how branding has been affected the advertising process. Each auto company has created its own brand identity. For years the VOLVO brand revolved around safety. The car was not overly attractive yet the safety records were remarkably, high. The company focused on the vehicles record for safety, which led them to determine (after market research) that their target audience's were families. After all, teens and young adults are not as interested in safety as they are in looks, speed and performance. The next factor considered was economics. As the price point of Volvos was high, the target family for Volvo was affluent. No trips to KMART for these families. They were canoeing, skiing, or trekking to the local Caf. Images depicted families in these activities. As VOLVO ad campaigns continued to focus their communication around the brand message Volvo in the minds of buyers, indeed became synonymous with safety. A few years back, VOLKSWAGEN wanted to reposition their brand (value message) and after market research the decision was made to target buyers who were connected to the driving experience. The youth market were the target audience for Volkswagen as they created the "DRIVERS WANTED "campaign. The focus was on the experience of driving; the fun, the adventure. The images were full of energy, had a young lifestyle feel, and were a bit quirky and contained a bit of dry humor. In the Art Buyers world, the photographers chosen to shoot Volvo's campaign were most likely not going to be the same folks that shot Volkswagen. The campaigns had completely different agendas. When a buyer is looking for a photographer to create images that contain warm family, connected moments (ones that represent keeping your family safe) the books they call in, the web sites they cruised are not the same as those they would look for when searching for talent that exhibits images that are fun, quirky, and energetic. While Volvo and Volkswagen produce the same type of product, the look, feel and the value (branding message) to the consumer of each product was vastly different. The photographers chosen for each campaign obviously needed to have had different visions as well. This example is repeated throughout the corporate, editorial, design and ad worlds.Companies have specific messages to communicate to consumers. The messages have a look and feel that calls for a specific type of photography. Art Buyers, photo editors and designers are looking for the type of imagery that speaks to the assignment in front of them. It is clear that assignment clients are asking you to show up with a well-developed visual approach. They want to know which projects are a visual fit for you. Your print portfolios, website, online galleries and marketing materials are the clues that will lead the right buyer to you. You must accept the reality that buyers are looking to match vision to project. Your visual approach to a specific subject is what a buyer needs to see. Will you choose to give them what they need?
If you are considering becoming an Event Photographer this guide may be useful. I spent a long time researching all the kit needed to be a successful Event photographer, testing and costing carefully. It's all current gear available now so it's up to date unlike some of the guides I read. I've been on training courses and I've done quite a few different Events now, so this is to help others avoid some of the common mistakes. This guide to Event photography is based on my personal experience and you are welcome to reproduce it as long as you credit this article with the website address I do recommend anyone interested in Event photography going on the excellent training course supplied by Systems Insight, speak to Mike Orr, Stuart or Darren at systems insight. I've also found the Event Photographers Society really useful. It is divided into sections as follows: 1, Camera Equipment needed for Event Photographers; 2. Lighting equipment for Event Photography; 3. Printers for Instant Event Photos; 4. Mitsubishi Click system for Event Photography; 5. Green Screen Event Photography; 6. Starting an Event Photography Business. 1. Camera Equipment for Event Photographers. You don't NEED the latest high-end professional DSLR with pro glass lenses to shoot an event! It's nice to have good kit but that should be a given for any Pro Photographer. In reality the customer at a football tournament, school prom or black tie event doesn't care what kit you have as long as the results are good, and you don't want to be carrying a heavy camera with fragile glass in an environment that is often boisterous and busy! You don't need to shoot huge resolution RAW files and won't have time to post process or mess about with hundreds of settings.You are aiming to get a sharp, vibrant and well lit photograph of enough resolution to print at your final output size. Concentrate on making the people look great! I do recommend a wireless work flow which I cover later, and again you need the files to be small enough to send quickly. I use a Nikon D700 but that's only because I have one for Property photography as I need the full frame and low light capabilities. I shoot jpg at just medium resolution for most events, and use a Sigma 24-70mm HSM lens so I can quickly zoom between individuals and groups. A Nikon D40 with a kit lens will do just as well. and I always carry one as a backup. It also takes my Nikon flashguns and is much lighter than a D700. It is important to have a backup camera, I've even made do with a Nikon Coolpix P6000 when my D700 was being used pitch side at a Cricket Event. With proper lighting (see lighting section) I got almost identical results shooting people in front of a green screen. You must have at least one fully charged spare battery for each camera at an event, a couple of spare and preformatted memory cards, and spare batteries for your flashguns. I use the new Duracell rechargeables for the flashguns as they stay So don't go mad on the camera kit, it will get bashed around at an event! As for settings, indoors I shoot at around f7.1 to f8 for groups so I get good depth of field, I use shutter speeds of around 125 to get sharp shots as I don't like a tripod, too restrictive, and I use ISO 400 to get enough sensitivity. White balance is easy on a Nikon, see lighting but the flash setting will do. For individuals and couples I open up to around f5 and shoot full length, head and shoulders and a close-up. Outdoors events are more dependent on the available light and the lens. One tip, using a wireless transmitter to send the images straight to your PC, Mac or Click system avoids the pitfall of people (the ladies mainly) wanting to see each shot on the back of the camera as you take it! That gets them through quicker and lets your team at the workstation show the images properly at full size. I do actually keep the images stored in the camera as a backup though in case the wireless system stops working. Another tip, if you are shooting groups at a School Prom or Corporate event, take a stepladder! If you get above them and shoot down it changes the angles and stops the people at the front looking much larger than those at the back! This lets you squeeze bigger groups in as well, especially useful if you are shooting in front of a green screen at an event. Also, if you ever get a large group of girls at a School Prom or Sweet Sixteen event, take LOTS of shots! It is very hard to get a single photo where every girl is happy with how she looks, guys really are not as fussy. The girls will buy the photo that they look best in. We tend to charge the standard rate £10 per shoot including a 6x9 mounted photograph, but do offer incentives for groups such as discounting copies of the same photograph, or offering 3 for the price of 2 if they are different shots that need processing. 2. Lighting Equipment for Event Photography I don't use studio lighting for indoor events! Initially I used the standard large softbox above the camera and shot in front of a grey, back or white backdrop. But that's boring and old hat nowadays, the lighting is very flat and there is always the risk of people tripping over cables and the hassle of finding a nearby power socket. At School proms, Bar-Mitzvahs and especially Sweet Sixteen parties it gets very busy and although we carry full insurance I don't want a heavy studio light falling on a guest. It's the same at Corporate events and Black Tie dinners, there's usually a huge rush after dinner for photos and even a taped down light can get pulled over by an inebriated partygoer! So now I use a Nikon SB-900 on the camera with the wide-angle flap down and the soft diffuser fitted. This controls two other Nikon SB-600's also with the wide-angle flaps down using Nikon's excellent CLS lighting system. The two SB-600's are mounted on sturdy but portable stands and shoot through white umbrellas for lovely soft lighting. At an Event you don't want to be messing around changing lighting when you have queues, but this setup is flexible and light enough to be safe to move quickly if you need to. The Nikon system lets me control the brightness of each flash directly from the camera without having to touch the lights. As we use Green Screen backdrops at most events to add effects and digital backgrounds, I have to ensure the backdrop is evenly lit to avoid problems when chromakeying out the green. By mounting the umbrellas high up at either side and shooting through them, the green (or blue) backdrop gets evenly lit where it matters. The guests get a nice flattering lighting setup which I can easily adjust for large groups or closeups. I I shoot on full manual with the on camera flash at about 1/32 power to give a little fill light, but mainly to trigger the two mounted lights. These are usually on about 1/8th power which is plenty! Recyling is very fast and I've never had to change batteries yet at an event, although I have charged spares on hand. If I get a large group like a football or cricket team at a sporting event I can quickly move the two sidelights back and up the power.If it quietens down and we get a guest who wants some special shots, the lights can be moved so one acts as a keylight and one as a fill for classic Rembrandt lighting. We have professional makeover software running on the workstations so can enhance pictures quickly if someone wants portfolio shots. The SB-900 on the camera can also be removed and used as a slave for hair lighting or other effects, triggered by the on canera flash. So we can do a three light setup easily! White balance is crucial, on Nikon cameras just stand where the subjects will be, set the white balance to "pre" then hold down the wb button for three seconds. When the display flashes, point the camera back between the lights and shoot. If it says "good" in the display, you are set to go. If not, try shooting again straight at one of the sb600, it will work! The real beauty of this system is that it all fits in one calumet rolling case and is easily portable! It is very flexible for other types of photography. These flashguns are just as powerful as studio lights, and we even carry Fong diffusers and softboxes just in case we get a chance to do some glamour photography. (and yes, you can book us for private shoots!) 3. Printers for Instant Event Photos. I used to to run a large independent company selling calibrated colour printers, scanners and displays into the corporate design market and previously worked with Canon, Xerox, Mitsubishi and Tektronix as a colour consultant. So choosing the best Event printers was an interesting exercise! Inkjets and colour lasers were instantly dismissed as I needed portability, reliability and photographic quality. Plus I needed to know exactly what each print would cost. An inkjet will produce the quality with a bit of tweaking but will never match the quality, speed or durability of a dedicated dye-sublimation printer. I don't believe in compatible inks as I've seen first hand the amount of R&D that goes into a manufacturers own ink. So ink-jet prints are going to be too expensive for event printing. Lasers are fast but lacking in colour quality, and extremely tricky to transport. After testing all the current offerings I decided on the Mitsubishi 9550 DW linked to the Mitsubishi Click system as our basic workhorse for producing large 9 x 6 inch photographs. As I use a full frame camera this is exactly the size the camera shoots at, so no cropping needed! The photographs are fast and very accurate thanks to the dedicated colour profiling we use supplied by Systems Insight and fine-tuned by me! The dye-sub process basically involves heating the ink on a ribbon until it turns into a gas and sublimates into the special paper. This is a true continuous tone process so the colour gamut is much wider than other processes, giving smooth and accurate skin tones with no dot patterns. You can actually roll a photograph up and stand it in a pint of coke, leave it for hours and then wipe dry without any signs of running or fading, as demonstrated on the training course by Stuart! These photographs really won't fade and are fingerprint proof thanks to the special coating. They will last longer than any other photograph! The fixed cost per photograph allows us to offer discounted pricing for pre-paid events like weddings or school proms as we know exactly what our costs will be per photo regardless of how much of each colour is used. But we also offer a unique digital make-over service for events using a very special PC with professional retouching software so needed a printer we could connect directly. And we wanted to be able to offer instant 12" x 10" photos and other large sizes for Sporting Events like football and cricket events where team shots are popular. So we decided on the larger format Mitsubishi as well as we have now found out it also works on the Click! Consumables for the Mitsubishi Event printers are readily available and therefore discounted prices help bring the costs down. Some of the more obscure brands like Shinko and Olmec are often tricky to source. We are happy with the speed, quality and reliability of our printers, but more importantly, our customers love the results. 4. Mitsubishi Click System for Event Photographers. My background is in colour technology as mentioned, but prior to that I was a DEC system manager, I have a HND in Computer Science and am a qualified programmer. Yes, I'm old enough to have done all that and spent 7 years in the Army controlling Artlillery fire by computers and by slide rules and log books when those systems were taken out. So I'm probably more of a technical geek than most photographers. So why did I choose a dedicated turnkey solution for producing event photographs rather than use my expertise in PC and Mac solutions? Laziness really, why re-invent the wheel! I quickly realised that to make any money at all in Event Photography you have to produce very good photographs to a very high standard very quickly! Work flow is very important. Initially I was either going to use a big 27" Mac with a studio display for quality to handle all the incoming pictures, or go down the Windows 7 route with a couple of fast Sony Vaio AW notebooks with their gorgeous Adobe RGB 18" monitors, with either system linked to a dye-sub or two. But once I started looking at the workflow and software required I realised the Mitsubishi Click would cover all the bases. Yes, I could run either system quickly and use dedicated green screen software and professional retouching software to produce stunning results. But then who would take the photos? I needed a system that was streamlined and simple to use so I could train others to use it. My first event was a corporate Xmas dinner and the only person available to do the green screen effects, printing, mounting and sales was my wife! The Click system is very straightforward, you set up a new event and pictures are sent wirelessly from the photographer. Selecting them by just touching the screen allows for full screen previews, once the customers have decided which photographs they want it is quite easy to drop in a green screen background and print, all by touch! Camera cards and CD's can be easily read or burnt, multiple printers are supported and the whole system runs smoothly and look very professional. We've even had customers connect their own cameras or mobile phones by bluetooth and print their own photos! My wife managed well on our first event, and we had over thirty satisfied customers that evening, in a very short period of about 2 hours from when the meal ended to going home. Many purchased multiple photos, with different backdrops and effects, but she handled it all while I took the shots. Now we have more trained assistants as it did wear her out a bit:) But I still wanted the flexibility and power to use more specialised green screen software to drop in overlays and fine tune some of the more tricky effects. So with a bit of help from the techies at System Insight I worked out how to access the system directly, and underneath the smooth software front end is a powerful windows PC. So now if we get a really special request (like "put me in the Oval Office with President Obama") I can jump in and alt tab to Photokey or Portrait pro running in the background! And yes, you can print directy to the dedicated 9550DW by dropping jobs straight into the queue, email for details:) You can also boost the processor speed, add more RAM, put in a HDMI graphics card to support external displays, even change out the motherboard if you are brave enough and don't mind voiding your warranty! I'd recommend this system to anyone starting out, and would also recommend you buy it from Stuart or Darren at Systems Insight as they know the system well! 5. Green Screen Event Photography To be successful in Event Photography as in any business you need a key differentiator, something to make you unique. We all provide basically the same service, photographing people having a good time and offering prints or downloads. Some specialise in niche markets like weddings or school photographs, or certain types of events like Equestrian or Motorcycling. I chose Green Screen Event Photography for a variety of reasons. I like the portability of our lighting system and didn't want to spoil that by having to carry around various huge coloured backdrops for different occasions. I find it boring having dozens of people shot the same way, and I'm sure most people who go to events are getting fed up of the same bluey grey backdrop, or the "ultra modern" white or black high or low key shoot. I want to have fun at an event and want the guests to experience something new. So we shoot everyone in front of a blue or more usually a green screen and then our special software can replace that colour with any of our 2500 digital backgrounds! This gives us the flexibility to add classy studio backdrops to Black Tie and Corporate Events, and lets us choose appropraite colours to enhance what the guests are wearing. For School proms and Sweet Sixteens we can get the guests flying through space, on stage with their favourite rock bands or in the latest movies. Bar and Bat-Mitzvahs are great fun as we can transport the guests anywhere in the world, and for all events we offer free personalised overlays and designs so the event is memorable and unique. The secret to Chromakey Event Photography is keeping the workflow fast! If you offer a guest 2500 choices, expect a huge queue or a lot of disapointed people. We tend to design 10 choices for each event and will print an example of each so they can decide before we shoot. That way if they are going to be posing alongside a Twilight Vampire or on the dance floor with John Travolta, they can strike an appropriate pose! It does slow things down having to add backdrops but we prefer the interaction and the guests enjoy the experience. It's not all about getting them shot and printed to us, some event companies work like a slaughterhouse concentrating on quantity rather than quality, that's what the auto cameras at theme parks are for, we would rather spend a little time earning our money! We prefer green screens to blue screens as less people wear the actual shade of green we use. Blue clothing, eyes and jewellery are more common and can cause probems unless you know how to mask out those areas. We use very special green screen material now, direct from the film studios. This is a special white backed material that absorbs light and glows evenly. Ordinary green muslin will reflect light and cause problems especially with very blonde hair. Contact me for details, it's twice the price but worth it! Don't worry about evenly lighting the backdrop as many claim, that will just cause more spill and you need more lights power and cabling! You can't get your guests the recommended 10-12 feet away at an event, which you need to if you light the backdrop! Imagine if you were shooting a group and they all had to be 12 feet in front of the cloth!, how big would it need to be! Using pro software lets you quickly adjust for spill and reflected green light. The trick is to light the people not the backdrop, that should only appear in the gaps anyway and if you have a light enough green it will work. Less is more, light from the sides and above so any shadows are still green and they will disappear.We use overlays and backgrounds to get realistic Magazine covers and special effects. People don't notice that usually the models on magazines go in front of the title heading but behind the informative text! And watch out for copyrights, design your own magazine covers that are similar but not identical, you can buy these from the USA as overlays..PNG files are best but won't work on the Click, you need to do what we do and switch. The President Obama shot is a good example, He is in the background, the guests are dropped in on top, then the desk is added as an overlay in front. 6. Starting an Event Photography Business. Don't believe some of the salesmen out there who claim it's a licence to print money! That is their job and they do it well, but like any business you need to really work at it. Most pro photographers woudn't dream of doing a photoshoot AND supplying a framed large photograph for a tenner! And don't think just because you get a booking at a black tie event for example with 100 people that you are going to sell 100 photos! 30% of those people won't even want a photo taken! That's just the way it is. There won't be many single people wanting a photo on their own, and there's always a large group who want just one shot of all of them, but will buy additional copies at a discounted rate. That leaves the couples, so that brings you down to around five singles, a large group and twenty couples. You will earn about £300 at an event of this size. Ok, that's a small event but just about possible for two people to cover so that's only one assistant to pay. Then there is the cost of the prints, mounts and bags, travelling costs, insurance costs not to mention an hour to setup and an hour to pack down plus sometimes many hours of waiting for a dinner speech to end. Don't forget the website you need, the adverts to get bookings, the expense of all the gear, marketing your website, the admin and post production work to get the images online. The usual business costs of stationery, phone bills, promotional gear and all the insurance. Also remember there are a lot of excellent photographers out there, and anyone can buy a good camera, lens, and a fast printer and go out and do this. The big companies will already have the big events sewn up, So you need to use your contacts, ask around, advertise and promote. Offer to do some small events free for the practice, but still charge the going rate. Even if you only sell 10 shoots in a night, the experience is invaluable before you tackle a busy event. Once you get a booking, splash out on some pop up banners showing what you do, flyers and business cards. When you get there and setup, take a few test shots of the bar staff, waitresses and event organisers to test everything. Frame these up and give them out as gifts, asking them to show the guests! Great advertising! Get the DJ to tell guests where you are and what you are doing. Work the tables if it's quiet. Above all enjoy it and be polite and professional as you are representing us all! That's enough secrets revealed for now, if anyone wants to ask any questions feel free. This is just my opinions and experience so far, I'll add more as I get time. If you find this at all useful, please tell others, I'm not charging to write all this, nor am I selling anything, but links to my site will really be appreciated, or a mention in any blogs etc. Cheers, Paul Harrison I've been a keen photographer for many years, but at the age of 50 decided to go pro. Great excuse to buy the best gear! After a lot of research I brought a new Nikon D700, a Sigma 24-70 HSM lens, a Nikon SB-900 main flashgun with two SB-600 flashguns to use as slaves. Then I went for the Mitsubishi Click system with 9550 dedicated photo printer churning out nine inch by six inch photographs really fast! I've since handled quite a few events, especially over Xmas, and have earned well from them. More importantly to me, the event organisers have loved what we do, and the guests have been amazed by our green screen effects and very happy to buy what we've produced.
Selling a product Commercial photographs of brand and product lines are probably the most popular elements of commercial photograph. They can either be used to focus upon a particular area of a product (for example a new feature they want to focus on) or upon a brand new product altogether. The idea of the photograph is get the image of the product over to the consumes. There are two elements to commercial photography when used for product design; if the client wishes to show the product off in detail then product photography will be used, where if the client wants to focus on a certain attraction of the product and bring a larger audience in then an advertising commercial photography shoot would fit best. Elements of commercial photography include: Advertising: Design firms and advertising agencies can pay to get a set of pictures which are ideally produced to help enhance the product they wish too sell, make it look appealing and in turn, boost sales. This could be areas varying from fashion, food, room set, products or corporate photographs. This can include anything from a magazine campaign to a billboard Fashion Photography: This element of commercial photography can be linked to advertising. The photographers are used to enhance in the same way. Fashion photographer is mainly used within magazines. Crime Scene Photography: Crime scene photography falls under commercial photography as someone is paid to come and take photographs from a crime scene to use as evidence and remember a particular scene. Often the photos are taken in black and white or infrared to help capture as much detail as possible. Paparazzi: Paparazzi is a growing form of commercial photography. It involves photojournalists who specifically photo people of prominence, whether this be celebrities, politicians or anybody else in the public eye. If the photojournalist manages to capture a particular interesting or worthy photograph it can be sold onto various websites, magazines and newspapers. Portrait Photography: Portrait photos can be commercial when used in areas such as wedding photographs or a family portrait. Portrait photography is the fastest growing element of commercial photography and is increasing becoming used within families. The main thing to remember about this form of photography is that each project is unique and can vary massively from one client to the next. Depending on the client, the commercial photograph should be able obtain each individual need and should be fully aware of the theme and the needs that should be obtained from each photograph.
1. It's your wedding video... not a Hollywood Film set! Your wedding day is all about you, so you should be able to enjoy the time with your new husband/wife and family. However, some companies descend upon your wedding day and take over the whole show. Whilst they may obtain some pretty shots, this is at the expense of the couples time and patience. The best approach is to let the day unfold and capture it with as little fuss as possible. 2. All the Gear... No Idea! There are some fundamental elements of a wedding video that can make the finished article look amateurish irrespective of the camera used. Shaky footage, Poor focus, wrong colours, poor composition, cheesy music, poor choice of shots, zooming in and out, lack of emotion... the list goes on. It doesn't matter how good your camera is... without a thoughtful and technically competent approach to filming a wedding you are left with something that resembles an 80's style home movie. The answer is to watch not just the show reels on a company's website but ask for the opportunity to watch several full wedding videos. 3. Special Effects... but no storyline! Some people may quite like special effects including heart-shaped borders, spinning gold rings or confetti falling across the screen like a raging snow blizzard. However, these effects are already very dated and 20 years from now will make your video look very old. A more preferable option is to avoid special effects and just use a combination of beautiful imagery and music. 4. But I can't hear what they're saying! A tell-tale difference between professional and amateur video production is the quality of the sound. Wireless microphones capture crystal clear sound during the ceremony and speeches. These microphones are small enough to slip in the Groom's pocket during the ceremony and speeches. 5. One camera or Two? The most noticeable problem with using one camera to film a wedding is the 'Zoom Effect'. The human eye is not capable of zooming and so when we watch a video where the cameraman is constantly zooming in and out and panning around the room it can feel quite sickening. Using two cameras negates this issue as you can switch between cameras. 6. My Friend Has Offered to Film Our Wedding Any couple considering a wedding video will no doubt have thought whether a friend or family member could perform the job and save some money. Here are a couple of points to consider: Quality of the footage will not be as good as a professional format video camera, especially under low light conditions. Sound quality will be poor. Artistic styling and composition will be lacking. Quality of the final package will be limited. Shaky cameras, blurred focus and excessive zooming will all affect the final video. Does your friend have the time and skill to edit the final video and produce a quality wedding DVD? Your friend will have little time throughout the day to enjoying the wedding itself. When will you finally get to see the final video? 7. Where's the Emotion? In theory anyone can pick up a video camera and press record, but it is the combination of professional camera work and editing that develop the emotion to convey such a monumental day. A professional will pay attention to the small details and convey them with a combination of beautiful imagery and music. 8. Wedding Cameraman & Editor Some companies employ a number of cameramen to work at more than one venue and then return the footage to be edited by a separate editor. Whilst this allows them to develop their business to cover multiple events on the same day it lacks the personal attention that is deserving of such an important day. 9. Experience Counts It can be beneficial to choose a wedding videographer who works on a broad range of projects besides wedding videography. The variety of experiences compliment the ability to film your wedding and can bring fresh and contemporary ideas into being. 10. Wedding Songs Music is such an incredibly important part of your wedding video because it ties everything together, personalises the film and can generate a whole range of emotions. It's worth collecting together a large number of tunes that you like and leave the videographer to select which ones to use throughout your final Wedding DVD.
When you are planning your wedding photography, you will surely think to hire someone to take photos of the ceremony and reception. Many brides, however, will forget about the timeless tradition of having bridal portraits taken in the weeks preceding the wedding. This is what you need to know about bridal portraiture, from the very traditional to the more contemporary. As many photos as will be taken of you on your wedding day, it is still possible to miss a few key shots. The traditional reason behind the bridal portrait is to capture images of the bride in her wedding gown, bridal jewelry, and veil from every angle. Often done in the photographer's studio, the pictures are focused on the details of the bridal ensemble, rather than capturing the action or emotion of the ceremony and reception. In this calm environment, your photographer will be able to take the time to highlight the special beauty of the bride and her attire. For a very traditional effect, consider black and white or sepia toned photographs. Many a modern bride may think that a bridal portrait is old-fashioned or a relic of a bygone era, but don't be so quick to cast off the idea. After all, who wouldn't want a few really good images of herself in her gown and bridal jewelry? If the classic studio approach does not appeal to you, enlist the services of a photographer who specializes in more contemporary photography. You could have your portraits done in any number of interesting locations, such as the beach, a garden, your home, or even an offbeat setting like your favorite diner. Just be sure that the photos don't get so creative that the intended focus becomes lost. Also, since your pictures will be taken before the wedding day, take care to keep your gown in pristine condition. Lay a white cloth on the floor under you to keep the hem clean, if shooting in a place with a dirty floor. The bridal portraits need to be done close to the wedding day, if for no other reason than because your gown must be fully altered. Inform your bridal salon of your portrait date when scheduling alterations, as they will need to have your wedding dress completed and pressed for the portrait date rather than the wedding date. It is a very smart idea to make plans to return your wedding dress to the bridal salon after the photo session so that it can be freshly pressed before the wedding. Expect to pay a fee for this additional service, and be sure to schedule it in advance. Think of your portrait session as a chance to do a dry run before your wedding. Since you will need to have your hair and makeup styled for the pictures, it gives you the opportunity to perfect your bridal beauty before the big day. This is great, as you will be able to spend some time with the results to make sure that they last over the hours and that everything feels comfortable to you. The same goes for your gown. If you notice anything that is not quite right about the fit during your picture shoot, it gives you the chance for a quick adjustment before you wear your wedding gown for real. A final tip about bridal portraiture is to look over any portraits you may have of your mother or grandmother in their wedding gowns and bridal jewelry. It is a wonderful tradition for a bride to have a couple of pictures done in a similar pose to her mother. The generations of bridal portraits will look absolutely beautiful when displayed together.
If you don’t want to shell out a lot of money for your wedding dress, you are not alone. I saved a lot of money on my dress by buying something that was deeply discounted because it was a year off-season. If you can’t find something you like this way, then you might want to consider looking at used wedding dresses. Before you dismiss the idea, remember that many women do this when they use their mother’s or their grandmother’s wedding dress for their wedding day. I know getting a stranger’s dress is not the same thing, but the principle is the same. The great thing about used wedding dresses is that they have in most cases only been used once. Most people wear them for their wedding day and they are then cleaned and put away, or sold. Some used wedding dresses are sometimes brand new. Sometimes weddings are cancelled, as we all know, and the bride usually wants to get rid of the dress. This happens not only to get some of her money back, but also to get rid of the memory of the day that never happened. You can find used wedding dresses everywhere. If you look online, you can find hundreds if not thousands of them from which to choose. Don’t forget to check auction sites like eBay, and classifieds for your area. You have to consider what size you want, and perhaps what style, and this will make your search for used wedding dresses a little easier by helping you weed out what won’t fit or what you don’t like early. If you are looking for a dress for Halloween, you can find them very cheaply in your local thrift store. One extra expense you may find that you have with used wedding dresses is cleaning. No matter what you do, you want to have the dress cleaned, even if the previous owner claims to have had it done. You will also still have to pay for alterations, but these shouldn’t be too bad. It still beats paying a thousand for a dress you can get for 200. If you are really lucky, you will find a dress that fits perfectly, but this is a rarity. Most bridal stores will do alterations for you if you make an appointment, even if you didn’t get your dress through them. Make sure you call ahead to find out though. If they can’t, they may be able to refer you to someone who can.
Wedding is a very special affair and even in few years ago, people used to plan and prepare its dresses taking months together. Those were the days when wearing formal traditional wedding dresses was almost mandatory. But, with change in lifestyle and people's attitude towards social ethos, formal bridal dresses are gradually receding giving way to the next generation casual wedding dresses. Shifting of marriage venues from churchyards to backyards has also contributed greatly in encouraging using casual wedding dresses. If you are planning to solemnize your much awaited marriage ceremony secretly in an isolated island, will you bother to go for the minute details of a formal nuptial? Collecting short informal dresses will certainly be your first preference then. Such informal dresses have their inherent advantages over their counterparts. Opportunity of creating one's own personalized wedding dresses also exists with the casual wedding attires. Seeing great potential, designers and manufacturers are also now days busy developing exotic and relaxing casual marriage dresses. Depending upon the place of celebration, nature and design of your casual wedding dresses should be decided. Marriage at one's own backyard with complete family gathering requires sober and decent dresses. If it is a hot summer evening, you must not choose something that may help you sweat further. A nice designer strapless may fulfill your requirement. You may also go for sleeves, if you feel uncomfortable with the strapless exposures. A square or v-shaped neckline may be chosen to suit your taste. With casual bridal dresses, there exist actually unlimited options to choose ideal marriage attires. Few very common examples of informal marriage outfits are halter neckline, designer silhouettes, sleeves, waistlines, skirts with matching jackets, bridal trains, etc. Casual wedding dresses provide an excellent opportunity to stay in touch with the latest fashion trends. Splendid embroidery works and fabrics generally form part of such informal nuptial attires. Design of these works may be ordered or can be best chosen to suit one's own personality and budget. If you are searching for a perfect beach wedding dress, you may go for white colored short skirt. In such cases, you must not forget to collect appropriate veils, sunglasses, hair bands, and footwear, etc. In other locations, your wedding accessories may differ, but they must not be ignored. Else, your informal wedding attire alone will not be able to prepare you exotically for your partner. Casual wedding dresses are very common for the people who always want to establish uniqueness in their every sphere of activities, or in the case of second or third marriage ceremonies. Though white and ivory are the two prominent colors for most of the informal wedding dresses, but you have the full liberty to choose pink, yellow, green, red, etc. as favorite colors for your dream wedding attires. As these dresses have very limited after use, you most not go for costly deals. After a littler search at your local boutique shops, departmental stores, or in various online virtual stores, you will be able to locate fabulous casual bridal dresses within reasonable prices. If you have enough times on hand, you may search for discounted dresses. On the other hand, if you have little time, patience, creativity and intention, you yourself can design marvelous personalized casual bridal dresses.
The most important thing to remember is, Photographs are your lasting reminder of your wedding day. They will remind you of the atmosphere of your wedding, your dress, family, and guests. They will be on display in your home, and are a record of the most special day of your life for you to look back on. Find your photographer It is vital to find a photographer who is experienced and aware of the requirements for your special day. You need to feel sure that the photographer you choose will take photographs showing the heart and soul of your wedding and be able to make you and your guests look fantatstic. There are many photographers available to you. Photographers are a varied breed specialising only in weddings or doing weddings only as a sideline. Some do little or no advertising, others advertise in many places. A good place to start would be to make enquiries with the selected photographers that appear in the local paper in your town You may also consider asking friends and family for recommendations. It is also worth trying your local camera club to see if they have any members who are wedding photographers. There is a professional Guild of Wedding Photographers to which some photographers choose to belong that publishes a list of it's members. Although it is not an full list of wedding photographers, it can prove a useful reference point if you are struggling to find a suitable one. Making contact Once a firm date for your wedding is decided, you can begin contacting photographers to see if they are available. It is worth starting your search for a photographer early, as the better ones are booked up quickly. It is vitally important that you view a photographer's work before you book. Never book over the phone. A good tip is to invite a few people to come with you when you visit a photographer, especially if they have a hand in paying for the photographs. The presence of a parent, bridesmaid/best man or friend will help you to keep a clear head and give you advice on the appearance of the photographer and his work. Decide what you want You need to have a clear idea in your minds of what you expect your wedding photographs to be like, or at least some idea of style or specific shots required. Would you like traditional or more journalistic style of photographs? Do you want exclusively formal shots? Would you like portraits of special people taken at home on the morning of the wedding, Would you like a confetti in the air shot, and do you mind if this is staged rather than spontaneous? Do you want colour, black and white or sepia, or a section of them all? Know what to ask for. There are a number of things to look for when you examine the work of a photographer. Ask to see complete albums of photographs from two or three weddings. Do you feel that the album tells the story of the whole wedding? Do the pictures of the couple differ from each other: some close up, some mid distance, some full length? Are the groups shots group shots well organised? Ensure that the person is the centre of focus in the picture rather than the background. Make sure you can detail in the pictures: of the dress, the cake and the flowers Would you feel happy owning your version of the pictures you are shown? Questions to ask Remember, it is important to discuss all of your needs with your photographer. They will do a better job of your wedding photographs if they are conscious of your hopes for the final outcome. Make a list of your wants and likes. Here are some important questions to ask the photographer. Ask if the person you are meeting will be the person there on your wedding day. Ask how long they have been a photographer, and how long they have been taking photographs of weddings. Ask if the photographer has professional indemnity insurance to cover the cost of retaking your photographs if something goes horribly wrong. Find out how long the photographer spends taking their shots after the ceremony and/or at the reception. Ask how the photographer copes if the weather is not good.. Here it will help if the photographer has worked at your wedding and reception venues previously and knows the local area. When making a booking Having found a photographer that suits your requirements you need to discuss a price for the job. You will find that you generally get what you pay for and the more experienced photographers are likely to charge more, but this is not always the case. Make sure you ask each photographer to quote for the same job otherwise you will not be able to compare quotations. There are variables in the cost of a wedding photographer: how long you want the photographer to be in attendance, the approximate number of photographs taken, the number of shots to be included in the package that is presented to you and the type of album the final photographs will be presented in. Finally, make sure the photographer explains their quote and tells you of any extras that may be involved in advance.
Around the globe couples celebrate their unions with a wedding dance of some sort. Most religions, with the exception of those who still frown upon dancing, have some sort of wedding dance that is a part of this joyous event or the celebration of this event. This is much more than a simple dance. It is the dance that will begin your life as husband and wife. For this reason alone, many couples spend a great deal of time and effort choosing the perfect song to symbolize their love for each. Once decided, this is the song that is to be played for their wedding dance. Your wedding dance is one of the few memories of your wedding that you will have forever. Most of your wedding day will go by in such a blur of faces that there will be few moments that stand out above the rest. Your wedding dance however, is the one time during your wedding reception that you and your spouse are truly alone within the crowd. All eyes may be on you both but this is your moment together and no one else in the room should matter at this moment. This is the reason that most people will remember their wedding dance long after they've forgotten other details about their wedding. Some couples actually take wedding dance lessons in order to make sure that nothing goes wrong during their wedding dance. Many instructors often suggest that you use the shoes you will be wearing for your wedding as well as a skirt that is very similar to your wedding dress in order to actually get an honest feel for how you will be dancing on your wedding day. It is amazing how much of a difference the height of your shoes and the length of your skirt or train can make when it comes to dancing. These classes are very important for couples that truly want to have the fairy tale wedding experience though not necessarily practical for couples that are already working at the end of their budget constraints. Ballroom dance lessons will often suffice for wedding dance lessons and in many cases are much less expensive if you can take them at a local community center rather than taking private lessons. Group lessons are almost always more economical and can be a great way for you and your future spouse to learn to dance together in time for your big night and your wedding dance. If budgets won't even allow for this indulgence to make your wedding dance a little easier to handle you can always opt to purchase an instructional video or DVD. It would be great fun to practice your wedding dance together before the big night and it is a great way to have fun together as a couple even after the big night. You can find videos and DVDs that teach all manner of dance steps that you may find appealing. Otherwise you can always wing it. Pick a song you love, a dance you like and have fun without worrying about getting it perfect. You are beginning your new life together as a couple and who really needs the pressure of dancing perfect, right? It is also your day and that is one thing that far too few brides really realize when getting caught up in the pressure of creating the perfect wedding within a limited budget. The thing to remember when planning your wedding and your wedding dance is that you and your spouse to be are the most important people in the process. Do not allow yourself to feel pressured into something that you don't want in order to appease others. Make your wedding day and your wedding dance completely your own if you are not interested in or comfortable with the idea of taking lessons from someone else. You and your partner will be glad that you did what was right for you when all is said and done.
Ever since I was a little girl, I loved wedding dresses. I used to sneak into my mom's closet to look at her wedding dress when she wasn't home. She had no problem with showing it to me, but if she had known how many hours I spent practically drooling over it, she probably would have freaked out a bit. I had pretty childish tastes back then – unsurprising because I was a child. I loved wedding gowns because they looked so soft and fluffy. They were like cakes, and they made whoever wore them look halfway between a princess and a pastry. I could not get enough. Back when I was buying discount wedding dresses at thrift stores and wearing them to the school with various punk rock modifications to shock my teachers, I never dreamed that one day I would be a wedding designer. You see, as much as I loved wedding dresses, I wasn't particularly enamored of weddings. I was very independent, and I couldn't imagine spending my entire life with one boy, raising kids, and living in a boring suburban corner of the world like my parents did. I wanted action and adventure. I wanted to be a mountain climber or a park ranger, or perhaps a professional photographer. One thing I didn't want to be was a bride. Nonetheless, I was still impressed with bridal fashion. I loved when I got to see outdoor weddings at the local park. We lived by a gorgeous state park complete with the rivers, lakes, and beautiful rolling hills. There was a small wedding chapel there, and they would frequently rent it out. My boyfriend at the time must have thought I was giving him messages! I made him sit there with me all afternoon, watching the wedding party. Perhaps he thought I had dreams of long-term romance, but such thoughts were furthest from my mind. I was interested in it purely from a fashion perspective. Now that I am getting ready for my own wedding, I am struck by how different the experience is from that of helping other people get ready for there big day. Designing wedding dresses is easy. Although there are vintage designs, modern designs, classic designs, and many other variations, it doesn't amount to all that much variety. There are only a few things to keep track of, and if you appreciate the clothes it is easy. Picking out one for yourself, however, is another matter. It is probably the hardest part is getting married.
These two questions are in conflict with each other too because in order to reduce stress, you have to increase the work that someone has to do. Sometime during the preparation time frame, the idea will come up, why don’t we let “John Jones” do our wedding pictures? John Jones may be someone’s brother who is “really good at photography” or just a friend of the family. The appeal is that they will save you a pile of money and probably do just as good a job as the expensive photographers. While you certainly want to watch out before you turn over this important job, maybe you or someone in the wedding party can take the photos as well as a professional. After all, how many wedding nightmares have you heard about a professional photographer who either damaged the romantic nature of the ceremony by butting in too often, aggravated the guests by blotting out their view of the wedding to get an action shot or charged an arm and a leg only to deliver poor quality photos. In truth, it is entirely possible for an “amateur” photographer to do a terrific job taking pictures at the wedding. But there are some guidelines you should follow if that job has fallen to you. If you are reading this as the bride, groom or anxious mother and you are considering using a friend for these photos, spend an hour going over these guidelines and not only will you get better pictures, your anxiety level will go down too. 1. Know your equipment inside and out. Whether you are using a run of the mill digital camera or an expensive set up that has taken you years to work up, make sure everything is in top-notch working order and that you are thoroughly familiar with every nuance of the machine. Remember Murphy’s Law. If anything can go wrong, it will. So keep Murphy out of the wedding by checking and double checking your camera and related equipment. 2. Have spares of everything possible. If there are batteries involved with the operation of the camera, have several spare sets on hand and know where they are. If the batteries go out as the bride and party are posed at the alter, you don’t want an hour delay why you run to the 7-11 to get more. The same goes for flash bulbs and even the camera itself. Have spares of everything possible so Murphy just goes to the next wedding down the road to make his mess. 3. The photo is about more than the bride and groom. If you are used to “staging” your pictures, you may not worry that often with activity in the room. After all, if everybody is posing, the environment is controlled. This will not be the case during an action shot like during the wedding or reception. So keep a keen awareness of the room, the activity around the subjects, the lighting and background props. You don’t want to produce the perfect shot of bride and groom kissing only to have Cousin Ned gagging on the cake in the background. 4. Be aware of glare from windows, lights and eyeglasses. These can sneak up on you. As a rule, someone who is part of the event can get great shots because they know the people and can be mixing as those wonderful “little moments” occur. So it’s worth a try if you feel good about the skills of your photographer and they follow these little guidelines.
We've all been to receptions that are standard - we welcome and celebrate the new married couple, watch them dance, and enjoy cake with them. But creative couples often enjoy coming up with fun games that include the entire guest list. Including the guests is an excellent way to get people out of their chairs, meeting people they might not otherwise know and feeling like they are truly a part of the celebration, not just observers. One fun and active game that can be played by all your guests, including grandma as well as the young children, is "want it now". In this game, you designate a master of ceremonies (if you have a DJ for your wedding reception, this person can serve as the DJ). The MC will have a list of "wants" prepared before the reception. Everyone sits at their tables, and waits to hear the command. The MC says he wants a person with painted toenails. All the women with painted toenails run to the front of the room, toward the MC. Each time a table sends someone to the front first, they get a point. Points should be tallied during the course of this game and prizes awarded at the end of the game. Be sure to have some obvious "wants", as is the painted toenails, or a man with a mustache or a child with a pink dress. But also include some surprises, like "a man with a brown purse" which will require a man to find a woman at his table with the brown purse and run up to the front of the room with that. Another fun wedding reception game that includes all your guests is musical chairs using men as the chairs. All the men line up and kneel on one knee. The women begin playing the game of musical chairs, but when the music stops, they must find a knee to sit on. No "chairs" are removed during the version of the game, but instead people are eliminated when either the man falls down when the woman finds his knee or when the woman falls down. Both are out either way, and if both fall down, they are also both out then (as well as perhaps a bit bruised). This is a fun game that often brings on gales of laughter and adds to a relaxed reception atmosphere. If many guests are traveling a good distance to the wedding or don't know many other guests, it's always fun to include a game that will allow them to now only get to know each other but the bride and groom as well. For this game, you'll need a MC again, which can be a very outgoing member of the wedding party or the DJ. The reception guests are broken into two groups, which can be as simple as having people count off "1, 2, 1, 2" and so on until the entire guest list is either a "1" or a "2". Then the two groups band together for the duration of the game. The DJ, or MC, offers a series of questions relating to the bride and groom. The teams should work together to answer the questions, then as quickly as possible provide the answer. The bride and groom will confirm if the answer is correct or not. This is an excellent way for otherwise "stranger" guests to get to know one another and have some fun in the process. It's also an excellent way to get to know the bride and groom! Organizing games at a wedding reception is a great way to get people involved and make them feel they are truly a part of the celebration. It's also a way to fill time, if the wedding planners know this isn't a "dancing" group or if you want to loosen people up for a long night of celebrating. Whether a small or large wedding, reception games work for just about any group. In addition, don't assume wedding reception guests will be offended or annoyed by these active games. Most people report to wedding planners they truly enjoy being more active and having fun games to play during a wedding reception.
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tags. Include a link to bypass the detection if you wish.