PHOTOGRAPHY & VIDEOGRAPHY
There are few pieces of your wedding planning that are more important than photography and videography. You’ll want to make sure you hire the best photographer you can in order to assure you get photos you love to keep and to share. You’ll also want to find a videographer who understands your wedding style and what you hope to accomplish with your video in order to make it truly reflective of your event. While many couples hire a photographer to capture the day of their wedding and reception, you may want to consider documenting your love for one another from the time you become engage until after the wedding.
CREATING A STORY
Your love may never be published in words, but it can be documented in pictures. Wedding photography is all about creating a story. From the first days of your engagement to the last minutes of your wedding to the last minutes of your wedding reception, photos will capture precious moments you’ll want to share and savor forever. These are the photos you may someday show your children, and perhaps to your grandchildren. They’ll place forever in settings you love, and with people you love.
Photos taken shortly after you become engaged begin the story of your nuptial journey in a setting that is special to you and your fiancé. You also could have a photographer capture the fun of an engagement party, the drama of trying on dresses, the joy of a bridal shower, the uncertainty of your rehearsal, and all the other emotions and events that highlight your engagement period.
Your journey to marriage culminates on the day of your wedding, during which your photographer will create and capture beautiful photos --- both posed and candid --- to record this day that you’ll want to remember forever.
SELECTING A PHOTOGRAPHER TO PRESERVE YOUR MEMORIES
There are a number of professional photographers in your area, some of who are particularly known for wedding photography. You can begin narrowing your search for a photographer by visiting websites, most of which contain portfolios, information about the business, services offered, pricing, and, perhaps most importantly, testimonials from past clients.
Quality and style of work. Some photographers are more traditionalists who are most comfortable with posed and arranged shots, while others prefer to take mostly unscripted shots that capture the natural flow of the day. Most are somewhere in the middle of those styles
and do both posed and natural photos. Talk to photographers about their style and keep style in mind when you look at various portfolios.
Recommendations from others. If you know four people who got married within the past year, all had the same photographer, and were thrilled with his work, chances are you’ll be happy, as well. Conversely, if you know several people who weren’t pleased with a particular photographer, you probably want to look elsewhere.
Your comfort level. Ideally, you should not only like a photographer’s work, you should like the photographer, as well. Remember that you’ll be working closely together, and you need to have confidence that the person you choose is the best for the important job he’ll be doing.
It may be that a friend or family members has a nice camera and will offer to take wedding photos for you. If that person happens to be a professional photographer with a great portfolio for you to peruse, you probably want to extend an enthusiastic “thank you” and start making plans for photo sessions.
If, as is most often the case, that well-meaning person is not a professional photographer, think carefully about what your wedding photos are worth to you. A professional photographer, unlike a friend or your cousin, has training and experience in arranging people for posed images. He understands lighting, exposure and camera angles. He carries extra equipment to overcome problems, and he owns equipment necessary to get the best images under all kinds of conditions. He knows what type of images to look for, and how to get them in an unobtrusive, professional manner.
By all means, encourage friends and relatives to take pictures during your reception, and the ceremony, if permitted and applicable. You’re likely to get some shots that you love. However, think very carefully before agreeing to have a non-professional photographer be the sole source of your wedding photos. Consider the following factors:
VIDEOGRAPHY
Videography is a recent, and popular development. A high-resolution DVD copy of your wedding can be duplicated numerous times with good results, allowing you to share the most special moments of your day with loved ones.
The point of a wedding video is to capture the personality of your wedding by filming portions of the wedding that define it --- that make it uniquely yours. A good videographer will record not only the essential ingredients like vows, the ring exchange, and cake cutting, but will capture the spirit and style of your event. If you ask the videographer to provide a condensed three-to-five minute, low-resolution version of your wedding video, you can email it to friends and family. Keep the following suggestions in mind when considering a wedding video and choosing a videographer.
CREATING A STORY
Your love may never be published in words, but it can be documented in pictures. Wedding photography is all about creating a story. From the first days of your engagement to the last minutes of your wedding to the last minutes of your wedding reception, photos will capture precious moments you’ll want to share and savor forever. These are the photos you may someday show your children, and perhaps to your grandchildren. They’ll place forever in settings you love, and with people you love.
Photos taken shortly after you become engaged begin the story of your nuptial journey in a setting that is special to you and your fiancé. You also could have a photographer capture the fun of an engagement party, the drama of trying on dresses, the joy of a bridal shower, the uncertainty of your rehearsal, and all the other emotions and events that highlight your engagement period.
Your journey to marriage culminates on the day of your wedding, during which your photographer will create and capture beautiful photos --- both posed and candid --- to record this day that you’ll want to remember forever.
SELECTING A PHOTOGRAPHER TO PRESERVE YOUR MEMORIES
There are a number of professional photographers in your area, some of who are particularly known for wedding photography. You can begin narrowing your search for a photographer by visiting websites, most of which contain portfolios, information about the business, services offered, pricing, and, perhaps most importantly, testimonials from past clients.
Quality and style of work. Some photographers are more traditionalists who are most comfortable with posed and arranged shots, while others prefer to take mostly unscripted shots that capture the natural flow of the day. Most are somewhere in the middle of those styles
and do both posed and natural photos. Talk to photographers about their style and keep style in mind when you look at various portfolios.
Recommendations from others. If you know four people who got married within the past year, all had the same photographer, and were thrilled with his work, chances are you’ll be happy, as well. Conversely, if you know several people who weren’t pleased with a particular photographer, you probably want to look elsewhere.
Your comfort level. Ideally, you should not only like a photographer’s work, you should like the photographer, as well. Remember that you’ll be working closely together, and you need to have confidence that the person you choose is the best for the important job he’ll be doing.
It may be that a friend or family members has a nice camera and will offer to take wedding photos for you. If that person happens to be a professional photographer with a great portfolio for you to peruse, you probably want to extend an enthusiastic “thank you” and start making plans for photo sessions.
If, as is most often the case, that well-meaning person is not a professional photographer, think carefully about what your wedding photos are worth to you. A professional photographer, unlike a friend or your cousin, has training and experience in arranging people for posed images. He understands lighting, exposure and camera angles. He carries extra equipment to overcome problems, and he owns equipment necessary to get the best images under all kinds of conditions. He knows what type of images to look for, and how to get them in an unobtrusive, professional manner.
By all means, encourage friends and relatives to take pictures during your reception, and the ceremony, if permitted and applicable. You’re likely to get some shots that you love. However, think very carefully before agreeing to have a non-professional photographer be the sole source of your wedding photos. Consider the following factors:
- Professional photographers provide professional prints. Having your photos on compact discs is great, but consider that, as technology advances, CDs have the potential to become a relic of the past. Also, there’s the possibility that the CD could get scratched and become unreadable
- A professional photographer who has been taking wedding photos for an appreciable amount of time has encountered nearly every type of situation. Bad weather, a ring bearer meltdown, a key relative who is late to the ceremony --- these are all situations a pro has encountered and knows how to handle. Little problems don’t’ become big problems for someone who has been through them and knows how to react
- While many people have a nice digital camera, few own, and know how to properly use, the extensive equipment that professional photographers own.
VIDEOGRAPHY
Videography is a recent, and popular development. A high-resolution DVD copy of your wedding can be duplicated numerous times with good results, allowing you to share the most special moments of your day with loved ones.
The point of a wedding video is to capture the personality of your wedding by filming portions of the wedding that define it --- that make it uniquely yours. A good videographer will record not only the essential ingredients like vows, the ring exchange, and cake cutting, but will capture the spirit and style of your event. If you ask the videographer to provide a condensed three-to-five minute, low-resolution version of your wedding video, you can email it to friends and family. Keep the following suggestions in mind when considering a wedding video and choosing a videographer.
- Videography services can be pricey because of advances in technology. Keep your budget in mind.
- Don’t sacrifice photography for videography. Choose video recording as an addition.
- Ask to see some of the videographer’s work before agreeing to hire him. Look for seamless transition of scenes, sharp color, and steady filming.
- Ask for references and check them before hiring.