I had a call from a bride early this morning who is less than satisfied with her wedding photos that were taken by a friend of hers. She wants me to look and see if I can “fix” them. She did hire and pay a friend who is just starting out. She says her friend had a nice camera and was so excited for the opportunity so she didn’t even worry about it; figured it “couldn’t be messed up”. The images are underexposed (too dark), many out of focus (possibly due to a cheap lens), she thinks the groups look awkward (poor posing), the color is weird (not correctly white balanced), she wants me to take the black circles out from under her eyes (poor lighting technique). Don’t kid yourself into thinking that nice equipment and good intentions are all it takes.
The truth is that I’ve had this phone call on more than one occassion and it leaves me shaking my head. There are MANY wonderful photographers out there, but there are also some others that really need to get a little more practice under their belt. If your budget is that tight I guess it might be worth the gamble (maybe?). I serously don’t know a single woman who hasn’t thought (fantasized, hoped, dreamed, wished, obsessed) a few times about her wedding day; I never understand why this is the corner they choose to cut. This bride did have a decent budget and she had room in it to afford a photographer yet underestimated how she would feel if the photos didn’t turn out.
So how do you choose?
1.)Are you really willing to risk how you will remember this day? This is your one wedding day. At the end of the day you’ll walk away with your man, your wedding rings and hopefully some fantastic reminders of the day. Meet with an experienced pro.
2.)Ask your recently married friends who they hired and ask to look through ALL of their images, their album or anything their photographer provided them with. Inquire about how long it took, what they got, how they felt and how the day went with the photographer?
3.)Does your photographer have or need a plan? I personally can work off of a list of photos but I prefer not to. About 2 weeks before the wedding I offer them a detailed itenerary of who I will need when/where and give them an opportunity to review it and fine tune it if we have to. There is no guessing on who will go next, I never (ever) ask…. “Now what should we do?”…
4.)When you meet with your photographer they should offer you a variety of their work to look at and touch. Not just an iPad, computer or wall display. Prior to the meeting you should have looked through their website, blog, facebook and try to see if their photos have the look that your photos want. Look carefully at the printed materials (albums, prints, etc.). The look should be consistant. Colors should be consistant, posing consistant, images are focused. It’s a REALLY good thing if you look through their photos and feel like the photos all look similar, that means that they have a defined style and your photos will fall into this style. If you look at their photos and like them but feel like you want a different look don’t expect that photographer to stray from their style, just look for th photographer who offers the look you’re going for. If you asked me to change something about my style I would be baffled… How much would be too much, or not enough??
5.) Inquire about their experience. How many weddings have they photographed? How do they feel about weddings? Experienced wedding photographers have done this MANY times and weddings don’t make us nervous. The drill is pretty much the same at every wedding with a different details, weather, location and one sweet couple at the first day of their life. We have planned for your day as you have and will get the job done confidently and efficiently.
6.) What package do I need? What do I buy? What do you want to do with your photos? Do you really want to pay for a full day of coverage for a photographer, details, portraits, ceremony, reception, if you only plan to have a handful of 5×7’s and 8×10’s printed for your house and your family? If that’s all you inted to do with your photos, just purchase some coverage for family photos & skip all the rest. If you truly want the whole day documented get an album to tell the story. Albums are available in a variety of shapes and sizes and priced to accommodate all budgets. I’ve never heard of a couple who regretted purchasing an album.
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If you’re looking for a wedding photographer I would love to meet with you and hear about the details of your day.
All of my collections include coverage, digital files, an online gallery and an engagement session to take place in the Greater Grand Rapids area. Images will be ready for viewing within 3 weeks of your wedding.
I’ve officially been a photographer for 14 years, have photographed over 250 weddings in West Michigan; I’ve traveled for clients weddings as far as Florida and Hawaii. I also have a beautiful studio that is 3 years old and is located in downtown Rockford.
I have won awards, contests and magazine covers with my photography but true success is defined through wedding couples returning to me again and again. It’s a total blast to see them and continue to make memories with their families.
I describe my style as clean and vibrant. I use Photoshop mostly for cleaning with a little creative tweak hear and there. Most of the images look pretty much just like this straight out of the camera.
I don’t believe in bridezilla…. I believe in passionate women; especially since I’m one of them. I love weddings.
I’ve been married to my wonderful husband, Steve for 21 years. I love being married and hope you will too!
Please enjoy this collection of my work. You can also look through my archives for even more.
Enjoy!!
by Terri
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