The truth about photographers is that no one is the same as the other. There are a variety of differences once you get past the fact that all of us have cameras, lenses, flashes and Photoshop. Sometimes those subtleties make a difference to people, and sometimes they don’t. It is estimated that 10% of the population will marry in any given year. Depending upon where you live, that’s a LOT of weddings.
So of those people getting married, only about half (yes, only half) will have someone whose exclusive responsibility is to photograph the wedding. Of those who have a photographer at all, only about 60% of those people will hire a professional. Surprising?
If you decide to have a photographer at your wedding, you may hear from many photographers to make sure this thing or that thing happens, and some of it relates to creativity and style. But one person cannot dictate how another person should select by style, nor can they mandate the style for an industry.
But there are some questions you should ask to be sure that your photographer is prepared for whatever happens:
- Do they have liability insurance? This insurance protects you and your guests should the photographer somehow injure someone or damage property. The reason we carry liability insurance is because you never know what’s going to happen; and a professional should be ready for such contingencies.
- Do they have backup equipment? Cameras and lenses, flashes and batteries are all just electro-mechanical devices that will ultimately fail. Wear and tear, bumps and bruises, and whatever else will contribute to the failure of a piece of equipment that your photographer relies upon. There are no “second chances” during a wedding, a family event, or that special moment. If your photographer doesn’t have backup equipment, and something fails, precious memories WILL be lost.
- Will your images be backed up? Will they be safe? It is true that digital images are easier to secure than film was, but there are still a multitude of things that can go wrong, including memory card failure, file transfer errors, hard drive crash, and on and on. We adopted an on-location backup method long ago, and it has made a difference in how safe we feel our images are. Once we return to the studio, those image files are backed up onto our server, and then backed up to an offsite location. If your photographer is that conscientious about backing up your images, then they really care about what they are doing.
Anything over and above what I’ve listed here may be considered subjective. Just remember there are some pretty shady people out there, and there are some really great photographers, too. Just do a little extra homework and make sure that the photographer you are hiring is one who is committed to making your event a stress-free one.
Remember the old Glamour Shots studios? They would do your makeup, hair, even clothing and then set you up in with a fancy background and pose you so that you looked different. It was all the rage for awhile.
This is nothing like that. 🙂
But there are some similarities. First, the Day of Beauty sitting (the next one is November 20, a Saturday) includes a makeup session with the very talented Ceejae Custer. She knows what it takes to make you look your best for the kinds of photos you want to do. She will pamper you and make you look even more gorgeous, all the while giving you tips and helping to set the stage for the photos you want to have done.
Second, your hair will be styled by none other than the fabulous Brooke Clyde. If you want drama, she can put it in your hair. If you want sleek, she has that, too. Whatever will look best is what she will do for you. And she also has plenty of ideas for how to pose and look your best for the pictures.
Finally, and with the aid of a few beauty items, the photo session begins. We always encourage you to bring the outfits and selections that you want to be photographed in. There are no limits, and we even have a few items to enhance your experience, including boas, wraps, fabrics, sheers and more. We usually encourage you to bring at least two outfits, and more if you are interested in creating a book.
Once the session is done, we will set up a private viewing for you. There you can select the images you want, order what you need for gift-giving or display and we go into action creating the finished product. We usually suggest a portfolio or portrait book, but we also have other specialty items available from your portrait images.
We invite you to contact us about participating in the Day of Beauty; which is Saturday, November 20. The whole experience is only $99, and includes an 8×10 print (or credit toward any other item). If you’d like to bring a friend, it’s only $79 more for that person… this is a perfect holiday gift for your significant other, and a great, fun time for your mom’s club, mothers & daughters, or just you getting photos for that special someone.
Call us at 304-263-3100 to set up your appointment or with any questions you may have.
There are so many photographic products, it is sometimes difficult to decide what to use your images for. And while I didn’t plan to cover everything here, I did want to highlight some popular items and discuss the advantage of a bigger (or smaller) one.
Indulge me. 🙂
Photo Prints: Still the most popular choice to show and share your portrait/wedding images. Yes, even more popular than digital files (which many photographers do not offer anyway). There are sizes ranging from mini-wallets (about 1.5×2.5 inches) to wall murals (6×10 feet and larger). But the most common middle size is still the 8×10 and the most common “wall size” is 24×30 or 24×36… at least at TLC.
How big you go depends on how you’re going to use it. A 24×36″ canvas print sitting on your desk isn’t very practical, but an 8×10 on a large wall is quite nearly worth ignoring (almost as if you’d decided that the picture really wasn’t useful to you, so you had it printed small – sad). And honestly, now we have the ability to show you print “clusters”, which incorporate three or more images arranged in such a way that are both attractive and functional. Ask us about print clusters to see what I mean.
But back to size for a moment. If you have a family portrait done, do you want to see faces in the picture you hang on the wall? If you do, then you need a portrait print that is sized for the wall and room where the picture will be. An 8×10″ is out… period. An 11×14″ is okay for 2-3 people, and a 16×20″ is a minimum size for 4-5 people. You may want to go larger still if the photo contains a lot of surrounding area. And anything more than six people should be printed on a 20×24″ or larger.
We won’t pressure you, of course… we don’t do that. But with our display software, we can show you the difference between an 11×14″ print and a 20×24″ on our projection wall. Ask to see it.
Albums: There is nothing quite like the feeling of opening your wedding or portrait album and having all those emotions of the day come rushing back. Whether you’re getting an album for a gift or for yourself, there’s no question that there are tons of options for these books. In addition to the traditional styles of leather covers, there are also multi-covering type of books, fabrics in a variety of colors, and much more. Now we are giving you the opportunity to decide what kind of paper to use inside the book (such as linen or art paper). And in addition to the traditional-type album, there are also coffee-table books which combine a thinner footprint with the high-end beauty of a big album.
The “traditional” size of an album is 10×10″. Square seems to be the norm for most people. But we are also offering 11×14″ albums for not much more. Most people aren’t thinking about getting a large book from their portrait session. But if you can’t put prints on your wall, or you want something to keep close at hand when you’re out of the house, a carry album (4×6″) or small portrait album (8×8″) is the “right size” for most people.
We offer a variety of album styles, including coffee table books (which are the most popular type of album we have available). In addition to eight fabric colors and styles, there is also a photo cover available, and you can get that in a photo canvas that wraps around the entire book cover… it’s beautiful. Sizes from 4×6″ and up are available, and most of our albums are laid out by Diana for that custom-look you want from your images.
Albums are available for sittings, weddings, and more.
Ask about a free consultation to discuss not only your print and album choices, but also to review what you expect from your session and what we can do for you.
A couple of months back, a parent (former coworker, client, friend) contacted us about doing some action photos for Musselman Volleyball. Since most of my modern day career is based around having shot so much sports, I was pleased to be asked. The approach I took was to cover as much of the floor as I could by myself. And while there are only six players on a side at any given time, they are ALL doing something different. And I have to say that watching them play their game over three different outings, I was quite charged by their sincere sense of teamwork and intense camaraderie.
These are a small portion of some of my favorites. I forgot just how high people can jump.
Okay, her name is spelled Katie, but she’s known to everyone as Kaytee. Arriving with her mom and her BFF (best friend forever, for those who aren’t up on the lingo) Haylee managed to do something that nobody has ever done at our studio… climb the wall. It was fun, but also a bit nerve-wrecking for me and mom both.
To see more, visit our Seniors site!
This was part of our Free Facebook Portrait Day awhile back. Brandy and her sisters came to us basically saying “we just want a nice picture for family.” They were thrilled!
To keep up with the next Facebook promotion, click here!
Blake didn’t have to travel far for his senior portrait session… he lives less than a block from the studio. He and his mom had lots of ideas about what they wanted to do, and were happy to marry those with our ideas for some great portraits.
To see more, visit our Seniors site!
I love having intelligent conversations with our clients. Amber seems to know what she’s doing and where she’s headed. 🙂
For more information, visit our Seniors site.
Matt and I clicked right away… it paid off in the long run, because we spent more than two hours together creating portraits. Diana got involved on one effort, because we needed some serious artwork skills.
Trent is no ordinary senior… and as such he needed something completely out of the ordinary for his senior portraits. Finding the perfect location is always a challenge, but I knew just where I wanted to take him.
For more information about senior portraits,, visit our Seniors site.
