State Any Concerns Upfrontmonika Gauthier Photography
Another great way to test your connection with your wedding photographer is to state your concerns upfront. For example, maybe you’re camera shy or you don’t know how to pose or you’re worried about certain wedding party members not cooperating in the group shots. If you’re dreaming of specific pictures not typically included on a wedding shot list, bring that up too. “This goes back to the idea of building a relationship: If you would tell something to a close friend or confidant, you should tell the same to your photographer,” Furey says. “If you don’t feel comfortable enough to do that, you’re not working with the right photographer.”
Upload An Online Wedding Gallery
Part of your job as the photographer is to provide the best image-viewing experience for your clients. The great thing about uploading an online gallery is that customers can get their photos delivered in a professional, high-quality way. Additionally, this gives them a choice of where to save and download their files.
The great thing about uploading images to a wedding gallery like ShootProof is that it gives couples the ability to easily order prints or purchase the digital files. You can create and send out email campaigns to encourage them to buy photos around the holidays or on their one year anniversary.
Look Beyond Portfolio Highlights
Viewing a full gallery or two of real weddings a photographer has shot will allow you to see a more comprehensive range, from family portraits to reception detail shots.
Look for honesty, truth, and emotional connection in a photographers work. Think back on an event that meant something meaningful in your life.Those meaningful moments in our lives are a series of images in motion. A single frame in our memory can contain incredible intimacy, joy, fear, love, anxiousness, or the indescribable we often experience. If those defining moments in your life were captured by a photographer, would they capture you looking right into a camera, wondering what to do with your hands?These moments arent planned. They arent staged. They are real. Honest. Raw. Not always perfect. They have motion. Movement. They are part of a MUCH bigger story. Just like your wedding day. What resonates within you? Look for that. I believe youll know it when you see it.
Tip 04
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Beauty Photography Business Names
The fundamentals of naming your beauty business are easy to understand, but can be challenging in practice. When naming your beauty photography business there are some additional considerations, including the size and variety of the sector. Are you shooting beauty models? Or beauty products? How specific is your genre?
Youll also want your beauty photography business name to sound catchy, different from other names on the market, elegant and memorable.
Here are the biggest naming considerations:
- Will you name translate to social media? Your beauty photography business is likely going to get a lot of leads from social, so youll want a short catchy name that can also be used as social handles.
- Does it show your customers what sector youre in? You may want to be more specific about it so your customers know your exact niche. For example, a lash photography business might need that term in it to make clients immediately aware of what its about.
Here are some examples as inspiration:
Create A Detailed Action Plan
Everything from your chosen venue to the time of year will affect your wedding photographs. If youve got your heart set on certain shots, like couples portraits at sunset or a sparkler send-off photo, then you need to talk it through with your photographer.
More often than not, your photographer will offer a pre-wedding shoot to help you both gauge what kind of shots you want. It makes taking the photos on your big day that bit quicker and more efficient.
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Review The Questionnaire Responses And Ask Questions To Clarify Anything As Needed
Once your client has filled out their questionnaire, you will need to review everything theyve written down.
Sometimes, what they have is sufficient enough to put together the timeline other times, you will need to follow up with them to clarify things.
How you follow up is likely going to be determined by how many questions you have. Usually we can resolve things via email quickly, while other times we might jump on a call or meet in person to sort things out.
Are You Suited To Be A Photographer
Photographers have distinct personalities. They tend to be artistic individuals, which means theyre creative, intuitive, sensitive, articulate, and expressive. They are unstructured, original, nonconforming, and innovative. Some of them are also enterprising, meaning theyre adventurous, ambitious, assertive, extroverted, energetic, enthusiastic, confident, and optimistic.
Does this sound like you? Take our free career test to find out if photographer is one of your top career matches.
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Here Are Some Tips To Help You Find The Perfect Photographer For Your Wedding:
1. Have a clear idea of the STYLE you like. This will help you narrow down the selection of photographers. Are you attracted to more traditional photography, posed images and pretty smiles starting at the camera? Do you prefer a documentary feel where the photographer goes unnoticed with no posed images? Is a candid style that captures the big emotions and little details to tell the story of the entire day your preference? Are you looking for someone who is going to unnaturally and stiffly pose each image, interrupting the natural moments from happening or someone who is easing going and naturally goes with the flow, capturing the dirt on your dress while you walk through a mountain field, quietly soaking in the beauty of day?
3. Ask them to see a real wedding. Its ok. Dont be shy. Its easy to post the best of the best on social media or share amazing stylized images from a stylized shoot working with amazing vendors but what about those real moments and real couples? Ask to see a full gallery of a real wedding and your photographer will happily share.
Meet With Them Before You Decide To Book
Meeting a photographer in person should give you a good indication of whether theyre right for you and your partner. You can also get any questions answered that you might have and go through sample albums so you know exactly whats on offer.
Most photographers will offer an obligation-free consultation before you decide to book. Just dont book with more than 2 at a time as it can get confusing!
During the meeting is when we normally cover your ceremony, reception and location ideas. You dont have to have everything organised, but it gives us a rough guide of how your day might look.
You dont plan a wedding every day so it can be very helpful to have someone draft up the schedule so you can see how things will come together.
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That They’ll Actually Be At Your Wedding
Some video production companies are large enough that although you met with the company’s founder, you’ll actually have an associate shooter capture your day. While the person who does film your wedding will surely be a talented professional, you’ll want to know this beforehand so you have a chance to meet and talk.
Choose Wedding Photographer With Professional Appearance
The photographers you bring to your wedding should dress the part. Sure, jeans, white sneakers, and logo t-shirt are comfortable for a long day of work, but this dress code is usually inappropriate for a wedding. As a matter of fact, your wedding photographers should blend in with your guests, be comfortable and look professional at the same time. That is why many professional wedding photographers wear all black. It is an elevated look even for a sweltering day. An all-black outfit can also be easily coordinated between all the photographers on the team for the uniform look.
To avoid unpleasant surprises, we highly recommend asking your wedding photographer what they will wear on your wedding day. If they insist they wear jeans and you are OK with that, then at least you will know what to expect.
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Someone Who Comes Recommended
Videography is one of those things that, if not done well, can feel like a wasted expense. As such, it’s important to do your homework prior to hiring a videographer. Be sure to check out online reviews and personal references of past clients, plus be sure to watch a handful of their final wedding videos to ensure you love their work.
Tips For Destination Wedding Photography
Destination weddings are weddings that take place in an exotic destination. Think of beaches in the Bahamas or cliffs of the Grand Canyon.
As a photographer, destination weddings can provide some very beautiful locations. They help to create special images that stand out from the usual wedding photos.
But, there are disadvantages that come with this style. For example, you might not be able to scout the area beforehand.
If you are looking to enter this field of wedding photography, read our tips. they will help to ensure you are as prepared as can be.
A really creative way to photograph people at weddings could be something really creative such as a photo booth.
Something like this is relatively easy to set up and will work wonders at the reception.
The guests will be able to photograph themselves in a more relaxed manner than having a photographer in their face. Plus, everyone loves photo booths.
This is something you can leave for people to use on their own, while you are still shooting.
You could even plug an instant printer there and charge people for the photographs.
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S To Choosing The Right Wedding Photographer
Your wedding photographer should capture every detail of your big day. From your place card holders to your hair accessories and your makeup applications, its your photographers responsibility to capture it all. This way, you dont have to rely completely on memory.
We firmly believe in investing in the right wedding photographer as your photos are one of the most important aspects of your big day. We asked master photographer, Jay Rowden, for some expert tips for the bride and groom when it came to booking a photographer.
Learn To Bounce Flash
Bouncing is an essential lighting technique for wedding photography.
On-camera flash has got a bad reputation for having unflattering results, but thats only when you dont know how to use it.
As much as we all want to only use natural light for our wedding photography, there comes a time during the wedding reception where you have to bust out a flash!
The simplest on-camera flash technique that yields the best results is bounce flash, where you point the flash head at an angle to your subject and bounce it off a wall/ceiling/guest etc.
You can use TTL or manual power mode but always try and find something with a neutral colour to bounce off.
You can also bounce the flash from a distance when photographing wedding speeches or the wedding party from afar at full power, youll be surprised how far the light will travel.
What if theres no surface to bounce off, like at an outdoor reception? Dont be afraid to use direct flash just try feathering the light by lifting the flash head slightly, and experiment with the zoom/power settings.
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Learn How To Use Diffused Light
The ability to bounce a flash or to diffuse it is key. Youll find in many churches that light is very low. If youre allowed to use a flash , think about whether bouncing the flash will work , or whether you might want to buy a flash diffuser to soften the light.
If you cant use a flash, youll need to use a fast lens at wide apertures and/or bump up the ISO. A lens with image stabilization might also help. Learn more about using flash diffusers and reflectors.
They Value Making An Authentic Connection With You
Ive found that simply learning about you and your fiancé as people, not just as clients, is the best way to tackle those two concerns at once.
That is why I prefer to do a video chat or meet in person instead of a regular phone call when discussing your wedding details, and why I always recommend doing an engagement session before your wedding if possible.
Having that time to chat and really connect is the best way to ensure you feel comfortable in front of the camera. This naturally leads to authentic, candid-looking images.
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Figure Out The Style Of Photography You Like
Do your homework and spend some time getting a sense of the style of photography you like. Maybe it’s bright with lots of saturated colors, or perhaps you prefer a more vintage look with more washed-out tones and a dreamy, nostalgic feel. Once you’ve found a handful of photographers whose aesthetic jives with yours, email each person and inquire about if they’re available on your wedding date and their photography rates. If the ones you’re interested in are available on your date and if their fees are within your budget, then you can schedule initial meetings.
Mentally & Physically Exhausting Shoots
Weddings are usually at least 8 hours of shooting, commonly jump up to 14, and can get crazy at 21 hours .
That time requires pretty much continual mental and physical effort, as you are following the bride and groom around, documenting their experiences.
Scarfing granola bars and chugging energy drinks helps you get through the day, but then there is the much discussed wedding hangover afterwards.
Sunday is necessary for just recovering!
The long hours also do a number on your back and shoulders from carrying so much gear around, and if you arent careful you can easily get dehydrated.
You get to handle all of this while having to remain positive and cheery at every moment!
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How To Use Prisms In Photography
Once the prism is in front of your camera lens, adjust the focus so that you can see clearly through the prism. Move the prism to create rainbows and other effects. Theres no one position or specific photography technique for achieving a given prism effect. Its trial and error. Every prisming session is different, and you can learn how to achieve your desired outcomes through practice. It will help you build the intuitive sense of how your tools interact. Dont expect everything to happen instantly, says DeFranco. It takes practice. Learn when you see certain light works best for it.
Keep in mind that you should avoid aiming focused sunlight from your prism at your subjects face. Dont spoil the magic by making them squint in pain.
You can build a small rig on your camera to hold the prism in place or you can hold the prism in front of your lens manually. By doing handheld, I can iterate on an idea much faster, says Hurd. And I often get happy accidents. By moving the prism at different angles in relation to a light source, you can achieve different effects, such as slight distortions, rainbows, or a bokeh effect.
Types of photography prisms.
Use a prism thats long enough that you dont get your own fingers in the shot, says Hurd. Remember, the prism must be big enough that its edges arent in the frame.
