Yet a few photographers are trying to bring the tradition back, in a completely untraditional way. Like an engagement session, today’s modern bridal portrait is often taken outside; in quirky, urban settings that might seem more at home in a music video than a wedding. Or it might be taken in the studio; yet with the dramatic lighting, bold colors and patterns, and haughty glamour of fashion photography. Brides are encouraged to have fun with the shoot, to be silly or sexy or serious, to enjoy their part in the creative process.

And these images work, perhaps because the complexity and contrast of them is more suited to today’s bride than the simplistic, virginal archetype of the past. The location and look of the shoot can be varied to reflect the style and personality of a woman who is herself not easily quantified, resulting in images that celebrate all that she is, as she takes the next step into her future.

One phenomenon that has been sweeping the photography world recently is the “Trash the Dress” (TTD) session. Despite the name, these sessions are not really about destroying the wedding dress…in fact they are probably best described as a modern, funky bridal portrait, with a couple of key differences. The term “Trash the Dress” refers to the understanding between the bride and photographer that the focus is on getting the shot, not keeping the dress clean–for some brides this could mean merely being willing to sit on lay on the ground or lean against a dirty stone wall, for others it may mean venturing into water, wet sand, or mud. The point is that there is a sense of freedom about location, an agreement that both the bride and the photographer will do what it takes to make beautiful, unique, often sexy images, regardless of what that means for the condition of the dress. As you might image the other key difference between a typical bridal portrait and a Trash-the-dress, is that TTD sessions are most often done well after the wedding, when the bride does not have to worry about keeping the dress clean and can therefore feel comfortable about taking liberties with it. Beyond the artistic aspects of the shoot, the TTD is rife with symbolism; the key assumption being that the bride has just married her one and only true love, and therefore can dirty or even destroy her wedding dress with the confidence that she will never need it to be wearable again. In reality, just as when a bride has had red wine spilled on her at her reception, even the dirtiest dress can usually be returned to wearable condition by a good professional cleaning.

Whether it’s a pre-wedding bridal session or a Trash the Dress session you seek, there are many way to find a great photographer to shoot it. Most wedding photographers will shoot a bridal portrait if asked, even if it is not something they normally advertise. If the photographer you are considering doesn’t have a specific gallery online of bridal portraits, you can usually get a good sense of what to expect from their wedding galleries; look for portraits of the bride alone or with her groom, as well as the engagement sessions the photographer has shot. This can give you a sense of the way they work in a more controlled situation, where the bride or couple is counting on them to give direction and make images without having a specific sequence of events to capture. If it’s a TTD you are looking for, the website www.trashthedress.com is a good place to start–this site posts images of and links to many photographers all over the world who specialize in these sessions.

Finally, make sure you schedule professional hair and makeup for your session, regardless of the type. Good hair and makeup are essential to looking your best in pictures, and your stylist will know how to do your makeup so it stays on for the entire shoot. If you aren’t sure who to hire, ask your photographer for referrals, and try to find someone who understands your personal style and who you are confident will enhance your beauty, while still maintaining the look you feel comfortable with.

Lauren Cohn-Frankel

Cohn Frankel Photography

During the hustle and bustle of your wedding, your photographer will work hard to stay behind the scenes while capturing spectacular shots. Engagement sessions, however, offer a much more relaxed environment in which a couple and photographer can come together to complete the first steps of their professional relationship. To help ease some stress of planning, make sure to arrange your session as soon as possible before the wedding. The best time to schedule these sessions is shortly after the proposal. The euphoria is still high and can be seen even when you aren’t smiling!

Taking the time to have an e-session will help you establish a positive relationship with your photographer. This detail is very important! As the client, it is imperative that you both feel comfortable with the way the other communicates their ideas and gives direction. Throughout the session, the photographer will be able to get a feel for how you interact with one another and the camera. Are you a blinker? Does the camera make you nervous? Having the opportunity to work with your photographer ahead of time will not only help them notice these things, it will allow them to work with you to make you feel more secure when the big day arrives.

Another key element not to be overlooked is that these sessions provide gorgeous shots of the two of you that can be used for a myriad of items. Are you planning on sending custom save the date cards or invitations? A new trend includes displaying a memory portrait with matte frame for guests to sign at the reception. Or are you considering providing keepsakes at the wedding? Another popular use of these portraits is for newspaper announcements. All of these ideas can be created with shots from your session.

Taking the time to establish a relationship with your photographer long before your wedding will make a great difference in the outcome of your images. Whatever your choice, to have a session or not, it is important for you to feel comfortable with your vendor. Feeling secure with your photographer will allow you to focus on the reason you are getting married—your love for each other!

~Erin Schwamb

Bella Vita Photography

As traditions change there is one single element consistent through history ~ the wedding album… the first family heirloom. More than a book of pictures, a wedding is a historical documentation of the joining of lives, the celebration of family and friends and a lasting tribute to a generation.

With so many options, wedding albums can range from traditional matted albums to contemporary coffee-table books. Because of technology, copies of the primary wedding album can be printed for parents and other people of honor, including grandparents, godparents and siblings ~ even guests! Coffee table design not only allows for a beautiful photographic presentation, but also a reflection of the couples taste and personal style.

Because it’s what I do, wedding photography and the album’s design is of great importance to me. I approach each wedding album with a fresh perspective, being sure to consider colors, dimensions and embellishments. It’s important that the finished design is a timeless wedding album, not a trendy scrap book. While a scrapbook style is definitely an option, I’ve learned that clients don’t want to look at their book 10 years from now and say, “what was I thinking?” Timeless elegance and classic design never go out of style.

Here are some answers to common concerns…

Why do I need an album?

Who is the wedding album for? It certainly is a documentation of the wedding couple, but the album is not really for them. The couple will choose the style and the design, bit it is future generations that will enjoy this family heirloom. This book is for the children and grandchildren who will hold it in their hands and pour over the pages to meet the people who have passed. The only mistake you can make is not creating an album ~ even if it is a tiny book of a handful of photographs. Without these books, entire generations may be lost. A temporary CD archive of images that sits in a drawer is no substitute for a family heirloom.

Why are books expensive?

In short, you get what you pay for. Professional books use a combination of hand-craftsmanship and current technology. The printing is state-of-the-art to insure precise color representation, spines are reinforced to provide years of enjoyment, leathers and materials are of the highest quality to last and age beautifully. Each book is a custom creation. Professional books are designed to last a lifetime, several lifetimes, in fact. While the options range from thin art-book style pages to thick, gilded leaves, the professional quality and stunning images make it unmistakable.

What type of album is for me?

Because there are so many options, your professional photographer needs to be your best resource. Just as you evaluate your photographer’s skill, talent and style, you need to talk with them about your album options. Not all album styles lend themselves to all photographic styles. This is a very personal decision, and with so many choices available, you photographer has access to options that you may not know even exist! With the large range of options in mind, it may be possible that your photographer does not have an exact sample of what you want, but they do have access to professional book binders that can create your vision.

Your wedding album. Your first family heirloom… cherished for generations.

~ Robin Pesa

www.wedoodledo.com

]]> http://www.kentuckyweddingphotographer.net/the-wedding-album/feed/ http://www.kentuckyweddingphotographer.net/the-true-value-of-a-pro/ http://www.kentuckyweddingphotographer.net/the-true-value-of-a-pro/#comments Tue, 06 May 2008 19:28:33 +0000 admin http://www.kentuckyweddingphotographer.net/?p=6 After over 15 years of covering weddings, I have been witness to almost every kind of wedding imaginable: four person affairs under the boughs of flowering fruit trees, vows exchanged on top of mile-high mountains, and elaborate beach nuptials at five star resorts. They all have one thing in common….something didn’t go quite as planned.

Now most of my brides and grooms are savvy individuals. They have planned every detail (sometimes even over-planned a bit) to ensure that their special day was one they could enjoy. So you can’t chalk their wedding day woes up to a lack of planning. They were merely smacked square in the head by ole’ Murphy himself. And you know what….most of them were completely unaware that anything had even gone awry.

“How??”, you might ask. “How could they not know when something went wrong? What, were they so stressed about getting married that they didn’t even notice?” Nope, quite the opposite. They had done their homework and hired true professionals to surround them on their wedding day. People who were passionate about what they do, who treated the couple’s wedding as if it were their own, who had the experience to know exactly what to do if a problem arose– a true wedding professional. Not someone who thinks it might be fun to ‘do weddings’. Not someone who is under the illusion that weddings are ‘easy money’. No. Rather someone who could step up to the plate and protect the bride and groom from all the little problems that crop up during major events like weddings.

Now, I’m a photographer, so I could naturally tell you of photography related emergencies (such as the time that I had not one, but two cameras give up the ghost right in the middle of a wedding), but most professional vendors would be able to tell stories of their own. Fortunately I was able to look at my assistant and say, “go get my other camera”. As a pro, I plan for the worst and hope for the best. I carry at least three cameras to every wedding. Can your weekend warrior photographer whom you hired for a bargain of $750 say that? Likely not. My couple never even knew that anything was amiss…as it should be. This is a day that you, as the betrothed, should be able to relax and truly enjoy the romance as the moments of your wedding go by.

So before you start thinking “How can I get a photographer for cheap?”, stop and ask yourself if saving that money is truly worth it. Wedding planning is an area where most often you get what you pay for. Decide on your priorities and make your vendor selections based on what is important to you, not what someone else says should be important. It’s a common saying that “when the wedding is over, all you have left are the photographs”. Now I think that is going a bit too far, personally, but the point is a good one. Flowers do wilt, the food is eaten (and so often you don’t even get a bite!), dresses are doused with adult beverages of all types—but your pictures save your memories. It’s why they are so important. Don’t trust those memories to just anyone. Find a photographer who is a true professional. You won’t regret it.

Ginger Moseley

Ginger is a wedding and lifestyle photographer located in North Carolina.

A Moment in Time Photography, Inc.

Q1: Let’s start out with a very easy question, who is James Cook Photography?

Jim: James Cook Photography is a husband (me) and wife (Melissa) photography team. I created James Cook Photography a few years ago when we became “empty nesters” and wanted to pursue my life long passion for taking photographs.

Melissa: I didn’t get involved with business at the beginning because I was really never exposed to photography and really didn’t know much about it.

Jim: Yes, if she did show initial interest, it wouldn’t have been called James Cook Photography, but we now have name recognition so it would be hard to change the name at this point, but Melissa certainly is an amazing photographer in her own right and we really complement each other on the artistic side.

Melissa: I am just lucky with the shots I get.

Jim: Well then you are the luckiest girl in the world, and I am not just saying that because you are married to me! *chuckles*

Q2: So why did you choose to be wedding photographers as opposed to some other type of photography?

Jim: I didn’t choose wedding photography as a specialty when I started. But as I was viewing the wedding pictures on the internet, I was really attracted to the beauty, emotion and artistry associated with wedding photography images. They just reached out and touched me.

Q3: There are plenty of photographers, what differentiates you from other photographers?

Jim: That is an interesting question which is both tough and easy to answer. The easy answer is that Melissa and I are unique so that in and of itself differentiates us. But probably the more important answer is by looking at our portfolio and the images we capture.

Q4: What is your favorite wedding photograph you have taken?

Jim: Your questions keep getting harder. I have taken many photographs that I love, but probably my favorite is always one of the pictures I took on my last shoot, be it an engagement shoot or a wedding. When you asked the question there were several photographs that popped into my head but I quickly settled on my last shoot which was actually an engagement shoot. And from that shoot, there were quite a few pictures that I loved. But if I had to pick one — I think it would be one where she jumped off a wall into his arms. That is a pretty fun picture.

Melissa: Oh my — I don’t know how to answer that. That is like asking which child I like best. I will just say I love all of them equally.

Q5: You are not the least expensive photographer, how do you justify the premium a bride pays to hire you?

Jim: We know we are not the cheapest, but we feel we are the best value. Some brides are just looking for photographs for their wedding and they place little value on their wedding photography. Those brides certainly do not hire us. The brides that hire us are ones who value their wedding photography and want amazing photographs of their wedding day.

Melissa: Actually we don’t set our prices and we don’t compare our prices with other photographers. We let the brides decide what we are worth. We are constantly improving our services and photography and as our booking rate goes up we increase our prices. It is a supply/demand type situation. And it is not just the photography that differentiates us, everything we provide, be it prints or albums or whatever, is first class products. We don’t skimp anywhere. While someone may like another photographer’s style better than ours, they will be hard pressed to find another studio that provides better service.

Jim: Melissa makes an excellent point in that we are constantly improving in all areas of the business – some that brides see before they book and some that they don’t until after they book us. Melissa impresses upon me the value of raving clients and we insure that our clients are raving!

Q6: Ok, here is a softball question, Nikon or Canon?

Jim: *chuckles* Canon of course! Actually it really doesn’t make a difference which manufacturer you use, whether you shoot raw or jpg, or whatever. What does matter is that you use quality equipment and expensive lenses. Of course knowledge in how to use the equipment is a plus!

Q7: We see you are starting to photograph High School Seniors, does that mean you are abandoning Wedding Photography?

Melissa: Not at all. We love wedding photography. However, more and more people were asking us if we did high school seniors and we did a few and liked it and starting to do more and more. Now we are starting to embrace it.

Jim: I really like doing high school senior shoots as they are really fun and much easier. When they are over I don’t feel exhausted like I do with a wedding. One wouldn’t think wedding photography being exhausting. But shooting for 8+ hours always being vigilant to capture amazing images is pretty tiresome. It is really taxing on the brain. What is funny is that I run on adrenaline all day and I really don’t feel exhausted till the next day.

Q8: What do you like best about wedding photography?

Jim: The food. *laughing* No seriously, it is a combination of things. The beauty and the emotion of the day are part of what I like best. The fact that our clients trust us enough to capture their most special day certainly plays a part.

Melissa: For me it is my connection with the bride and groom. Every single wedding we go to we feel like we are part of the family. That just makes me want to do that much better.

Editor: Part of the family?

Melissa: Oh yes, I guess I should explain. Part of the reason we are able to get such amazing pictures on the wedding day has to do with our rapport with our couples. We develop that from the moment we meet with them. So by the time we show up to the wedding, we feel like we are attending a wedding of a family member or dear friends.

Jim: While there are photography reasons why we develop the relationship with our clients, we have been blessed with attracting clients who we really like. And as such we work that much harder for them.

Q9: Can you go into more about “photography reasons”?

Jim: I could spend an hour on the topic. But here goes my abridged version. In order to get absolutely outstanding pictures on their wedding day, we need to make sure the couple is comfortable in front of the camera. We do so in many ways, but the main way is through our engagement shoot. When I attended a class by Joe Buissink he talked about the psychology of wedding photography and we apply his techniques. And don’t think of this as brainwashing or anything sinister. It is just that we get people used to being in front of the camera so when the wedding day rolls around, it is somewhat natural that we are their taking their pictures and we can get great images we are known for.

Melissa: And it is a two way street. As we develop the rapport with our clients we develop a genuine friendship. So we are more than a vendor to them and they are more than clients to us. It just makes us work that much harder to produce great work since we have an emotional involvement.

Q10: What would you like prospective couples to know about you?

Jim: Our phone number? *laughs* Ok, that we are fun to work with and that it really is possible to get amazing wedding day photography. We consistently do it.

Melissa: That we will take care of them with outstanding service and by hiring us, they are in good hands and can focus their worries on the other 1000 wedding details.

Editor: Thanks for spending time with us today and enjoy your upcoming wedding season.

Most wedding professionals realize that this is your first time to hire a photographer or a string quartet and will try to offer as much useful information as possible. However, it doesn’t hurt to come prepared. When a client tells me they don’t know what to ask, I give them “The 5 P’s”:

Photography

When you look at the photographs, do you love the style? Did the photographer capture the kinds of moments that you want to see in your wedding photographs? Do you see a range of weddings and conditions that suggests that the photographer has experience? Do the photographs meet your quality standards? If you’re not sure, ask to see a complete gallery for one particular wedding.

Personality

When it comes to your photographer, you’ll be spending most of your day with him or her close by. If you don’t get along superbly…it’s going to be a long day. You should seek to eliminate stress on your wedding day by selecting professionals who you connect with and who your family will get along with too. If you aren’t comfortable with your photographer it will show in your wedding photographs.

Professionalism

You are paying your photographer a good percentage of your total wedding budget because your wedding photographs are too important to gamble. It’s incredibly important that your photographer has appropriate contracts and policies in place to define how they will protect that investment. Punctuality, good communication, and organization are all signs of a true professional.

Products

What do you want to do with your photographs? Make certain that your photographer offers the products that are important to you. Do they offer traditional or modern albums? What print types and sizes do they offer? What about canvases or special art prints? Do they sell the digital negatives or offer online proofing? You don’t need all the options, but you do need to make sure that he/she offers what you want.

Pricing

Truth is, you do have a budget. Sit down with your fiancé and make a priorities list. (Of course, I recommend that your photographs should be in the top tier.) If photography is a priority for you, be open shifting your budget around so that you can afford a photographer that meets all your expectations. In five years you’ll forget what the beef wellington tasted like…but you’ll be stuck with (or happily glued to) your wedding photographs. If your ideal photographer still isn’t in the budget, it’s ok to ask if they have any recommendations.

So, before you hire any photographer, see how they hold up to the 5 P’s. When you find someone that meets all your expectations for photography, personality, professionalism, products, and pricing…it’ll be true love. Best wishes!

Jillian Kay Cocklin
Jillian is a wedding and portrait photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Jillian Kay Photography