Posts Tagged ‘Photographers’

Professional Wedding Photography is NOT a generic product!

Wedding photography is one of the most demanding areas of professional photography. Your wedding photographer must turn non-professional models into stars, use whatever locations are presented, in whatever weather conditions prevailing,

Wedding photography is a highly specialized field. There are great differences in artistry, talent, creativity, attitude, and experience among “professional” photographers. Trust in quality referrals, your own eyes, and ask a lot of questions.

Another important thing

Another extremely important thing, if not the most important, is the style, creativity and beauty of a photographer’s work. When you look at the images pay attention to lighting, posing and different techniques. Don’t be afraid to express your feelings about the photos you are looking at, especially what you like and dislike (if anything). See if these photographs are what you had in mind for your wedding pictures.

There are three types of photography at Piper Studios; posed or formal images, black & white “photo-journalism” or candid photography. It is important to know what type of photography you would like and make sure that the photographer offers it.One of the last things to consider when choosing a wedding photographer is the price. Most photographers offer a basic wedding package, as well as several upgrades. It is also a good idea to discuss a schedule about when and where the photographs will be taken, and how much time there is available to take the pictures.All of these things are very important to consider when choosing your photographer, because after the day all you have are your memories and your photographs.

The professional qualifications of the photographer

Anyone can purchase a camera, and call him or herself a wedding photographer. But saying it doesn’t necessarily make it so. Wedding photography is a specialty; one that requires all the right equipment, the right training, lots of experience, and a real love of photographing weddings. Weddings are perhaps the hardest type of portrait photography there is, because the photographer has to capture everything beautifully, in a short period of time, with an artistic eye, and no chance to do it over again should anything go wrong.

Look for someone who specializes in wedding photography; someone whom you can obviously tell from talking with them loves to photograph weddings. This doesn’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t consider a “weekend warrior” – someone who works another job during the week, and photographs weddings on weekends, but understand that they will probably be in the lower end of the service range, because they don’t have the time to do much of the after wedding work.

Ask the photographer how many weddings they photograph in a year. If it’s only a few, then this may not be someone who really specializes in weddings and has the equipment, knowledge, skill and presence of mind or “cool” to handle the requirements of a wedding. If, on the other hand, they photograph a very large number, they may emphasize quantity instead of quality.

Ask the photographer what type of training he or she has, and how often they attend classes to keep their skills updated and fresh. A photographer who has been in the business for 20 years, but doesn’t attend continuing education classes may in fact be “stuck in the 70′s.”

Insist on seeing an entire set of wedding photographs, not just an album that shows the best print or two from each of a number of weddings. The only way you can fully assess what you’re likely to get is to see a whole wedding, or at least a very substantial subset.

You can also judge a photographer by the presentation he or she makes. Look for someone who obviously cares enough about photographing your wedding to give you a well prepared, well thought out presentation of his or her work.

Look for someone who is a member of the professional organizations, like Professional Photographers of Ontario, and Professional Photographers of Canada. Members of these organizations have made a commitment to the highest standards of business and professional ethics, and usually are participants in a program of continuing education, which these organizations provide.

How to select a wedding photographer in Toronto

When we’re interviewing brides, we always ask the question “What are you looking for in a wedding photographer?”

The most common answer – “We don’t know!”

Wedding photography is a mystery to most couples, because for most people we talk with, it’s their first wedding. Sometimes mothers can give some insight, but for the most part, wedding photography has changed dramatically (and for the better) since the time this generation of parents were married. To badly paraphrase a now defunct car companies commercial “This is not your mothers wedding photography!”

Choosing your photographer is one of the major choices in designing your wedding. While good wedding photography is a major investment, is the only part of your wedding budget that will continue to bring you enjoyment for the rest of your lives. And while the end product is important, so is the process; the experience of being photographed. No matter how good the photographs are, if all you remember when you look at them is a photographer with no people skills, who thinks it is his or her day, not yours, your investment is wasted.

So, how do you choose just the right wedding photographer for you? This document is designed to give you some helpful information. Click on each of the categories below to continue, or just scroll through the document.