The Bride's Guide to Wedding Photography: How to Get the Wedding Photography of Your Dreams

112 Pages·2003·3.05 MB·English

by  Kathleen Hawkins

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How to Get the Wedding
Photography of Your
Dreams
Kathleen Hawkins Amherst Media
PUBLISHEROFPHOTOGRAPHYBOOKS
Dedication
Thisbookisdedicatedtomyknightinshiningarmor,mywonderfulhusband.Jeff,Iwanttothankyouforbeingmybestfriend,myencouragerandmy
strength. I could never have accomplished the things I have without your love and support. I do cherish you. I love you with all my heart and always
will,fromheretoeternity!
Copyright©2003byKathleenHawkins
Allrightsreserved.
FrontandbackcoverphotosbyJeffHawkins.
Publishedby:
AmherstMedia,Inc.
P.O.Box586
Buffalo,N.Y.14226
Fax:[phone]
www.AmherstMedia.com
Publisher:CraigAlesse
SeniorEditor/ProductionManager:MichellePerkins
AssistantEditor:BarbaraA.Lynch-Johnt
EditorialAssistance:GraceSmokowski
ISBN:1-58428-094-8
LibraryofCongressCardCatalogNumber:2002113004
PrintedinKorea.
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,stored,ortransmittedinanyformorbyanymeans,electronic,mechanical,photocopied,recordedorotherwise,
withoutpriorwrittenconsentfromthepublisher.
NoticeofDisclaimer:Theinformationcontainedinthisbookisbasedontheauthor’sexperienceandopinions.Theauthorandpublisherwillnotbeheldliable
fortheuseormisuseoftheinformationinthisbook.
Table of Contents
Introduction....................5 Costly Mistakes ...............21
3. PREPARING FOR
The Best Scenario .............25 YOUR PHOTOGRAPHS .......35
1. PHOTOGRAPHY The Retainer .................26 Appearance ...................35
THAT SUITS YOU .............7 The Contract .................29 Exits ........................36
Types of Photographers ..........9 Name and Contact Information ..29 The Reception Décor ...........40
Traditional Photographers........9 Complete Date and Reception Displays.............40
Photojournalists ...............9 Coverage Time .............29 Image Reflection Displays .......40
Combination Photographers .....10 Itemized Prices ...............30 Thank-You Gifts ..............41
Avenues to Explore ............10 Payment Policies and
Web Sites ...................10 Cancellation Clauses .........31
4. BEFORE YOUR
Magazines ...................13 Hidden Charges ..............31 WEDDING DAY .............43
Bridal Guides ................14 Film Limits ..................31 The Engagement Session ........43
Bridal Shows .................14 Proof Policies ................31 Scheduling ..................44
Referrals ....................16 Product Pricing Clauses ........31 Clothing ....................44
Previous Clients ..............18 Album Order Guidelines ........31 Props ......................44
File Ownership ...............31 Location ....................44
2. THE SELECTION .............20 Model Releases ...............32 Ideas .......................45
The Consultation ..............20 Bring a Friend ...............45
Personality ..................20 Fun ........................45
Budget .....................21
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
The Formal Portrait Session .....48 Five Tips for Perfect Closing Thoughts . . . . . . . . . .102
Location ....................48 Wedding-Day Images .........84
Dress and Veil ................49 Don’t Be Late! ...............84 About the Author . . . . . . . . . .103
Flowers .....................51 Be Flexible ..................85
Assistants ...................52 Enjoy Your Day! ..............85 Thanks! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Communication ..............52 Do Regular Touch-Ups ........85
Hair and Makeup .............52 Relax ......................85 Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107
The Planning Session ..........55
Time Frames .................56 6. PROOFS AND ORDERS .......86
PrivateTimeSchedule .........56 Paper Proofs .................87
TraditionalSchedule ..........61 CD Proofing .................88
Post-ReceptionPhotographs .....71 Video Proofs .................90
Photo Lists ..................73 Online Ordering ..............91
The Final Step ...............75
7. ALBUM DESIGN .............94
5. THE WEDDING DAY .........78 The Design Consultation .......94
Ready Yourself The Classic Album ............95
for Beautiful Images ..........78 The Digital Montage Album .....96
Bouquet ....................78 The Image Box Display ........97
“The Turtle” ................80 The Design Process ............97
Shift Your Weight .............80
Catch Phrase .................81
Posing During the Ceremony ....81
Have Fun ...................82
4 THE BRIDE’S GUIDE TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
Introduction
T
hebiggestdayofyourlifeisabout
to arrive. Visualize the perfect
flowers, a long, flowing dress and
your prince charming waiting for the
entrance of his beautiful, radiant bride.
This is something you have most likely
dreamt about since you were a little girl.
Hiring someone to document this
important day is one of the most signifi-
cant decisions you will face. (Well, that
and, of course, who you will marry!)
However,findingsomeonewhocantake
the perfect pictures is only half of the
dilemma. Arranging pre–wedding day
meetings, choreographing wedding day
details and selecting the post–wedding
dayproductsareallfinepointstoconsid-
er, though they are often overlooked.
This guide will help you find a pho-
As you begin planning the details of your special day, take the time to educate yourself on all the
tographer whose style and personality is importantconsiderationsthatmustgointohiringaqualifiedphotographer.PhotobyAndyMarcus.
INTRODUCTION 5
thebestmatchforyou.Afterall,youwill
probably spend more time with the pho-
tographer than any other vendor; the
limodriver,thecaterer,thebakerandthe
florist all come and go. The photogra-
pher will be there from the beginning to
the end. It is important to follow your
heart and have the peace of mind that
you made the right decision.
LEFT—Followyourheartandchooseaweddingphotographerwhowillcapturethedaythewayyou
wanttorememberit.PhotobyDeborahLynnFerro.ABOVE—Intheend,yourcakewillbeeaten,your
guestswillhavegonehomeandyourimageswillbecomeyourmemory!PhotobyJeffHawkins.
6 THE BRIDE’S GUIDE TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY
1. Photography That Suits You
Y
ou are getting married, and you
have a lot to think about. There’s
the dress, the venue, the guests—
and the photographer. You will need to
find a talented artist to capture your
emotions and document every detail of
your perfect day. Since you can never
reenact these important moments—the
tears, the laughter, the joy—the endeav-
or to find the perfectly matched photog-
raphermustnotbetakenlightly.Finding
this person is part serendipity and part
hard work and research.
So, where do you begin this quest to
capture your picture-perfect day? Where
do you search to find a photographer
whose style is appealing to you, whose Whether it is laughter or tears of joy, the
personality meshes with yours and who documentation of your emotions for the
years to come makes your images price-
offers the products and services that you
less.LeftphotobyKenSklute.Photoabove
desire?
byAndyMarcus.
PHOTOGRAPHY THAT SUITS YOU 7

Traditionalimagesareachievedbyusingformal caution: “You can never call too early to Photojournalists. The photojournal-
posingandlighting techniques. Photo by Patrick book your photographer, but you can istic movement in wedding photography
Rice.
certainly call too late.” is rooted in the documentary style of
Thisbookwillguideyouinselectinga newspaper and media photojournalism.
photographer who’s a perfect fit. You
TYPES OF PHOTOGRAPHERS
will learn how to locate a photographer Thefirststepinselectingaphotographer
who can produce the cutting-edge or isdeterminingthestyleyoulike.Photog-
time-honored, traditional images that raphers typically fall into three general
you’vealwayswanted.Youwilllearnhow categories: traditional photographers,
to orchestrate a time line to ensure that photojournalists and a photographer
the photographer gets all of those price- whoblendsbothstylestogether.Youwill
lessimages.Youwillreadaboutretainers need to decide whether you want black
and contracts, and will discover how to & white images, color images or to have
create a color story that will make every the session done digitally, in which case
aspectofyourphotographsworktogeth- each image can be made either way.
er in perfect harmony. Traditional Photographers. A tradi-
There are many things to consider tionalphotographercreatesaclassicstyle
when selecting the right photographer— of portraiture, one that is formal and
it’s not as easy as opening a phone book posed. Over the years, certain guidelines
tohirearepairman—anditshouldn’tbe. have been established by top award-win-
The search may take some time. Typic- ning photographers working with this
ally,youshouldbeginyoursearchamin- style. Now, younger generations of pho-
Photojournalistic images are created with an
imumofeighttotenmonthspriortothe tographers use these “tried and true” outside-the-box mentality—formal rules are dis-
special day. However, photographers techniquestoproduceimagesthatappeal regardedandspecialmomentsarecapturedas
theyunfold.PhotobyKenSklute.
StewartandSusanPowersaddthisbitof to a wide variety of clients.
PHOTOGRAPHY THAT SUITS YOU 9
Photojournalistic A photojournalist captures an event as it
imagesarecommonly unfolds,ratherthenposingorstagingthe
shotinblack&white.
subjects. Because newspaper photojour-
PhotobyAndy
Marcus. nalism is commonly shot in black &
white, this style of coverage has led to a
rebirthinthepopularityofblack&white
wedding images.
Combination Photographers. To
accommodate the vast number of vari-
ablesinvolvedinshootingaweddingand
tosatisfytheneedsanddesiresofvarious
clients, many photographers offer both
the photojournalistic and traditional
styles of coverage.
AVENUES TO EXPLORE
Today,therearemanyincrediblevehicles
to assist you in your search. Web sites,
bridal publications and bridal shows can
beagoodstartingpoint,butthesimplest
waytofindagreatphotographerisoften
through referrals.
WebSites.Bybeginningyourmission
with a web site search, you can comfort-
ably navigate the web sites of local pho-
10 THE BRIDE’S GUIDE TO WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY