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Archive: January 2008 | View all recent posts |
Why Hire a Professional? |
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| studio news | JAN. 30, 2008 |
| Gabrielle Tucker, the uber-talented principal wedding coordinator and founder of Texas based Faire La Fete' Productions asked me to write about the importance of hiring a professional wedding photographer for an upcoming Featured Vendor spot their doing on me on their awesome blog "The Notebook". I'll let everyone know when the feature goes live.
This is a great topic and something my clients already understand. It really got me thinking about the hows and whys of hiring a professional wedding photographer and why it's so important. Just to be clear, this isn't some self-serving rant but more of a public service announcement/cautionary tale about something I feel super passionate about. It's meant to help those people who are undecided about hiring a professional wedding photographer. Whether it's me or another pro who gets hired really isn't important. The point is for me to help people understand why they need to do themselves the favor of hiring a professional photographer to capture their wedding day. Here's what I wrote for Gabrielle: Why Hire A Professional? As a professional wedding photographer I hear over and over again, either during consultations or in social situations, what a hard lesson it can be for brides who underestimate the importance of hiring a professional photographer to capture their wedding day. In order to trim wedding expenses some couples decide to turn the photographic responsibilities of their wedding day over to a friend or relative, or to hand out disposable cameras to their guests and hope for the best. If your wedding images mean anything to you at all, then these are both big mistakes. What may help a wedding budget in the short term can have serious negative consequences in the long term. "If only I had hired a professional photographer…" I can't count how many times I've heard brides say this. What at first may seem like a good idea can have heartbreaking and irreversible results. Not choosing a professional wedding photographer in order to save money is a false economy and more often than not leads to very disappointing images, huge regrets, and strained relationships between the couple and whoever shot their wedding. Many brides come to our studio and tell us sad stories about how their sister or girlfriend didn't hire a professional photographer to capture their once in a lifetime day and how much they regretted that decision. Their stories always end the same way; with a crestfallen bride and bad pictures. Don't make the same mistake. Remember these images are for the rest of your life. A professional wedding photographer, along with his or her assistant(s) focuses 100% percent of their attention on telling the story of your wedding day, unlike family members or guests with little or no professional experience. Professionals are dedicated to carefully watching every moment of your wedding day unfold. Their sole mission is to freeze time by capturing images of each precious and fleeting moment for you to cherish for the rest of your life. That's why discerning brides seek out professional wedding photographers and allow their guests to have fun being guests. They know that their family members or guests, no matter how well intentioned or how good their vacation photos are, can't match the experience, expertise, dedication, and single minded focus a professional photographer brings to their wedding day. What sets truly take-your-breath-away fabulous photographic images apart from the images produced by novices is years of experience, a deep understanding of light and composition, and mastery of state-of-the-art equipment and software that only years of education, study, and photographing wedding after wedding can bring. Hiring the services of a professional photographer isn't something most people do everyday. Consequently it can be a confusing experience for them when they're looking for a professional to work with. There are so many questions to consider: What to look for in a professional photographer, what styles are available, who has the most compatible personality, the best reputation, determining how much of their budget to allocate for photography, and learning what questions to ask prospective photographers. These are just a few of the issues they have to navigate. It can be overwhelming for some and as a result people often make the mistake of focusing solely on cost. Obviously everyone has a budget but if at no other time in their lives, this is not the time to economize. I always ask brides this question - "What's the one thing you'll have from your wedding day when it's over?" After the cake has been eaten, the band has gone home and you're back from your honeymoon, what's left? The answer is obviously the beautiful, emotional, and stunning images captured by a professional photographer during your wedding. These images are the memories that will forever take you back to your special day and bring tears to your eyes year after year. What is that worth to you? I'd have to say it's priceless, wouldn't you? An investment in professional photography is an investment in your future and should be considered in terms of decades not years. How many things have you purchased that will last fifty years? Look around your house right now and I'll bet you'd be hard pressed to come up with a short list. Your investment in professional photography will last you the rest of your life. If you do the math, that's a pretty good deal. The three most important questions a couple should ask themselves when planning to invest in professional photography are, in order of importance: 1) What's the most important thing about my wedding photography and which photographer has those qualities? 2) Which photographer's images take-my-breath-away and why? 3) Which photographer do we want to have with us during our special day? Again, I understand everyone has a budget in mind. I also understand what a large investment wedding photography is. But, at the end of the day it's going to be the quality and emotional impact of your wedding photography that will mean the most to you. Remeber this is an investment in your future. In ten, or twenty, or even fifty years from now it will be the images you're talking about, not how much they cost. So invest for the long term, choose wisely, and put your dollars where they're most important. Hire a professional wedding photographer. You'll be glad you did. ***Please send this post to anyone you know who is planning a wedding and considering their photography options.*** |
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The Best Is Yet To Come… |
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| studio news | JAN. 23, 2008 |
| BEST OF 2007 WORLD PREMIERE!
2007 was a truly awesome year and I have to thank all my amazing clients for making it so great. Here's a small collection of images recapping the past year's weddings and engagements, I hope you enjoy it. We're looking forward to an even better 2008. The best is diffinetly to come and 2008 dates are going fast so get on our calandar now and book your date. This is your chance to be included in The Best Of 2008 Show :-) Click the triangle below to check out the BEST OF 2007 WORLD PREMIERE! |
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Happy MLK |
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| personal | JAN. 21, 2008 |
| Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day everyone. What a great day to celebrate the positive impact one person can have on the world. It's easy to feel that your one voice isn't important, or can't make a difference, but it is and it can.
I found this emotional collection of rare civil rights photos from the Life Magazine archive that I thought I'd share. In addition to being really powerful images documenting a tough period of American history, they demonstarte the importance photography plays in shaping public opinion and it's ability to effect positive change. Enjoy! Click the link below to see the images: Rare and unpublished photographs of the civil rights movement from the Life Magazine archive |
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