When I was a little girl I used to love to look at my mom and dad’s old wedding photos. It was a fantasy world that I believed would someday be mine. Even though the day happened many years before I was even a thought, my parent’s memories would be forever ingrained in my own memory as vivid as if I had attended. As a little girl, full of wonder, the photographs enabled me to take a step back in time.
Back then, a photographer was just that ... a photographer. Today, everyone is a photographer, from Uncle Mike who just got his new D-SLR, to your best friend’s sister who has a great 12 megapixel point-and-shoot. With the introduction of the disposable camera in 1986 many brides thought of the “great idea at the time” to place cameras on everyone’s tables only to get all the film back with little to no usable photos because the kids got their hands on them or people forgot to charge the little flash. Sadly, camera phones of today have become the disposable cameras of yesterday. It cracks me up when I am taking photos of the bride and groom and I hear behind me "can I get a shot of them, too" only to turn around and see them staring at the display on their cell phone. For weddings, these little technological wonders are not the answer. The best advice I can give is do it right the first time, because there will be no second.
Even though there are many alternatives to hiring an actual wedding photographer, those alternatives seldom give the bride and groom what they really want. Do some research. One of the best places to start is the Internet. Another way to find someone is ask, ask, ask. Ask all your friends, ask your hairdresser, ask anyone you think would have a good opinion. Many times the best person is a referral from someone you know and trust.
Once you narrow it down, get quotes from the candidates. These quotes will help you understand what goes into photographing your day. Each photographer offers different things, so find out what fits with your needs.
As a wedding photographer and a photo instructor, I try to educate my potential clients so they know exactly what they are getting. My goal is to have a happy bride and groom knowing they have chosen someone they can trust to capture the memories that will profoundly affect the dreams of future generations.
Call Jen to discuss your dreams at 661-513-0253 or e-mail her at jen@savethedatephoto.com
The Top Ten Mistakes Wedding Photographers Make
By Jen O’Sullivan of Save The Date Photo
It is well know in the world of wedding photography that “a picture is worth a thousand words, but only if you get the shot.” All over the planet people are getting engaged, planning a wedding, and getting married right at this moment. It is no wonder this 72 billion dollar a year industry (and that amount is just for the USA!) has photographers jumping right in. There is money to be made, and a lot of it. The average bride spends $2,500-$5,000 on the photographer alone, not including an album or engagement session which can double or even tripple the cost. With the digital craze practically anyone can learn to shoot and practically anyone can call themselves a wedding photographer. The sad thing is, many photographers out there are trained at UCOM (the University of the Canon Owner’s Manual). So, how do you, as a discerning bride, find the right person for the job. After all, you want them to get the shot, right? Here are the top ten mistakes photographers make and how to make sure they don’t happen to you…
- 1. The Narcissist
Every Couple is different. If your photographer does not get to know you, how will they know what you want? Wedding photographers are sometimes a bit narcissistic as artists and they forget to ask the client the types of photos they are looking to get.
ADVICE: If your photographer doesn’t ask, then make sure you let them know your expectations of the final outcome.
- 2. The Confused
Photographers often like shooting at locations they have already covered because they are familiar with the location. They know spots that work and ones that don’t. When you tell him of the great location you found and they reply, “I’ve never shot that location” it is time for a pre-scout. If they are unwilling to pre-scout the location -- buyer beware. Your photographer will probably show up on the wedding day and shoot all the photos in one spot when there is a perfect spot just a few feet away.
ADVICE: If the location is a key part, get the photographer to include a pre-scout as part of their package. If it is extremely far away, make sure they are willing to get there at least 30 minutes early to “walk” the location. If they are unwilling to do either, walk away and don’t look back!
- 3. The Truant
Your big day is here, you have been up since 5 am getting your hair done. You are now getting the final touches of your make-up and you are about ready to put your dress on. Where’s the photographer? He was supposed to be here an hour ago! Your mom calls him and finds out he is stuck in traffic. This is typical of Los Angeles, but should not be typical for your wedding day.
ADVICE: Make sure your photographer understands the distance they need to travel and find out what amount of time they will be giving themselves to make that drive.
- 4. The “Go with the flow” Guy
You have planned your wedding down to the second. It is a master piece fit for the LA Philharmonic. Every vendor has been given a timeline of where to be and when. Your big day is here and your photographer has no clue of the timeline or just plain forgot it. He has now made things impossible to go smoothly because he took too long taking the family group photos and too long setting up the lights that kept shorting out during the portrait session.
ADVICE: Get some references and actually call them!
- 5. The Newbie
You’re getting married on a boat. Your wedding photographer is excited because he has never shot a wedding on a boat before and is really looking forward to it. Fast forward to the day of your wedding. Your photographer shows up in with a tripod and lights (not usually allowed on boat weddings) and slick bottom shoes. To top it off, he is MIA for the latter part of your party because he has horrible sea sickness and is causing a huge line outside of the only bathroom available.
ADVICE: If you are getting married in a location that is not usual, make sure they know what they are getting into.
- 6. The Chimper
Chimping is a fairly new term when it comes to photography since the invention of the digital camera. How great is it that we photographers now have the ability to actually see right away if we got the shot. The problem is not in the trained photographer but in the untrained one. A trained photographer will occasionally look at the LCD screen to look at the histograms of the image, not the image itself. Histograms tell us if the shot is in the right range for exposure. The untrained photographer will be looking at the actual image to see if they “got a good one.” Contrary to the trained photographer’s occasional glance, the untrained one will be looking at practically every shot. This is called chimping. The problem with chimping: while your photographer is patting himself on the back for getting such a good shot, he is missing an even better shot because he is not paying attention.
ADVICE: Ask your photographer how he or she was trained and if they have ever shot a wedding using film. Chances are, if they are from the film world, they understand camera operation and are confident in their shooting to not have to “check” or “chimp” each shot.
- 7. The Do Over Guy
Wait!! Can you shove that piece of cake all over her face one more time? I missed it! -- ARE YOU KIDDING!
ADVICE: See advice from number 4!
- 8. The Wrong Place Guy
Have you ever been at a wedding where the photographer is taking a ton of photos of the cake while at the other end of the room there is uproar of laughter and shouting because some people are dancing on one of the tables? Well, I have. The photographer missed the whole thing. He didn’t even lift his head because he was so involved with the cake.
ADVICE: If your wedding photographer is not listening to you (See Mistake #1) then chances are he won’t be listening at the event. Find out their method of operation for getting great candids. Photographers often forget about one of their most useful assets when shooting: their ears.
- 9. The Partier
At practically every wedding I shoot, my clients and guests ask me if I want some wine. My reply: a drunken photographer is not really the best photographer. A friend of mine hired one of the best photographers in LA because they are also wedding photographers and are good friends with this guy. Sadly, he knew too many people and socialized way too much causing him to miss most of the great shots.
ADVICE: Don’t hire friends and don’t hire a partier. Again, see advice from #4.
- 10. The Looser
This is the worst offense of all. The photographer has seemingly done a fantastic job. People are raving at his ability to capture all the great moments. The only problem is, six months later, you are in a law suit with the guy over the fact that his digital equipment failed and corrupted or lost the majority of your imagery.
ADVICE: This happens more than you might think. Find out what your photographer’s back up plan is. They should be making an archive of the shots (a duplicate copy) at the wedding while they are shooting.
Jen O’Sullivan, owner and principal photographer for Save The Date Photo, has been shooting weddings since 2001. She has her photography degree from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, where she is often asked from former teachers to guest lecture in their classes. Formerly in the Graphics and Advertising industries, Jen truly understands how to relate to her clients on a personal yet professional level offering the best photography services the wedding industry has to offer. She can be seen at California’s premier bridal event, “A Soolip Wedding” on March 18th at the Social Hollywood where some of the top vendors in Los Angeles will be on display. For more information on Jen, please visit www.savethedatephoto.com or call 661-513-0253.
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