kim long- cincinnati, ohio

Oh, also Jorgensen. They offer fold-out pages as well on the pro-bound line for sure, maybe also the Styla... I'd have to check again to be sure.

Yeah, I thought of La Vie right away. I think Seldex also offers gate pages like that.

For inspiration? Some of my favorites...<br>

<br>

<a href=http://www.greggibson.com/weddings/portfolio/portfolio1.html>Greg Gibson</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.novakphotography.com/weddings.htm>Laura Novak</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.jacksonhuang.ca/weddings/portfolio.html>Jackson Huang</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.studiocabrelli.com/2006/index.html>Dominique Cabrelli</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.phyllislane.net/>Phyllis Lane</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.karenandco.com/index1.html>Karen & Company</a>

<br>

<a href=http://www.ingallsphotography.com/menu.html>Cameron Ingalls</a>

Resurrecting this thread as the issue has recently come up a few times for me, and I've been challenged to explain why I don't offer "shoot and burn" deals and why even my minimum plan includes a full set of finished, printed proofs. My top plan also includes a full set of finished images (and the second-highest coverage plan includes a portion of the finished images) on disk, printable to the client's choice of 4x6" or 5x7", but I no longer offer a full set of finished digital files as a regular à la carte item (though during specials like the one currently running, disk sets may be included in coverage plans where they ordinarily are not). Clients may purchase as many <i>individual</i> files as they wish, but those files are very valuable to me and I price them accordingly. <br>

<br>

"One good print from you + A scanner at home = The same crappy, blue-tinted picture." (-Sarah Quiara) <br>

<br>

I can't argue with that; however- and maybe this is a false sense of consolation- I can live with that annoying reality knowing that they have at least one quality lab print of each finished image as I intend it to look. I like to believe that those images I present them with will be the ones likely to be readily shown and shared, but regardless, what I present to the client represents me and my work as I wish to be represented, which no "shoot and burn-only" deal would ever do. At the end of the day (or the completion of a job, as the case may be), this matters to me.<br>

<br><div></div>

I can't remember if I shared this here before, but over the summer I shot a wedding about 45 minutes from my parents' house, so I stayed with them. I had a splitting headache the entire day of the wedding, which I just gritted my teeth through (and the photos turned out just fine, but I was miserable). The next day, when the headache persisted throughout the day, and didn't respond much to aspirin, I started worrying something was really wrong with me. My parents were starting to worry, too. The day of the wedding I was willing to chalk it up to stress, even though I didn't feel I was <i>really</i> all that stressed. It was not an especially stressful wedding. The next day, it didn't make a lick of sense that it would still be a stress headache. As we were talking about it, I said, "...and it couldn't be a caffeine withdrawal headache, because I've been drinking my normal amounts of coffee while I've been here..."

 

Mom interrupted me to inform me they had been brewing decaf. I just assumed they drank regular coffee, and Dad was the one doing the brewing, so I didn't even think to check/ ask.

You can't blame them for marking their samples as samples, either. It makes sense.

"If you cannot compete unless you offer flushmount, then it seems that you should offer them."

<br><br>

I've been pondering this a great deal lately. This is a perfect example of an area where the art vs. the business kind of come up against each other for me. There are just some things that so go against my own personal aesthetic that I am loathe to put it out there with my name on it- not because it is <i>bad</i>, necessarily, just that it doesn't represent my style at all. I realize that there are compromises to be made and some flexibility is necessary to appeal to a reasonable variation of tastes among clients. Even within a certain market/ demographic, there will be those who are strict traditionalists, those who are totally trendy, those who clearly march to their own beat, and many that fall somewhere in between. Knowing all of this, I'm sticking to album options that are within my own aesthetic preferences while still maintaining some variety. I just can't get into scrapbook-style layouts for wedding albums. Unless demand for them is so overwhelming that I am compelled to relent, I'm not offering the flush-mount albums. I will continue to offer coffee table albums, but my layouts for those are still not scrapbook-looking.

You may still hear from them, too. It can take a while.

Yes, I just make a gallery with Porta and upload it to my website. Oh, and just to clarify, I definitely didn't encourage anyone to contact me with orders via email before... they just did on their own. ;-)

A good amount of my reprint orders were coming via email either directly or through my contact form, along with a message amounting to the client either being afraid of, averse to, or confused by online ordering, as Ashley said, and could they just send me a check? Which I was fine with, but it really ended up being a waste for me to pay the commission to have them proofed through Eventpix (or EM, or any other online proofing agent). I just went the 'order form' route for my last wedding- created a proof gallery on my own including each photo ID#, and a link to download an order form. It can be completed electronically and submitted as an email attachment, or printed and sent. When I receive it, the client will be invoiced and provided payment instructions.

If you don't need the magnetic stripe or the barcode and just want something with a more "high-end" feel than a paper certificate, you might consider plastic business cards (substituting a gift card layout for a biz card one, obviously). They aren't nearly as expensive to have printed and you can probably find a place to do a shorter order. You can also get blank PVC cards from a wholesaler (the kind they run through those card printers) and affix a label of some sort, I suppose... but that seems like a lot of work and the results could be sloppy unless you're really crafty. ;-)

Keep in mind I edited the posted file, so these steps apply directly to the web-resolution image.

 

1. Duplicate layer

2. Gaussian blur (radius 15.8)

3. Fade in hard light mode/ opacity 100%

4. Selectively erased around the couple's heads and shoulders

5. Flattened

6. Selectively burned around the edges of the image and part of the chair, using the burn tool in "shadows" range, exposure set to 50%

7. Selectively dodged the skin of the couple using the dodge tool in "highlights" range, exposure set to 50%

8. Some selective sharpening throughout the image, with most attention paid to the couple

9. Converted the image in channel mixer, monochrome/ output channel blue, 100%<div></div>

My policy is that purchased individual files (or those included in the paid coverage plan, if the client is booking one of my top plans) are not available until three months after the event, and the client chooses either 4x6 or 5x7 (300 dpi).

I use <a href=http://www.cypressalbums.com/main.html>Cypress</a> for proof boxes. They aren't inexpensive but the quality and presentation is worth it. Their albums are stunning, but I don't know if you want to go that fancy for a proof album. You might want to check out <a href=http://www.jleedesigns.com/>jlee designs</a>.

I agree that it's good to develop a recognizable style. Within that style, though, there is bound to be some variation. Strictly speaking toning options, I'm in the minority, I suppose, in that I don't offer B&W, color, or sepia on every single image. I agree with the approach that maintains that photos are made, not merely taken, and that what goes on in the darkroom (physical or digital) is an integral part of "making" the images I produce. I get a feel for (and document in writing, actually) the clients' processing preferences during the pre-wedding consultation. By this I mean the dispersion of/ preference for color, B&W, and other toned or alternatively processed images (one client expressed an affinity for bronze toning, for example, another was interested in some edgier, cross-processed looks). On the basis of this, I make the call during shooting and post-processing on every single image, and that's what is presented to the client.

Tim took mine! I swear I was going to post the exact same thing and then I read the responses. :-P My quadriceps are absolutely aflame the day after a wedding. On the flip side, they are also toning up rather nicely and short skirts are my friend again.

"I've been doing portrait work much longer than I've been doing weddings. I've always had a signed contract.... mine states that I can use their images for just about any purpose I see fit.....(ie. web use, promotional use, contests, etc) but not for commercial use without a separate signed release." (Michelle Amarante)

 

This is what I do as well. I do have clients decline, and I respect that. When I raised my prices I took to offering a "Model Release Incentive" to encourage clients to provide it. It is usually maternity clients who decline to sign, though I've had some parents decide against signing one, too, and that is their right.

 

A model release for the bride & groom is built into all my wedding contracts, however, this really doesn't cover the others in the wedding party and certainly not minors.

I, too, like Asuka. How "typical" it looks depends a lot on your layouts. You can get as innovative as you like if you're designing them yourself. I'd steer clear of templates if you're really concerned about standing out from the crowd.

 

Cypress albums are gorgeous, but not really magazine-style coffee table albums. They have several different styles, from matted to directly mounted/ scrapbook look.

My preferred method in post processing is to dupe the layer, run a gaussian blur, fade it in either "soft light" or "overlay" mode, and then reduce the opacity of that layer until I'm satisfied. I may also use the eraser tool if I want certain aspects (such as eyes) to appear sharper, like the original layer.<div></div>

I saw that and recognized your name. :-) I didn't realize this was your first time winning top honors. That is such a terrific shot, Anne. Congratulations!

Well, I agree that you have to keep in mind who your clients are and what they want. After all, you're being paid to provide a service and product and there is a "customer satisfaction" element not to be ignored. What is artistic to one person's taste to another person's taste may be nothing but an unappealing departure from tradition. In the same vein, what I or someone else might consider totally hackneyed might be exactly what a certain kind of client wants and expects (no more, no less). If you're willing to adapt your style to cater to a broad range of tastes, fine. If you have a style of your own then you have to find the best market for that style. At any rate, no one else can tell you what is "artistic enough" for you or your client.

 

If you yourself are looking to push your photography to a more creative level, this is going to sound really trite, but it's all inside you. You can look to others for inspiration, but think of "inspriation" as a richly textured patchwork of ideas that get your own creative juices flowing and compel you to experiment. Use those combinations of ideas as a springboard, not a blueprint. Simply re-creating shots you've seen elsewhere isn't going to help you tap into your own style.

 

I myself find valuable information, resources, and occasionally artistic inspriation at sites like this, for example, but I will never be one to concern myself with "matching" any one person's ideal or standard for what makes a good photograph. I want to find and set my own standard.

 

Just my two cents.

The large Cypress box can hold several hundred proofs (I want to say it's 800 or some ginormous amount). The medium holds up to 500. A lot of proofs, in other words. ;-) The borders are printed, yes- no mounting of proofs. You could do it in PS, but I just have the lab print them that way. Or white borders. Whatever seems to best complement the wedding shots. I don't include albums with my packages (they can purchase an album, but it's not included), but I wanted to offer a full set of finished proofs to keep (and show people) in a more formal presentation.<div></div>

I include a full set of printed proofs (usually in the realm of 350-600 depending on the event) with each package, which I present to the bride and groom in a custom proof box personalized with their names and wedding date. I order mine through Cypress Albums. Here's a recent example of one of my proof sets and boxes:

 

http://www.kimlongphotography.com/Presentation/album/

 

They have several fabrics and ribbons to choose from and I let the couple decide on their colors. So far they seem to make a very nice impression on everyone. It works for me right now.

Just another vote for the second image you posted. 110 times better, IMO. :-D

This isn't of the bride or groom, but a candid caught during the wedding ceremony. I dig it for several reasons. First, I love how pious these little acolytes look (I personally don't see that often), and secondly, there is a fan behind one of the boys' heads that looks like a halo to me. This is probably one of those detail/ candid shots that the B&G will never linger on, but I rather fancy it just the same.<div></div>