katieontario

Sometimes not safe but my hubby is starting to feel the wear and tear on his upper body after 9 10 hour days this year, with another 11 around the corner...

 

It is convenient and fast, but keep a bottle of Advil handy.

My husband and I recently have tried to take control of this issue ourselves - everyone hates formals, and yet, while our style if photojournalistic, formals are still a must have.

 

So this is how we operate, and normally, all goes as planned:

 

1. We arrive at the bride and groom's for pre-ceremony shots - getting ready, sep. bridal party shots etc. After these fun shots, we move into immediate family shots if applicable: Bride with father, Bride with mother, Bride with mother and father etc. This takes 15 mins. Then after the ceremony, all we have to do is 'pop' either bride and groom into the other's family.

 

2. After ceremony formals, we take 30 mins for family portraits, 30 mins for the bridal party, and 30 mins for the bride and groom alone.

 

This is give or take a few minutes, depending upon how the day goes.

 

If there are elderly family members who cannot hold up to standing, heat, etc. we make time to get these formals back at the venue before the reception.

 

We too have a list we send out to our couples who email it back to us, complete with location and time, as well family members names and relationships, bridal party members, and picture requirements.

 

We have never taken longer than 2 hours for formals, and this includes travel time, round up, delays, etc.

 

this sounds fairly militaristic but allows more time to continue shooting in a manner we prefer... however, while my husband is the primary photographer for formals, and I follow the list and round people, I also capture candid moments in between.

 

Our system works very well.

 

Good Luck!

Hi there,

 

After a few years under our belt, we have learned that one solid, creative image should say it all - this is hard to do if you have many to choose from. But here is an example of how we are currently advertising.<div></div>

What an interesting and yet totally bizarre thread Earl! I love it!

 

I totally agree with Scott - give this up to God and seek His answer through prayer.

 

However, another option, as with Ryan's fine point of how much you are expected to be committed: Are you being sought after as a professional photographer or as a member of the church?

 

And really, in the end I do not know why the two need be separated as many people tend to forget that church is run as a business anyway. As per Karen's sentiment above.

 

Any compensation you receive - formally or informally will be graced from above.

 

Which leads me completely off topic, and perhaps sounds hypocritical, but:

 

I have not hesitated to receive compensation from WORK I have been commissioned to do for my church. Yet, while I tithe I do not receive a year end tax receipt from monies I have tithed throught out the year: Even though everybody wins, there is something weird about being finacially compensated for money I have given 'from the heart'.

 

My photography business relies on prayer - and He never ceases to surprise me - Amen!Amen! :)

On the contrary, from our experience, when it is dark outside in a venue that has many windows, our flash does not at all illuminate the outside world leaving no light in the room itself - rather everyone is exposed well, but a big white blot of flash can be seen on a dark window. If distracting in the pictures, we photoshop it out. Otherwise, we try not to use flash at all: you would want a really good lense for this!

Hi!

 

First, you are crazy to do this. :) And I just speak from experience with my and husband shooting hockey tournaments and printing on site.

 

However, your venture sounds easier, and here are a few tips:

 

- you should have two/three laptops with 3 large monitors, with no less than 2 persons working the stations and taking orders and money.

 

- For this particular venture, you should have specific hours as to when you are shooting in order buy some down time to download the images. i.e. 9am - 11am, 12noon - 2pm

 

* So what will happen is this: after that first round of photos are downloaded at 11am and put into their repective file, your sellers can begin playing a slideshow which people will stop to look at, want to participate in themselves, and parents who had their kid's photo taken, will know when to come back to view. And while they are attending to prospective customers, you continue to shoot.

 

- Have prepared many order forms which include customer's information such as address, number, email, and file number they are purchasing along with size of photo they want - and to make it easier for you, just have two options: 5x7's or 8x10's.

 

- you should have prepared on your laptops as many files as there are times you are shooting. i.e. when a parent comes to ask if they can see their kid, your helper will ask what time they had their photo taken, then scroll through that file to find the kid, and they can pick their pose to order up front.

 

- Have business cards on hand so people can have YOUR info, and it will make them more comfortable with handing over money for something they do not have yet.

 

- Some may ask for a receipt. Have on hand pre-printed slips with something like:

 

_______________ has paid ____________ for photos purchased from (Your business) at the (Event), (date).

 

(Your Signature)

 

- Also have your clients mention you cane edit if they feel the picture is too soft or not zoomed in enough etc., and then have your helpers take down the specifics that the parent wants edited.

 

- Too minimize costs for yourself afterwards, I am a big proponant of emailing images at the highest resolution. This will save on mailing and printing costs. And charge the same as a print.

 

Any other questions, contact me at kouellette4@cogeco.ca

 

Good Luck!

Hi there Gwen,

 

I appreciate the initial page I see.

 

However, I do think that the "About Photographer" sounds odd (Should it read "About the Photographer"? or "About Gwen"?), and that this paragraph is very difficult to read - it is very wordy. I re-read each sentence twice, and then again out loud. It does not sit well with me...

 

Otehrwise, I do like the layout of the home page itself.

Mike Colon interview -

 

https://pictageevents.webex.com/mw0303l/mywebex/default.do?siteurl=pictageevents

 

Mostly regarding pricing, but other really good photography business practices.

 

Hopefully that link works.

This is a great thread, first of all.

 

Second, I am thinking we are all agreeing to disagree: I assume MOST weddings unfold the same with slight variations - bride walks down aisle, groom reacts, readings, vows, rings,kiss, etc etc. MOST are very predictable. With this said, depending upon the expereince of the photographer, and whether one is pro or anti "list", I think the majority of us know the important moments to snap.

 

However, if I am unfamiliar with a minister's format, or a traditional custom of any particular culture or religion, I personally want to know when to expect it, and what cues I have prior to get ready - and I'd prefer something I am not familiar with on paper.

 

We get a very generic list of moments to capture - most are unarguable, as we would get it anyway. Our couples have never demanded anything from us with said list, and therefore trust our creative eye and experience as to capturing said list in a unique way - different lenses, different angles, etc.

 

Also, I still do not believe the customer is always right - esp. if this concerns our set business practices, standards, expectations, etc. I have firmed this in my heart after listening to a FANTASTIC interview with Mike Colon concerning "the integrity" of a photographer's business.

 

However, this does not mean that we are not flexible or do not compromise. And if we potentially lose a client? Perhaps that relationship was not meant to be anyhow, and we do not become concerned whether we can/could have booked that date or not.

 

A healthy percentage of our weddings this year and next are word-of-mouth - affirming both the operation and product of our business.

well that upload was a mess and did not work! sorry!

 

I can email it if one likes!

the customer is always right.. oh I don't believe that, sorry! But that's another thread!

 

My husband and I shoot photojournalistically. But this encompasses all candid, formal, ad spontaneous pictures.

 

Must have lists have their place, as far as formals are concerned especially for many reasons. And we refer to this 'homework', as we refer to it, many times throughout the day.

 

The list we provide our clients has names and relationships, dates and times and places, and this makes them feel confident that we are not missing anybody, or anything important.

 

Regarding must have lists for formals: there is a certain nostalgia about opening our parent's and granparents' wedding albums, and drooling over black and white photos of who is who, and how one is related to them. While the process of photographing these is perhaps typical and contrived, I strongly feel they are necessary.

 

We tell our clients that these pics are usually more important to parents. They will frame these type, and they will frame a more romantic one for themselves.

 

Also, the brides and grooms may have ideas of their own that we welcome: making us even more approachable in our M/O.

I've had the 24-105 for approximately a year and loved it on my 30D. However, I just replaced the 17-85 with the 17-55 for my wife and her 20D, and I have to admit, I find myself snagging her lens quite often for both the extra stop of light and the wideangle when I only want to tote around one piece of glass.

 

I do tend to take more indoor and portrait distance pictures though, so the zoom range at times isn't as important to me as it may be for others.

 

As others have already said though, the beauty of the SLR is its diversity. My bag normally contains the 10-22, my 24-105 and a 70-200 2.8 IS. While I have other lenses, these cover my usual needs and ranges.

 

In the end...I'd pick the 17-55 as a single walkaround lens.

 

Good luck!

Hi there,

 

Currently we burn onto regular CDs and issue only one copy. We would like to go with gold eventually. Perhaps even as soon as this year. Anyways, we tell the couple that they should be copied every 2-5 years. We also archive for ourselves, and burn two extra copies and keep them at two relatives' houses. As we are a home-based business we also make no guarantee.

 

While we maintain copyright, we issue a Photographic Release form.

Another example...<div></div>

My husband and I just invested in a fisheye, and put it to use last night during an engagement shoot.

 

While 'gimmicky', it IS fun, and depending upon the atmosphere and setting, it can add drama to an otherwise usually boring set of photos for our clientele. And if they don't like it, they have the original, and we have it for our own amusement in our portfolio.

 

In our city, there is a lot of great architecture...old limestone buildings, martello towers, old forts...these will be fun to photograph.

 

However, we are aware that these type of pictures are novelty, and we know not to use in excess.

 

Fisheyes are not for everybody, and are expensive. There is always SOMETHING to buy in this industry, and we have always invested in the necessary equipment first - so this is a treat.

Roxio is pretty user-friendly - easy to import songs from i-Tunes. Also easy to dissolve all pics at once and to edit song selections. Our end results have been very satisfactory, with clear pictures. It took a few times to get it right.

 

Glitches: Roxio is not w/o some headaches, however. i.e. can be stubborn and mess up timing for unknown reasons, will not import mp4 files (only mp3), dimensions of a typical picture is 4x6 and therefore sometimes does not match the dimensions of a TV screen, with tops of pics/people's heads being lopped off.

 

David Jay's is great, but from my understanding it is strictly for web use - not for burning onto disc. We use SHowit for our own website galleries.

 

We do not use any specific format or size - we import pics as is. If we really wanted to, we could square the pics to make them more in ratio to TV dimensions.

 

Our clients need to have explained that also, R- or R+ discs may not play in all DVD players - newer players are the best bet.

First fell in love with Neil Cowley and his wife Leizel.

www.neilcowley.com

 

Then was introduced to Visio Photography. www.visiophotography.com

 

A neat Canadian site is www.lifeimages.ca

 

Have fun!

Hi Todd,

 

Sorry. I have nothing... writing just to say that your subject heading sounds like you have 3500 questions about Leather Craftsmen. :)

Hi Everyone,

 

Went to my city's bridal show yesterday and saw a picture my husband and I

took this past summer blown up to about an 11x14, as well as a slew of other

photos in an album, being used to sell an establishment's banquet/ dining

facilities. There was no credit to us.

 

I spoke with the woman in charge of booking the facilities and said if these

pictures are used next year a visible credit/reference to our business would

be greatly appreciated.

 

Here's the info:

 

- we offer in our wedding packages high res photos on a disc to our clients.

- there is nothing in our contract outlining what the bridal couple can or

cannot use their pictures for. (NOW there will be...)

- we have a separate "corporate package" $$$, whereby the high res photos

taken may be used for marketing purposes.

 

It made me very uncomfortable, a situation I have not encountered. It just

feels to me that there is a difference between handing over pictures that I

would assume are personal pictures of a couple's wedding, and then using these

same pics to market their family business.

 

Could someone help sort out these feelings from a business point of view? I

would like to write to the woman in charge of bookings a letter regarding this

issue.

 

I am hoping to be diplomatic and suggest that since the groom's family owns

this business, I would be happy to offer them a discount on our corporate

price should they wish any marketing related pics to be taken.

 

Thanks!

Hi!

 

First, I love moose. My husband and I love to back country camp and feel blessed every time we happen upon a moose, especially a cow moose and her calf. So I get the hardship here! LOL

 

Second, I understand not wanting to open the door on using your name as a business name just yet. I think there is some kind of difference when you register a name other than your own - or you do not have to register your business name if it is your own... something like that.

 

Third. You could still use the "Light" part. And I really really like the idea of using the name of the road where you live. BUT! Will you be there a long time? Enough time to warrant referencing your business name to a place where you live?

 

Could you keep "Mooselight" as a 'series' of work? And have it as a link on your website to this particular series of photographs? Sometimes there is a debate about whether or not to have anything else on one's site than weddings and portraits, but we are about to have a separate gallery of our favourite camping images over the years - I think it gives potential clients an opportunity to learn more about our interests and other experiences.

 

Also, consider a name that when and if ever listed, appears as one of the first handfuls due to alphabetization.

 

Have fun!

Hi there!

 

I really think "Mississippi Made" is cute. But I tend to think of the ice cream flavour "Mississippi Mud" right after for some reason!

 

Friends of ours are fine home builders and have combined their daughters names for their business name. One of the girls is named Isabella.

 

You could use your name "Bell" in that context. i.e. Belle Photo, Belle Photography, or Bella, with any of these, and it can be a play on words, with the word Belle refering to something of beauty,beautiful, etc.

 

In regards to a logo, you could use the M in your first name between the two words in a larger and more transparent font. (See Aaron Lee's post from 2007-01-08.

 

Good Luck!

We advertise on marketplace.com and worldwideweb.com

 

Both have been very good and they are easy to use and free.

 

You can edit your ad at your leisure as well.

 

We advertise on a local wedding planning site which is very helpful and is a nominal monthly expenditure.

 

However, the interesting thing is that when we check our web stats, most of our hits are from the two free sites I mentioned above.

 

There is little to no harrassment regarding upgrading to a better package to include a picture etc. I think one of them or both includes a free link. OCcasinally there is an email from the site, and that's it!

 

We signed on three years ago, so I am not sure what has changed or has remained the same.

Hi there!

 

This is the exact wording in our contract:

 

"Full day wedding contracts require that both photographers be included in the dinner count."

 

Verbally, we insist on being part of the crowd.

 

We have had a couple of situations where the bride and groom were going to have the reception hall staff set us up in another room to eat - they both had a large guest crowd and seating arrangements were an issue. However, they also wanted pictures of speeches - which was during dinner. Ummmmm...?

 

When we insist on being part of the crowd, we assure the couple that while we understand that we are not family, a good seat means fast access to whatever may happen that evening resulting in high quality photojournalistic photos.

 

I remember reading somewhere that the longest business relationship a bridal couple will have is with their photographer.

 

This shed a new light onto how my husband and I view our services, and how we should and are expected to be treated... which has led us to calling the shots on a number of issues... not placing ourselves on a pedastool or anything, but you know? Even something like this issue has resulted in amazing photos, and incredible word-of-mouth marketing, as guests see how we quietly and unobtrusively carry out our job on the "front lines".

 

Good luck!

Hi there.

 

Being female, and owning my own photography business, I side with the other ladies who think that you should find a different picture altogether, or as Casey stated, use an image that is more timeless, or a single detail.

 

The shot of the bride in her mirror is cheesy, no bride ever really comteplates her flowers!

We really like the idea of just a print credit. That way, we have a really good idea as to the monty we are spending out of pocket for development only. Our per print prices are really low compared to most photographers in our area too. For instance, one couple ordered nothing but 100 4x6s with their credit - we charge $2/4x6, as they have a $200 print credit. This was about $26 out of pocket for us. One couple chose 20 5x7s - we charge $10 per 5x7. This cost us only $35.

 

If we applied this "credit" to albums, we would lose a whole lot - we order our albums from the States (we are Canadian based), and would be paying close to, or slightly over, $100 out of pocket for albums.

 

Mind you, we have packages that do have albums in them, and we order in bulk. But some clients want to apply the credit to parent albums, and we won't honour this. Most clients understand this. We have not had a fuss to date.

 

Also, when we order a very large print order, we do it in bulk, and this further reduces our fees, saving more moula on our end. For instance. We ordered two 8x10s, over 100 5x7s and over 100 4x6s and our cost was $136.

 

In the end, for us, it is all about keeping overhead costs low to make a substantial profit.