How do you choose a wedding photographer? Do you go with the cheapest? Do you choose the one your sister used? Do you pick your best friend’s cousin’s son? When choosing a wedding photographer, it is extremely important to choose wisely as they will be responsible for recording your event – something you will want to remember for years to come. There are five questions you should ask any wedding photographer who wants your business.

1 – Will you be actually taking the photos? Wedding photographers often have many photographers working for them. It is imperative that you meet the photographer who will be attending your wedding, not just a representative from the studio. It is important that get to know the actual photographer in charge of your wedding so that you can describe to them what you are looking for and make sure you have made a connection with this individual. You will be spending most of your wedding day with this person and it is imperative that you are able to work with his or her personality and style.

2 – What is your experience as a wedding photographer? There are many talented and professional photographers who claim to be wedding photographers as well. A true wedding photographer is a professional who specializes in weddings and has a portfolio that exhibits their skills and abilities. Make sure your photographer is an experienced and accomplished wedding photographer.

3 – Will you shoot in digital? By shooting in digital, you are afforded the ability to turn color photographs into very high quality black and white photographs, something that is not so easy with traditional photography without degradation in quality.

4 – How much direction will you allow in your photography? Many wedding photographers are particularly precious about what they will and will not shoot. You need to find a photographer who will accept your artistic direction, as well. Choose a photographer that demonstrate flexibility and has the ability to meet your needs.

5 – What is the deliverable format? With traditional (non-digital) photography, it is important to know whether you are buying the photographer’s time and expertise, or the negatives. Make sure you ask if you will be receiving the images on CD and do you have the right to make copies and prints.

Choosing a wedding photographer can be one of the most difficult parts of your wedding plans. Start looking early, and do as much research as you can to find the perfect wedding photographer for your wedding.

Here is a list of some wonderful wedding photographers in Washington/Baltimore area:

Kevin Brown Photography

Morning Star Photography

Jennifer Hughes

Balance Photography

]]> http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/top-5-questions-to-ask-your-wedding-photographer/feed/ 0 http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/what-will-your-wedding-photographer-deliver/ http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/what-will-your-wedding-photographer-deliver/#comments Thu, 14 Aug 2008 12:00:26 +0000 Beginning Two End http://beginningtwoend.com/blog/?p=42

When choosing a professional wedding photographer, it is essential that you are not only confident that you have a quality one, but that you are confident in the goods you will receive after the ceremony is over. The photographer is responsible for recording all of the magical moments as well as delivering them back to you.
What will your wedding photographer deliver?

Prior to the digital revolution, wedding photographers would often invite you to their studio to review contact prints of the negatives. By viewing these small prints, you could choose which shots you liked and the sizes of prints that you wanted. This was a long and involved process and it would often be months before a bride and groom received their wedding album.
Times have changed and it is now much easier to obtain access to your wedding photographs. In fact, many wedding photographers who shoot digitally can offer to show the wedding photographs almost as soon as they are taken, at the wedding reception.

Many brides and grooms still want the old-fashioned bridal album, with cropped and mounted prints in a bound album. This type of album is strictly a keepsake, and not generally shown to anyone outside of the immediate family. Photographers can now create albums that are less traditional, appearing almost as if they were published books. These hardback, dust-jacketed books feature prints of the photographs on individual pages.

The most popular, however, and often the most inexpensive is the digital album. Wedding photographers are able to create CDs and DVDs of wedding photographs – turning them into virtual movies by using digital effects. These digital albums are also able to be published online, making them easily available to all of the wedding participants, as well as people who may have lived to far away to get to the wedding.

A digital album is a great way to share your memories.
When you choose your wedding photographer, the actual delivered product should be described and included in the price. Make sure you know what to expect before you sign the contract!

Here are some great resources for wedding photography

Kevin Brown Photography
Morning Star Photography
Jennifer Hughes Photography

Photo by: Bill Rettberg Photography

Posted by Wedding Planner Syvella Brantley

So you have hired a professional wedding photographer and your big day is on its way. You don’t want to miss a second, and want to make sure that every moment is recorded, so here is a list of some wedding photographs that absolutely must be taken. If your photographer is a seasoned wedding photographer, he should already know all of these, but just in case…

Before the ceremony, there are a number of photographs that need to be taken. Most of these are shots that will later serve to describe the mood of anticipation and the fury of preparation that goes into the wedding day. Photographs of a bride looking in a mirror, putting on makeup, doing her hair, or surrounded by bridesmaids are always beautiful. Similar photographs of grooms adjusting their ties, pinning corsages, and visiting with their best man are equally meaningful.

At the ceremony itself, shots must be taken of the venue, of everyone who is involved in the wedding (bridesmaids, flower girls, ring bearer, parents, grandparents, etc.), and those who are witnesses. Photographs of the bride and groom from various angles, with their parents, at the altar, and after the ceremony are absolutely mandatory.

Mood shots such as close-ups of holding hands, kisses, exchanging of rings are often staged after the ceremony, as are larger shots that involve family members.
During the wedding reception, photographs should be taken of the bride and groom arriving and departing, eating cake, toasting, dancing, and kissing. Photographs of the food, the cake, the guests, champagne glasses, and ceremonies surrounding the garter and bouquet also need to be recorded.

By creating a wedding photographer with a list before your wedding, of the photos that you MUST have taken, you will be sure to capture every important moment of your special day.

Photo by NMJ Photopgrahy

Article written by renowned Maryland Wedding Coordinator,
Syvella Brantley of Beginning Two End, Inc.
www.BeginningTwoEnd.com
1-866-798-3552

Wedding photography was “invented” in 1826 in France, and became popular during the late 19th century. Although it didn’t take the elaborate form that it does today, wedding photography swiftly became an important part of recording the evolution of society.

In the late 1800s, most wedding photography was done after the fact. The bride and groom would dress in their best clothes much after the wedding, to record their status as man and wife. Some more affluent families, however, would have photographers come to their wedding to take posed photographs of the bride, groom, and their families.

As technology evolved, and photographic equipment became more mobile, more wedding photographs were taken at the wedding itself, instead of in a photographer’s studio. Photographers then began photographing both guests and wedding gifts, in addition to the bride and groom.

In the early 20th century, freelance photography was a thriving business, and photographers would arrive at weddings, uninvited, and take photos which they hoped to later sell to the married couple. Much like photographers that took photos at amusement parks or in nightclubs, these photographers relied on potential customers to pay for photos they had already taken. This proactive approach to wedding photography soon forced traditional studio photographers out of their studios and into the wedding ceremony itself.

Color photography did not become popular in wedding photography until the 1960s at which time it became easier, cheaper, and more reliable. Wedding photographers thrived during this time as they had cornered the market on quality camera equipment, and inexpensive photographic development. The 1980s brought about the tradition of recording entire weddings on video, and a new breed of wedding photographers, known as videographers, as born.
This century’s wedding photography consists of digital photography and videography, online photograph selection, and the ability to save an entire wedding on CD or DVD for future generations to view.

Here are some links to wonderful wedding photographers in maryland:
www.Kbweddings.com
www.jamesroyphotography.com
www.photosbycmartin.com

Article written by renowned wedding coordinator,
Syvella Brantley of Beginning Two End, Inc.
www.BeginningTwoEnd.com
1-866-798-3552