Do you get to meet your photographer during your consultation?
It is very important to meet your photographer during your consultation. You are going to be spending a better part of the day with this person, you want to make sure you click.
Is there any limit to the number of locations on the wedding day?
Often times it isn’t picturesque around the church or reception locations. You may want to go to a third location to get something fun and different.
Do I really need to do an engagement session?
Yes, you should. It is a great way to see how you and the photographer work together. If there is a special location you would like to go to, perhaps where you met or where you were proposed to can make great locations for an engagement session. And how else are you going to get pictures for save the date cards?
Do I really need to do a bridal session?
Yes, you should. Wait, what is a bridal session, you ask? It’s a chance to do a “formal” session of you, the bride in your wedding gown prior to the wedding. The bridal session is a great way to make sure you know how your dress is going to “behave” on the wedding day. It’s a great opportunity to do a trial run with your hair and make up, you want to make sure before the wedding day that it will work for you. Doing a bridal session is also a great time saver on the day of the wedding.
Is there a limit to the number of photos taken on the wedding day?
A photographer should not limit the number of images created on the day of the wedding. Every wedding is different, if you limit the number of images some of the personal differences that make your wedding unique may get missed.
My fiance is very shy and/or doesn’t like to be photographed, what can we do?
Trust us. It is our job as professionals to know how to handle this. With years of experience photographing weddings we have seen it all. We know how to make the situation as painless as possible.
Can I have the digital negatives?
The great America photographer, Ansel Adams, once said, “The negative is the equivalent of the composer’s score, and the print the performance.”
Though many photographers now release the digital negatives with some of their packages, couples should still go back to their photographer to have the images printed. The couples copy of the images should be kept in a safe with the other valuables. You can’t expect the same beauty, depth and quality of print, at your one hour lab, as you can going to the photographer to have the print made.
Why is the price range so varied in wedding photography?
There are many ways to get from point A to point B. And, yes, anyone with a camera can take a picture. However, driving from LA to NYC in a Yugo, stopping at McD’s for every meal and sleeping at the Roadhouse Inn is a completely different experience than driving a Mercedes, eating at Ruth’s Chris and staying at the Four Seasons. You will still arrive at your destination but what will you remember? Will it be something you want to look back on and treasure for ever or will it be something you try to forget. You can’t expect the same level of quality, care, and service paying a hundred dollars as you can investing thousands. You truly do get what you pay for.
Why should I pay for a photographer when my friend has a nice camera and wants to be a photographer?
These days most anyone can afford a nice digital camera. And just because someone has a camera and wants to be a photographer does not mean they will be able to capture your wedding like a professional photo artist would.
How many of us would hire a local house painter to paint the Sistine Chapel. Same paint, same brushes, right? Also, we all know someone with a sewing machine but how many brides would actually call a friend to make their wedding gown just because they have a sewing machine.Most brides will first look through magazines at dresses. Then they will go to at least two designers or dress shops, try on several dresses, look at matching shoes and veils. Next they will purchase the dress. Finally, they have it altered, usually more than twice. All this for something that is worn for about six hours. Then when it comes to a photographer to capture how amazing she looks in the dress, they will call a friend with a camera.
After the dress is in storage, the cake has been enjoyed and the flowers have all wilted away, only three things remain, the vows, the rings which are a symbol of those vows, and the photographs to help you remember the joy and love that you experiences when you made those vows. Can you really leave such an incredible responsibility in the hands of just anyone with a camera?
You will never regret investing in the absolute best you can afford, You will however regret not.
Why should I invest so much in photography?
The only thing that I have to remember my grandparents who passed many years ago are the photographs. As I look back at the picture of me as a three year old sitting on my grandpa’s lap with him sticking his false teeth out in an attempt to scare me. What are those memories worth to me now? I really couldn’t place a value on them and whatever it costs to preserve those memories is worth every cent.
Besides what is listed on the package, what am I paying for?
You are paying for our experience and to have an experience of your own. You are paying for dedication, and attention. You are paying for our creativity and individuality. You are paying for the passion that we put into everything that we do. So it is more than just the size of a book or the number of prints you will receive.
Brides should ask vendors who they work well with and would prefer working with. It’s best to work with a team of wedding professionals who can work in harmony with one another in order to give the couple a perfect experience.
Why the ‘wedding photogher’ stigma?
When we hear of the “Wedding Singer,” it’s hard not to think of Adam Sandler and the cheesy, sappy guy with a list of cheesy, sappy ballads. Sometimes when “Wedding photographer” is mentioned people have a preconceived idea of someone running around getting into everyone’s business acting cheesy to get a laugh or a smile. In actuality most wedding photographers now-a-days come into this field being skilled and trained as artists in other fields. They are masters of many types of photography and have chosen to be commissioned for weddings because of the diversity that they present. One cannot just be a good portrait photographer and capture a complete wedding. One must be a photojournalist, an editorial, fashion, and portrait photographer. There is so much that goes into wedding photography that it’s photographers are the most well rounded and skilled photo artists than you can find in any other field. Gone are the days of the cheesy wedding shooter and in are the times of the true photo artist.
I can just hire a photographer, sight-unseen, to shoot my wedding and expect amazing images right?
Well yes and no. You may well end up with some truly beautiful images done by a real artist and professional. You will most likely not end up with images that capture the essence of who you are. It is always best to meet with your photographer, get to know them and their work and, most importantly let them get to know you. Let them see how you wink when you look at your soon to be husband, how you dip your chin and look up when you get shy. Let them see you, so on the wedding say your photographer will be able to know when you are going to laugh uncontrollably, or when your new husband is going to try to quietly wipe the tear from his cheek when he realizes that is the adorable laugh of his new wife.
Some photographers can turn around images in a few days, shouldn’t they all?
A simple little dress can be made in a factory in a matter of minutes shipped to a department store and sold within a few days. A fine, hand made, red carpet, couture dress can take weeks. Factory quality gives you factory speed. Custom work takes a bit more time.
Contact one of NMWP’s photographers with further questions or to schedule a consultation:
505.890.0179Dry Heat Photography 505.730.8576
Jones Photo Art 505.890.7707
Kyle Zimmerman Photography 505.232.6986
Valtelhas Productions 505.286.8632
