Prewed and Wedding Photographer Recommendation

[secret-_-angel]

I'm on a tight budget but I still need pictures taken for our next year wedding so we can have memories captured beautifully

What's prewedding picture? is this the picture for the banquet by the door enterance?

Can you recommend someone that can offer this type of service (photography and videography)

They don't have to be a proffesional, it can be some hobbist who knows what they are doing and cofident in taking picture in a wedding party

[thelefteyeguy]

I'm on a tight budget but I still need pictures taken for our next year wedding so we can have memories captures beautifully

What's prewedding picture? is this the picture for the banquet by the door enterance?

Can you recommend someone that can offer this type of service (photography and videography)

They don't have to be a proffesional, it can be some hobbist who knows what they are doing and cofident in taking picture in a wedding party

I think you mean engagement pictures ;)

and yes usually one of the pictures taken then will be your portrait used for your banquet.

[urameatball]

look through the photog's portfolio and make sure you like their style of photography. Also make sure they're experienced in shooting your type of wedding. Some weddings are extremely formal, some are a complete zoo... and a great photog who's use to formal weddings might be completely lost in a high energy party style wedding. *and vice versa.

btw, if you plan to have a wedding with lots of creativity and lots of energy, I may want to shoot for you. :)

[CSAgent]

I'm on a tight budget but I still need pictures taken for our next year wedding so we can have memories captures beautifully

What's prewedding picture? is this the picture for the banquet by the door enterance?

Can you recommend someone that can offer this type of service (photography and videography)

They don't have to be a proffesional, it can be some hobbist who knows what they are doing and cofident in taking picture in a wedding party

Sent you a PM.

[King James]

Sent you a PM.

I would like to know too. Any recommendations?

[secret-_-angel]

Thanks! replied pm.
I don't think my wedding will be crazy because its chinese wedding and it will be in a chinese restaurant (300 guest)

Im still looking for MC that speaks cantonese and english. Its a plus if he/she can speak indonesian as well. How much do they usually charge?

[CSAgent]

Thanks! replied pm.
I don't think my wedding will be crazy because its chinese wedding and it will be in a chinese restaurant (300 guest)

Im still looking for MC that speaks cantonese and english. Its a plus if he/she can speak indonesian as well. How much do they usually charge?

I know a guy who runs a wedding hosting business, he also has DJs and does the flower decor as well... Pretty well known in the chinese community, he's being doing it for the last 10 years or so of his life. Sonny and Son Productions?

[CSAgent]

I would like to know too. Any recommendations?

On a budget? Check your PM. =)

[demi2004]

I had a bride who called me,telling me she's on a tight budget. When I asked,she said it's $3,000...
I guess it's all depends on the values and the money we make.

[secret-_-angel]

Do you have his contact info?

I know a guy who runs a wedding hosting business, he also has DJs and does the flower decor as well... Pretty well known in the chinese community, he's being doing it for the last 10 years or so of his life. Sonny and Son Productions?

[CSAgent]

Do you have his contact info?

Yah, of course I do. He's a very good friend of mine.

Give me a call.

[eelfliw]

I'm on a tight budget but I still need pictures taken for our next year wedding so we can have memories captured beautifully

What's prewedding picture? is this the picture for the banquet by the door enterance?
It's usually engagement pictures.

But I've also seen pictures from stag parties as well as pictures from the evening before the wedding (mom & daughter trying on dress, putting on make up etc.) being called pre-wedding pictures.

The key to remember is that the wedding photo business has a lot of BS because the couples getting married and paying the bills are usually doing this for the first time in their lives and don't know what is needed and what is not. Some photog will try to sell you a group of pictures saying it's part of the "formal" arrangement and your wedding won't be complete without it.

The bottom line is, you need some photo evidence that you blew a huge wad of cash on this party and you need some pictures to prove that you were actually married. But after the thrill of wedding is gone, pictures usually sit in a box somewhere only opened once or twice a year.

To that end, if you want to save money, have your friends take lots of pictures for you for the casual shots - new digital cameras virtually fool proof. As for the formal shots, that can be done AFTER the wedding inside a studio when the pressure is off of you and you have time to shop around. Besides, studio lighting is much better than camera mounted flash (even with those fancy brackets). Everyone knows that these formal shots are staged anyways.

[klam]

The bottom line is, you need some photo evidence that you blew a huge wad of cash on this party and you need some pictures to prove that you were actually married. But after the thrill of wedding is gone, pictures usually sit in a box somewhere only opened once or twice a year.


Your wedding day is one of the most important and happiest days in your life. Once the guests are gone and the years have passed, the only thing you'll have left of that special day are photos and video.


To that end, if you want to save money, have your friends take lots of pictures for you for the casual shots - new digital cameras virtually fool proof.

Spoken like a true RFDer, while it is true that your guests can take photos for you if you're cheap, in most cases you will not get the same high quality results that you'd get from hiring a professional (unless you have friends who are really good, unlikely). Furthermore, you don't really want to impose on your guests to take photos. They're there to enjoy the day with you.


As for the formal shots, that can be done AFTER the wedding inside a studio when the pressure is off of you and you have time to shop around. Besides, studio lighting is much better than camera mounted flash (even with those fancy brackets). Everyone knows that these formal shots are staged anyways.

In my opinion, studio shots will never match the true feeling of having photos from your actual wedding day and at your actual wedding locations.

And since when has studio lighting ever been better than being on location with real surroundings and not some cheesy studio backdrop? And when is on location shooting restricted to on-camera flash either?

[eelfliw]

Your wedding day is one of the most important and happiest days in your life. Once the guests are gone and the years have passed, the only thing you'll have left of that special day are photos and video.
I used to do wedding photography. Got sick & tired of saying that line to sell more picture & video. While it's a special day for the bride & groom, it isn't a special day for the photographer, who has a lot more influence on how the pictures turn out than the bride & groom. If the pictures don't turn out well, it's very very unlikely the couple will stage the wedding just for the photographer and they'll hate the photog for a long long time. So, it's in the best interest of the couple that they arrange for a studio session afterwards in an controlled environment where the photog feels at home and can perform best.

In my opinion, studio shots will never match the true feeling of having photos from your actual wedding day and at your actual wedding locations.
True. But taking studio shots doesn't mean there will be no pictures during wedding day. Guests can take pictures that preserve memory. The key to a good photograph of the wedding is more about what they capture in the image and the emotion it provokes than technical perfection. Besides, modern digital cameras takes a lot of guesswork out of taking a well exposed picture.

And since when has studio lighting ever been better than being on location with real surroundings and not some cheesy studio backdrop? And when is on location shooting restricted to on-camera flash either?Check out some modern photo studios with digital computer image enhancement and competent lighting equipment. Long gone are the days of cheap backdrops and rigid poses in front of fixed umbrellas on floor standing stands (may be some low-budget photog still do it but those people should be avoided). While a photo shoot can't replicate the guests at the reception, it can recreate just about any location/setting in real life. If the wedding couple wants picture with guests, let the guests take those photos.

On location shots isn't restricted to camera mounted flash. But unless the photog has 3 - 4 assistants running around with strobes and light boxes lighting every scene, the non-posed shots are all shot with portable flashes. The posed shots taken with studio flashes can be taken anytime after the reception.

That's why I recommend that posed shots taken by photog be done after the wedding when the pressure is off and the couple has control of the situation. Leave the people/guest shots to the people who don't charge a fee to take photos.

[demi2004]

Based on my experience, I couldn't disagree more with every statement you made...
Everything you said goes against my view of wedding photography,and photography by itself.
Whatever works for you, right?
It's just maybe if you had a different view on it,you wouldn't have to get "sick and tired of it"
Weddings are fun. You get to be part of someone's memories and that just adds the spark.
I love studio photography,but it's not something I'd ever recommend for weddings. And I would never use a green screen to immitate a location. It's just too unprofessional and cheesy(imho).
Video is time and photography is moments. If you are good,you'll be able to catch those moments on camera and provide years of joy for your clients. Maybe this is why most brides these days preferr photojournalistic coverage. You are there to capture the day and tell the story with your pictures

Edit: last few lines came out kind of nice. Maybe I'll use it next time I am selling my services:razz:

[ccubed]

WOW! Lot's of different opinions here!

There are brides that will drop $2K on a limosine for the day, but then want a photographer for $500. The limosine lasts 8 hours -the pictures a lifetime.. which is more important?

OP - at the end of the day it's really up to you and your fiance to decide what YOU both want. The best advise is to meet 3-4 photographers, see their work and hear what they have to say. Understand that they are trying to sell you something.. but if you don't come away feeling warm and fuzzy after meeting them in person, walk away.

You should also talk to friends that have gotten married about their pictures. For my wedding we had a photographer and as it turns out many of the pictures taken by friends and family were better. But that was a result of my poor choice in photographer - not a poor choice to have a photographer.

I don't know about anyone else, but I have albums of pictures from my childhood... I don't look at them often, but when I do they bring back some great memories and I am thankful I have them. In my opinion, capturing a wedding day on film has the same result....

[AirTimid]

Aren't prewed pics the ones of the bride/groom getting ready before going to the church? If there's only one photog, he/she usually follows the bride (hair salon, getting dressed, getting ready, shots with mom/dad/etc).

eelfliw, not to be critical, but you have a terrible attitude. It's good you got out of the wedding photography business. The wedding photogs i've talked to all LIKE doing weddings and want to do their best to make the bride/groom happy. Some consider it an art, and i'd have to agree. There is definitely a difference between quick grab shots by guests and a photog who knows what he's doing. As for viewing the pictures once or twice a year, that's probably more often than people view their other albums of pictures. So, saying that is just silly.

[CSAgent]

I've always had fun when I shoot weddings myself. It never gets old, I always walk away happy knowing that I helped the couple created memories of which they will look back many years from now and smile because of it.

If you look at it with a pessimistic attitude like some photographers do, then of course you'll hate it and have a negative attitude from it. Maybe you're in it strictly for the money it can make, but me, I'm also in it because its a joyous time and its a great photo op.

It goes back to any profession, if you're in it for the wrong reasons, of course you'll dislike it and have a negative attitude about it. Money isn't everything in a job that you do.

[eelfliw]

It's just maybe if you had a different view on it,you wouldn't have to get "sick and tired of it"
Not sick & tired of photography. But sick and tired of using lines on customers to squeeze more money out of them when I know very well that these couples are definitely tight on money but will fall for lines like "most special moment of your lifetime", "don't you want to preserve it?"

The wedding photography business is a cut throat business. Partly because the the bar to enter this business is far too low so there are way too many wedding photogs. Anyone with a semi decent camera/flash, a business card and registration can advertise themselves as a wedding photographer. And because the clients you deal with are also very inexperienced, they don't know what is good and what isn't. This is in sharp contrast to product/advertising photography where the photographer is dealing with an experienced art director and standards are much much higher. This is the type of work I enjoy.

And because of too many inexperienced photographers call them selves pro wedding photogs, it's in the best interest of the bride & groom to be extra careful about wedding photogs. The worst thing a couple can do is place the responsibility of their wedding photos in the hands of someone they don't know (but happens to be a good salesman). Instead, couples should take control of the situation and choose to shoot important wedding photos (ie. the posed ones) after the wedding in a controlled environment (ie. the photog's studio). Wedding day shots can be taken by friends/guests at the wedding.

Remember that just because the wedding day pictures are taken by someone who doesn't get paid, doesn't mean the pictures are not good. It also doesn't mean that wedding day memories aren't preserved. Wedding day pictures are still there. The only difference is, people taking the pictures aren't getting paid.

Also, the word "photojournalistic style" is over used these days. Some photogs don't know enough of the standard poses and don't have the lighting equipment to properly set up posed shots (never mind a good studio). So they walk around with a camera & portable flash just like the rest of the guests snapping candid shots and they call it "photojournalistic style". Be weary of these photogs. There are many good photogs who does use the photojournalistic style and they know how to do it right. Go with these people. The problem for wedding couples is that very few know what to look for in a good photog and get taken in by sweet talkers.

[CSAgent]

eelfliw makes some good points.

I don't know if I want my friends and family taking photos for me at my own wedding though. Those point and shoots don't do depth of field/bokeh that a DSLR would. And they aren't guaranteed to come out looking like great pictures. And besides, I want my guests to enjoy themselves and not have to worry about taking photos of me the entire day. And what about edits and prints after? I would rather have one person take care of all of that and not have to run after multiple people for a picture that I want...

Who in their right mind would to rely on friends/family with point and shoots for the wedding photos? Honestly!

If you're going to counter with, "what if they have DSLRs?" That still accounts for maybe 3 or 4, or not even with kit lenses and built-in flash.

[demi2004]

Also, the word "photojournalistic style" is over used these days. Some photogs don't know enough of the standard poses and don't have the lighting equipment to properly set up posed shots (never mind a good studio). So they walk around with a camera & portable flash just like the rest of the guests snapping candid shots and they call it "photojournalistic style". Be weary of these photogs. There are many good photogs who does use the photojournalistic style and they know how to do it right. Go with these people. The problem for wedding couples is that very few know what to look for in a good photog and get taken in by sweet talkers.

This is where I am going to agree with you. Photojournalistic=candid=no real skill needed (mostly). I see a lot of ads "observing-non obtrusive style”. It’s much, much harder to direct a wedding than to just snap some candids. It takes a skill or experience to pose a couple or a group (even to pose them to look like candid). It’s also not easy to use flash/studio lights properly. The good thing, most stuff can be learned on the job, if a photographer has a talent.

[nelsonmp5]

I beg to differ on the photojournalistic style.
Its an art to get the right shot in candids. Posed shots are good for engagement photos, but boring for wedding shots, unless you want the usual family and friends coverage.
Boston Avenue - expensive but stylish 4-5k
The Art of Weddings - we used them - more affordable

my advice is to check their samples. we went through several studios and with each several albums to finally chose a photographer, based on their "style"

[googoo]

"Partly because the the bar to enter this business is far too low so there are way too many wedding photogs. "

I agree with this statement, get rid of the newbies with the "do everything" digital cameras and unlimited memory cards, and bring back the fully manual medium format cameras and the $10 roll of film.

That would QUICKLY get rid of the NEW professional photographers that take 1500 shots HOPING for the best 300 for an album.

Try getting a good album taking 400 shots, where 3/4 of them go in an album AND keep the couple happy.

Brent

[canuck88]

"Partly because the the bar to enter this business is far too low so there are way too many wedding photogs. "

I agree with this statement, get rid of the newbies with the "do everything" digital cameras and unlimited memory cards, and bring back the fully manual medium format cameras and the $10 roll of film.

That would QUICKLY get rid of the NEW professional photographers that take 1500 shots HOPING for the best 300 for an album.

Try getting a good album taking 400 shots, where 3/4 of them go in an album AND keep the couple happy.

Brent


Totally. I'm a professional photographer, and I usually have about a 50-75% keeper ratio (I usually take about 600-800 shots depending on the length of the day). It's probably due - at least in part - to the fact that I started on film as well...

[scorpy]

its our marriage anniversary, i would like to go to a photo studio for few photo souvenirs, any recommendation, deals arround,? i am in the montreal area.

thank you!

[Sgt_Strider]

I have some questions for you guys and no, I'm not getting married. What are the criterias a couple should be looking for in wedding pictures? How much would it cost to hire a "good" photographer? I'm assuming this "good" photographer will not only have the "right" equipment to do the job, but assistants as well to ensure that the job is done properly?

Is it normal to ask the photographer later for the digital files (exact ones) instead of getting him to print it out and put it in an album? If so, what are the copyright implications?

[Sgt_Strider]

I have some questions for you guys and no, I'm not getting married. What are the criterias a couple should be looking for in wedding pictures? How much would it cost to hire a "good" photographer? I'm assuming this "good" photographer will not only have the "right" equipment to do the job, but assistants as well to ensure that the job is done properly?

Is it normal to ask the photographer later for the digital files (exact ones) instead of getting him to print it out and put it in an album? If so, what are the copyright implications?

Can someone answer my questions above?

[matdwyer]

I have some questions for you guys and no, I'm not getting married. What are the criterias a couple should be looking for in wedding pictures? How much would it cost to hire a "good" photographer? I'm assuming this "good" photographer will not only have the "right" equipment to do the job, but assistants as well to ensure that the job is done properly?

Is it normal to ask the photographer later for the digital files (exact ones) instead of getting him to print it out and put it in an album? If so, what are the copyright implications?

At the toronto wedding show most of the photographers told me that they would give me a dvd with the photos on so I could make my own digital scrap book (I'm a graphic designer)

Therefore they would be ok with me printing them, and having the files. They might have been just making a sale, so I'd check with each one specifically. In this day and age it should be fine, and as far as copyrights, unless they have a deal where they are printing them for a premium, I would say you are fine.

[demi2004]

Can someone answer my questions above?

Definition of "good photographer" is not something that can be easily defined. If you like the work, then you should hire that person.
In general, you get a DVD with the images. Along with it you get limited copyrights to those images. In most cases you can print,share,but can't sell those photos.

[jace]

first off, CONGRATS!!!!

as for the wedding pics, I would highly recommend you putting more time and budget into this aspect of your wedding.

As noted, images captures the moment, the feeling during your special day. You'll be looking on these pictures to the end of time and it'll bring that special feeling everytime you look at them. You do not want to mess up these shoots with an amature or cheap work.

Spend the time and money on photography, it's well worth it and you won't think back saying...geez..i wish i had better wedding pics.

As for engagement pics, it's not totally necessary, but they do add to the whole event. It's up to you on this one, but i would say do it as well. Engagement pics are usually included in a package anyways.

when choosing a photographer, review their portfolio and see what kind of feeling you get. If it's the type and feeling you want, than that's a start. You're not buying their time, but their skills/creativity and "eye".

g/luck!!!!!!!!!

[xstatik]

Does anyone know of any good wedding photographers that will also give you the original digital photo files (in high res with NO watermarks) on a DVD???

It seems that many don't want to give a DVD/CD..

[CSAgent]

Really? The ones I've seen when attending as guests, I talk to them and they do provide them on DVDs to the couple a few weeks after the wedding. Usually these are the ones that charge a higher price up front and don't rely on photo sales after to make a profit...

I'm one of those photographers actually. And I know a few other colleagues that do as well.

[Roadrunnr]

I actually do provide a DVD with all the photos taken during the day too :)

My primary goal is always to make the customers happy.

[sfu_engineer]

Does anyone know of any good wedding photographers that will also give you the original digital photo files (in high res with NO watermarks) on a DVD???

It seems that many don't want to give a DVD/CD..

There are two ways for wedding photographers to make money:

1) Charge a small fee for covering your wedding, and than charge more for prints. They know you aren't going to print that many and just the essential ones so they don't take as many photos or edit as many after the event. They also charge a lot for each print.

2) Charge only for their time and skill and not for prints. The initial sum is much larger as they give you the files on DVD to do as you wish. They take many more photos and have to edit more.

If you choose either 1 or 2 the photographers should still make the same amount of money if they have a good business model and/or a good photographer.