Black and White or Color

When I started out as an actor, black and white was the standard. You printed your headshot, stapled your resume to the back, and that was that. Those days are gone. Color is now the industry standard for audition submissions. And casting directors expect it. If you love black and white save it for your online profiles or use it as a thank you card after a callback. It photographs beautifully and stands out in a non-audition context. Just don’t lead with it when you’re trying to get in the room.

Clothing

Go with solid colors. Avoid busy patterns, because they pull the viewer’s eye away from your face, and your face is the whole point. Stay away from solid white and bright red as well; white tends to blow out under studio lighting and red can create color casts on skin. Instead, lean into tones that work with your complexion: browns, light pinks, blues, grays, greens, and in some cases black. Your clothes should support your face, not compete with it. The same goes for jewelry. Leave the statement pieces at home. If someone looks at your headshot and notices your necklace before they notice your eyes, something has gone wrong.

Border or No Border

I’m in the border camp. There’s something that reads as intentional and professional about a clean white border around a print. It frames the image the way a mat frames a photograph on a wall. If you have an agent, the lower border is also a practical place to put their contact information. That said, if you have representation, defer to them on this one. They know what they want on the materials they’re handing out.

Gloss or Matte

Go matte. Full stop. A gloss finish is for family portraits you’re going to frame and hang above the mantle. A headshot is a professional document. Matte reads that way. It also handles better. It doesn’t pick up fingerprints, it sits flat in a stack, and it doesn’t create glare under office lighting when a casting director is flipping through a pile of them.

Posing and Framing

The purpose of the image is to show who you are using your face. Simple as that. Don’t get so close to the camera that you crop the top of your head. Yes, it emphasizes your eyes, but casting wants to see your hair too. They’re picturing you in a role before they’ve met you. Get your shoulders in the frame, but stop there. They can gauge your build well enough from the head and shoulders; you don’t need to give them more than that.

For guys, crossed arms actually work well in a headshot. I know it has a reputation for looking closed off, but in a framed image it reads as confident and gives the photo some structure. For women, I’d recommend something softer. A hand crossing toward the other arm tends to frame nicely without the same energy. And look at the camera. Your eyes should be the first thing anyone sees when they look at the image.

If you have a beard in your photo, show up to the audition with that same beard. Don’t make them wonder if they called in the right person.

Smile or No Smile

This one comes down to how you want to be seen. If you’re going to smile, make it genuine. A forced smile reads immediately, and it will undermine every other thing you’re trying to communicate. If you’re not going to smile, that’s completely valid, but don’t fill the space with a frown or a scowl. Unless that’s a very deliberate creative choice, it tends to limit the types of roles you’ll be called in for. Think of your expression as the first line of your audition. What are you saying before you’ve said anything?

Portrait or Landscape

My default recommendation is portrait orientation, and it has been for a long time. That said, this is one area where the industry is shifting, and I’m seeing more landscape headshots than I used to, particularly for actors with a strong online presence. Before you decide, talk to your photographer about where the images will be posted. For corporate headshots, portrait is almost universally expected. For actors, the honest answer is to look at what working actors in your market are doing, or ask an agent or casting director directly. Whatever you choose, make it a deliberate choice, not an accidental one.

Backdrop

In the studio I use a combination of grey, white, and black backdrops to give clients options. My default recommendation is grey. The backdrop should be invisible, or close to it. The moment a viewer has a thought about what’s behind you, you’ve lost them. Grey sits neutrally behind almost any skin tone and any clothing choice. It doesn’t compete. If someone looks at your headshot and thinks ‘oh, nice grey backdrop,’ that’s still too much. It should just disappear.

Look Unique, Look Natural

Here’s the part no checklist can fully capture. With all these guidelines around clothing, framing, and format, how do you actually stand out? That’s the question, isn’t it? Don’t look at the camera the way you’d look at a DMV lens. Your eyes are the window into your personality, so use them. If you’re the wacky, charismatic guy in every room you walk into, let that come through. If you’re the serious, intense type who gets cast as the detective or the surgeon, commit to that. Just make sure it’s genuinely you and not a character you’re playing for the photo. Casting directors have seen millions of headshots. They can tell.

I know actors are reluctant to get typecast, and I understand that. Everyone wants range. But when you’re starting out, range is a luxury. Pick the version of yourself that is most marketable and lead with it. When you’re famous, you can change things up.

If this is for business purposes, focus on looking professional. This isn’t as much about showing your personality as it is about helping you get hired.

Your Shot Before the Shot: Prep Day

How you show up to the shoot matters more than most people realize. Get a full night of sleep because the camera will notice if you didn’t. Drink water the day before. Avoid anything that makes your face puffy (alcohol, sodium-heavy food, a night out at the dance club). If you’re getting a haircut before the shoot, do it a few days out, not the morning of. Fresh haircuts often look a little too fresh in photos. You want to look like the best version of your everyday self, not like you just came from the salon.

Makeup

For women, I’d always recommend wearing makeup for a headshot session. The key word is natural. It should look like you on a good day walking into an audition, not you getting ready for a night out. Studio lighting is unforgiving, and a little polish goes a long way. Some men also choose to wear makeup for a shoot, and there’s nothing wrong with that. The rule is the same: if you’re wearing it, it should be invisible. Use it to reduce shine or address anything you’d rather not have the camera catch. Don’t use it to look younger or dramatically different. The headshot needs to look like you, because you are eventually going to walk into a room.

Relax

This might be the most important item on the list. If you can’t relax in front of a single photographer in a quiet studio, ask yourself how you’re going to handle an audition room full of people waiting to judge you. The shoot is practice. Treat it that way. A good photographer will help you get there, that’s part of the job, but you have to be willing to let go of whatever is making you stiff. The camera reads tension instantly and mercilessly.

Keep It Current

If you walk into an audition and don’t look like your headshot, you’ve created a problem for yourself before you’ve opened your mouth. A headshot should be updated every couple of years at minimum, and sooner if you change your hair, grow or lose a beard, or do anything else that alters how you present. It’s not a portrait for your wall; it’s a business card, and it needs to be accurate.

The headshot is your first impression. In many cases, it’s the only impression you get before someone decides whether to call you in or not. Treat it with the same seriousness you’d give an audition, because the headshot is what gets you that audition.

The post Advice for Getting a Headshot appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Nighttime photography takes a little more planning and, depending on the weather, a warm coat. But, if done correctly, there is ample opportunity for creativity. Plus, the lack of light means there are fewer people out at night, and those who are out are less likely to accidentally step in front of our camera.

Another creative and fun thing for nighttime photographic work is High Dynamic Range (HDR) Photography. HDR photography involves taking multiple pictures of a scene at different settings and merging them on a computer later.

Equipment

There are specific pieces of equipment that a photographer will need in order to take nighttime photographs such as a decent camera. This is because most cameras are designed to capture images during the day. This means that they’re not set up to take high-quality shots at night. If you want to take better nighttime photos, then you’ll need to invest in a decent camera. And by camera, my recommendation is an actual camera, not a phone that has a camera as well.

If you are using a DSLR camera, when taking the image, the shutter can cause the camera to shake. If your camera has a shutter lock function, use that. New murals camera this is not an issue. In addition, it’s best to shoot in RAW mode so that you can adjust the white balance later on.

A tripod and a cable or remote release for the camera are useful items to have. Since the camera is picking up less light and will require a longer shutter time, it won’t be possible to hold the camera in hand.

If using a tripod, it should be a sturdy one so as not to move and create a blurry image. Since most pictures will involve long shutter times, a stopwatch and notepad are handy for making notes of the time used for each exposure. This is especially important if using film. When using film, the light range that the film picks up varies over time so that, when taking a scene, the reds will come across brighter or more intense than the blues.

If it’s cold at night, a thermos of hot chocolate is also helpful. And, on the warm summer nights, a gin and tonic is a good way to go.

When to take Nighttime Photographs

It doesn’t need to be pitch black outside to take night photographs. Just after the sun has set while the sky is a little blue, is an excellent time to take some photographs. Urban areas and houses can have a surreal effect just after sunset. When taking pictures of people just after sunset, it is possible to still get some of the background in the picture and use a subtle amount of flash to light the subject.

While taking pictures late at night, after it’s fully dark outside, using long shutter speeds will be required. A fun thing to do here is to point the camera at the sky, set the camera to the bulb setting and, using a stopwatch to time it, hold the shutter release for multiple minutes before releasing. When reviewing the images later, it will be possible to see the stars moving.

When taking pictures of motion such as traffic, the long shutter speed will cause the car lights streaming through the image. It’s also fun to hold a flash off the camera and trigger it at different objects. When the flash hits the moving object, it creates a unique freeze effect on the image. Or, take a flashlight and highlight different areas of a subject while holding the camera shutter open. Just be cautious not to do anything that will cause the camera to move, or the image will end up blurry.

Think of photographs of the San Francisco Bridge at night and how fantastic those look. Think about any city street or urban area in any town and what a different feeling that will have, with no people and dreamlike lighting.

It will take some practice and note taking to figure out the right amount of time to hold the shutter open when taking night photographs. Yet, take your time with it and you can create some interesting and beautiful artwork.

The post A Few Night Photography Tips appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Pixels

Any modern digital camera on the market has more megapixels than any average user will ever need. Most digital cameras being sold today, offer over 15-megapixels when the average user can take a high-quality picture with a 10-megapixel camera, and possibly even less. Higher megapixels do not always equal better pictures; it just means more pixels being crammed by reducing the pixel size into the same small sensor. These more pixel cameras also mean more space on a computer and larger files. If the images are of poor quality because of other issues, the megapixel count is irrelevant.

Aperture

The aperture is one item that decides how much light is allowed to reach the sensor. The smaller the number, the wider the aperture, the more light reaches the sensor. When working in low-light situations, where flash is not desired, having a camera with a wide aperture (F1.8, for example) will allow users the ability to take a reasonably high-quality image with no flash needed. When looking at a camera, look to see the aperture range, and if you can set the camera to a manual mode and adjust this yourself. A wide aperture also allows you to play with the depth of field.

See Using the Camera F-Stop for more on how this affects image quality.

Optical Zoom vs. Digital

This is one of the more important things to look for when buying a digital camera. When choosing a point-and-shoot camera, look for optical zoom over digital zoom. Optical zoom uses the lens to zoom in. Digital zoom just enlarges a portion of the image which can reduce the overall image quality.

Color and Image Quality

This can be difficult to measure while at the store. Sometimes it is possible to look at sample images within the store. If doing so, be sure each camera’s sample pictures are printed on the same paper as the paper will affect image quality and color. It is also possible to do an internet search and read reviews and comparisons between cameras with sample images. Some cameras for example do a better job and skin color, while others might be more well suited for nature.

ISO

ISO is used to measure film sensitivity to light for film cameras. With digital images, we think of grain. The lower the ISO the higher quality or less grain is visible, but with a low ISO longer exposure or a wider aperture is needed. The higher the ISO the opposite is required, less exposure and narrower aperture. Most cameras allow users to manually adjust the ISO, but as the ISO goes up, the image will show more grain.

When buying a camera, look at the quality of the image at a high ISO. The higher the ISO, the more noise will appear on an image. Sometimes this might be desired, as it can create a dramatic image. Look at sample images taken at the camera’s maximum ISO to check its noise level. Comparison charts can also be found on many camera review sites with sample images.

Video

Cameras are no longer just cameras, they are also video cameras. Digital cameras now pretty much all come with a movie mode that allows users to take digital videos. When looking for a camera that you also intend to use for taking video check to see what options are available for video formats and if they can be adjusted. The larger the format, the more space taken up on the memory card and some people might not need a high-definition video if just posting something short online. Are you planning to send your vacation video to Netflix? If not, you probably don’t need one that does 8k video.

Usability, like view angles, features etc.

Look for a camera that allows users to manually adjust the settings such as shutter speed and aperture. Will it shoot RAW files, if that is something that you desire. Since most smaller point-and-shoot cameras no longer have a viewfinder, check the viewing angle of the LCD. Also, make sure it’s possible to view the LCD in bright light or other situations where it might be difficult to see what is on the screen. Are you doing videos for YouTube or take a lot of selfies? if so, it might be worth looking at a camera that has a display that can pull out and reversed so you can see yourself. And think about where you will take the camera. Does it need to be compact enough to fit in a pocket? If you plan on carrying it in a bag everywhere, perhaps one with detachable lenses would be a good option. If the plan is to take it everywhere in a pocket, then think compact and durable.

A final thing to look consider is if it has a viewfinder. Most compact digital cameras have an LCD on the back to view the image being taken, however, this might be an issue in bright light or outdoors where having a small viewfinder will be a better option.

In Summary

Buying a digital point-and-shoot camera is like any other purchase. You should think about what you intend to use it for and look for features that you can’t get on the phone in your pocket.

The post Advice When Buying a Digital Point-and-Shoot Camera appeared first on D Studios Photography.

The f-stop is a camera setting that adjusts the size of the camera’s aperture, which has an effect on two things. The first is that by adjusting the f-stop, photographers can increase or decrease the amount of light reaching the sensor or film. The second is that adjusting the f-stop will increase or decrease the depth of field.

The Light

Besides the shutter speed, it is also possible to use the camera’s aperture to decide how much light reaches the camera sensor or film. To increase the size of the aperture, the f-stop needs to be decreased in size by setting it to a lower number. Likewise, to decrease the aperture, the f-stop needs to be increased by selecting a higher number. For example, a camera set at f/2.4 will be allowing more light through the aperture, while a camera lens set at f/22 will allow a much smaller amount of light through. This is where you might hear a term called a “fast lens.” What a fast lens means is a higher quality lens that will widen the aperture to f1.8 or 1.4. these lenses are generally higher quality and more costly, yet offer a nice narrow depth of field.

Depth of Field

Besides affecting the amount of light to reach the sensor, adjusting the f-stop will increase or decrease the depth of field. The depth of field is the range of distances over which a camera gives quality definition when its lens is in the best focus for a specific distance. In essence, the depth of field is an area within the image that is in focus.

Setting the f-stop to a wide setting such as f/1.4 allows the photographer to have more control over the area that will be in focus for viewers of the image later on. But if photographing large groups or cityscapes, where a user wants the whole scene to be visible, an f/22 might be the right selection.

In Summary

Adjusting the f-stop can seem counter-intuitive at times, as the smaller number equals more light reaching the sensor or film and the larger number equals less light. But by using the camera’s built-in light sensor, and remembering the settings and how they work, setting the f-stop is one more item a photographer can use to have more control over the mood of the image.

When shopping for a new camera, or a camera lens, take some time to look at the f-stop. What is the widest and narrowest setting the camera offers? Most consumers tend to look at the megapixel count, but all modern cameras come with more than enough megapixels for the average consumer. Instead of looking at megapixels for a camera, take some time to focus on lens quality and the range allowed with the f-stop.

The post Using the Camera F-Stop appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Personality

The wedding photographer will most likely be around the bride and groom more than any other person on the wedding day. It is important that the photographer has a personality that they enjoy being around.

Some photographers are casual and laid back about everything while some are a little more controlling at running the show. The casual laid back photographer is most likely not going to get in the way much and is going to capture the candid shots that everyone loves. The more controlling photographer is going to be able to get people where they need to be and set up some perfect shots for the fireplace mantle.

Most photographers probably fall somewhere in-between the two. There are also other personality types such as the overly friendly person vs. the quiet person. No one personality is better than another: it’s all up to the bride and groom to decide who they want to spend the day with.
Some studios will hire other photographers to work for them. When having the consultation with the studio, identify if that person will be photographing the wedding or someone else, and ask to meet the person who will be there on the wedding day.

Albums, Prints, and Disks

If buying the optional book or album, check the quality ahead of time. Will people be able to flip through it years later? Will it hold together? Does the photographer do a good job of using the album to tell a story of the wedding day? These are all things one should consider before making a purchase.

If photographic prints are provided, what type of paper and inks are used? Does the photographer do the prints or do they send them to a quality lab? If a disk or flash drive is provided, what is on the disk or flash drive? For example, do they provide high-resolution JPG files that the clients can use to make prints later? Or are they low resolution, which will only work on websites but won’t create a quality print?

There is nothing wrong with the photographer limiting what is in the initial package and charging more for extras like a full resolution disk or additional prints. Just make sure to ask questions, understand the order, and that everything is documented in the contract.

Examples

Photographers are only going to show people their best work. Since most photographers do online galleries, ask to get a link to a couple of other client galleries. Look through and see what the overall work looks like. This has an additional benefit of setting the client’s expectations realistically, because not all photographs taken will look like they belong on the cover of a bride magazine.

Style

Any good photographer is going to do a combination of “candid” and “formal” pictures. And it’s important to have both. Are the formal shots posed in a way that the client will be happy with? Do the candids look natural and memorable? The style of the photographer should match the mood of what the bride and groom imagine for their wedding memories.

Thanks to Photoshop and ever-changing technology, will the pictures be cool-looking now, but dated later? Think glam shots from the 80’s. Also, are the images consistent? Does the photographer use a lot of soft or hard lighting, high contrast or low, and identify what the breakdown between black and white and color images is?

Price

Setting a realistic budget for a photographer is important. Once that budget has been established, make sure to understand what is being provided by the photographer for that price, including the cost of any extras. Examples of extras include: extra time, additional prints or disks, albums, and more.

Photographers don’t just charge for a product, they charge for time, and that needs to be taken into consideration when hiring a professional. Processing pictures and creating albums are all time put in after the wedding day. The final product should reflect the time put into it by the photographer.

References

Popular sites like frugalbride.com will tell people to get references but, for the most part, references are a waste of time. Photographers aren’t going to provide a reference to someone dissatisfied with their service. They are only going to provide happy clients as references. And if they don’t have happy clients, they could provide friends or family pretending to be happy clients. There is no way to verify who the person is providing the reference is and how accurate it is, so why bother wasting time? Instead look to see if they have received any online review. If they have a facebook profile for example, you can check reviews left for them. The same with Google and Yelp.

Number of Pictures

With digital technology, the number of photographs taken at a wedding are too numerous to use. What is important is the quality of the pictures received. A photographer can take a thousand images at a wedding, but if only 10 of them are any good, it’s a waste.

Experience

Try to avoid finding someone who just bought a digital camera and is looking to make a few bucks on the side. Yes, this will cut down on the overall budget of the wedding, but the quality of the product and quality of the service will most likely reflect as such. Everyone has to start somewhere and gain experience. But for photographers, this can be done via classes and as an assistant for other photographers. It doesn’t have to be at your wedding, so make sure to have experienced people.

There is a lot of stress on a wedding day for everyone involved, and it is important to have someone taking the pictures who has worked with other photographers and knows how to deal with situations as they arise. It’s also important not to have someone who is trying to figure out how the flash works after lining up the guests for formal pictures. By having an experienced photographer, there is one less thing for the bride and groom to worry about.

Low-Quality Equipment

Nowadays most everyone uses digital equipment. And DSLR cameras can be cheaply purchased, but there is a difference between a Canon Rebel and a Canon 5D, or a Nikon D90 and Nikon D3. There is a reason one costs in the hundreds and the others in the thousands. There is more to a camera than just megapixels, and there is a huge difference between a $200 hundred dollar lens and a $2,000 dollar lens.

The backup camera can be a lower-end camera, but the primary camera and lenses should be of higher quality. Don’t be afraid to do some research on equipment for verification.
Some photographers can get fantastic shots with some pretty low-end equipment, and some use it as a style choice for the results it provides. But, quite often the photographers who are charging a reasonable price will take some of that revenue and invest it in quality equipment.

Professionalism

A photographer is someone that arrives before the wedding begins, spends the day interacting with just about everyone who attends, and will usually stay until the end of the night. It is important that that person be professional, courteous, and blends in appropriately with the guests. If the photographer is disorganized or has a bad attitude, they should probably be avoided.

There are photographers who will show up in a Hawaiian shirt and jeans, and that works for them as it is who they are and how they want to present themselves. Others will show up in black slacks and a black shirt, in an attempt to blend in as best as possible. It is up to the bride and groom to decide on how they want the photographer to present themselves. If they want a photographer in a suit or specific wardrobe, they should make sure to clarify it in advance. It doesn’t need to be in the contract but should be discussed.

To Summarize

There is a reason a professional photographer’s album looks better than one an average person might create using an at-home template. There is also a reason a professional’s picture looks better than an amateur with a newly purchased digital camera. Even so, it is important to balance quality with the cost of service because, at the end of the day, the cake will be eaten, the flowers will rot, and the memories will fade, but the photographs will last a lifetime.

With so many wedding photographers to choose from, there is no reason to settle on a photographer that isn’t going to be exactly what is wanted. Sometimes personalities match, and sometimes they don’t: there is nothing wrong with acknowledging it. A photographer shouldn’t take it offensively if a client chooses not to book them. But they might ask why. If they do, be honest and be polite. If they are any good, they will take that feedback and use it as an opportunity for improvement.

The post Advice For Choosing a Wedding Photographer appeared first on D Studios Photography.

If you want to be a photographer either as a full-time career, part-time or as a hobby, here are some tips to help you along that path from someone who has been down it.

Get a Proper Camera

Yes, you can take great pictures with an iPhone. But real photographers use real equipment. Have you ever been to a wedding with a professional photographer and watched them using a phone or a point-and-shoot camera? Me neither. If you want to be a professional photographer, set down the iPad and get a decent DSLR or a mirror-less camera. The key is to get something that you can change the settings manually on and also allows for swapping out lenses.

Know Your Camera

Now that you have a real camera you need to know how to use it. Know what an f-stop is and how to set it manually and how to adjust shutter speed quickly. In essence, turn off all the auto features and learn to set them yourself, including the focus. I’ve spoken with quite a few people over the years who say they have a nice camera, yet they never turn off the auto functions. What is the point of having a camera that you can use manually if you are not going to use the manual settings? You might as well use a phone if you are not going to learn how to set the camera manually. Camera settings and menus vary from camera to camera, but typically all the information appears on the display of the camera so know what it is telling you.

Megapixels Don’t Matter Anymore

As digital cameras have advanced, so has the megapixel count. The general rule of thumb is the more, the better, although this isn’t necessarily true as clarity can be affected in a smaller camera with a large megapixel count. As the sensor size increases, its ability to accept and work with a larger pixel count increases. Most cameras use a smaller sensor and cramming more megapixels on that little sensor doesn’t necessarily make a better picture. In our modern world, the amount of pixels on your camera’s sensor greatly exceeds the need for the Facebook gallery you are most likely to load the picture into. Look at color, contrast, low light functionality when looking for a good camera.

It’s All About Light

Photography is capturing the light. In the beginning, the arrangement for making imagines was via a box with a hole in it, allowing light to pass through it. Enlarging the hole will increase brightness and let in more light. Simple enough. The change to digital has been the most significant change to photography since the shift from black and white to color. With digital, the film has been replaced by an electronic sensor. Instead of processing the film and creating prints in a darkroom, the camera can now be connected to a computer, and images can be edited and adjusted electronically and printed via a desktop printer. Even though the camera has changed over the years, as has the printing process, one thing remains the same: light reflects off an object, making the object visible to our eye and the camera. The way that light reflects off the object impacts how it looks, so learn to use the light to take the best photograph possible.

Learn and Study the Work of Others

Writers read other writers, doctors learn from other doctors, and photographers should check out other photographer’s work and see what they are doing. Don’t copy, but study and learn. Take classes and workshops. Get as much hands-on experience as possible. Reading articles like this are helpful but no comparison to having actual hands-on experience with a knowledgeable teacher. If you see a picture you like, go out and try to recreate it. Don’t then go and try to sell it, but use it as a learning opportunity to identify how that picture was created. The more you learn from others, the more you will be able to determine what it is in your own work that you like and develop your style.

Software Does Not Make You a Photographer

Spending a lot of time in front of your computer processing pictures or running them through Instagram doesn’t make you a photographer. What makes you a better photographer is knowing how to manually manipulate your equipment, and most importantly getting out and shooting while trying new stuff to see what happens.

My recommendation is to go out and take pictures as if you don’t have Photoshop or other processing software at home. Take the pictures as if the image in the camera is the final product. You will spend more time making sure it is the best it can be there and not “fix it in post.”

And Finally

Get out and shoot. Practice makes perfect, and like the 10-thousand-hour rule says, you need to be practicing your craft in order to be better at it. Be sure when practicing to challenge yourself. Try taking pictures only using one lens, or from only one specific angle. If you don’t have a film camera, pretend you do. Go out and say that you only have 36 pictures you can take and limit yourself to that. This will force you to look at each image before just picking up the camera, clicking it a few hundred times, then picking the best one later.

The post So, You Want to Be A Photographer appeared first on D Studios Photography.

First a wedding. My cheapest wedding package is €900 for 8 hours of coverage. And to be clear, that is very cheap in comparison to a lot of wedding photographers. But yes, it will cost more than your cousin or that random person you found on craigslist.

€900/8 = €112.50 per hour.

A decent amount per hour, you might be thinking. But, for an eight-hour wedding, plan an additional 20 hours processing images, creating albums and books, client meetings etc.

€900/28 = €32.14 per hour.

€32.00 an hour is still not too bad, right? Absolutely, assuming I’m shooting weddings each weekend or even a minimum of one a week. Like other artists such as musicians who give lessons we need to stretch it out.

When your newborn child is added to the family you will most likely take thousands of pictures on your phone that will often stay on your phone. But how lovely would it be to have a photograph sitting on the mantle or hanging on the wall that isn’t washed out with direct flash, properly color corrected, and has the whole family in it since one of the family members isn’t holding the phone?

One of the things to think about when planning your wedding is what is going to be there 20, 30, or 40 years from now. The flowers that you spend thousands on will have wilted. The cake will have been eaten. And the odds on your daughter wearing that dress at her wedding are pretty slim. What you have left is each other, the wedding rings, and the pictures.

Most artist of any type don’t make a lot of money, and we would respond that we don’t do it for the money. If we lived in a world where money didn’t matter I would probably still be a photographer because it is a wonderful experience to be involved in contributing to people’s positive memories. So please, when it comes to photography, support an artist and hire a professional.

Note: Prices listed are as of the time of the writing of this blog post. Prices might have changed since then.

The post Why Support Photographers? appeared first on D Studios Photography.

Professionalism

The wedding photographer will most likely be around the bride and groom more than any other person on the wedding day. It is important that the photographer has a personality that they enjoy being around.

Some photographers are casual and laid back about everything while some are a little more controlling at running the show. The casual laid back photographer is most likely not going to get in the way much and is going to capture the candid shots that everyone loves. The more controlling photographer is going to be able to get people where they need to be and set up some perfect shots for the fireplace mantle.

Most photographers probably fall somewhere in-between the two. There are also other personality types such as the overly friendly person vs. the quiet person. No one personality is better than another: it’s all up to the bride and groom to decide who they want to spend the day with. Also some studios will hire other photographers to work for them. When having the consultation with the studio, identify if that person will be photographing the wedding or someone else, and ask to meet the person who will be there on the wedding day.

Albums

If buying the optional book or album, check the quality ahead of time. Will people be able to flip through it years later? Will it hold together? Does the photographer do a good job of using the album to tell a story of the wedding day? These are all things one should consider before making a purchase.

If photographic prints are provided, what type of paper and inks are used? Does the photographer do the prints or do they send them to a quality lab? If a disk or flash drive is provided, what is on the disk or flash drive? For example, do they provide high-resolution JPG files that the clients can use to make prints later? Or are they low resolution, which will only work on websites but won’t create a quality print?

There is nothing wrong with the photographer limiting what is in the initial package and charging more for extras like a full resolution disk or additional prints. Just make sure to ask questions, understand the order, and that everything is documented in the contract.

Sample Work

Photographers are only going to show people their best work. Since most photographers do online galleries, ask to get a link to a couple of other client galleries. Look through and see what the overall portfolio looks like. This has an additional benefit of setting your expectations as well. Realistically, not all photographs taken will look like they belong on the cover of a bride magazine.

Style

Most photographers to do a combination of “candid” and “formal” pictures. Are the formal shots posed in a way that you will be happy with? Do the candids look natural and memorable? The style of the photographer should match the mood of what you imagine for your wedding memories.

Thanks to Photoshop and ever-changing technology, will the pictures be cool-looking now, but dated later? Think glam shots from the 80’s. Or perhaps the current trend of over-sharpening peoples eyes.

Price

It’s important to set a realistic budget for a photographer. Once that budget has been set, make sure to understand what is being provided by the photographer for that price, including the cost of any extras. Examples of extras include: extra time, additional prints or disks/flash drive, albums, and more.

Photographers don’t just charge for a product, they charge for time, and that needs to be taken into consideration by you when hiring a professional. Processing pictures and creating albums are all time put in after the wedding day.

References

Popular wedding sites will often tell people to get references but, for the most part, I don’t see the value in them. Photographers aren’t going to provide a reference to someone who is dissatisfied with their service. There is no way to verify who the person providing the reference is and how true it is, so why bother wasting time?

Number of pictures

With digital technology the number of photographs taken at a wedding are too numerous to use. What is really important is the quality of the photographs received. A photographer can take a thousand images at a wedding, but if only 10 of them are any good, it’s kind of a waste.

No Experience

Try to avoid finding someone who just bought a digital camera and is looking to make a little money on the side. Yes, this will cut down on the overall budget of the wedding, but the quality of the product and quality of the service will most likely reflect as such. Everyone has to start somewhere and gain experience. But for photographers, this can be done via classes and as an assistant for other photographers. It doesn’t have to be at your wedding. There is a lot of stress on a wedding day for everyone involved, and it is important to have someone taking the pictures who has worked with other photographers and knows how to deal with situations as they arise. By having an experienced photographer, there is one less thing for the bride and groom to worry about.

Now, having said that, a person doesn’t get good without practice, so if you decide to take a shot with a new photographer looking to get some work for their profile, just be sure to pay them appropriately, which in some cases might not be at all. However, also be aware of what you might get in return. So, if they are not the most beautiful wedding pictures ever, you got what you paid for.

To Summarize

There is a reason a professional photographer’s album looks better than one an average person might create using an at-home template. There is also a reason a professional’s picture looks better than an amateur with a newly purchased digital camera. Even so, it is important to balance quality with the cost of service because, at the end of the day, the cake will be eaten, the flowers will rot, and the memories will fade, but the photographs will last a lifetime.

With so many wedding photographers to choose from, there is no reason to settle on a photographer that isn’t going to be exactly what is wanted. Sometimes personalities match, and sometimes they don’t: there is nothing wrong with acknowledging it. A photographer shouldn’t take it offensively if a client chooses not to book them. But they might ask why. If they do, be honest and be polite. If they are any good, they will take that feedback and use it as an opportunity for improvement.

The post What Are Some Tips For Choosing a Wedding Photographer? appeared first on D Studios Photography.