Thursday 4 August 2011

Time to return to Black and White FILM Weddings.

A couple of friends have mentioned the return to Film and especially Black and White FILM for weddings. What do you think? I still have a darkroom!
Check out this beautiful video on Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/embed/98FZ8C6HneE

Sunday 19 September 2010

Free advice about choosing the right Wedding Photographers

Free advice about choosing the right Wedding Photographers
After months of planning and anxiously waiting for one of the most important days of your life, your wedding day finally arrives and proves to be a big success. From the time you wake up till the last of your guests leaves the reception hall, you think of the day's events while every pleasant moment is still fresh in your mind and brings a smile to your face. But these moments will not all be remembered forever. That is why one of the most important aspects of planning your wedding is locating a professional Wedding Photography studio to capture the essence of your wedding day.
Wedding Photographers have the training and experience required to create unforgettable images and preserve the memories of your wedding day. Wedding Photography is not limited to the ceremony and reception, but often includes informal engagement pictures, rehearsal dinner, getting ready at home, pre-ceremony preparations at ceremony site, pre-ceremony portraits, ceremony pictures, formal groupings after the ceremony, and of course reception activities and informal groupings of families and guests.
Selecting the right wedding photographer is a very important factor in ensuring that your wedding will run smoothly and pleasantly. You should start looking for a photographer as soon as you set the wedding date and selected a wedding site, or 6-12 months in advance. But how do you know which photographer to choose? What's right for one couple may not necessarily be the best option for another. When speaking with different photographers, whether you were referred to them by a friend or found them on the Internet, the most important thing is to feel comfortable with him or her.
Wedding Photography is not limited to a single session but is a process that is conducted throughout the day. The photographer you choose should be someone whom you can trust and rely on as well as enjoy his or her company. When looking at photographers' portfolios for sample work, ask to look for whole wedding albums, from beginning to end- these are much more accurate representations of a photographer's work than are collection of highlights from different weddings the photographer has put together himself. Pay close attention to the photographer's style and communication skills, and your response to the work. Does the photographer have the alertness to capture natural spontaneous images? Does he or she have the creative eye to compose successful formal portraits?
Once you have selected a photographer, you can discuss prices, deposits, packages, quantity of pictures and any other details that must be decided on before your wedding day. Most Wedding Photography studios offer a number of packages to work within your budget. Prices range from $950 to over $10,000, depending on the size of the event, the day on which it is held and so forth. Expect better photographers to charge the higher rates. If you are on a limited budget, it is even more imperative that you make wise choices to get the best value for your investment. Different packages offer different number of hours, images, and a certain number of final pictures in an album. Decide on color photographs as well as black and white pictures and photos that have been touched up by hand-coloring. Inquire about the prices of proofs, as some photographers will include them in the package and others sell them separately. Go over your wedding day schedule with the photographer to make certain that everything runs smoothly and there are no confusions that can cause avoidable distress.
After the wedding, you should receive proofs from your wedding photographer from which you will choose your favorite images to be developed and enlarged, and compile wedding albums for you and your parents. Additional copies that you may want in the future can be purchased from your photographer who should keep your negatives on file for a specified number of years.
Wedding photography is both an art and a science, requiring someone with the proper equipment and the right skills, plus the demeanor to be effective and creative under pressure. Your wedding photographer will capture the magical moments of your wedding day and create unforgettable images that will be treasured for years to come.

Monday 21 September 2009

Trash the Dress


OK, I have seen the sites, heard the rumors and yes.. even dreamt about this shoot.

My first real Trash the Dress was a complete blast... we had so much fun. Carmen, the now Mrs. Doucette was so beautiful, playful and excited. She was a wedding photographers dream. Medieval sword, red velvet hooded cape classic looks of Queen Elizabeth the first (Thick curly red hair) and she was willing to do anything!

After traipsing around the windswept hills and cliffs of Signal Hill we went climbing trees and then floating amongst the reeds of Kent's Pond. The swans weren't due to any brilliance by me, they just came over to have a look.

Monday 1 June 2009

Robert's rant about bad photographers.

OK.. so your friends tell you "You have a great Eye", you post your favorites to flicker, strangers say "cool photo man..." your Dad hires you to photograph the company picnic, your Mom lets you hang a paper background in the laundry room....
NO! NO! NO! you are not a professional photographer.. DON'T print up a wedding photography price list. You Will Get Sued! Not by the Photography Police, but by the distraught bride when she finds out that you don't know how to photograph such simple things as the Bride and her new Husband IN THE CHURCH! 
That's right, this is the first of June and already two couples have brought their desperately inadequate Wedding Photos into my staff to perform "Photo Rescue". One couple tried to save money by hiring a "new, funky, up-and-coming" photographer with a dramatic wedding photography web site and a $600.00 fee. She claimed to shoot in a journalistic style with creative lighting. Well this really translates into: she was actually shooting with a $700.00 Canon Rebel using the kit lens and the pop up flash built into the camera, she had no experience organizing or posing large groups of people and her entire experience with weddings involved being a brides maid in a wedding that took place on a sail boat. We were able to piece together an adequate wedding album by combining photos shot by four of the guests and photos taken by the Brides mother. The paid photographer didn't take any photos in the church (thinking that she would just be in the way), and all other interior photos had terrible shadows because the photographer didn't know how to shoot inside.
To be honest, there was one lovely whimsical photo of the Bride and Groom running through long grass with the setting sun beautifully back lighting them. (and that photo is on her web site) There was no appropriate photo for hanging on the wall with the Bride and Groom full length,with flowers and with the Groom's coat on. We had to make one from Photoshopping three other photos together.
In the end, The Brides father paid my company $980.00 to fix 11 photos so that his daughter could have a decent wedding album.
A Professional Wedding Photographer MUST have:
A professional camera, a back-up professional camera, High Quality Professional Lenses (Not the plastic kit lenses that come with amature cameras), Professional portable and studio lighting along with reflectors, umbrellas and tripods.  A PROFESSIONAL wedding photographer must have at least 25 weddings under their belt as an assistant and then be able to demonstrate that they have the photographic skills to achieve any photo in any situation. They must be good communicators and be able to organize large groups of guests and all the time keep everyone motivated and happy.
In this day-and-age, everyone owns a digital camera. These cameras have auto exposure, auto focus, auto colour balance and auto scene settings. Just because someone owns a camera and can take some nice pictures doesn't mean that they qualify to be a Professional Wedding Photographer.

Tuesday 12 May 2009

Our Promo Banner from 2007

Click on image to see it bigger and go to our web site for wedding prices and hundreds of samples in the gallery: www.CelebrityPhotoStudio.com

I love the layout of this album page!


I did the photos, but the album layout is by Dana in my office.
Thanks Dana, you always make it look so easy.
What do you all think? leave a coment.