In our industry where wedding photography is over 80% of our business we see people jump into the industry often assuming it is an easy way to make money. We see them or others who have previously entered the industry jump out just as often and as quickly after reality sets in. The reasons for a failing business are varied, but often include lack of experience, lack of investment in continued education, understanding business overall, setting prices, sustainable business models and the clients themselves!
But let’s assume you are past all the things we mentioned, what KEEPS you in this business? Certainly being profitable is key, but what if you do understand business, you are investing in your continued education, you belong to organizations such as The Professional Photographers of America www.ppa.com so you are bringing fresh approaches ideas and products to your clients consistently but still, what MAKES you stay?
We think it is this; The Perfect Client. The Lifetime Photography Client. To understand who that client is they will need to meet certain criteria…do they love your work? Do they recommend you by word of mouth? Have you signed at least 3 weddings based on their referrals alone? Have you been invited over and actually know they way to their house? Yes, we realize approaches and HOW you have a relationship with a client is different for each and every one of us, but for us, The Perfect Client, The Lifetime Photography Client is a client who does all of these things we mentioned before, but also has you shooting the various stages of their life. Engagement Sessions , The Wedding Photography. The maternity sessions and finally newborn and family sessions. Yes they are bringing you business, but it is more. For us, it is about the relationship and the journey with them, The Perfect Client, The Lifetime Photography Client than it is about the business.
When we seek success as professional photographers, one of the best ways to ensure it is to develop a relationship first. Our photography skills and vision will vary from person to person and with where we are individually in our development, but when people realize you genuinely care for them, that the secret ingredient you have to offer is yourself and love, you make yourself available for The Lifetime Photography Client. The Perfect Client!
We are a studio that stresses the living, breathing moment captured. We absolutely love the small back stories captured that truly show a wedding day like no other. While that is still our bread and butter we are asked more and more frequently for Family Wedding Photography. In other words, some formalized family wedding photos that may often include children of various ages..
The discussion usually goes something like this “Well, we want to include our children in the wedding photos, so we want Family Wedding Photography, but we don’t want to look stiff or look like we are being posed un-naturally which is something we would never do…do you guys do that?”
Yes we do!
The key for us in obtaining great family wedding photography is the relationship. We need to know you to shoot the images that will truly be “you”! We spend time speaking with you to understand your story. We then work with you to select a location that offers a backdrop that you will love , while also giving your family a feeling of familiarity and comfort.
Time is spent in just getting to know you as well as you getting to be comfortable and open with us.
We then suggest and introduce moments of your family at ease, in interaction with each other and allow your true selves to show through…backing off and letting you be you provides some of the best ways to get images that sing of your love for each other and, as Tamera and I like to say, show your soul! Keeping the kids involved gets them to know they are part of the creative process.
Family Wedding Photography can be dynamic, fun and offer an opportunity to create the very first family heirloom, an album of a day, truly, like no other!
While images from this particular wedding were shot on a separate day , it pays to understand the process of getting great family wedding photography!
1) Always, always, ALWAYS prepare a set shot list for family and friends. Ensure you go over this with your photographer so you both can be confident a doable list has been created and there is appropriate time in the timeline for the family wedding photography.
2) Give the lists to your coordinator as well as a member of each side of the family who may have no other job in the wedding but who knows all the family members. These folks will be the “herders” so to speak. They keep people nearby and available and do the call outs for the assembled images. This will speed your block of time for your family and friends shot list and open up more time for just the two of you or just the family. In many locations throughout the southeast your block of time at a venue may be 4 hours. Knowing how to handle that time to allow coverage for everything and everyone will lessen stress and offer more time to just enjoy your day!
Whether seeking Family Wedding Photography, or an intimate bride and groom only session the keys remain the same, a location you feel at home in, a great relationship with your photographers and a willingness to just be yourselves and let your love shine through! If you follow these guidelines you have a great chance of seeing images that “show your soul”!
This past week during a consultation our now clients asked a great question; “Wedding Photography is so important, how can I be sure we get what we want”?
Our answer to them was that great Marietta wedding photography is a lot like following a good recipe, you can put all the ingredients in place, in the correct order, in your environment and while it will not guarantee “Chef” results, you are much further along than you would be if you simply took a shot in the dark or, God forbid, or just guessed!
For great Marietta wedding photography you simply have to follow a few guidelines or, in this case, a good recipe…
1) To start, visit the Professional Photographers of America. You can find them at www.ppa.com. This is the, in our opinion, single best place to start to look for professional photography.
Once at the site you will see search for a photographer. Using the advanced search let’s you break the search down further into the various types of photography, wedding, portrait, maternity etc…We would also make the recommendation that you check the show only certified professional photographers. This further filters the returns to see those ONLY who have passed the rigorous test , maintain educational credits etc to become full Certified Professional Photographers.
2) Have a vision for your Marietta wedding photography?. You should already have an idea about how the various photographers shoot and what speaks to your emotions . Various Marietta wedding photographers will have a unique perspective , view and style that they will use to document your day. Some may be very hands off and wanting to capture the majority of your day as it unfolds without directing it too much or involving themselves too deeply in the focus of the day. If you do not have a vision or are pulled between different looks, the best thing you can do is to craft this with your Marietta wedding photographer to bring your unique vision to life.
3) The chemistry counts. How do you get along with your Marietta wedding photographers? How do you like the person , their demeanor, their style, how they see the wedding unfold, what they emphasize and last but not least, how are their people skills? If your party is very laid back a wedding photographer who is much more directorial may clash with the idea you have for the day…Likewise someone very hands off with a rowdy crowd that disperses quickly may need some direction and managing…
4) Along with the above points, how much trust do you have in your Marietta wedding photographers? Is that relationship sound and you both know what is important and what you want captured? Did you take the approach that your faith is such in your Marietta wedding photographers that you know you will love what they capture..?
5) Take it all in. A good Marietta Wedding Photographer will often do many tasks and jobs outside their original scope. If you have taken care of points 1 through 4 you just may have some folks as committed to your successful Marietta Wedding Photography as you are…and if you are looking to be sure like our most recent clients…these 5 suggestions just may get you the Marietta Wedding Photography you love!
2nd Marriage Wedding ideas
Your getting married….
Maybe it’s not your first…
What you need is 2nd Marriage Wedding Ideas
Everything is fabulous…He or she is the love of your life…
Yet often people who find themselves planning a 2nd marriage have a tendency to believe they somehow need to do, spend, dream and have less!
If you are fortunate enough to have gotten it right and you really are with your one true and only…stop thinking your wedding deserves less !!!
We once had a couple come in for a consultation…all the groom kept repeating was “it wasn’t his first rodeo”…and it happened pretty much every time we discussed packages and cost….at one point his bride turned to him and said…”this may not be your first rodeo…but if you keep saying that you won’t survive the ride”!
Should you think about 2nd wedding photography?
Do you need 2nd wedding photography?
The point being after we did the wedding the groom was a total convert…he believed what we did was art…and later said how much it meant to him that his bride was captured so beautifully and in such tender moments…
You don’t deserve less because you are not in your 20’s anymore, or because it is not your first wedding…so here is an idea…
Why not celebrate and give your wedding , and that love of your life, the attention and value it deserves…
Of course every couple will not put an emphasis on their photography, but there is zero reason to not value it because “it isn’t your first rodeo”..
We believe love is timeless…it shows up whether you are in your teens, your 20’s, your 50’s or your 80’s…and how you approach and shoot it is not that different than any other wedding…make people comfortable…craft friendships with trust….put people in situations where the “real me” will show up…as well as the “real relationship” between them…in short…see your soul….
Do you need 2nd wedding photography?
The answer is a resounding YES!
Once your engaged and the wedding plans start to form, one of the first vendors you will be looking to secure is your wedding photographer. As you start to look into packages and cost for your Jasper Georgia wedding photography you will be faced with the choice..do I need an engagement session?
Choosing to have your Jasper or Marietta Georgia wedding photographer shoot an engagement session with you does several things…
1) Images for your Save the Date Cards, for newsprint , on-line notices and for display at your reception. Like your wedding photography, your engagement session should supply you with images that are among the very first family heirlooms. These images should be diverse, offer various “looks” and include edited files and direct copies of select images as both B&W as well as color. We love to include some beautiful textures in some of our select images as well.
2) Practice. This is a great example for you to get an opportunity to see and feel your photographer at work. Are you at ease? Is your session laid back? Do you have not only confidence but trust in your photographer? While the engagement session is not a exact duplicate to your Jasper Georgia wedding day photography, it can go a long way towards making sure you have an idea of what to expect from your Jasper Georgia Wedding Photographer as well as how your Wedding Photographer will choose to shoot you, which leads us to…
3) So How do I Look? Once your session is done you will now get an opportunity to see yourself through your photographers len’s. While the experienced certified professional Georgia wedding photographer will choose angles and lighting to show you at your best, it is still a great time to review with your photographer the angles or images that you not only love, but that you do not care for. This helps to “dial in” the Jasper or Marietta Georgia Wedding Photographer so the art that is being produced just for you is as good as it can be. Never doubt for a moment that in getting great engagement images or awesome wedding day photography, that it is a collaborative effort.
As we get into the spring of 2015, we notice that a few trends seem to be emerging. We are excited to list them here for you, the prospective bride.
They are:
1) BE TRUE. This is more than just ensuring your vision matches who you are and what you believe, but making sure as you plan your wedding you are honest with yourself about what your priorities are. Everyone, for the most part, has a budget to work with. Starting with your priorities about where you want your money to work and be allocated. This leads to so many other good things like…
2) BOOK AND PLAN AHEAD. It may seem like you have forever if your planning a wedding and you have a year, nine or six months to go…but the facts are this..there are only so many weekends in the year and venues, vendors and guests will all need to be aligned to one specific date. For example we have seen one well known bridal magazine talk about a timeline of booking your photographer 6 months out!!! NOTHING could be worse advice. The good in this industry do much business by word of mouth and nothing is as disheartening as to have selected a vendor you are excited to have bring their vision to your wedding, only to find out they are booked. GOOD ENOUGH IS THE ENEMY HERE! Plan ahead and do so as early as possible. The extended time can also be helpful when paying for larger services such as the venue or wedding photography.
3) THINK TIMELESS. We see a decided shift to couples wanting two things in their wedding photography specifically, great storytelling (also known as photojournalism) and a talent to pose and direct clients to look their best. This is a pushback against the trend where couples wanted moments and assumed they could hire anyone with a camera and get them by shooting a large quantity of images. The skill-set that made for great photography in the days of film are still true today, timing, understanding light and a knowledge of angles as it applies to making your clients look great. The same can be said of décor and themes. Couples are now viewing their wedding in less of a lens of trends, and more in a perspective of their own uniqueness and timelessness.
4) PLAN LOGISTICS AND A BACKUP PLAN. Many couples now enjoy so many great venues where being outside in North Georgia for a wedding is ideal…but weather does not always cooperate, so spending time on a detailed backup plan will help so much to feel confident that should the backup plan need to be enforced, everyone knows their roles and responsibilities. This is also an excellent reminder to discuss with your wedding photographer their backup plan!
5) FAITH, ZEN AND THE ART OF LETTING GO! Once you have planned and paid for a life event like your wedding, it is time to practice that faith and let go! Management on the day of needs to be left to others, and it goes without saying all of this , the planning, the paying, the décor, the photography, the eating , the visiting with your guests will be difficult to enjoy and savor every moment if your worried about enough appetizers to go around! The art of letting go will have you enjoying a day, truly like no other!
1) Your Wedding, it could be a dream you have had since you were young, but to make that dream wedding come true you will need to outline and plan like never before!
One of the very first things to get booked likely will be the venue. Here is where your personal taste will factor in with your administrative and planning side. You will want a venue that supports the theme and vision you have for your wedding. One of the premier venues in the southeast is located right in North Georgia. The Historic Tate House stands out as unique among venues with a beautiful north Georgia background, an elegant and historical marble mansion and a staff that is among the best of the best..
You can visit them HERE:
http://www.tatehouse.com
2) Keep it personal. This is where you will utilize your personal taste. We see so many brides with such huge hearts that they are often making decision to please everyone else but the truth is this; if ever there was a day that is YOUR DAY, this is it! The people who love you will be happy to see YOU happy! Keep the main focus of your personal taste to make you both happy and with consideration for your guests and you will likely make everyone happy, not to mention creating a one-of-a-kind and memorable event that all your friends and family will remember for a lifetime!
3) Food counts! When considering your venue you will be faced with an opportunity to choose outside catering specific type vendors or those that are venue recommended or dedicated and private to the wedding venue. Taste testing and crafting your budget will be the keys here to nail down the food experience you want your guest to have.
4) Entertainment. Whether you choose a DJ or a band, make sure you can meet with them personally to ensure the background and ambiance of your event is presented and carried out as you desire. Often couples moving into the wedding planning stages can make the mistake of thinking of ONLY music here, but the truth is great DJ’s and Band’s are actually, after a certain point, the masters of ceremony. We have seen the cream of the crop get an unusually reserved crowd up on their feet and dancing the night away.DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THIS SKILL! We cannot tell you the times we have heard a couple say their guest “really are not a dancing crowd” only to be shocked, happily so, that their guests are dancing and celebrating a true life event…Excellent DJ’s are a key to a once-in-a-lifetime celebration.
You can visit one of the best we know HERE:
http://jbjams.com
5) Photography. While the inclusion of photography here can come off as the fox guiding the hens, the truth is this; We as full-time wedding photographers know a few things that are key to making our business run; a) we are not going to attract (nor could we take) every potential client. b) Even referring someone on is part of an experience and frankly, a successful wedding for a couple is far more important than just greasing the wheels for our personal business. To that end, we highly recommend couples start at The Professional Photographers of America. Here couples can locate a photographer search and even fine tune the search by specialty and to ensure your photographer is a Certified Professional Photographer. This will go a long way to making sure you are dealing with true professionals to handle your wedding day photography.
You can visit The Professional Photographers of America HERE:
http://www.ppa.com
1) Attire. For a Spring Wedding, especially in Georgia, it is terrific to have the opportunity to choose clothing that suits the season! The option of lighter weight fabrics, shorter dresses, and an overall lighter palette of colors will help to reduce the heat on your wedding party, the increased comfort is substantial…, and they will LOVE you for that!
2) Décor. With an opportunity to really accentuate spring do not hesitate to pick and choose spring like colors for your wedding. Think softer pastels, and lighter tones and consider a nod to a more whimsical type settings. The Spring Georgia Wedding lends itself perfectly to the fairytale wedding backdrops and setting.
3) The Details. Your flowers, signs, the cake topper, any and all of your wedding details are great spots to utilize a spring feel and look. Meeting with your wedding planner and photographer can help define and flesh out what you want to bring to your wedding, and what you want people to remember.
4) Weather! It’s spring, the flowers are blooming, the grass is green again, the chill is gone from the air, birds are singing and all is right with the world…, right? Who could want a better environment for a beautiful spring wedding..? Not so fast! While spring is lovely and spring weddings are totally awesome, you still do need to be prepared. Many venues that are built and showcased to use outside ceremony locations may have limited or no back-up plans for inclement weather. Having umbrellas and galoshes on hand that you like and have chosen yourself for color and texture will mean if you have to battle the elements, being prepared can cover, in more ways than one, your wedding celebration! Make sure you discuss alternatives with your planner and your photographer…having a prepared plan for a 2nd outdoor session on location is an excellent way to stay stress free over the weather on your Wedding Day!
5) More Zen, less stress. One trend we see growing in the industry is a concerted effort by Brides to make a conscious choice to handle the stress of the day with a more Zen-like approach. This means you stand a far better chance of enjoying your wedding day when the inevitable issue arises, small and insignificant or large and noticeable, your wedding is YOURS and embracing the individuality that comes with unplanned variances can make both you and your wedding party and guests far more relaxed, happy and leaving with those 3 words on their lips you so want to hear everyone they talk to…”THAT WAS AWESOME”!!!
In an era where the availability of wedding photographers seems to be at an all time high it becomes critical to have a plan to choose the RIGHT wedding photographer for YOU!
If you follow the 5 tips below, you stand a FAR better chance of loving your images now, and in the future.
1) Seek association and more importantly certification. That means looking on websites such as the Professional Photographers of America and utilizing their filter to find photographers in your specified area and specialty that are certified. While only a very small percentage of the PPA’s members are certified, it gives you an excellent starting point to find a wedding photographer who has passed an extensive exam, maintains educational credits and must pass a portfolio review and show that they have a strong grasp of their craft. Does this mean any photographer who is not certified is not proficient, talented or professional? It does not! However, like selecting a good mechanic or a doctor, certification is a means to start your search from a group that meet a designated standard.
2) Style and Priority. It should go without saying, but do make sure you love the photographer’s work. If their wedding photography doesn’t speak to you on an emotional level you likely already have found someone who is NOT for you. Think twice before asking a photographer to shoot in an entirely different style than what they seem to be known for. If they can’t offer images for you to review, and it should be an entire wedding album, then tread cautiously. You should also work with the photographer to make decisions on what are your priority for images on your wedding day. For instance, if you love the detail images more than the story being told with people, both you and your photographer should know this PRIOR to the big day. Even with multiple photographers shooting, sometimes decisions have to be made what is getting covered. Having those priorities on your wedding shot list BEFORE the big day will go a long way to ensure successful wedding photography.
3) How many photographers? Even the best of wedding photographers cannot capture everything at the same time. Having a studio that offers at least two wedding photographers can deepen your coverage and ensure wedding photography success.
4) How are your images handled? How long does delivery take? While it may seem boring to ask how your wedding photographer handles your images, it is very, very important! Your wedding photographer should be able to detail how he handles the images AFTER the wedding is shot. The process should include backing up to multiple storage locations and include off-site storage as well. For instance we back up to two external hard drives, a cloud backup and a portable drive that goes wherever I go. Once known you should also identify how long your images are kept, and how! Storage costs, so it may seem trivial but having your wedding photographer agree to store your images is a smart insurance policy to prevent priceless wedding images from being lost forever!
5) Make sure your wedding photographer carries liability insurance. While this may seem like just another boring business detail for the wedding photographer to deal with, it is wise to ensure this is carried and up-to-date for the unforeseen incident. Professionals carry these types of business expenses while the weekend warrior may not realize the importance.
In closing, keep in mind when choosing your photographer one critical observation, if you value photography then good enough in wedding photography is the enemy!
Congratulations!!!
You’ve decided on a rustic, barn wedding! It is elegant, unique and offers wonderful scenery and picturesque backdrops!
Like any wedding, there are some key things you can do to make sure your barn wedding is a huge success! Here they are…
1) Venue.
The venue becomes critical for a rustic barn wedding. While you can find barn venues in various areas of just about any state, the exact location can play a role so make sure you investigate and think out the precise venue location. For instance barn weddings just totally rock in a mountain environment….a great example of that is seen here from our friends at the Barn at Tatum Acres.
http://www.tatumacres.com/
A great example is just enough of a change in the location and can totally alter the ambiance and feel as seen here with the good folks over at Antique Acres.
http://www.antiqueacresga.com/
While considering exact location think about the logistics of getting your guests to and from the venue. Look for backdrops and areas of open shade for your best imagery. Whatever your choices, let them be ruled by YOUR personal tastes and preferences.
2) Your approach.
Your thinking my WHAT??? Actually, your approach to how you handle your barn wedding is integral to the final success. By approach we are emphasizing and suggesting, strongly, that you certainly plan and strategize but that once that is done you also embrace the little things that can make your day uniquely yours. Stressing over being off on your timeline by minutes or the flower girls somewhat fallen hair can not add a thing to your enjoyment of your day. A wedding has so many moving parts all made up of various individuals. The chance that you will avoid some kind of variance is wise to consider, but hey, that’s what makes it YOUR barn wedding and not your girlfriends!
3) Accessorize.
The details will be more front and center in a barn wedding so plan accordingly. Mason Jars, Burlap. Lace, Honey, special stations etc. all will add depth and your unique personality to your barn wedding
4) Logistics.
Who gets where, how and unique support that may be needed are to be considered for your barn wedding. For example does your venue have enough bathrooms to accommodate your guests? If not, consider bringing in some luxury portable restrooms. Do you have seniors attending your wedding that may require transportation or additional time to travel to the venue, or even around the venue from ceremony site to reception? Do you and the venue have a backup plan for inclement weather? Logistics and planning are critical to a barn wedding success story.
5) Hire a Planner.
No, really, HIRE A PLANNER! It doesn’t matter how much of a professional you are in your daily work-life, a wedding is a very different beast…and a highly unique blend of personality, firmness, communication with vendors with an eye towards your final success of your barn wedding is far better off in the hands of a trained professional. Folks like our friends here at Winey Blonde Events are awesome…you can check them out here!
http://www.wineyblondeevents.com/
So there you have it, 5 awesome tips for rocking your barn wedding. We hope to see YOU at a barn wedding soon!
