You’re getting married …and may be feeling a little overwhelmed with all the decisions to be made, including who to trust with your wedding photography. I hope the following helps with some of those decisions.
Once you have a date and the locations finalized for your wedding, you may want to choose a photographer — prime dates go fast. One of the easiest ways to see the different styles of coverage and pricing options for the Rochester, New York area is to browse the Internet by searching for ‘Wedding Photography Rochester NY’. Check the results and make some decisions before contacting a wedding photographer. As you might expect, there are many talented and artistic wedding photographers capable of creating exquisite, artistic images with very unique styles at a wide price range available in Rochester! After all, Rochester is home to Kodak and the RIT School of Photography.
What do you expect of your wedding images? Who will view them? Your family and friends, neighbors and co–workers, your children and grandchildren.... How do you want to show them — as albums, wall prints, displayed on a screen?
Do you want minimal or full coverage during the wedding day? And what style of coverage would you prefer— photojournalistic, traditional, artistic, or a combination? Most photographers will incorporate all of these styles during the day, but some will specialize more strongly in one....
Your final images should be a reflection of the love, excitement and emotions of the day and flow elegantly and smoothly from beginning to end. They capture the pageantry of your story on this amazing day.
Wedding Proofs were once used as previews of the final prints. They were imperfectly fixed and were meant to be used only for making a selection for enlargement. However, with the quality of today’s photo finishing, this is no longer true and they are often offered as a finished product. They can be easily transported and shown but may be subject to harm from handling if not placed into a protective album.
Prints are available in a variety of sizes (from wallet-sized to wall-sized) and finishes (from matte to high-gloss to gallery–wrapped canvas). Framed prints can be incorporated into your decor. They are easy to enjoy, to rearrange or to update.
Albums are unsurpassed for their portability and can lead to intimate and impromptu viewing. They are a safe bet against technology changes. Sizes usually start at 4”x6” and range upwards with the Engagement and Bridal albums being the largest.
DVDs are a great way to share your wedding images with a larger audience. They are small and very portable, and can be shown with most late–model players. But they do not invite the contemplation nor have the tactile feel of an actual album; you may not have the impulse to reach out and touch the image. You also won't spontaneously curl up in bed or in front of a fire with it or easily share it at the office without a player.
DVDs may be more suited for larger showings and special occasions (like parties and anniversaries!) where they easily win over printed media for ease of sharing with large groups.
How many times will you actually view all 200-1500 (or more!) images from your wedding day? You may want all the image files on CD or DVD so, as technology evolves, you will be able to transfer them to future formats. This ensures your continued ability to view them and protects them from damage. In addition, you will be able to print them at any time and with the sizes and cropping you want.
If the wedding photography files are included in your final choices, make sure you receive the full high-resolution (original camera file) images and a signed copyright release so a print lab will be able to legally make copies for you.
Once you have decided how you want to present your images, look at the type of wedding coverage that would be most comfortable and best fit your needs and personality.
What type of photographic coverage will you be most comfortable with on your wedding day? What suits your personality now? Will you change in the future? Will the event be very casual or extremely formal or somewhere between? How much time will there be for photography? What sections of your wedding day do you want covered?
Photojournalistic is a type of photography that is currently very popular for weddings. Often a wider than normal lens is used quite close to the action (or a longer lens farther away) and may require many exposures to obtain a real winner!
The photographer has limited control over backgrounds or subject interactions (other than how fast his feet can get him into position and how quickly the camera can react!). It is very difficult to become a true master of this genre.
It does allow you to be free of most of the semi-formal and formal photography during the wedding day and results in more candid images. A strict photojournalistic approach may not give you the group photos that may have more meaning later.
Traditional coverage generally requites each pose to be set up to best highlight the subjects, their interaction (often quite stiff!) and their surroundings. It originated from slower film speeds and larger, bulkier cameras with slower lenses. The subject had to remain still during the longish exposure. It is a more studied approach that can result in a classical feeling.
Artistic approaches to coverage can include elements of both of the above, but generally relies on the photographers’ creativeness with highly stylized poses and camera angles and either very dramatic or very subtle lighting or it may have high–contrast colors that pop off the page — or just the opposite! In fact, anything is possible.
It may be more high fashion or editorial oriented but ultimately relies on the overall inventiveness and vision of the photographer. Some of the most exciting images are obtained this way, but can also be the most time consuming to create….
Both photojournalistic and traditional coverage often include elements of the artistic, but usually not to such an inclusive or extreme degree.
With the advent of digital cameras, many wedding photographers have used the freedom from per–exposure costs to freely record anything which can lead to a shotgun approach — take enough photos and something will be good!
Do you want to sort through 1,500 images to make your final selection or would you prefer fewer, more focused images? You have to rely on the photographer to capture the essence of each moment and to give you choices that are not repetitions of the same pose used to build up a file count of hundreds of exposures.
The choice is yours when you choose your wedding photographer. Discuss the options up front to avoid surprises! You should have a rapport with your photographer and faith that you will be given the very best of the images from your wedding.
Good photography requires good equipment (and backup for that equipment), the knowledge to use it proficiently and the experience to be in the right place at the right time with the right camera and right lens adjusted to the right settings and with the right lighting and the right creative mind necessary to capture those tiny slices of time that mean so much!
From a photography point of view — it’s not always as easy as that may sound! It can take years of experience to develop that sense of timing and knowledge – and then every wedding is different!
Your photographer should be able to give you, not just ’snapshots’ of your wedding day, but a visual interpretation of all the love and all the joy which will surprise and enchant you and allow you to relive and joyously share your day for generations!
Once the wedding day is over, what really counts are the images and their lasting appeal to you. Not gimmicks or which camera or lens was used — but how deeply you will be drawn into the result, how enduring is the appeal of the images. Remember, your images will be one of the few tangible items (other than your Rings and the Marriage Certificate!) that you will have of your day.
Your guests are the people who have influenced each of your lives, have helped you become who you are, and who will help shape your new lives together. They have taken the time to be with you, to wish you good luck, and to help you celebrate the start of your new lives.
What an awesome opportunity and responsibility this creates for your photographer to capture many of those serendipitous (I always wanted to use that word!), fleeting and fascinating moments for you to relive with those who were there and to share with those who weren't.
It’s a happy, joyous time tinged with… maybe just a touch of apprehension and nervousness… as you take this giant step into a new life with an expanded family and filled with new, exciting experiences. But what glorious fun it is!
Current wedding photography pricing can range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars! These prices (with exceptions) are often reflected in the quality of the images and the final products. They are also due to the investment the photographer has made in professional grade equipment, training and experience (knowing where to be and when to capture an image is much more critical than just making a correct exposure) plus the many hours the photographer will spend on your images after the wedding.
You will want to be sure the style of the photography and the quality of the other products and services will meet your expectations and have lasting value.
Each wedding is so different and every couple so unique in their choices, that I only offer pricing after a consultation. It will be based on your decisions and, I hope, pleasantly surprise you!
Your photographer should be able to capture the joyful, tumultuous events that surround you on this monumental day. If you are in the Rochester, NY area, feel free to contact me to explore the possibilities for your Wedding Photography….
Jerry Farr
585.482.3803
gwfarr@frontiernet.net
www.gwfphotography.com