'Tis the Season!

Hope everyone had a blessed and relaxing Thanksgiving.  I know I did!
I started this morning by performing a wedding ceremony for a lovely military couple.  What a wonderful way to start off the Christmas/Holiday season!

Many couples will be getting engaged now through the end of the year.  My advice is that you enjoy your engagement for a while before getting into the throws of wedding planning.  The one exception may be to book your wedding coordinator so you'll know you have someone booked who will help you when you are ready to start. 

Enjoy the holidays!  Don't get so caught up in wedding planning that you forget to take time for yourselves, family and friends.

Wishing you all the blessings of the season...and when you are ready, give me a jingle!  www.WeddingsbyTanya.com or Tanya@WeddingsbyTanya.com.

Expert Photography Advice- Make the Right Choice

Well, the elections are finally over and we go forward!  One thing that remains constant is Wedding Planning! 

I have the opportunity to know many wonderful, and professional vendors, who I will be asking to do a guest blog to help you as you make decisions for your wedding.

This week, I've invited Grant Oakes of Images by Grant Oakes Photography.  I've had the privilege of knowing Grant many years and can recommend him as one of the top photographers available, anywhere.  Grant often travels to many destinations outside the US as well as inside the US to take those unforgettable moments for couples.  You can contact him at: 

Grant Oakes
303-367-2050
877-367-2050
http://grantoakes.com
grant@grantoakes.com

 

Welcome Grant!

 

Your wedding is an event that cannot be done over. The moments are real and unscripted, the emotions are not rehearsed, therefore they have a priceless quality to them. You owe it to yourself to have someone who is truly qualified to document this once in a lifetime experience, someone that has the experience and expertise to help you to relive those moments, YOUR moments, though beautiful imagery.

 

 

Warning!

 

Over the past few years there has been a very disconcerting shift that has been occurring within the photography industry. The number of self proclaimed wedding photographers has exploded! Since most people posses a digital camera and they know how to push the button many have thought how hard could it be to become a wedding photographer and make a nice side income.  Since all they need is a nice website with a few good images, business cards and their camera, they can simply set up shop. DON’T BE FOOLED! Many of these new photographers are pretenders and have little to no professional training. Think of them as either hobbyists or enthusiasts. There seems to be a mentality of “fake it until you make it” by many of these newcomers and you are the target of their training. I have seen a lot of questions posted on numerous forums and Facebook photography groups that tell me they don’t even have the basic photographic skills necessary to operate their equipment. The advice of “buyer beware” is truer in our professional today than at any other time that I have seen. You need to ask questions and be knowledgeable as to what a good answer is. You can find a good photographer and weed out those that lack the necessary dedication by asking the questions listed below and gauging them against the appropriate answers.

 

Questions

 

Q  How many years of experience and how many weddings have you photographed as the main photographer?

A  As with any profession they’ll get better with time and experience. Some may only have 2^nd shooter experience or photographed event for friends and relatives. While everyone has to start somewhere the amount of experience they’ll have is something you’ll ultimately have to find a comfortable threshold with.

 

Q  Do you have back up equipment?

A  This is an absolute MUST! Even new equipment can fail so not having 2 sets of camera bodies is grossly irresponsible at best and at its worst is a ruined wedding day.

 

Q  What type of cameras do you shoot with?

A  At the very least mid-level DSLR’s are needed. Nothing other than Canon or Nikon are used by professional photographers. Digital Rebels and Nikon D80’s or lower grade cameras are not up to the demands that weddings can create.

 

Q  What lenses do you have?

A  Professional grade glass should have a minimum aperture (lens opening) of f2.8 (or smaller number). Kit lens that come with the cheaper cameras have very wide focal length ranges (18mm-200mm) and variable apertures like f3.5-6.3. These are not acceptable for wedding photography but are fine for amateurs.

 

Q  Do you have liability insurance?

A  Any serious professional that intends on staying in business would not even consider walking out his front door without insurance. Many venues wouldn’t allow a vendor on their premises if they suspected they weren’t covered. A one million dollar policy is common and frankly is not that expensive. A cheap photographer will try to get by without this necessary business expense.

 

Q  What formal training, workshops or photographic conventions have you attended?

A  If the answer is none, then run in the other direction! Continuing education is paramount in ALL professions, so at the very least they should be attending WPPI, Imaging USA or state PPA conventions often as well as getting additional workshops under their belt to help them continue to improve their skills.

 

Q  Do you have a trade name affidavit (DBA), business or sales tax license?

A  While the state of Colorado does not require any type of licensure like an electrician or real estate sales person, not having at least some sort of business entity recognized by the state is another indication the photographer is flying by the seat of their pants. A sales tax license IS required by law, now matter how they spin it. If you receive ANYTHING tangible that item is subject to sales tax, plain and simple. Any photographer that says otherwise is cheating the system or getting very bad advice from his accountant.

 

Q  Do you shoot in Raw or Jpg?

A  Raw is a format that allows for greater latitude in exposure and tonal changes than Jpg. Although the files are larger, require more CF cards and larger hard drives as well as time to process the files it is a necessary business expense for the serious professional.

 

Q  Do you have a colorimeter and calibrate your monitor often?

A  Ever notice at Best Buy they’ll have 20 TV sets tuned to the same channel and the colors all look different? Which one is right? A colorimeter is a device that every photographer that processes or retouches his own images has to have so that his monitor displays the correct color. If they don’t use one how can he properly adjust his images?

 

When planning your wedding, please check out my website www.WeddingsbyTanya.com for important information that will be beneficial or contact me directly at Tanya@WeddingsbyTanya.com or call 303-779-0395.

 

HAPPY PLANNING! 

Create a New You for Life!

Hi Everyone,
Last month, I attended the Wedding MBA in Las Vegas.  It was very informative, had over 2400 attendees from all over the US and other countries and I was a participant on one of the panels! 

One of the things discussed was bring new ideas to our blogs.  I have decided to have some guest bloggers to help you with various areas of your wedding planning. 

As a bit of introduction for this first one, John,  owner of Life Warrior, is a personal trainer.  I met John and as of several months ago, he's also my trainer.  I decided if I was going to recommend something to a client, I needed to try it first!  I highly recommend John to anyone, male or female who is interested in getting fit and healthy!

Warrior Weight Loss

By John Austin- If you are tired of weight loss programs, dieting, and always having to begin something anew, here is a post that will give you the basics for the last “program” you will ever need. But rather than a program, I offer you a mindset and an inside out approach…I offer you a way of life vs. starting anew every Monday, every other month, or every New Year.

The weight loss industry is a multi-billion dollar industry in America. Everywhere you look, from your computer to the television to magazines at the local supermarket’s check-out isle, you are bombarded by “new” programs and images of what you are “supposed” to look like. A sexy, new you is the ongoing promise of a very profitable enterprise.

Here, I challenge you to question this very conventional approach to weight loss. Obviously something is not working since you are poorer than you were yesterday and no better off, while others are getting filthy rich.

I then challenge you to look deeply within yourself and ask a basic question, “Are you happy?” And by asking yourself this very simple question, I’m going to open the door to a new way of looking at your health and fitness.

When will you be happy?

When you lose 10 pounds? When you get rich? Or when you go on your next vacation?

Have you ever noticed that when you have achieved certain goals in the past, your mind immediately finds the next thing to focus on. Maybe you experience a brief moment or even a few days of satisfaction, but surely enough you inevitably start focusing on the next thing to give you your dreams.

Or how about when you go on vacation? Most often, while on vacation, you are so consumed by your plans, relationships, and various other types of drama, that you forget to enjoy the beautiful beach in front of you. Soon enough, the vacation is over and you are back to the daily grind of every day living.

So if you are tired of thinking that your life will be better tomorrow, I offer you a solution.

The solution is simple. Stop!

Stop stressing yourself out!

Relax and enjoy the moment, because chances are that you are missing it.

Live in the here and now. Go for a walk or a hike because it’s nice outside. Eat a healthy delicious meal because it’s what your body is really craving. Don’t stuff yourself because you never feel good after eating too much anyway. Take a yoga class because you want to treat yourself. Exercise hard because of how good it feels when your body is releasing endorphines, cleansing itself through sweat, and rejuvinating the heart and lungs.

Maybe you’re not completely there, but I can promise you that the only people who create a sustainable nutrition and weight loss “program” are those for whom it isn’t a program at all. It’s a way of life…and that my friends is warrior weight loss. Cheers and here’s to unlimited possibilities for you in this life. – John Austin, founder of Life Warrior Coaching, www.lifewarriorcoaching.com phone #303-562-8798

Contact John today to learn how to create a sustainable and enjoyable workout program. By learning how to enjoy exercise and live in the present moment, you will learn how to see results faster than you would with conventional approaches to training.

Change your mind, change your life!

 

Wishing you a very happy and blessed Thanksgiving!  It's not to soon to start planning your wedding or Elopement!  www.weddingsbytanya.com or Tanya@WeddingsbyTanya.com  or call 303-779-0395.  We also do private parties - such as Holiday Parties both corporate and private!