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:
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 2nd
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!
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