I remember how overwhelming it was, at times, to plan our wedding: with every decision I completed, I found five new ones had cropped up. While some couples want to keep things simple, others (as I did) want to put all their creative energies into planning this special occasion. Most important, we all want to remember it for the rest of our lives as a joyous celebration of our love and vows, in the company of our friends and family.
That’s where photography comes in: it helps us remember. But, you might ask, what kind of photography, and what kind of photographer, will I enjoy most? What package will best suit me, and what are my options?
To help you sort through the myriad of options, we've put together a primer on the basics of wedding photography. There are a lot of options to sort through in wedding photography. But if you find a good fit, you’ll enjoy sorting through your wedding photographs for the rest of your life.
What styles of wedding photography are there?
Traditional: Usually this means there are many posed shots of family, wedding party, and the standard events of the day, with some soft-focus filters thrown in during the ceremony. (Your parents’ album is most likely quite traditional.) Depending on the photographer, this can be elegant and classy coverage, or dated and repetitive.
Photojournalistic: A more recent trend in wedding photography, photojournalism covers everything from dressing to dancing, with limited formal or posed pictures. The aim is to tell the story of your day through powerful images. Usually there is no limit to the amount of images shot, and this can result in a lovely record of all the little details of the day.
Combination/Alternative: Some photographers blend the 2 styles, shooting as many formals as you want, as well as documenting all the little details of the day at length. Some will vary the types of images shot, add special artistic effects, and depending on your tastes, even bring along a variety of cameras and lenses to add a playful element to your coverage. This is the type of coverage FritzPhoto offers to discerning customers, and it is as exciting and unique as your wedding day.
What options and products are available?
Proofs/Prints: Once the wedding is over, how do you see your photographs? Photography packages can include a full set of prints for you to keep, a partial set of prints, a proofbook, or no prints at all. Those who don't include prints may either lend you a set of “proofs,” or a CD of low-resolution scans, or just have a web gallery from which you may view your photos. At FritzPhoto, we include a hardcover proofbook, containing all the final images from your wedding, for you to keep.
Reprints: Always check a photographer's reprint policies. Some will offer you a bargain price to shoot your wedding, but you may be required to place a minimum print order of several hundred dollars. Other questions to ask: How do you order the reprints: online at your convenience? In a high-pressure sales meeting? Is there a deadline?
Albums: Large, small, elaborate, simple, digital or traditional--there are about as many options as photographers. Check with the studios you’re considering to see if their album offerings suit your style. See if they give everyone the same type of album, or if you can choose what you want. Ask: is your book custom made, or a stock design? What custom options do you get to choose (cover materials and colors, paper type, images that go in the book, etc.)? At FritzPhoto, we love books. Every one is custom made, and you have many options to choose from at no additional cost.
Digital Fun: With the digital age have come all sorts of digital options: slide shows or DVDs with music and images, low-resolution digital proofs, screen savers, iPod slideshows, and much more. New products come out every few months.
Websites: Wedding photography websites can be a fun and valuable option. These web galleries allow your friends and family to view and order your wedding photos online from anywhere in the world, directly from the photographer -- a nice option if you have friends and family from out of state or out of the country. Websites can also save you money and hassle, since you don’t have to ship your proofs off to your families, and people can purchase their own prints.
Digital Files or Negatives: Some photographers include digital files or negatives in their packages, some will sell them for a fee, some won't sell them at all. While acquiring the negatives may save you a little money in reprint costs, you also have to ask yourself: How will I organize and store hundreds or thousands of digital files or negatives, sort out my own orders, and deal with labs? More importantly, the quality of prints you end up with at “QuickiePhoto” probably won’t be as good as what your photographer gets from his professional lab. Keep in mind, also, that a low-price photographer who is giving away the digital files (usually unedited) is also giving away his motivation to take exceptional, reprint-worthy images.
Engagement Portraits: An engagement portrait session can be a fun way to remember those beautiful months prior to your wedding. Some photographers will take the portraits in a studio, and others will travel with you to a favorite park or locale for even more beautiful and personal images. Include a print with your invitations, give one as a gift to your parents, include some in your wedding album. Some photographers, as we do, even create custom guestbooks filled with your engagement portraits, for your guests to sign in.
Signature Mats or Books: Instead of having your guests sign a guestbook, have them sign the matboard surrounding one of your engagement photos. Once framed, it can be a delightful reminder of your wedding day and those who attended. FritzPhoto also now offer books with your engagement photos in them, for guests to sign when they arrive on the wedding day.
Framed Wall Prints: Large prints can be made, elegantly mounted, and custom framed for you. Often your photographer can create beautiful effects or retouching, and you can even have prints mounted on canvas as if it were a painting.
What’s Really Important?
After your head has spun a bit from all the different options, remember this: Who you hire as a wedding photographer is really more important than all the products they sell you. You’re going to spend most of your day with your photographer. Many brides forget this fact, and they find out too late that they’ve hired a Photo Nazi. So ask yourself:
