If you are planning a wedding, you are probably needing and looking for different vendorsAnd if you are planning an elopement or small intimate wedding not local to you, you are probably needing help on which vendors to pick. I am sure you have researched a ton and things can get a little overwhelming with all the options you have to choose from. I always tell my clients (of course, after I give them a list of vendors I recommend) to really listen to their gut. Vendors are people who love the industry and love what they do. Their passion and love will shine through in their work and most will have reviews that say just that. (although all vendors can not please everyone but that is a blog for a different day) If a vendor catches your eye.. rather it be through their website, pictures on social media, a billboard, etc, then that is usually who you need to look more into and research. I tell my clients, "try not to give yourself more than 3 options per vendor." It gets to be so overwhelming the more options you have. If you came across three vendors that have really captured your attention, then stop there and try to pick one from those three. NOT NEEDING A LOT OF VENDORSThe beauty of having a small intimate wedding or elopement is that the vendor list is extremely small, so less decisions have to be made. The dress, the caterer, the venue, etc., are all vendors you don't HAVE to use when having a small intimate wedding or elopement. We rented an AIRBNB with a beautiful lake view and a dock and used it as our venue. We spent $300 for the location and were able to stay there the whole weekend. My husband already had a suit that fit the occasion and worked really well with our colors and I bought my beautiful dress online at a boutique. It was gorgeous and I got so many compliments on it! I spent $60.00 ... yes you read that correctly!
VENDOR MUST HAVESIn my experience as a wedding photographer and from having my own small intimate wedding, the vendors that are a must have for a small wedding are the photographer, the florist, minister (depending on location), and a baker. I used a local baker who makes amazing beautiful cakes. She didn't specialize in wedding cakes but when I asked her to bake me a simple wedding cake, she delivered whole heartedly and it was absolutely delicious! I just bought the topper to go on it to make the final touches. Of course having a cake is optional for you (especially if you are having an adventure elopement and don't think you need a cake at all) I just liked the thought of having something traditional to have to celebrate.
ALLOW ME TO HELP BOOK YOUR VENDORSThe other good news about having a small intimate wedding or elopement is that, when you book me, you have the option of letting me help you with your vendors. I have access to everything you need and have a list of vendors that I use regularly and have relationships with. So if planning a small intimate wedding or elopement gets to be to much, you can just hand over the reigns and allow me to take it on (with your approval of course). We just sit down or talk on the phone and go over all the details you are looking for and then I become your planner, friend, and photographer. HAVING A HARD TIME CHOOSING STILLListen to your gut as your heart knows who it wants to work with. I have booked clients just because of the name of my business. It attracted them, and once they started communicating with me and found out why I named it that, they fell in love even more and booked me. I turned out to be the perfect fit for them all because I caught their attention and their instincts really wanted to reach out. So listen to yourself when it comes to picking vendors. Your gut usually doesn't lie. HAVING A SMALL INTIMATE WEDDING LOCAL TO COLUMBUS AND NEED VENDORS? |
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WHAT EXACTLY IS A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER TO YOU?
CALMER OF NERVES
EXPERT DRESS ATTENDANT
TIME KEEPER
TISSUE HOLDER
PROFESSIONAL MENDER
COMPLIMENT GIVER
ENCOURAGER
EXPERT DRESS ATTENDANT
TIME KEEPER
TISSUE HOLDER
PROFESSIONAL MENDER
COMPLIMENT GIVER
ENCOURAGER
5 COMMONLY ASKED QUESTIONS BY BRIDES!
Weddings are so joyful for everyone involved. I become the shadow of the bride on her wedding day and make sure to capture all the wonderful, tearful, heartfelt moments that happen within. I enjoy watching the pure joy escape the faces of the bride and groom. There is nothing better than catching the raw emotion of true love and happiness seeping from a person. I will cry at your wedding at some point or another. It never fails. I always seem to be moved by such happiness and love. It is such a touching experience to be part of.
A wedding photographer is someone who wears many hats! That is why it is so important on hiring the right one for you! Below are 5 common questions I get asked the most by brides looking to hire a wedding photographer.
1. How do I pick a good photographer when there are 100's in the area
A. Pick one that appeals to your style. Once you have found a few photographers you like, narrow it down to a couple and meet with them in person or talk to them over the phone. It is extremely important you like the photographer. You will be spending a lot of hours with them and trusting them to capture moments you weren't aware were even happening. I am someone who adores those candid moments. The real laughter and the real genuine smiles are everything to me. I let you be yourself. Those are the things you need to know when finding a photographer. Do you want to be guided and posed through most of the day or do you want some posed and most genuine shots? Do you like very vibrant coloring or do you like a more subtle look to your pictures? Find what it is that you like and what you are looking for and find a photographer that best fits that.
2. How many photo's do I get?
A. Wedding Photographer's are all different but they typically deliver anywhere from 50 to 100 pictures per hour. That may seem like a lot and can be a tad overwhelming when looking through them but I promise you will be extremely happy once you realize not one single moment was missed. Some photographers may only give you samples to look through to purchase later, while others let you have them all, like myself. That is something you need to talk about and understand when choosing a photographer.
3. Why is wedding photography so expensive?
A. This is the question that I see and hear most. Wedding Photography seems like easy money. I work for one day and rack in the cash. But Most Full time wedding photographers carry around at least $5,000 worth of equipment and work at least 40 to 60 hours a week. Remember the pictures we talked about in question number 2? It takes days to edit all of those and get them to you in a timely manner. The job doesn't end when we leave the wedding. We still have 1000's of pictures to go through and edit. Not to mention most of us have insurance we have to pay for, an assistant, software, marketing, shipping, etc.. All costs that most don't understand we have.
4. You can photoshop that right?
A. That depends. As a photographer, I want to get everything as perfect as possible on camera. Posing, location scouting, and camera settings can "fix" most things before I even click the shutter. If your uncle photobombs you, I'm going to retake the photo — it's much easier to get the photo right than to fix it with photoshop. Many photographers charge for extensive editing in Photoshop, because it can be very time-consuming. I don't typically use photoshop at all. I work very hard at making sure that picture I take on my camera is perfect. Again this is something you need to ask a photographer before hiring. If you prefer someone who uses photoshop and edits every one of your pictures, then makes sure to look for photographers that do that specifically.
5. Do I give the wedding photographer a tip?
A. Well.... The big secret is... There are zero rules on tipping your wedding vendors. I always tell my friends this, If you loved them and really felt connected and wanted to show your appreciation, then absolutely tip them. Otherwise, we are not expecting it, so you are not going to be the "terrible human" you think you are by not giving a tip. It's always appreciated, Never expected. Also, Tips don't have to be in the form of cash either, Small trinkets from your wedding, a heartfelt thank you note, or a good review all work well with showing appreciation for your vendors.
A. Pick one that appeals to your style. Once you have found a few photographers you like, narrow it down to a couple and meet with them in person or talk to them over the phone. It is extremely important you like the photographer. You will be spending a lot of hours with them and trusting them to capture moments you weren't aware were even happening. I am someone who adores those candid moments. The real laughter and the real genuine smiles are everything to me. I let you be yourself. Those are the things you need to know when finding a photographer. Do you want to be guided and posed through most of the day or do you want some posed and most genuine shots? Do you like very vibrant coloring or do you like a more subtle look to your pictures? Find what it is that you like and what you are looking for and find a photographer that best fits that.
2. How many photo's do I get?
A. Wedding Photographer's are all different but they typically deliver anywhere from 50 to 100 pictures per hour. That may seem like a lot and can be a tad overwhelming when looking through them but I promise you will be extremely happy once you realize not one single moment was missed. Some photographers may only give you samples to look through to purchase later, while others let you have them all, like myself. That is something you need to talk about and understand when choosing a photographer.
3. Why is wedding photography so expensive?
A. This is the question that I see and hear most. Wedding Photography seems like easy money. I work for one day and rack in the cash. But Most Full time wedding photographers carry around at least $5,000 worth of equipment and work at least 40 to 60 hours a week. Remember the pictures we talked about in question number 2? It takes days to edit all of those and get them to you in a timely manner. The job doesn't end when we leave the wedding. We still have 1000's of pictures to go through and edit. Not to mention most of us have insurance we have to pay for, an assistant, software, marketing, shipping, etc.. All costs that most don't understand we have.
4. You can photoshop that right?
A. That depends. As a photographer, I want to get everything as perfect as possible on camera. Posing, location scouting, and camera settings can "fix" most things before I even click the shutter. If your uncle photobombs you, I'm going to retake the photo — it's much easier to get the photo right than to fix it with photoshop. Many photographers charge for extensive editing in Photoshop, because it can be very time-consuming. I don't typically use photoshop at all. I work very hard at making sure that picture I take on my camera is perfect. Again this is something you need to ask a photographer before hiring. If you prefer someone who uses photoshop and edits every one of your pictures, then makes sure to look for photographers that do that specifically.
5. Do I give the wedding photographer a tip?
A. Well.... The big secret is... There are zero rules on tipping your wedding vendors. I always tell my friends this, If you loved them and really felt connected and wanted to show your appreciation, then absolutely tip them. Otherwise, we are not expecting it, so you are not going to be the "terrible human" you think you are by not giving a tip. It's always appreciated, Never expected. Also, Tips don't have to be in the form of cash either, Small trinkets from your wedding, a heartfelt thank you note, or a good review all work well with showing appreciation for your vendors.
TO HELP NARROW DOWN PHOTOGRAPHERS FOR YOUR WEDDING, SET A BUDGET AND FIND A STYLE THAT YOU LIKE. MOST PHOTOGRAPHERS HAVE THEIR OWN UNIQUE WAY OF DOING THINGS AND BY KNOWING YOUR STYLE, NEEDS AND BUDGET, THINGS WILL BE A LOT EASIER PICKING ONE OF THOSE AMAZING PEOPLE FOR YOUR SPECIAL DAY!!
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AUTHOR: STEPHANIE TAYLOR
OWNER/PHOTOGRAPHER
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HIRING A WEDDING ASSISTANT/2ND PHOTOGRAPHER
Is by far the best thing I have ever done for myself. For a while, I was tackling weddings alone. It can be done but in my experience, by the end of that wedding, you feel like you have been hit by a truck. You are so tired and worn out, your body is sore, and I would seriously sit in my car in the parking lot for about 10 minutes before leaving just because it felt good to sit down. I don't think people realize how hard being a wedding photographer actually is. We will skip completely over the anxiety of it all and go straight into the physical aspect of it. We carry so much weight (I carry 2 cameras, 3 lenses, a fanny pack full of extra batteries and SD cards, a sling, and sometimes a gimbal) and thats only whats on my person during the wedding. That is not the bag I actually carry into the venue. (That bag is whole other blog in itself.) We are constantly running somewhere, standing for hours, we are on the dance floor, we are squatting, we are climbing, we are walking miles and miles in one day around a venue with weight. It can be hard on your body but also so rewarding.
I came to the realization after reading someones blog, that I needed help. I researched and researched what exactly this person would be doing for me because after all... I put a ton of hard work, blood sweat and tears into this business of mine. I didn't want someone to come in and ruin the reputation that I had built for myself. I was a little worried about hiring someone on and it not being a good fit so I hesitated .....ALOT. Then one day, in walked Leslie. I met her at a wedding I photographed. She was the maid of honor and I recruited her to help me as I usually did for the weddings I photographed alone. She messaged me about a week after the wedding and told me she always had a passion for photography, was thinking of trying to start her own business and asked me if I could teach her. I read that message and something just clicked. If you believe in "meant to be's" then this was it for me. After struggling so much to make a decision on hiring someone, I decided on Leslie. I told her that I was considering hiring a wedding assistant and if she wanted to learn, this would be hands on training. She took the position and we have been double team for over a year now! She has learned so much in the year she has been with me and is now a 2nd photographer for my weddings. Eventually she will start booking her own weddings and I will be right back where I started... looking for an assistant, But thats ok because her success is so rewarding to watch.
I came to the realization after reading someones blog, that I needed help. I researched and researched what exactly this person would be doing for me because after all... I put a ton of hard work, blood sweat and tears into this business of mine. I didn't want someone to come in and ruin the reputation that I had built for myself. I was a little worried about hiring someone on and it not being a good fit so I hesitated .....ALOT. Then one day, in walked Leslie. I met her at a wedding I photographed. She was the maid of honor and I recruited her to help me as I usually did for the weddings I photographed alone. She messaged me about a week after the wedding and told me she always had a passion for photography, was thinking of trying to start her own business and asked me if I could teach her. I read that message and something just clicked. If you believe in "meant to be's" then this was it for me. After struggling so much to make a decision on hiring someone, I decided on Leslie. I told her that I was considering hiring a wedding assistant and if she wanted to learn, this would be hands on training. She took the position and we have been double team for over a year now! She has learned so much in the year she has been with me and is now a 2nd photographer for my weddings. Eventually she will start booking her own weddings and I will be right back where I started... looking for an assistant, But thats ok because her success is so rewarding to watch.
BENEFITS OVER CONS
The benefits of having Leslie out weigh the cons (are there even any cons??). First and foremost is
TRAVELING
I HATE traveling alone. It is not something I enjoy doing. I want to take someone along for them to experience all the fun things with me. Leslie comes with me to out of town weddings (when she can) and we have a ton of fun together. Our personalities just mesh so it makes life on the road a lot less stressful. The second benefit would be
WEIGHT OF THE LOAD
being lifted off me a little. She helps me anywhere she can. She has the desire and passion to have this same type of business as her own one day so she is driven. If I ask her (which I really really really try not to) to run back to the car that is parked a mile away because I left something in it..she does it for me with no questions asked. She is helping me fluff the dress, fix the vail, straighten the bowtie, round up the wedding party, fix the strands of hair, etc, so I can catch the perfect pictures. The weight of all of that is lifted off of me solely and it really helps. The third benefit of having Leslie is
BREAKING THE ICE
I feel confident having Leslie there because I know that, having a 2nd photographer, the possibility of things going wrong are less likely. If all 3 of my cameras break.. guess what... she still has hers. If I forgot all 15 of my SD cards... guess what.... she has an extra. If all 5 of my lenses mysteriously quit working.... guess what.. yep you guessed it.. Leslie has another lens. And if she doesn't, she has access to a vehicle to run and get whatever it is that we need ASAP! So, because of that .. I beam confidence. Which in turn helps me be more myself and I am able to really show my personality to the bride and groom. Where as before, I noticed, I was a little more reserved because I was so stressed that things could go wrong and I didn't have a back up strategy that would work. (other than my 10,000 cards, and batteries). I also have to come up with ideas for the wedding party to take those amazing candid shots and I get stumped sometimes. I have a plan in my head but not all wedding parties want to execute my plan, so I am left reeling trying to come up with other ideas. Having Leslie there to bounce those ideas off of and hear her feed back is pretty amazing. It helps me so much with coming up with ways to make my clients laugh and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Another benefit of having Leslie brings me to my fourth AND MOST IMPORTANT reason
ANOTHER ANGLE OF PICTURES
My brides love that they get another view of their wedding pictures besides just mine. And lets face it, I can not catch EVERY SINGLE PICTURE OF THE DAY alone. I have to talk, I have to drink water, I have to get the ring bearer to trust me so I can take his picture with the guys, I have to introduce myself, I have things I HAVE to do during a wedding. And while I am doing those things, Leslie is taking photos. She has been able to catch some of the most intimate moments on camera when no one was looking. I LOVE that and so do my brides. On top of being able to catch the sweetest moments on camera, she also takes photos during the ceremony. So she catches different angles than me. So if I miss something during the ceremony, it is more than likely true that Leslie caught it for me. That is what I call a SUCCESSFUL wedding photography business. When in no doubt, you as the photographer, can leave that wedding knowing most, if not all, of the special and important moments were caught on at least one camera through out the day.
These are just a few of the reasons I am grateful for my assistant/2nd photographer. I am so glad I got past the fear of hiring someone on and just did it. Both of us are succeeding in this business because of each other.
TRAVELING
I HATE traveling alone. It is not something I enjoy doing. I want to take someone along for them to experience all the fun things with me. Leslie comes with me to out of town weddings (when she can) and we have a ton of fun together. Our personalities just mesh so it makes life on the road a lot less stressful. The second benefit would be
WEIGHT OF THE LOAD
being lifted off me a little. She helps me anywhere she can. She has the desire and passion to have this same type of business as her own one day so she is driven. If I ask her (which I really really really try not to) to run back to the car that is parked a mile away because I left something in it..she does it for me with no questions asked. She is helping me fluff the dress, fix the vail, straighten the bowtie, round up the wedding party, fix the strands of hair, etc, so I can catch the perfect pictures. The weight of all of that is lifted off of me solely and it really helps. The third benefit of having Leslie is
BREAKING THE ICE
I feel confident having Leslie there because I know that, having a 2nd photographer, the possibility of things going wrong are less likely. If all 3 of my cameras break.. guess what... she still has hers. If I forgot all 15 of my SD cards... guess what.... she has an extra. If all 5 of my lenses mysteriously quit working.... guess what.. yep you guessed it.. Leslie has another lens. And if she doesn't, she has access to a vehicle to run and get whatever it is that we need ASAP! So, because of that .. I beam confidence. Which in turn helps me be more myself and I am able to really show my personality to the bride and groom. Where as before, I noticed, I was a little more reserved because I was so stressed that things could go wrong and I didn't have a back up strategy that would work. (other than my 10,000 cards, and batteries). I also have to come up with ideas for the wedding party to take those amazing candid shots and I get stumped sometimes. I have a plan in my head but not all wedding parties want to execute my plan, so I am left reeling trying to come up with other ideas. Having Leslie there to bounce those ideas off of and hear her feed back is pretty amazing. It helps me so much with coming up with ways to make my clients laugh and feel comfortable in front of the camera.
Another benefit of having Leslie brings me to my fourth AND MOST IMPORTANT reason
ANOTHER ANGLE OF PICTURES
My brides love that they get another view of their wedding pictures besides just mine. And lets face it, I can not catch EVERY SINGLE PICTURE OF THE DAY alone. I have to talk, I have to drink water, I have to get the ring bearer to trust me so I can take his picture with the guys, I have to introduce myself, I have things I HAVE to do during a wedding. And while I am doing those things, Leslie is taking photos. She has been able to catch some of the most intimate moments on camera when no one was looking. I LOVE that and so do my brides. On top of being able to catch the sweetest moments on camera, she also takes photos during the ceremony. So she catches different angles than me. So if I miss something during the ceremony, it is more than likely true that Leslie caught it for me. That is what I call a SUCCESSFUL wedding photography business. When in no doubt, you as the photographer, can leave that wedding knowing most, if not all, of the special and important moments were caught on at least one camera through out the day.
These are just a few of the reasons I am grateful for my assistant/2nd photographer. I am so glad I got past the fear of hiring someone on and just did it. Both of us are succeeding in this business because of each other.
Below are pictures of Leslies "behind the scenes" shots.
She caught these, when either, I wasn't in the room, I was talking to someone about the timeline, I had a different angle, whatever the reason may be.. she succeeded in getting pictures I didn't. This is why I love her and trust her as my wedding assistant!
LETS GET SOCIAL
AUTHOR: STEPHANIE TAYLOR
OWNER/PHOTOGRAPHER
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