Do wedding photographers offer separate pricing for  small weddings?

Even if you are inviting hundreds of guests or are eloping to beautiful San Francisco with no guests , the work a wedding  photographer does at your wedding, as well as the work after wards, does not change much  based on the number of people at the event.  Each wedding will get the same level of love & and attention given to it.  Many  photographers have packages based at least partially on time spent at your wedding, so if a smaller wedding means a shorter wedding to you, you may be able to find a package with shorter coverage times that suits your needs.  Some  photographers may also offer shorter coverage than outlined in their regular packages for weddings on non-peak days, or for weddings booked within a month or two of the event. That being said we do not do packages,every wedding is different and at  Peter Bruce photo & Belle Fine weddings we treat every wedding different. So if you are having a small wedding or eloping,we price it like that. You are not buying a car, this is a wedding, big or small it can not be put in a box. Hope this helps,let us know.

Cheers Peter Bruce

Great wedding photos

Here are some tips for great wedding photography & video…

Many years from now,  nothing better than looking back on all the beautiful photos & video from your wedding day. Here are four tips that will make them all just right…

1. Make your comfort  priority one…. Your  photographer will be with you for largest  part of your wedding  day, so it’s important that you feel comfortable around him or her. Weeks before your wedding, get together with your photographer and explain what type of shots you want and how creative you’d like the day to be. This will make  that you’re both on the same page on the day, and that you won’t feel so shy or awkward when being  posed  for photos . The picture taking process should goes easy and be fun. After all, your hair and makeup will be done just right  your dress  will be beautiful and you will look your best ! Enjoy and take in every minute of this,that is why we say do video as well,if it is in the budget.
2. Leave lots of time for photos… You may  be the most organized, bride around  but schedules don’t always run as planned. On your wedding day, don’t be surprised if things take more time than you thought they would, the  photography being one of them. That’s why it’s so important to leave an adequate time  between your ceremony &  reception.Think about  the size of your wedding party as well, the more bridesmaids and groomsmen you have, the longer it will take to get all the photos done. And is  your reception along way from the  ceremony? Make sure you take this into account. Bottom line girls.Please  don’t expect to get all your pictures done in  a half an hour, this is what you have to look at forever.
3. Be ready on time… If you want your  photographer to shoot pre ceremony stuff, like   the salon, getting dressed, getting into the limo and on your way to the church, make sure you and your bridal party are ready when they  show up. If you’d like to feature your bridal bouquet in these photos make sure  that your flowers will arrive on time,before you leave. PS tell the florist you need them 30 minutes before you really do, do this with the hair and make up too. You’ll also want to make sure your limousine is booked for enough time to allow for things to run a little late  they often are.
4. Know your back up plan to a tee…. Of course rain is the last thing you want on your wedding day, but don’t assume it won’t rain. Have a back-up plan for your wedding photos just in case, and make sure your alternate location is available.If  your photographer and video are worth anything, they will know where to go to take photos if it rains…I DO !!!

The Wedding Album…

After the ceremony, you’re still going to be faced with a few major wedding chores. One, writing thank you letters, and another is selecting wedding photos  from the  proofs. Some of these will be blown up and framed for your wall or as gifts. But the biggest job will be selecting and organizing photos  for your wedding album.

It’s up to you to choose your favorite shots, but many photographers will include a photo album service, for a fee. You’ll get professionally mounted photos, artistically presented in a keepsake album you’ll treasure forever. And take your time on this, do not RUSH it and try not to buy the album from the photographer,call or e mail and i’ll tell you why…

Cheers Peter Bruce

So many photographers say “we do photojournalism.” I really don’t get it!    Are they all photojournalists?

Brides and groom  looking  for a wedding photographer are attracted to photos that look natural,the  un posed photographs that capture a certain moment or feeling  in time, exactly as that moment  happened. True  photojournalist will shoot your wedding without any  interference  with the bride & groom.  The real photojournalist will not  pose you , using only there   skills  to capture your images in a most flattering light &  conditions.  The result will be  photographs which  will show your wedding in a most natural and real way.

Also some  wedding photographers call themselves documentary  photographers. They will also document your wedding day as it happens,with no direction or just a little direction. Or what I like to call softly directed.

Some photographers will capture parts of your wedding without interference or input , but at times during the wedding  day, they will pose you, or make some directions about where to stand or sit , smile,  kiss, and will interact with you and your guests as they need to.  If you ask these photographers if they do photojournalism, they’ll likely say YES because they do avoid interacting during parts of the wedding day.
After you ask about “photojournalism,” it’s a great  idea to also ask them  “Do you ever pose or direct  your couples , or make suggestions that will help us look better ?”  You’ll get a much better idea of how the wedding photographer you’re considering works on your wedding day. But DO NOT leave it till your wedding day, ask as many question up front as possible. Just as a heads up,at Peter Bruce Photo and Belle Fine weddings, will do both. And depending on the bride and groom, how they fill in front of the camera work with team as a team for what they want. If you want to drop us a line with questions to ask other photographer, happy to help.

Cheers Peter Bruce and Belle team

His  mom insists on using another photographer for our formal photographs. What do you think and is this  okay? What should I do ???

So many professional wedding photographers will object to or get upset  with another photographer being commissioned for your wedding.  Maybe this  has arisen because you have selected an informal photo-journalistic style focusing  on un posed spontaneous events type photos, while his mother is happier with  studio style of more traditional, posed family portraits.  If this is the  the case, consider finding a wedding photographer who is comfortable doing  both traditional &  photo-journalistic-style photography images.  Yet another alternative is to ask your  Pro wedding photographer whether he or she has an associate or assistant  who could shoot the more traditional formals or the more fun stuff.  Consult with your wedding photographer,be a team  and check the details of your contract for other limitations on using another photographer. At Peter Bruce photo and Belle Fine Weddings, we shoot both styles and even though we keep Mom happy, it is the bride’s day and she will want to look at those photos for the rest of her life. Even after mom in law has gone bye bye…

Hope this helps, let us know

Cheers Peter Bruce Photo

I first met Holly over the phone; she was calling from Chicago- trying to plan her wedding through the internet and telephone.  She and her fiance , Rick, told me a lovely story about his mom and dad; it seems his dad, while he was alive , always took his wife on an anniversary trip to San Francisco, the most romantic place he knew.  Well flash forward to the present- Holly and Rick decided to honor this tradition by having their ceremony in San Francisco.  Of course Mom and her very best girlfriend( who incidently is also the mother-in-law to Rick’s brother) were a big part of the plans.  Everyone was so excited and Holly is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met.   This adorable couple chose the Fairmont Hotel Terrace Garden for their ceremony and- big fun- the Tonga Room for their reception dinner. Of course we had to get some cable car action in ( Holly, you should have taken the conductor’s offer to drive!) and yes the first dance was to a certain Tony Bennett  song…

The last pic is the Fairmont lobby  of a weary tourist back from the wine country - gotta love it.

Enjoy

Bernadette & Peter Bruce

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Can I give my wedding photographer magazine clippings or pages of certain poses I want, to help them with what I am thinking ?

Most  wedding photographers have a different working and shooting style.  Some are happy to see examples of photos you like, and will use these as inspiration and help  if they seem to compliment the photographer’s own style.  If you have booked  a wedding photographer who is going to record  the spontaneity of the day, it may be harder for them to try to copy a specific image from another event with a different bride and groom , different lighting , and different circumstances.  Since your wedding photographs will be unique to your big  day, you will likely find it more enjoyable to simply allow events to unfold and happen , and trust your wedding photographer to give you the images that attracted you to his or her work from the start. That being said, we at Peter Bruce Photo & Video and Belle fine weddings know it is your day and will take any thing you want to offer. We should be a team. If your wedding photographer is not open minded enough to at least look at some ideas, you may want to look for someone else. Always remember it is your day.

Hope this help, let us know

Cheers Peter Bruce

Why is there such a price difference among Pro wedding photographers?

There are many  of reasons why some professional wedding photographers will charge a lot of money  and others will charge very little for their photo and or video wedding services.  Any  well established wedding photographer with a good  reputation, who has been shooting weddings for a long time can ask for and get  a higher price, and still might have more business they can handle.  A wedding photographer may be shooting weddings part time who has a full time job on the side that pays there day to day bills, so, in some cases, this wedding photographer can charge what he or she would like without concern about there  living expenses.  If the wedding photographer is new they might be more concerned with portfolio building than making enough money to earn a profit.  There is a big misconception that wedding photographers makes a lot of money working only one day a week, but in addition to the actual day of shooting, there is usually at least 25 plus hours of back end work involved in each wedding. Making print, albums etc.

Cheers Peter Bruce

Here are pros & cons of hiring a larger retail studio VS

an independent photographer?

Here are four factors  which can help measure the scope of your wedding photography investment:

Time with clients…

Larger retail photography studios may employ a staff to  streamline the  production, an independent wedding photographers will cater to the individual needs of their wedding clients, which may limit their time & only allow them to capture a limited amount of weddings each year. An independent wedding photographer regards their consultation time as valuable moments to engage and learn about the objectives of their clients, straying from providing  coverage of their event and instead personalizing the objectives in order to execute to their client’s wants and needs of there wedding.

Personality AKA  Bed side manner…

As often shown with larger retail wedding photography studios employing numerous staff photographers, you may never meet your photographer until the day of your wedding. At Peter Bruce photo, we think this is BAD. What happens if you don’t get along with that person.  With an independent wedding photographer you will  meet them right away, allowing you to measure your level of compatibility immediately and whether you like the person. The photographer and video people are going to be with you for the whole day. As I have said before, just because they are a great shooter does not make them a nice person. And your wedding day is not the day you want to hang out with a A__ hole.

Cost $$$…

Larger retail studios systematically use an opportunity to cut costs by providing a company spokesperson or sales representative whose responsibility it is to meet with every client and provide them a generalized code of conduct, a universal task/shot list and other common objectives that their assigned photographer must pledge to demonstrate. Larger  studios may also receive discounts from product manufacturers for producing high volume sales which aids in keeping their prices aggressive, where as independent photographers offer competitive industry standard rates based on their merit while striving to provide the best quality products and services for the amount of time not divisible amongst a staff, whereby shooting fewer events per season and therefore providing a more personalized one on one, prompt performance and service. An independent wedding photographer may offer to discount their services based on a given time period such as an off peak seasons event or a Friday or Sunday weddings. Larger retail studios however rely on a constant price structure which is as low as they’re typically willing to go based on a system driven on volume, whereby not allowing clients to bargain for discounts and/or other special offers.  And though larger retail studios may entice you to walk through the doors with the promise of an cheap “package”, this offer usually includes their lowest tier, lackluster, self-assembled album of comprised of considerably less pages/photos than an independent photographer’s comparable product that the studio anticipates you’ll upgrade to meet the level of popular consumer spending averages which compels their bottom line: a compounded and generalized service with additional products offered based on an average of volume sales. Be careful things may sound good, but not work that way.

Talent…

A Photographer hired by larger retail studios earns a small amount  of the larger studio’s profit forcing these photographers to often also hold a full or part time job which may not prove as beneficial to the client as an independent photographer working on  their craft constantly. These retail studio freelance photographers are usually new to the wedding industry and utilize the opportunity to work for larger retail studios as they practice their shooting while perhaps continuing their education. Most successful, independent wedding photographers have sought their apprenticeships previously & finished their primary education prior to gambling with not only their reputations but their client’s memories as well. While an independent photographer’s livelihood and continued success relies alot  on loyal customer referrals, larger retail studios more often than not focus on their bottom line - quantity often over quality. We Believe that the most important factor is QUALITY.

I hope this helps

Cheers Peter Bruce

What Makes a wedding Photographer a Professional?

Good question

When times are hard, people with pickup trucks start up a landscaping business and those with cameras, guess what, become wedding photographers. Yet when the first drought hits, those new landscapers quickly realize landscaping is not just about mowing lawns and planting tree and just as quickly go out of business.  There is much more to consider.  The same can be said with wedding photography but, we don’t have droughts to weed out the unqualified photographers. Sad  it is the consumer or bride who ends up paying the price.  What you first thought was a great deal, turns out to be tremendous heartbreak on and after your big day.
Yes anyone can drive a car, but to be a professional race car driver and make a living from it and be Fangio, that is a different story.

Photography is very much the same.  Anybody can take a good picture once in a while even of people and brides.  Some people become better than average over time.And good for them.  Fewer people are able to make a living as a Professional wedding Photographer.  What separates the true Professional Photographer from the Amateur or the men from the boys,read on…
First the professional is able to provide a repeatable, expected GREAT result upon demand. Any one can drive a car at 100mph, but try to do that in the rain around corner with other drivers.  It should be the same with a wedding photographer, or video for that fact. One of the  biggest difference between a professional and an amateur is that a professional can be told to take a photo & is able to create a good predictable photo every time. The amateur has to trust that luck is on there side. Remember, you will only get one chance to photograph the first kiss and husband and wife.  Your photographer must be able to capture all of those special moments from your wedding day without leaving anything to chance.
Next a professional is prepared for the unknown and unexpected. When that professional driver gets in a spin, they know they can get out of it.  A professional wedding  photographer knows what to do when a piece of equipment fails or a flash does not work.  They know what to do when the sky suddenly clouds over and then become sunny again, and in San Francisco we all know that to well, RIGHT.  Just like the pro racer trains for those difficult situations and makes them look easy,they just take it in there step. Business as usual, so does the professional photographer.  After all, the professional photographer knows “P” on the camera does not stand for “Professional” and “A” does not stand for amateur. Here is the true meaning of the A and P words from the Dictionary…

amateur…

Main Entry:

am·a·teur

Pronunciation:

\ˈa-mə-(ˌ)tər, -ˌtu̇r, -ˌtyu̇r, -ˌchu̇r, -chər\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French, from Latin amator lover, from amare to love

Date:

1784

1 : devotee, admirer 2 : one who engages in a pursuit, study, science, or sport as a pastime rather than as a profession 3 : one lacking in experience and competence in an art or science

— amateur adjective

— am·a·teur·ish \ˌa-mə-ˈtər-ish, -ˈt(y)u̇r-, -ˈchu̇r-, -ˈchər-\ adjective

— am·a·teur·ish·ly adverb

— am·a·teur·ish·ness noun

— am·a·teur·ism \ˈa-mə-ˌtər-ˌi-zəm, -ˌt(y)u̇r-, -ˌchu̇r-, -ˌchər-; -ˌtə-ˌri-, -ˌchə-ˌri-\ noun

professional…

1. ¹professional (adjective)
2. ²professional (noun)
3. professional corporation

Main Entry:

¹pro·fes·sion·al

Pronunciation:

\prə-ˈfesh-nəl, -ˈfe-shə-n^əl\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1606

1 a: of, relating to, or characteristic of a profession b: engaged in one of the learned professions c (1): characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession (2): exhibiting a courteous, conscientious, and generally businesslike manner in the workplace2 a: participating for gain or livelihood in an activity or field of endeavor often engaged in by amateurs <a professional golfer> b: having a particular profession as a permanent career <a professional soldier> c: engaged in by persons receiving financial return <professional football>3: following a line of conduct as though it were a profession <a professional patriot>

— pro·fes·sion·al·ly adverb

synonyms amateur, dilettante, dabbler, tyro mean a person who follows a pursuit without attaining proficiency or professional status. amateur often applies to one practicing an art without mastery of its essentials <a painting obviously done by an amateur>; in sports it may also suggest not so much lack of skill but avoidance of direct remuneration <remained an amateur despite lucrative offers>. dilettante may apply to the lover of an art rather than its skilled practitioner but usually implies elegant trifling in the arts and an absence of serious commitment <had no patience for dilettantes>. dabbler suggests desultory habits of work and lack of persistence <a dabbler who started novels but never finished them>. tyro implies inexperience often combined with audacity with resulting crudeness or blundering <shows talent but is still a mere tyro>.

Just as a professional driver continues to train, so does the true professional  wedding photographer.  The true professional photographer is not looking for the quick dollars.  They are passionate about there work, they want to deliver great stuff and want  continue to learn.  They go to  seminars, conferences and are members of professional associations.  This allows the professional photographer to stay abreast of the most current trends in the photography industry.
Saddly, there are times when serious problems do happen.  The professional photographer is prepared by being fully insured.  If somebody were to trip over a camera case, liability insurance is there to help.  More importantly, many professional photographers carry Errors and Omissions Insurance to protect against everything from a missed shot to a total loss of all the photos due to a hard drive crash.  In the absolute worst case something tragic happens like my car catches on fire as I’m on the way home from a wedding or your bag was stolen, my Errors and Omissions insurance will provide my client with another wedding day. Dresses will be cleaned, tuxes will be re rented, new flowers purchased…. Errors and Omissions is for more than just restaging that missed shot of the bride and her dad. It lets you and your photographer rest easy should anything completely unexpected occur.
Plumbers, Doctors, Electricians and other professions are licensed.  Unfortunately, professional wedding photographers are not.  Anybody can walk into best buy, buy a professional looking camera and say they are a professional photographer.  Just as there are full-time photographers who pretend to be professional photographers there are also part-time photographers who are truly professional photographers.  It is up to you, the consumer, to make sure the photographer you hire for your special day is in fact really a professional photographer and not just pretending to be one.  That great price you pay up front could cause you a lot of heartache after your wedding.

Of course this goes without saying that all this can be said for video too.

Hope this helped an please pass it on

Cheers PeterBruce