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

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

I

5 Million Dollar Question…

They had been married for many years, Joe had been ignored by his wife, Beth, for some days, so eventually he confronted her with what he perceived as the problem ?.

‘Come on Beth, admit it,’ he ranted, ‘You only married me because my grandfather left me $5 million, didn’t you?’

‘You really are silly, Joel,’ retorted Beth loudly, ‘I couldn’t care less who left you the money’

Cheers Peter Bruce

Hosting an eco-chic wedding…

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

Peter Bruce photo was lucky enough to shoot Graceway’s party for their top people at the Ritz Carlton in beautiful San Francisco.

Hope you enjoy, these photos are not locked or encoded so you can e mail to anyone and print them and please pass them on.

Cheers Peter Bruce

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