Frequently Asked Questions

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Why do some photographers deliver my Wedding proofs only on CD while others include a proof album in their packages?

To increase their profit margins.

Professional proofing on photo paper is expensive as are quality proof albums.  I and many photographers still deliver printed proofs in proof albums for several very good reasons.  First, photo paper reveals the true quality of an image.  Secondly, having actual printed proofs allows your family and friends who may not be computer savvy to view your Wedding proofs.  Lastly, when you're ready to have reprints made, printed proofs are an indispensable tool to photo labs who are delighted to have "guide prints" to refer to when making your reprints and enlargements.

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What is a Medium Format camera, and why is it preferable to both 35mm and Digital for the portrait aspect of my Wedding Photography?

Film is yet widely recognized within the professional photographic community as superior to Digital for formal portraiture with regard to most properly and kindly rendering skin tone.  Medium Format cameras are professional quality film cameras which produce much larger negatives than do 35mm cameras.  My favorite Medium Format camera is my Mamiya RB67, which is a bit heavy to carry but produces the largest Medium Format negative available, which is 6X7 centimeters, or approximately 4.5 times the area of a 35mm negative.  Such generous negative size means unsurpassed skin tone reproduction; beautifully crisp, high-quality enlargements; makes possible considerable cropping (centering/straightening/"zooming in"); and allows for finely detailed scans for retouching or other purposes.  Though more expensive to use than 35mm or Digital, Medium Format is considered the professional photography industry standard for formal portraiture, which comprises an indispensable portion of a photographer's work on your Wedding Day.  All that said, I will shoot your wedding in 100% Pro Digital if you prefer.

What is "studio lighting", and is its availability important for my Wedding Day?

Grab a mirror, stand in front of a window not lit by direct sunlight, turn yourself 45 degrees to your left, and now look at your reflection in your mirror.  Smile at yourself and say "Hi!"--there's no one in the world quite like you, and no matter what you perceive as your imperfections somebody loves you just the way you are.  Observe the softness of the light on your face's right side, and the delicate shadows "modeling" the features on the left side of your face.  Such lighting is divine for portraiture. "Studio lighting" is powerful, "off-camera" flash equipment, that, when used correctly with umbrellas or other appropriate fixtures, imitates the most desirable light for portraiture--indirect or cloud-diffused sunlight.  Studio lighting is essential for portraits shot in the evening or on winter's dark days.  But forgetting for a moment about an off-season or evening Wedding, what if rain should fall on a summer Wedding Day?  I bring a light from my studio to every Wedding shoot expressly for the purpose of pre-bridal portraiture as needed.  To skilled photographers, it's not that big of a deal to set up a light and click a light meter, and it makes all the difference for your pre-bridal portraits.  Only a photographer who's arrived with studio lighting will be able to provide you with the quality portraiture promised by the best examples of his/her portfolio--the shots you loved the most.

What's the difference between a "full-time" and "part-time" photographer?

As compared with part-time photographers, professionals like myself who've chosen photography as a full-time career are studied artists able to also offer couples more personal attention, more flexible business hours and likely much faster turn-around time on proofing and reprints.  As well, it may be worthwhile to consider that when a person's entire livelihood depends upon their reputation as a Wedding Photographer, they have a vested interest in doing the most complete and satisfying job for you as possible.

What size are your proofs and why?  Some photographers proofs are 3.5X5, some are 4X6 and some are 4X5--what's the difference?

Either 3.5X5 or 4X6 proofs indicate 35mm negatives, as these proof dimensions best reflect the 35mm negative dimension of 2X3.  My proofs are 4X5, which indicates either Medium Format or Pro Digital, as 4X5 best reflects their negatives' less oblong dimensions.  Between camera formats, it's generally accepted 35mm is now third in line behind Medium Format and Digital--actually, camera and film manufacturers believe 35mm is well on its way to becoming obsolete and are gearing their production toward that inevitability.  My Medium Format negatives are 6X7cm each, which is 4.5 times the area of a 35mm negative; my Digital files wind up about 21MB each at 300dpi in 8 bit TIFF format.  Thanks to these negative and file sizes, excellent 16X20 and larger prints may be made from either format.

I should add, when working with my Digital files, before sending to the pro lab for proofing, I crop and color balance each image individually, which in itself involves 5-6 hours per wedding shoot.  Many photographers using Digital do not bother to do this and instead simply bring a disk of uncropped, non color or density (contrast) balanced image files to a photo lab and wherever the crop and color balance falls in the largely automated proofing process is wherever it falls, so couples wind up with proofs which are particularly rough approximations of what "could be" as compared with film proofs as no photo lab can afford to spend 5-6 hours on each digital proofing order.

How much do I need to spend for my Wedding Photography?

You'll find all manner of pricing for all manner of workmanship.

I've an office and studio in my own home so I have no rental-space costs to pass on.  As well, my prices reflect the fact that of all the sorts of photography to pursue I'd rather be busy at the work I love the most--Wedding Photography.  I use the finest Digital and Film photographic equipment, the finest professional Kodak films, and the most highly regarded state-of-the-art professional photo labs available for my proofing and reprint work.

So, does reasonable pricing mean sacrificing quality?  Especially lately, yes it can.  Though it isn't necessary for you to spend several thousands of dollars for exceptional Wedding Photography, also be wary of prices that sound too good to be true from business people endeavoring to sell quantity as quality, lately most evidenced by amateurs and discount photography, fast-food style "networks" who cheaply employ pools of mediocre "photographers", bet on your naivety, and prey upon your happiness.  Substituting genuine care with sly salesmanship, such wedding mills are an insult to the dignity of the art form of all Photography, and can be avoided by working with smaller studios who offer one or two photographers.

Search the internet and find distinguished professionals lamenting that from wedding mills to amateurish part-time photographers the art of Wedding Photography is currently in a precarious state.  Stylish-looking photography websites with a handful of likely heavily doctored images are popping up everywhere, but often don't tell the real story.  Check with the Better Business Bureau before even considering hiring anyone.  While visiting a photography studio, ask to see actual, complete proof albums. Photography portfolios can be easily bought on the internet--one indication of this deceit is when only one or two couples appear in a photographer's portfolio, so ask to see examples from many different Weddings so you might get a clear idea of consistency.  In the circumstance a person you're meeting with won't be the one to actually shoot your Wedding, insist upon interviewing the actual photographer.  And if possible begin to seek your Wedding Photography services at least a year ahead of your Wedding, or you might soon find the only photographers still available to be lacking talent, unpleasant, and/or either oddly expensive or under-priced.  The same goes for any other service in the Wedding business.

What should I be looking for in a Wedding Photographer's work?

Artistry.

Someone who'd like to be your Wedding Photographer might speak well and seem nice enough, but it's true "the proof is in the pudding."

Wedding Photography, and in particular the portrait aspect of Wedding Photography, ought not only elicit some sort of hopefully positive emotion from you, but be interesting in form and tidy in detail.

When studying a sample portrait, how do you feel about a pose itself.  Does it look stiff (stick-figures), contrived (a macho groom gazing affectionately at a butterfly) or unbelievable/illogical (people posed sitting or lying on a wedding dress train)?  Is a pose and/or a photographer's lighting choice flattering to the subject(s)?  Are there elements of a photograph (perhaps bright reflections, or indiscreet use of photo filters) which distract you from the subject?  In an outdoor photo, could a branch which appears to be growing out of someone's head have been avoided?  In a full-length portrait of a bride, is part of her dress cut out of the picture (a pet peeve of mine--"If she wanted a shorter dress she would've bought one.")?  What are people doing with their hands--is a groom helping his bride hold up her heavy bouquet?  In group shots, are relationships apparent, or are fake-smiling people posed from tallest to shortest or vise-versa in a straight line stretching into near-infinity?--no matter any particular photographer's price, it's too much for such a boring depiction of humanity.  And keep in mind a portrait is more than a picture of a person or persons--it's also a picture about how the person or persons being photographed feel about their photographer and his/her skill.

In the field of Wedding Photography you'll find all manner of workmanship at all levels of pricing.  Put on your critic cap and surf photographers' websites.  Tender moments over-powered by bright reflections, burly grooms gazing oddly affectionately at butterflies, brides with their dress trains cut off or with nervous-looking wedding party members sprawled out on those elegant trains, and more utter curiosities, are all found on local web pages.  The good news is there's also wonderful work to be seen, composed by truly caring, talented professionals who might rightly be called "Artists".

Do you offer Digital photography?

The candid/photojournalistic aspects of your Wedding Day will be shot in High Resolution Digital, and you have the option of having your formal/portrait photography shot in Digital as well, or on Medium Format Film. Though I recommend Medium Format for all portrait work, I want to leave that choice up to you.  I offer either option at the same price because I don't want cost to be a factor in your decision.  Since their introduction three years ago, my Film/Digital combination packages have proven to be popular with couples seeking the very best available photography.

What is "photojournalistic style"?

Most everyone with a camera has at one time or another taken a pleasing "candid" photograph.  "Photojournalistic style" is an elevated form of candid photography in which a story is told by artfully capturing detail or non-posed/unscripted moments at their peak--to many, an important element of your Wedding photography.  Certain aspects of your Wedding ceremony and much of your reception--including dancing shots, Best Man's toast, bouquet toss, etc.--are all "candid" and naturally lend themselves to a photojournalistic approach.

Please read on.

Some photographers are definitely better than others at photojournalism; likewise, some photographers are more adept at candid photography in general at the unfortunate expense of portraiture, and vice-versa.  In particular, the current popularity of the "photojournalistic style" concept combined with the declining cost of reasonably suitable digital cameras has prompted a glut of amateur-turned-part-time Wedding photographers whose brand of "photojournalistic style" is basically "anything non-posed", who typically shoot only in digital, have little or no concept of lighting techniques, and are usually completely lacking in the elegant art of classic portraiture.  To illustrate the seriousness of this recent local/national development: At some time during the reception of most every Wedding I'm shooting, guests approach me to chat about some aspect of photography, and married people often wind up talking about their own Wedding photos.  Though many couples speak highly of their photographer, an increasing number express serious disappointments, which lately more often involve having hired a part-time "photojournalistic style" photographer and winding up with a lot of candids that look like ordinary snap-shots anyone could have taken and not a single decent portrait of the bride and groom alone together.  The best Wedding Photographers offer a well-rounded blend of creative formal portraiture and exceptional photojournalism at no extra charge, and will gladly lean one way or the other depending upon your wishes.  Though trends and people who exploit them for profit's sake come and go, your Wedding Photography is forever.

Do you bring an assistant?

I've never needed an assistant and conclude the offering of one indicates either photographer ineptness or simply a sales device.

Are the negatives from my Wedding available to me, and for how much?

All film and digital negatives from your Wedding Day are now included in my packages.  This is a recent development and due to the fact most couples who contact me lately are interested in creating their own reprints and albums.  Your Medium Format Film negatives will be 6X7cm each (4.5 times the size of a 35mm negative) on Kodak Professional Portra film, the most amazing portrait film in the world, and your Digital negatives will be 8 bit TIF files on DVD and highest resolution JPEG files on CD.

A photographer I spoke with suggested that to minimize the time my guests need to wait for me to arrive at my reception, I should consider having all my formal Wedding Party and Family shots done prior to my Wedding ceremony, but this would mean I'd see my fiancé before our ceremony, and I don't want that.

All your life, you've imagined your Wedding Day, and you knew how you wanted your day to be before you ever ventured to speak with anyone about planning it.  Your Wedding Day has nothing to do with anyone's convenience but yours, and has everything to do with what you've always wanted.  Keep yourself in the center of the one day you get to be there.
 
 

One photographer I spoke with boasted about his/her membership to one or another photography association--does a photographer's membership to such a thing really make a difference for my Wedding?

No such "association" requires more than a name and credit card number to acquire membership.  Research and see this for yourself.

Talk is ever-cheap.  Observe a person and his/her work.

I've met with a photographer who's work and personality I think I like, but I'm still not quite sure about hiring him/her.  What to do?

Trust your instincts and ask for references.  Ask for more than one reference--hopefully, someone's done something right more than once!  There's no reason in the world why you shouldn't feel quite certain about all of your Wedding Day choices--after all, the more faith you have in the people you hire, the more you can relax and fully take-in your day.  "It went by so fast!", I often hear.  If such a day must seem so short, do your best to make it a joyful and care-free ride.

Thank you for bearing with me, and all the best to you,

Ernie.

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