Chicago Wedding Photography

More wedding photographers today are providing full resolution and custom retouched JPEGs on DVD with full copyright release. But is getting your precious wedding images on DVDs such a great idea?Some people, including a few professional photographers, believe DVDs may only hold data for up to 8 to 10 years at best. This is probably pretty accurate for most standard consumer grade DVDs. However, for archiving important files, gold archival DVDs are available which may keep precious photographs and other files archived over 100 years. You may find suppliers of gold archival DVDs by simply searching with this phrase in all the popular search engines. As of time of this writing, gold archival DVDs cost around $2.50 each. It is also good to know that there are blu-ray discs for high definition wedding videos which may expect to hold the video for over 200 years as well. To those photographers who are not so sure whether Gold Archival DVDs will keep wedding photos for so many decades, I remind them, gold is inert and does not oxidize. At minimum, it is reasonable to expect and believe 24 karat gold enveloped in a scratch resistant coating must be more archival than the conventional photo paper and chemical process which puts a wedding image on top of a sheet of paper! Yet, there are some photographers who want brides to believe the chemical process of putting an image on top of a sheet of conventional photo paper is more archival than 24 karat gold and which has been enveloped in a scratch resistant coating!Brides who retain a professional wedding photographer who will provide her wedding images on DVDs might want to make sure the photographer uses gold archival DVDs. Some pro photographers, including myself, will provide on gold archival DVDs at a slightly higher cost. Brides who prefer not to pay the higher cost for gold archival DVDs know they will just be using the standard DVDs as a medium through which to acquire their wedding images for archiving on electronic storage media in its various forms. The DVD is simply a temporary portable means of sharing those images with others to copy and print.DVD technology is therefore not a problem. But the concept of providing professional wedding photography with full resolution, custom retouched and full copyright released JPEGs on DVDs is the basis of a non-traditional business model for the wedding photographer. How does this new and growing "DVD wedding photographer" business model compare to the traditional "album package wedding photographer" model?First thing you will notice which distinguishes these two photographers is the DVD wedding photographer does not contractually obligate the customer to a wedding album at time of signing the wedding contract. The DVD photographer prefers to allow the customer to first view their wedding photographs. Once the client has viewed her photographs, selected her favorite horizontal, vertical and various sizes, it can be more easily determined the wedding album the bride will actually need which best fits her particular needs and taste. Album package photographers on the other hand must obligate the bride to some pre-designed album package before the bride has seen any photography at all. While this makes business sense and must be required by the album package photographer, it is purely in the self-interest of the photographer and shows no concern for the best interest of the bride.The second most distinguishing difference is that from the DVD wedding photographer the bride simply receives the valuable DVD of full resolution, custom retouched and full copyright released images. This benefit is not even on the table with album package photographers. And what a list of practical benefits the wedding DVD provides to the bride!1. Cropping, retouching, photo tilting, blowing-up and other creative photo manipulation and control as she desires for her photographs and album(s).2. If her photographer retires, moves out of state, passes away, goes out of business, suffers a business catastrophe or whatever, the bride has her wedding images! She has them!3. If the bride's wedding album gets lost, damaged or stolen, she can always easily have another new album created since she has her wedding DVD.

Choosing a wedding album can be just as confusing and difficult as choosing a wedding photographer. They come in hundreds of styles, covers, colors, sizes, mounting options, etc. Although there are lots of books and articles written for professional photographers about wedding albums, there's almost nothing out there for brides. Sheesh! So here's the 411:Why do I need an album from my photographer? I've got the digital files, I can make my own prints and put them in my own album.True, but since professional-quality, custom-made album companies only sell to professional photographers, you will have to buy an off-the-shelf consumer album. That means you either buy the type of album with slip-in plastic sleeves or a scrapbook-type album where you glue photos to a page. Some companies can print simple hardcover photo books. There's nothing wrong with that - these types of options can still be attractive. Just make sure you get albums made with acid-free archival materials so your photos don't discolor or disintegrate over time. However, if you want a truly professionally made, gorgeous album with either flush-mounting or professionally mounted in custom mats, you really have no other choice, you've got to buy one from your professional wedding photographer.Why are wedding albums so expensive?You can buy a photo album at the local drugstore for $19.95 and slip in all your 4×6 proofs and bam, you're done! So why is your wedding photographer charging you $2,500 for that album? There are a couple of reasons for this:(1) Professional-quality albums cost your photographer a lot of money. It is not unusual for your photographer to pay five, six or seven hundred dollars or more for a custom leather album. Custom bookbinding is expensive!(2) It can easily take your photographer 2 full days to do their file preparation and retouching (on Photoshop) of all the images you've chosen for your album and then to do the design work on the album. You are paying for the photographer's skill and time here, both as a photographer and graphic designer.What is a flush-mount album? Is it better than a traditional album?Flush-mounting means that the print itself is mounted all the way to the edge of the page. So the print itself is exactly the same size as the page it is mounted on. Most often, flush-mounting also includes digital graphic design. That means each page is designed using Photoshop or other graphic design software. That makes the design options nearly unlimited. Currently, flush-mount albums seem to be the most popular among today's brides. As for whether or not flush-mount albums are better than traditional, I can't say. It's just a matter of personal preference.

Just about anyone with eyes can see that weddings are big
business. Between the church and hall rental, attire, catering,
flowers. Obviously the list goes on and on and on. But the
detail that makes the day live forever is the photographs. In a
thriving, busy city like Chicago, the potential for a talented wedding
photographer is enormous. The trick is to get all of the
excited brides to be to pay attention to your quality work and book you
for the big day. A few marketing ideas may be just what it takes
to put your name at the top of the Chicago wedding photographer list.

Like all professions photography is a field in which there can be any
number of specialties. Some photographers are freelancers and
their work appears in magazines and on the cover of books. Others
target their talents towards artistic expression and their work makes
its way into art galleries and museums, but the type of photographer
that most impacts the lives of the people in their communities are
those who specialize in photos of people and portraits. Due to
the large and diverse population, a professional photographer in
Chicago has many opportunities to further their craft and business.

The wedding days are drawing nearer and you want some special photography to be done on your wedding. Everyone around you is giving you opinions, suggestions and recommendations but you are not really sure what to do. You are looking around for affordable, expensive, top and the best photographers in the area to get the best out of your wedding photography. Well, the best way to go about this is to go for creative wedding photography that makes use of everything from camera angles to the backgrounds and effects to make the pictures look extremely artistic. It is not formal photography - it is formal photography in its informally modern form.When you are looking for a photographer you have to make sure that you find the best one because this is such a responsibility. You will be blamed and pointed fingers at for your entire life if you end up choosing the wrong photographer. Every time someone opens the album, he/she will blame you for the bad angles and lighting in the pictures. Through creative wedding photography you can make everyone excited and stunned at the same time. Creative artists are some of the best in the industry and take the wedding photography to a whole new level with their creative ideas and approaches.What Will A Creative Wedding Photographer Do?Here are some bulleted points on what a creative photographer can do for you with his creative wedding photography:繚 He will use the latest equipment to take every shot professionally. With the latest equipment he can make small rooms look big and discolored walls look clean.繚 He doesn't work with the formal poses only. He will ask you to give some crazy poses and do some unusual stuff to get the pictures that amaze everyone.繚 He doesn't rely on the front camera angle only. He might take pictures from the roof, from corners, from behind the people and walls and whatever creative ideas he gets about angles on the spot.繚 Many of his pictures will not even be the type of pictures you imagine. No poses, no meditation and preparation for the picture. He will take the pictures when you don't even know and this is called candid wedding photography.繚 He can use the latest effects to make your pictures stunning. He can blur the surroundings so your couple is the point of focus or use the lighting to emphasize on the best features of your face.

When it comes time to book consultations with wedding photographers, it can be a bit daunting if you're not certain what to expect or what to do. But the process is actually quite simple if you follow these five basic steps...1: Schedule your consultations wisely.Assuming that you're arranging consultations with more than one photographer, it's best to schedule all of your photographer meetings within the same day or two. Wedding photographers will offer you the courtesy of holding your date while you make your decision, but they can only hold that date for you for a few days or a week at most.By booking your consultations within the same day or two, you guarantee that your wedding date is held by all of your potential photographers for a similar amount of time.2: Prepare for your meeting.During your consultation, a lot of information gets covered in a short amount of time. You want to be sure to ask all of the questions that are really important to you, so it's a good idea to write a list out beforehand and bring it with you.3: Know your budget.It wastes your time and the photographer's time if you meet with them and you're not sure about exactly how much you're prepared to spend on your wedding photography. Before scheduling a wedding photography consultation, decide on a budget and be certain that you and your fiance are both in agreement about the amount.4: Know your wedding schedule.

Weddings are equal to photographing a child or a baby. You have to wait for the right moment and click the moment of a lifetime. No wedding will offer a second chance. And that is true with Vietnamese weddings as well. They are highly ritualistic and capturing one such modern western Vietnamese wedding was quite an experience for me as a Vietnamese wedding photographer.I am a professional wedding photographer and so being quick fingered with cameras is a second nature. Being familiar with wedding practices usually prepares a photographer's mind and he or she will know what to click next, what are the important events and which one of them will make a great photo. However, being a first time Vietnamese photographer meant a lot of homework and groundwork regarding the rituals and traditions.Familiarizing with the different ceremony in itself was thrilling. The couple to be married took me to a friend's wedding, which happened to be an authentic Vietnamese wedding. The experience was quite enriching. There is a formal engagement ceremony in presence of elders from both the bride and groom's side. They solemnize the engagement at least half a year before the wedding date is set. A priest or fortune-teller sets the date.Lot of gifts are exchanged and everything is wrapped in red or pink and gold. These colors symbolize luck and prosperity. On the day of the wedding, the groom wears a traditional 獺o gấm a formal men's attire, which is typically in red or blue. The bride wears an ao dai, which is the feminine version of 獺o gấm. She wears it in red or pink.

If you're getting married in 2013, you'll need to know next year's wedding dress trends, from bold splashes of colour to iconic sillhouettes. Here are five top trends set to take bridalwear fashion by storm for 2013:ColourWhite and ivory wedding dresses are not the only option! Inspired by vintage palettes, next year's designs are full of deep, Victorian red and blue tones, or delicate shades of brown, blush and pink with feminine lace detailing. Two-tone wedding gowns are growing in popularity two, and are a great option if you still want a predominantly white dress. Or if you're after something really unique, what about a retro or floral print for your wedding dress?Cutout BacksKeyholes and lace cutouts are a firm trend for next year's bridalwear, following on from the trend of low-backed dresses a few years ago. The latest look is once again borrowing from vintage design, with predominantly lace detailing on sheer panels, showing a modest peek at the bride's back. Sexy but sophisticated, this trend is a lovely way to add an extra element to your wedding gown.Peplums and LayersA peplum is a waist-defining short overskirt that is seen a lot on the runway. Adding structure and draping to the simplest dress, peplums are a hot high fashion trend for next year. Stylished layers are also a big winner, providing a combination of fabrics, textures and shapes to add extra interest and a modern twist to your wedding gown.Lace Ever since the royal wedding, the nation has been in love with lace bridalwear! Every designer and collection has been utilising this timeless fabric to add detail and sophistication into all styles of wedding dresses. From contemporary to traditional, vintage to modern, you are sure to find a wedding gown embellished with this enchanting detailing. Options vary from overskirts and cutout panels to sleeves and shrugs.

These days most brides and grooms are not satisfied with only having photographs of their special day. They also want to have a video that they can watch whenever they want to revisit the special moments of that day. Photographs are not always able to capture those special moments and feelings the way that videos can. People with limited budgets often opt to have home videos of their weddings made. They will have a friend or family member to videotape the day using a personal camcorder. Unfortunately, with these the images and sound quality can often be poor. With professional wedding videography the images and audio are of better quality. With the right equipment, editing and camera person, these can look like commercially produced videos.There is now special editing software that can be used to create different styles out of the images and audio. And, because the equipment is light and mobile the wedding videographer does not have to interfere in the day's events. Wedding videography is now a special field that many people are choosing as a vocation. These are people who tend to be artistic. They do not only produce videos of the special day, but also other events such as birthdays, engagement parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvah's, and other special occasions in people's lives. Some of these wedding videographers even belong to special associations reserved specially for people who work in that field. Many of these organisations even offer special training to their members.When wanting to have a professional wedding videography, people getting married have to take their time to look for a camera person and reserve their services for their special day. It is important to reserve one well in advance of the wedding date because most weddings are held on weekends, so wedding videographers will be fully booked on those days. Professional wedding videographers usually charge their fees on an hourly rate. Included in this will be the hours needed in order to edit the footage according to the style requested by the bride and groom. It is impossible to predict, how much a wedding videographer will charge for his or her services, because most of them charge according to how busy they are and how much experience they have. One can try to negotiate the fees with the videographers. When looking to hire a professional wedding videographer it is best to request to see samples of their previous work.It is best to organise a consultation with the wedding videographers. Here they should be able to show samples of their work and get any information that they need to be able to determine their fee. For example, the amount of editing that is required will also determine the cost of the service. The more complicated a style is, the more likely that it will cost more. For this reason the samples that are shown should include the different styles that the videographer can use. Then they will provide a quotation based on the different factors. Make sure that the quotation is itemised so that one can remove different things that are not an absolute must in order to bring down the price.The different styles should be explained to the wedding videographer as weddings and their special moments can never be repeated. Clients can also request to have their professional wedding videography placed on to special Blu-Ray DVD's. There are now also high-definition capabilities for improved image quality. With a sufficient budget, brides and grooms can have whatever they want in terms of their wedding videos. But, it is best to take the time to find a good professional wedding videography expert to get the best results.

Traditionally, wedding showers are only given to brides and these events are strictly for ladies only. Although that idea has become a tradition, but there are many people who don't like to stick with that pattern of planning a wedding shower. In fact, many wedding showers nowadays are open for gentlemen including of course the groom.A wedding shower that involves men is also called a "Coed"wedding shower. This party can also be as fun as bridal showers that are only good for ladies, when planned well. One great idea is to include a fun theme that both the bride and groom will really enjoy. There are plenty of fun theme ideas for coed wedding showers, here are some to choose from:Home and Garden Theme - for this theme, you can choose location that combines the indoor and outdoor feelings. Most probably you will think of holding this home and garden themed shower at home, patio, or yard. Let the sunshine be the light if you want to hold on daytime, but if you want a night party, you can light the outside with twinkling lights that you can hang on trees or tall plants. You can also use candles or garden torches if you want to. The decorations on the tables could be glass bowls, colorful fresh fruits, flowers, or fresh vegetables.Hi-Tech Theme -this is for brides and grooms who are always fond of collecting modern gadgets or are simply have a contemporary taste. For this theme, you can think of creating a cyberspace-age like atmosphere in the party. This is actually quite easy if you have some blue light bulbs to counterfeit the techno blue glow of some computer monitors. There's a lot of unique ideas that you can use in this wedding shower theme, like you can use diskettes instead of coasters or you may consider giving out mouse pads as party favors. Instead of sending common party invitations, why not send electronic invites through e-mailing? This is actually a fun idea and unique for a modern-type wedding shower.Wine and Dine Theme - for a couple that always enjoy a fine dine with their favorite wine, why not treat them to the best restaurant in town? A vineyard venue would also make a perfect wedding shower location for them. You may include a wine tasting activity for everyone to enjoy. Mini bottle of wines can be given out as party favors that guests can take home.These are just a few themes that can be used for a coed wedding shower. For more unique ideas, you can browse different sites online. You can also order party supplies from specialty shops online. Usually, these web-based shops offer a wide variety of bridal shower invitations, bridal shower decorations, bridal shower favors, and other bridal and wedding party items. With the help of the Internet, planning a coed wedding shower is no longer challenging, not to mention there are lots of unique and fun ideas that you can easily find without working too hard or leaving your home.

For people new to the business of photography it's not unusual for wedding photography to be one of the first steps in that journey. There are more cameras at weddings these days than you'll find at most press conferences. Yet, even with all the coverage, the majority of brides opt for a professional photographer, some more than one.As a professional wedding photographer, you will live and die by the strength of your contracts. There are wedding photographers who didn't require contracts and that's a financial disaster waiting to happen.When it comes to wedding photographer contracts, here are some contract clauses most new photographers don't know they can include.Exclusivity ClauseThat clause says you're going to be the only professional photographer on the job. That won't prevent an "Uncle Bob" from shooting next to you, but it will make sure that if the bride wants a second shooter, which many do, that you'll be providing that second shooter who will be working for you.Dinner ClauseThis is a clause that says if food is provided to the guests, that they feed their friendly neighborhood photographer as well. This should not apply to half-day or ceremony-only wedding jobs, but for jobs that run all day, including the reception, it's definitely okay.That applies to food, not the bar. Stab yourself in the eye with a pen before drinking at a paying wedding job.Force Majeure

So, you've narrowed down your selection of potential wedding photographers. You've now got to decide between two or three. You like their work and they have similar rates and packages. But you still aren't sure who to hire. What else can you do to help make your decision? Contact the photographers who made it to your 'short list' and ask them some key questions...The rates are important, yes and of course you'll want to inquire about them. But once you've got a fairly clear idea of the amount you can expect to pay, there are several other things you should make sure of as well...QUESTION ONE - THE CONSULTATION:When you're arranging meetings with potential photographers, be sure to ask if they give you a free consultation before your wedding date.The answer to this should always be yes. Whether it's in person or by telephone, at least a few days prior to your wedding, you and your photographer should have a one-on-one discussion about the kinds of photos you envision for your wedding day. This is makes sure everyone is clear about your vision and your needs for your wedding photography.QUESTION TWO - THE SHOT-LIST:Does the photographer provide you with a detailed shot-list to fill out prior to your wedding?This list is invaluable for you and for your photographer. On this list, you'll fill out the names of the wedding party and family members so your photographer knows who is who, without you having to take time from your wedding day to make extra introductions.Then you fill out information about the various shots you want. Do you want photos of the wedding party getting ready? Bridal party and groom's party? Family photos before and after the ceremony? Photos of the cake cutting and the signing of the legal documents? How much time are you allotting for each activity?