Our friends at On the Go Bride are always putting out really informative content. As wedding photographers and owners of Firstlight Photography we recognize we might be biased, but we thought their recent post about finding the right wedding photographer was brilliant. 
Sadly, this story doesn’t have a happy ending but the message is clear. You only have one shot at getting great wedding photos. Do your homework and make it count. Krisstin, owner of On the Go Bride (she is also an archaeologist which we find just way too cool), has laid out her dirty laundry in the form of some not so stellar photos of her wedding.
Blog Repost from On the Go Bride
This is an important topic not enough people touch upon. I’m sure you have heard stories. Do you have that one friend or relative who did not get the best service from their photographer? How about the person who spent a lot of money to end up with less than quality photos? Or worse, the friend that ended up with blurry photos or the photographer’s fingers showing in not one, but multiple photos. This happened to me. This happens to a lot of us. So how come more of us aren’t talking about it? Why aren’t we sharing our experiences to educate each other and help more couples on this topic? Well, that is exactly what I would like to do today. I want to share my experience and educate others on how to find a quality wedding photographer for their special day. Because when your day is over, the photos are what you will have left.
Let me start with my experience. Planning my wedding was my first introduction into the industry. I had no idea what to do or where to look. I was also an on-the-go bride who traveled a lot for work, so my “in town” time was limited. Logically my first stop was the wedding faire in town. Makes sense, right? One location, multiple vendors; I was sure to find everyone I was looking for or would ever need. Boy was I wrong. Here is a little secret I learned later. A lot of the great photographers don’t do wedding faires. Now that is not to say you can’t find amazing photographers at wedding faires. They are there. I’m just trying to encourage you to look outside the box as well. Don’t let the wedding faire become your be-all and end-all for local vendors.
I am not going to give the name of my photographer or all the details, just a few of the important ones. I did find my photographer at a wedding faire. The work displayed in their booth was gorgeous! I was drawn to the style. I liked the modern, fashion, magazine-ish flair. The style worked for me and my interest was piqued. I had heard all the warnings about having a family member take your wedding photos as well as going for the cheapest photographer. I had decided in the beginning I was willing to pay for quality. My wedding was in 2010 and I paid $3800 for a 6-hour package. By no means is that price at the highest end of the spectrum, but in my mind it was a fair amount to expect quality work. Without going into all the details of ignored emails, missed deadlines, and not producing everything that was paid for…I will just show you the end product. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So here is a great example of what I got. The photo on the top is from the professional photographer we paid for. The photo on the bottom is from my husband’s uncle who has a nice camera. Now I don’t have a photographer’s eye, but I can tell you which image I think is better of the two. I was pretty bummed when 95% of my “professionally edited” images seemed dull and missing all the color.
The photos I received looked nothing like the work I had seen. It looked nothing like what I thought I would be getting. I started to question if the work I had seen was really this photographer’s work? I also started to question what I had missed and where I went wrong? Through this experience and educating myself I discovered what I should have done and the questions I should have asked. That is what I want to share with all of you today. There are a couple important topics I would like to address and I am also including a wonderful questionnaire you can print out and take with you when you interview your potential photographer.
Your Photographer’s Work
There are a couple key issues that really go together. The first is verifying the work you are shown is actually that of the photographer. So how do you verify work? This one can be a bit tricky. There are a couple ways you can go about this. When looking at a photographer’s work, you want to pay attention to the style of all the photos. Do they all match? Do they all appear to be from the same person? One way to check is by asking to have the contact information for a few of the couples whose pictures you like. If it is the photographer’s real work then they should be able to give you contact information. This also doubles as great references. What better way to find out about your future photographer than to ask couples for their likes and dislikes of the service they received? Another way to verify the work is to ask your photographer to see the entire collection of photos from a specific wedding photo you like. If this is the photographer’s real work, then they should have all the images.
This also leads us into our second key issue. You want to make sure your photographer can produce quality photos in all different settings. Your wedding day usually spans many hours. When you look at albums or see photographer’s work at a wedding faire, you are usually seeing the single best image from multiple weddings. The truth is everyone gets lucky. Every once in a while everyone takes a good picture. By asking to view all the photos of a single wedding you are able to see the quality of photos that photographer can produce for an entire event. It will also show you if the photographer can shoot just as well outside as they can inside. If you have an outdoor ceremony and an indoor reception, these are important things to look at and good questions to ask.
Life Happens
There is no better way to say it…life happens. The important part is how your photographer handles the unexpected. What does your photographer do if a family member dies the day before your wedding? What if they go into labor or are in an accident? This is an important question to ask, and one that did not dawn on me until it had already happened. My photographer did not show up in their best form on my wedding day. The months preceding, they became almost non-existent. To this day (almost 2 years later) we still have not received everything we paid for and I doubt we will. I learned shortly after my wedding day that the photographer was in the process of getting a divorce. One that dealt with young children and I’m sure assets. I imagine that is not an easy thing to go through. Taking the chance that I don’t sound too selfish here… We never get our wedding day back. And that is how I honestly feel about the situation. We paid for a service we did not receive. I think on some level if the photographer knows they can’t be on their A-game the day of your wedding they should have a backup plan. Perhaps a few photographers they can contact to fill in for them?
Trust Your Gut
The best thing you can do is trust your gut. I had a bad feeling about my photographer after the engagement session. (Side Note – this taught me the benefit of an engagement session is getting to know your photographer). When I voiced my concerns to my mother and suggested finding someone else, she talked me into staying with him. I can’t blame her; we had already put down a significant deposit. But sometimes moms do not know what is best. She wasn’t there for the engagement session and I was. I should have went with my gut feeling and I would have been much happier with the outcome. When you meet with your photographer, is it someone you can picture yourself hanging out with? Do they try to get to know you as a person or are they all about business? Do you feel confident that they will give you their best on their big day? I can’t stress this point enough…trust your gut.
Printable Photographer Questionnaire
This post includes some of the major lessons I learned about finding a wedding photographer during my wedding planning process. I wanted to share these with you and I hope they help others. I hope they help you to find your wedding photographer that you will be happy with, by making sure to ask the right questions. To go along with this post I want to provide a questionnaire I created to help you remember to ask some of these important questions. Just click on the pdf below, print it out, and take it with you to each photographer you interview. And remember…trust your gut!
NOTE: Firstlight Photography also recommends that you make sure your photographer shoots all photos in RAW format. This allows for the most flexibility during the editing process!
Be sure to visit On the Go Bride on Facebook.
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As a Seattle / Tacoma wedding photographer team we began seeing the wedding food truck trending in 2011 and it is growing in 2012 – and we are loving this! For quite some time many local jurisdictions made it hard for the food truck operator. In many places these types of mobile food mobiles were prohibited – or just allowed to sell hot dogs and light vending items.
Times are a changin’ and many cities are seeing these mobile restaurants as an asset and an economic development tool. The stigma of the “roachcoach” is long gone. Now food truck offerings range from comfort to cuisine items. And let us not forget the spectacular desserts and ice cream options. Lunch workers can stalk food or dessert trucks via Twitter and food truck vendors offer specials and updates to loyal followers.
Customers clamor for the latest food truck creations that they have heard about from friends, colleagues and their social media network. Food trucks deliver delish food and a fun experience – they are serving up a food mob. Finding your favorite food truck is exciting – and a challenge to be sure to time your arrival so you actually get to buy your nosh. Hanging out with people that appreciate good grub and enjoy the thrill of the chase is also part of the charm.
So, with the “food”tainment value it makes perfect sense and adds that homegrown element to weddings. Seeing a food or dessert truck roll up to a wedding is truly spectacular. Last summer we were photographing a wedding on a private Camano Island beach. When we saw the shiny silver Skillet airstream trailer pull up we squealed with glee! Skillet can provide street food style (right out of the truck) or family style catering at weddings and events. A combination of both services is a good option for larger weddings. We were treated to the fanciest gourmet burger ever and we can’t forget the seafood taco sliders. We were delighted to see their pink lemonade garnished with jalapenos – yes. And it was quite delish and refreshing.
Some couples are also going the way of the dessert truck. You can still have your cake and eat it too. Most cupcakeries / bakeries have a variety of other treats on the menu and can provide the traditional cake top for brides and grooms (as photographers we love the cake cutting shots). Having your cupcake truck roll into the wedding creates a great buzz. People can mingle and self serve. It is a surprise treat that reminds many of their days chasing crazed ice cream truck drivers around the cul-de-sac!
The Piccadilly Bakery is the first Kitsap County mobile bakery / cupcakery truck. Calling it a truck is somewhat of a disservice for it is more like an art truck. The owner is from the UK and her desserts show inspiration from across the pond as well as traditional US fare. Her cooked frosting is, in one word, divine. She has just the personality to delight wedding guests – and just wait until you hear that fab accent.
We are awaiting the day that Seattle based Bluebird Microcreamery shows up at a wedding we are shooting. This isn’t just because they make Elysian Stout ice cream (they are neighbors with the very talented Elysian Brewing Company). Their product is fabulous and it is served up from a retro ice cream truck – a perfect back drop for wedding candids.
Things to Keep In Mind When Hiring a Food Truck
If you are considering food trucks for your wedding you are after something different and perhaps a bit whimsical. Keep this in mind when reviewing menus. Food trucks aren’t a good match if you want traditional wedding fare. If you want something different food truck fare by no means sacrifice taste – just the pomp and circumstance.
Most vendors are very savvy about permits and requirements needed to operate in a certain location (jurisdiction, private venue) but be sure to coordinate with your venue and the catering / food truck vendor to see if street permits (if parking on a public street) are in place. Some private locations might also require permits depending on the jurisdiction. Do you homework to avoid any red tape issues on the big day.
Work with your caterers to devise a menu that offers some variety but keep it simple. If you are planning a wedding of 100 + you might want to consider an additional food truck or one with catering options to avoid long lines.
Consider a dessert buffet in combination with the dessert truck. It makes sense for larger weddings; the table is ready to receive extra cupcakes and treats when it is time for the truck to leave. Or, have a food cart greet guests as they exit. They can easily be given treat favors – not only is this a green wedding practice, but who doesn’t like to leave with an additional treat?
Food trucks are like water coolers. They provide a unique activity that gets guests mingling.
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Photo Courtesy of www.etsy.com/shop/pixelstopaper
If there is one thing we are going to tell you to do for your wedding it is to make a schedule! As wedding photographers at Firstlight Photography we know that, without a plan, bedlam will likely ensue.
We didn’t put together a detailed day of wedding schedule for the couple when we first started, but now it is just part of our wedding packages. Some couples hire a wedding planner and that make our work easy. We still communicate with the planner regarding our photography schedule.
If couples don’t go the way of a planner, we begin crafting a schedule early in the process. Our couples have told us that it is a great exercise – one that makes them get their ducks in a row. And for us, we have a schedule that we can use as our road map for the day.
Wedding Timeline Tips
1. Be realistic about your wedding schedule. Make sure you leave enough time for each segment. If you have too much on your list, you may need to pare it down.
2. Share your schedule with family and attendants at least a week before your wedding day. Seeing things in black and white might help those slow pokes – you know, the friends that are always 15 + minutes late. It is a great tool to make everyone accountable. Don’t forget to share with other wedding vendors. Having everyone on the same page is your secret weapon.
2.5 Make a a fun graphic wedding timeline to help keep guests in the loop as well. We especially love the inspired Wedding Timeline Card by Pixels to Paper as seen above.
3. Appoint a wedding time keeper. This important job shouldn’t go to a close family member or any attendants as they have enough on their to do list. Ask someone that knows both families to lend a hand. A schedule is only good if someone is actually keeping track of time.
4. Give your wedding photographer permission to steer the off course ship. Did you know that your photographer is your right hand man/woman the day of? We are your shadow and, therefore, are usually the first to recognize a time slip. Have a discussion before the big day and let your photographer know it is A-OK to let you know when you have fallen behind. The last thing we want to do is to stress you. These agreements can really make your day go smoothly and will keep your vendor from feeling like a nag.
5. Realize you can’t plan or prepare for everything. You can surround yourself with loved ones and vendors that are in place to keep you calm and to act like McGyver when things might begin to go wonky. Honestly, some of these things make for the best stories.
Most important – don’t forget why you are doing this in the first place!
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We have been doing our Little Black Book boudoir studio for a little over a year but have built a great client base – mostly by word of mouth. When the phone started ringing off the hook in December 2011 we were stumped until a client told us the Weekly Volcano’s Naughty and Nice Holiday Gift Guide featured us. We hopped online, read the review and squealed with delight!
Boudoir is great for a groom’s gift, anniversary or just because you want to treat yourself to something you never thought you would do. We offer bachelorette parties and we’ll even bring the bubbly.
In case you didn’t see the Volcano write up, here it is! In our world, flattery will get you everywhere! Thanks Volcano staff!
Way more flattering than your cell phone and a mirror
Want to give the gift of self in a more permanent fashion? “Little Black Book” boudoir studio by Firstlight Photography can capture the hottest side of you. The husband and wife photography team create lasting images of beauty and grace for all shapes and sizes. Elegant lighting, flattering poses and excellent customer relations make the experience of having your naughty bits caught on celluloid an exhilarating experience. Only as much of you will be revealed as you desire. Be it tasteful and subtle, or full-blown sexy and provocative, the results will be worthy of any bombshell or movie star. - Ginger Knoxx
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We love Offbeat Bride and the clients it brings our way. When we did our pre-shoot phone consult, Alyson had a major game plan. There was no lack of ideas so we were pretty excited to get the show on the road.
We sensed the couple was going to be fantastic to photograph. We met Andy and Alyson at their Seattle/Georgetown engagement shoot. Since they are getting hitched at the Central Cinema in Seattle, we started there and then whisked off to the Georgetown Ballroom. Both are amazing venues.
We feel so lucky to get to work with the couple’s that choose us. We have really focused on our niche and we aren’t turning back. And, yes, that is a hint for an upcoming blog about defining your clients. Just another reason we LOVE what we do.
Here’s a little video of this shoot if you can’t get enough!
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