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When looking for a wedding package, human nature is attracted to price rather than substance.  As we all know, you do get what you pay for and this rings true with any business. Packaging wedding photography has been a long standing practice but are the contents of the package of any real value to you as a customer or not?

First of all you should look for a wedding photographer whose work you like and then get to know him through a series of meetings at which you should express you expectations and requirement ans ask the photographer to match those with the budget you have allotted for the service.

Most photographers will rather work within a known budget than to blindly provide prices for services that are not a good match for your situation.

Always allow a little extra money for things you want in your wedding photography  but forgot to ask about. Once you see an album in the showroom you will want, it even though a smaller version might have been quoted.

Talk to your photographer until you both agree on alue and contents of your package.

RJ

Usually competition is a good thing, but it always comes at a price and wedding photography is no different. We all like to believe that if more people compete you get a better price and we all remember the now famous phrase “when banks compete you win”. While competition is healthy in every industry it seems like it always has a negative impact somewhere in the grand scheme of things.

When choosing a photographer or florist for your wedding you want the most expeditious way of getting information, and there are plenty of places that will match you with service providers such as florists, photographers, videographers, D J’s, gown designers, and banquet halls.

The problem is that in a race to beat the competition, wedding photographers, and other providers will usually not include a “full” package as they would otherwise, forcing you to paying more and get less.

The Internet is a great tool to find the services you need, be it your wedding or social event, but sites that offer planning and matching in one stop, do not really match you, but rather have companies compete for your business. Most of these companies pay the site for your name and e-mail after which you receive 5-10 “matches”. It is not always a win-win situation as sites vary greatly in the way they process your request for  “wedding services”. Some will have it out on a timed basis  while others will sell to a limited number of people. Usually you might end up with one or none of these matches but in the end 90% of responses are discarded. After a while when you realize you are spending more money on advertising than you bring in, you start loosing a lot of quality people or receive diminished service to compensate for the expense.

What to do? It’s not hard, but if you need a wedding photographer, look for it yourself and call him/her. Talk to them and tell them what you need and ask them to give you prices and maybe set up a meeting. Both parties need to feel comfortable with each other, and I believe that relationship building is key to a great wedding experience.

It is a  bit more work on your part but in the end it’s worth it.  You will receive more service for your money and will have a far more pleasant experience.

RJ

Religious weddings beg to be photographed. There is so much to learn about the way in which an ethnic minority regards the rituals of  marriage. In all of them there is a common element, respect. A wedding photographer must ask questions before the wedding and listen to the explanations provided if he is unfamiliar with the ritual. It is very important that one’s religion is respected and weddings often represent honor rituals. A photographer should present himself as not to disturb this balance. It is important that you observe the rituals and always ask permission.

Set expectations. Be sure you know what you need for your wedding photography, portrait or whatever your photo project might be. If you don’t know exactly what you want try to talk about your wedding with your photographer. It is an important task especially if you want certain pictures and poses incorporated in you wedding day.  Make sure your photographer is aware of what you want. Repeat if necessary to make sure you are both on the same page and talking about the same thing. Have the photographer repeat what you want and consider “must take” photographs on your wedding day, I know this sounds silly, but after you had the wedding there is little point in discussing your needs.

Here the photographer should take an active roll and explain what his plan is for your wedding day, complete with details of what he knows will make a good story. After all you don’t want a bunch of wedding photographs but rather an emotional roller-coaster illustrated in pictures.

Have a list of the must take shots that you do not want him to miss but make sure he has creative leeway and do not overwhelm him to the point he’s going to miss the real important wedding photos.

RJ Photo Galleries is a WPPI member.

Photographers like any other professionals get trained and attend courses, seminars, are inducted to or belong to photographic societies.

What this does is raises the level of service you as a customer receive. It is for the benefit of the client that the wedding photographer attends mock up wedding photo shoots, lighting techniques classes for wedding or portrait photography or posing classes. In other words there is an investment and an effort professional photographers make to deliver to our clients the very best experience and highest training in this field.  I am strictly talking about professional photographers and not weekend warriors or people who are enthusiasts of the hobby.  There is a difference and usually you see it in the final product, the conduct and the ability to deliver on a promise made to the client. Weddings only happen once, there are no second takes,  and that is why it is important to choose the right professional for the job.

Check out the photographer’s wedding packages as they are give you the most value for your money, then add the extra services you desire and remove the one’s you don’t. If you want to include a wedding album most packages come with one but if instead you desire a 21 in custom made digital frame with your wedding pictures displayed as a show, remove the album and add the frame. Be very specific and get prices in writing.  Always.

If you are looking for a wedding photographer in the Chicago-land area, look no further than us.

At RJ Photo Galleries we are equipped to provide the best wedding photographic experience for our clients.  Whether you need to cover the whole wedding or just a few hours, we can accommodate your request. Packages start around $950 for 4 hours of wedding photography coverage. We have a series of albums you can choose from as well as digital frames for the “non traditional”  brides. In addition to our photojournalistic wedding services, we also offer classical photography.  We always meet with the client “before” any payment is taken in order to help aleviate any usease you may have and answer your question  face to face in an honest and open manner.

Welcome to Chicago Wedding Photography Blog.

The intent of this blog is to bring you a wealth of information to better assist with preparations for your wedding.  Search the categories to find the one that interest you.  Wedding preparations are a big undertaking in one’s life and this blog hopes to help make the experience a little easier.

RJ