Chicago Wedding Photography

As photographers we are tasked with capturing the most intimate moments between a couple and preserving them in pictures for life. But how do you take the hectic wedding day and transform it into a beautiful serene setting where you can capture the intimacy of the couple about to be wed?

In order to get extraordinary moments the couple “needs” time alone away from the photographer and the wedding party. Sometimes five minutes make a world of difference, and the newlyweds will reward you with the best opportunities to capture truly photo-journalistic moments.  We begin the wedding photography process early in the booking stages and listen to the couple and their photography wishes for the wedding day. By doing so our photographers have a baseline of what the couple expects in terms of photo coverage on their wedding day.

Usually the word photo-journalistic is being insisted upon as a sole means of  photographic coverage, but what that usually means is that the couple does not want “to be arranged“  in the pictures . They do expect the wedding photographer to keep a certain distance, a sort of personal space which cannot be violated. The truth is that no wedding has ever been done truly in that sense of photojournalism. If you ever looked at the photographer, or asked him/her to take a picture then it is not photojournalism anymore since the simple act of posing makes it a formal /traditional rather than photo-journalistic or “hands off” approach.

Most of the couples we have discussed photography coverage for their wedding day, agree that they do want a mix of styles, usually, a blend between traditional and photo-journalistic. Both approaches have their merits, advantages and disadvantages and it is up to you to decide what coverage you really want in your wedding photography package.

Best Regards,

RJ

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.