I speak to coutless couples planning their wedding, and have found a few warning signs from the feedback I have heard. Here are a few:

• A friend or photographer may tell you that they’ve done other people’s weddings and assure you that they can handle yours. Be cautious: ask to see pictures from those weddings. Even if the price is great, even free, think twice about it. Pictures may not seem so important now, but not having good wedding pictures may be something you may regret for years to come.

• Some photographers who have a studio with other photographers working from them book your wedding and lead you to believe that they’ll be the one taking the pictures. The day arrives, and so does another photographer, someone you’ve never met. Specify in your contract the name of the person who will be taking the picture. Look at pictures of the weddings that person has shot (not the ones of the other studio photographers).

• Meet with the actual photographer who will be taking your pictures. Discuss the type and number of shots, the length of time the photographer will be taking pictures.

• Don’t be lured into what you think is a great deal by committing to the lowest priced package, and then end up having to pay heavy prices for additional photos. Some photographers make the package deal sound cheap until they’ve completed the job. Ask ahead of time what the addition photo charges will be for 5×7s and 8×10s. If considering a package, really study the options to select the package that will most realistically cover all the shots you want of your wedding and avoid the extra expensive additional photos.

We are open to help couples get the best experience from their wedding photography (even if you have not hired us) feel free to email me with any questions, and if I can, I will be happy to help out. Use the contact form on our Okanagan Wedding Photography Site!

THE WEDDING PHOTOJOURNALIST (according to the WPJA):
According to Wikipedia, “Photojournalism (sometimes called photo journalism) is a particular form of journalism (the collecting, editing, and presenting of news material for publication or broadcast) that creates images in order to tell a news story�. In recent years, this approach to wedding photography has lent itself to the practice of capturing matrimony by many top wedding photographers around the world. This artistic, documentary style may entail black and white or color photos, film or digital wedding photography. Wedding photojournalists work in a documentary manner, easily replacing the narrative itself.

As defined by Encarta, Photojournalism is “journalism using mainly photographs: a form of journalism in which photographs play a more important role than the accompanying text�. Wedding Photojournalism is characterized by its candid, creative and natural results spanning serious to humorous scenes. While traditional wedding photography dictates the setting, a wedding photojournalist documents the moment as it naturally happens.

Hull Photographic shoots all weddings using Digital SLRs. By bringing together our wedding photography experience and the expertise of a “digital studio,” we’ve given ourselves freedom and complete creative control. We carry this freedom and flexibility over to our customers while maintaining the highest standards in photographic quality.

We believe that shooting digitally brings photography to the next level. From a photographer’s viewpoint, shooting digitally gives us greater control in a wider range of lighting conditions that would otherwise inhibit traditional film photographers from capturing that “all-important” shot. Digital also allows us to offer a variety of other services that traditional film-based photographers have offered, but with greater flexibility. We apply creative judgment in a variety of ways including:
black-and-white conversions, sepia-toning, as well as other dual tones, digital frame and border, custom text message on photos, customizable color-shifting and digital hand coloring, removal of unwanted elements in a photograph.

There are also a number of reasons beyond creative control, to be shooting digital including:
- quicker turn-around time in seeing your proofs, more environmentally-friendly processing, efficient ordering system as well as a broader product line to choose from, on average, a larger selection of photos to choose from

This is a day that will never be repeated, so you need someone who can capture the best moments without cutting anyone’s head off or giving you ‘red eye’. Here is a few tips to get you the photos you want.

book ahead
Start your search for a photographer early, as good photographers get booked up a long time in advance. I recommend booking between 12 and 24 months before your wedding day.

shop around
Before you make your final choice, try to visit at least three photographers - check out their printed work and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Ask to see full wedding album samples and make sure that the photographs are the work of the photographer who will be taking your wedding pictures.

build a rapport
Whoever you book to take your pictures will be spending a substantial amount of time with you on the best day of your lives, so you must get on with him or her. You should feel confident and relaxed in their presence.

is the price right?
Prices range from anything upwards of $2000. People often make the mistake of thinking that all photographers are the same, but the photographic quality and style can vary enormously. Wedding photography is one area where you really do get what you pay for.

think style and colour
There are lots of ways for your photographer to record your wedding, from the traditional posed groups shots in colour to more candid reportage-style shots, such as the bride in her curlers. Most couples go for a combination of styles.

If you’ve spent a long time creating invites, menus, flower arrangements etc, you’ll want a photographer who will capture these little details on film too.

put it on paper
Once you’ve found the perfect photographer and decided on a style, get your booking in writing. Check the small print and make sure you know exactly what you’re getting for your money. You could even ask the photographer to sign a contract, which records your wedding date, time and place, price and any restrictions or conditions.

for perfect - you need practice
Before the big day, discuss a rough shot list with your photographer - there are certain to be events you definitely want recorded that he or she should know about.

A good professional photographer will use his or her creative and technical skills to get the best results as quickly, smoothly and tactfully as possible, but discuss the role you want your photographer to undertake on your wedding day. Do you want him or her to control events or blend into the background? One well-known photographer likes to shepherd guests into position with the help of a shrill whistle. It’s not very subtle, but it breaks the ice and no one misses out on any of the day’s photo calls!

relax!
Finally, the best advice any couple can take is try and relax in front of the camera. If you’re not used to smiling and posing, or feel unhappy with your usual image in pictures, grab a mirror and spend a few minutes practising until you find a smile or an expression you can live with. If you look and feel comfortable, your photos are bound to work!

A good photograph does not simply happen the moment it is taken. What happens to an image after it has been created, during post-production, is just as important. A considerable amount of time and work goes into this process, no matter whether it is a commission for a private client, work for a corporate client, an editorial assignment, an advertising shoot or personal work.

I shoot traditionally with digital. After a shoot, the RAW images are developed and receive a first evaluation, where I weed out those images that are, for whatever reason, not quite right. I believe that my clients should not be burdened with images that are not worth considering. Every photograph receives sinfully indulgent attention: How a photograph is cropped, how its tonal range is represented, how much contrast it shows and how bright or dark it is printed, is all about expertise, artistic choice and interpretation.

Retouching is one of the last and sometimes time-consuming steps in the overall production. This stage is not about adding gloss and glam, but about correcting the inevitable spec of dust or the eyelash that has settled on a cheek.

All steps are performed in-house by hand. There are no invariably inferior automated processes. Every photograph is individually evaluated and worked on.

Greetings and welcome to the Hull Photographic Blog Resource. I guess that might be a fancy way to say a place to hold my thoughts and experience on all things photo related, and maybe some random thoughts not related to photography. Either way, I am busy getting my site together and consolidating all of my domains into hullphotographic. Stay tuned.