Should you order prints for your wedding photos?

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brides, selecting a wedding photographer, wedding photographer, wedding photography, weddings

Bridal preparation

~ Written by Chuck Jackson

Most photographers offer an eclectic mix of wedding packages to fit all wedding budgets. Although most modern photographers offer clients edited wedding images digitally on DVD, USB drive, or some other media, consider packages which include photo albums and loose prints, as well. Why do we still do this in the digital age? Because more often than not, most of your digital images will never be printed and remain on your PC and wedding DVDs forever – even after telling ourselves we will print them once we get the digitals. Why should we care? We can simply share them on social media or on our family website for the world to see, right?

There are 3 main reasons I urge printing wedding images on the front end…

1) There is still something special about the portability of having a 4×6 print of your handsome groom or beautiful bride taped to your mirror or on your office desk in a lovely frame. There is still something magical about giving a loved one an 8×10 print of you and your spouse from your wedding day. Having a beautifully designed coffee table book of your wedding day to show off to your friends and family when they visit your home is one of the best reasons to order a photo album. Sharing your wedding images on social media is great but you cannot touch and feel it – which brings everything to another level.

2) Just ask yourself, “How many of my vacation photos are still in that same ‘My Pictures’ folder that have gone un-printed?” While we have the best intentions to print the ones we love most, we are all busy and sometimes we never get around to doing it (and trust me – I am guilty of this, too).

3) Additionally, as a keepsake your wedding album can be passed down to future generations as a tangible reminder of your love and dedication to family. If the power goes out, you can still view your album/prints! Computer crashes, you can still view your album/prints! Don’t like sharing via social media, you lend/give albums/prints!

Consider investing in a custom designed photo album and loose prints at the front end and you will be happy you did!

Bridal

Chuck Jackson is a wedding photographer for PhotoActive Photography in Tampa, FL. Check out http://www.photoactivephotography.com to see wedding images and samples from other photography genres, as well!

Brides: Factor enough time for photography in your wedding day schedule!

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selecting a wedding photographer, wedding photography, wedding planning

Bride and Groom

Written by Chuck Jackson

Brides: When planning your wedding day, please make sure you leave enough time for the photographer and/or videographer to adequately do their job(s). As a photographer, there are few things worse than feeling rushed and not being able to take the pictures you really want for the bride and groom on their big day. As professionals we will work with what we have but there is a give and take equation that means the best work may elude you if time is short.

Although there are many factors to consider, here are a few guidelines that work for me. In order to deliver the best possible photos (quality and quantity), generally I like to have 45 – 60 minutes for post ceremony traditional/posed shots, 1 – 2 hours for preparation photos, and at least 2 hours of reception photos. Ceremony lengths are what they are but I recall having one wedding ceremony that was literally 7 minutes long (procession to altar and back again) – that was WAY too short.

In summary, time is money but with ART, time also allows for QUALITY and QUANTITY of photographs/video footage. It can take time to get those “perfect” shots so do not leave your most important day to chance: be proactive and discuss scheduling with your wedding planner and photographer and you increase your positive outcome potential immensely.

B&G Formal Portrait

Chuck Jackson is a wedding photographer for PhotoActive Photography in Tampa, FL. Check out http://www.photoactivephotographytampa.com to see wedding images and samples from other photography genres, as well!

Why should your photographer take your wedding seriously?

Tags

selecting a wedding photographer, wedding photographer, wedding photography

   

Written by Chuck Jackson

While we would like to think every wedding photographer takes their weddings seriously, sadly, this is not the case. Many times, weddings are nothing more than another job in the minds of some. This is a mistake to be avoided when selecting your wedding photographer. “How do you do this,” you ask? It starts when you begin talking about your wedding with the photographer…

One of the first questions I ask the bride and groom is to describe their wedding vision to me. Everyone envisions their special day quite differently and this comes out clearly as they begin to express the details of the day. Everything from the theme, the colors, the look & feel, the style, etc. can differ, and differ significantly, from wedding to wedding. Your wedding is uniquely yours!

Why do I take being a wedding photographer so seriously and enjoy it so much? Simply put, I consider myself to be a visual family historian. Capturing the joining of two families and their histories together is an important day in both family lineages that will continue on for generations. Additionally, when meeting with clients, I believe it should be made clear to the bride and groom that their wedding is NOT just another job, but a part of their heritage. As your wedding photographer, we are capturing precious moments in your family history that will be passed down from generation to generation. This is what we like most about our job and why we SHOULD take it seriously.

Interestingly enough, some photographers approach weddings as just another job, just another paycheck, just another high-stress”bridezilla” experience. You want a wedding photographer that approaches YOUR wedding day as the keeper of some of your family’s most cherished records – your wedding pictures and memories. Not only should good wedding photographers chronicle your wedding day from start to finish, they should do so meticulously, capturing as many moments and memories as possible. Photographic images represent the thoughts and emotions associated with specific moments in time and, in that sense, a picture is truly worth a 1000 words.

The joining of families through marriage is an age-old tradition. It has been a pillar of every society and culture since we’ve recorded history. Wedding records often provide key insights into family histories and genealogies, and even that of entire communities, when other records were unavailable.

This is the legacy of the wedding photographer – WE are the keepers of some of the most important records you will pass on to your children and your children’s children.

Chuck Jackson is a wedding photographer for PhotoActive Photography in Tampa, FL. Check out http://www.photoactivephotographytampa.com to see wedding images and samples from other photography genres, as well!

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