We love wedding guests.  We love to photograph them.  We love to dance with them.  We love to cut up and have a great time with them.  Through the years, we have learned that there are a few questions that weddings guests are usually going to ask:  Such as:

• Did you get any good pictures?
• How many pictures have you taken?
• That looks like an expensive camera-  how many megapixels is it?
• Can you make me look thinner?
• What kind of camera is that?  (I’m a photographer too…)
• Why are you eating cake, shouldn’t you be working?   (wink wink)

We’ve also learned to expect a certain number of suggestions from weddings guests, although these suggestions differ from wedding to wedding.  Of course, if our clients want a particular pose-  we love to oblige.  However, the poses suggested by some wedding guests just aren’t anything that our clients are interested in.  Our normal response is “Sure, if the Bride wants us to shoot that, we’ll be happy to”.  However, this usually results in the guest approaching the bride to tell her how much she needs the shot.  ”We did it at our wedding, you’ll love it!” they say.

To help our clients avoid shameful outdated poses that just shouldn’t be in the modern wedding album,  we have decided to start retiring certain poses.  Like the 90 year old janitor from Junior High School,  these poses should have been retired years ago.  Now, it’s time.  We are retiring 5 poses below.  Say goodbye to them.  Now, when a guest suggests them, we can say with certainty that the pose has been officially retired.

5 poses that should have been retired years ago

1.  The OK hand signal, wink, holding marriage license shot.

It’s a marriage license, not a peanut butter and jelly sandwhich.  A sweet smile will be just fine.

2.  The jumping wedding party shot.

People don’t have to be suspended in air to create a timeless portrait.  Gravity is a great thing.  Usually, by the time everyone is able to synchronize their jump, they need a shower (or a leg brace).  Save the gravity defying moves for the dance floor.

3.  The criss cross arm in arm champagne toast

Yes, we know you did it at your wedding, and so did your parents, and their grandparents.  We love to keep tradition, but sometimes we just have to question why.  Certainly, if the couple wants to do this pose, we’ll be happy to shoot it, with a napkin handy for the spill about to ensue.

4.  The Groomsman holding the stretched out Bride.

She’s a lady, usually under 120 pounds.  There are five of you.  We’re impressed, really-  now put her down.  Now if you can do that with the wedding guest who suggested this pose, we’ll gladly shoot it.

5.  The Brides Dad showing his empty pockets

Ok, it’s was funny the first time.  But it’s like the joke that you hear at every party-   it’s just not funny anymore.  Instead of making Dad pose for one more shot, let him go before the band, venue, videographer, and photographer start charging overtime, in which case he can truly show his empty pockets.

Do you have any suggestions for poses that just need to be retired?   Please list them in the comments,  we’d love to hear from you!

Here are some samples from the “Color Fusion Actions” found within the Fusion Set.  My favorite is the “Lemonade Stand”- it’s so yummy!  I also love the “One Click Color” and “Peachy”.   Enjoy!

lacey260047ooc lacey260047oneclickcolor lacey260047summer_camp lacey260047slumber_party lacey260047sentimental lacey260047lemonade lacey260047vanilla_cream lacey260047urban_revival lacey260047sentimental lacey260047rustic lacey260047retro lacey260047peachy lacey260047passion lacey260047jennas_sweet_shop lacey260047heartfelt lacey260047fantasy lacey260047ellie lacey260047desire lacey260047creamsicle lacey260047charming lacey260047cave lacey260047beach_house

I’ll post samples from the Black and White Conversion set soon.   I’ll also mix up some recipes once I play around with them a bit.

Mark

Contributed by Valerie Metrejean from Southern Fete

Today, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Fete Connection!

I’ve been planning for a while now (since Dec 21,2009 to be exact!) to host a workshop for area brides. It’s been only in the last week that the final puzzle pieces came together.

My ultimate goal was to create a workshop that would give all brides (like those who never dreamed of being able to include a wedding planner in their budget or those that just prefer to be more hands on) the tools needed to plan a successful wedding. Most brides have never planned a wedding. That’s obvious. So why should they be expected to know how to navigate the process?

Here were my objectives:

1. Walk brides through creating a timeline for their engagement, creating a budget and even giving brides an estimate of what I think their wedding would cost based on what they tell me their looking for. (I think this fact is key in creating a realistic budget and sticking with it.)

2. Give brides tips to save money, whether it be showing them things they can cut, budget-friendly alternatives or places they can go for discounts. You may have seen me tweet last week that a bride who came in for an hourly consultation (a value of $50) left with over $1,500 cut from her wedding cost based on a few suggestions I made.

3. How to work well with vendors. Trusting the people you are entrusting with your big day is key. You need to foster these relationships well for the day to succeed. I’ll show you how to get the most out of these relationships.

4. A list of my personally trusted vendor referrels based on your needs and budget. As mentioned in #3, the right vendors can MAKE your wedding day! I’ve coordinated over 25 weddings. Find out which vendors I trust.

5. Inspiration and Ideas. Most brides today see tons of inspiration. My job is to help pull it together into a cohesive vision. I will be giving tips based on your individual inspiration on how to do this.

6. Q&A Portion. Just want to pick the brain of a wedding planner? Here’s your chance!

After crafting together the material for this workshop, I am so confidant and excited in the value this holds for brides. To have the opportunity to help wedding days, no matter what the budget or my own restraints for bookings, is something I’m very excited about.

BUT…

Here’s the catch! I don’t just want it to end after our 4-hour session. Though I’ve been dreaming of this workshop for over a year, I wasn’t satisfied with just hosting a one-time seminar for a group of 20 or so brides.

The final piece of the puzzle? Connect brides.

This workshop will take a unique form that I honestly haven’t seen done before but I believe has amazing potential. Each session will be with a group of 3-6 brides in a comfortable atmosphere to foster relationships beyond the session. The sessions will be grouped based on wedding date, budget and style and take place on Saturdays (specific date to be determined by group).

Ladies, the brides you will share that time with will be in the same boat you’re in! And my hope is that even after the session, a support system can be created based on this shared circumstance of planning a wedding. Whether it’s calling each other to see how they handled a certain issue, getting a vendor reference or even sharing decor items (AKA split cost : ). There are groups for those that want to run a marathon, learn French, read classic literature but (from what I can see) none that support ladies through one of the biggest days of their life. My goal is to provide that through Fete Connection!

As you can tell, I’m pretty passionate about this, judging from the book I just wrote. I can’t wait to start this journey!

Ladies in the Acadiana area, if you are interested in attending a session, email me at valerie {@} southernfete.com. The workshop is $200 but the first 10 brides to sign up will receive a discounted rate of $175.

From Glamour Magazine:
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I also want to thank my good friends (and amazing photographers) Allison and Adam Hudson (from www.adamhudsonphoto.com in Jackson, MS) for coming down to model for us.  It was fun to turn the cameras on them for a change!  Here is a quick teaser,  more coming soon!

This post is part of our “From a Photographers Perspective” series of blog posts.  A series of posts designed to help clients make more informed choices when it comes to making important decisions about their wedding.  You can view the other posts from this series here: http://www.markeric.com/category/resources/from-a-photographers-perspective/

People always ask me if I’ve ever had a “bridezilla”.  The honest truth is that most of our brides have been really great!  We love our clients, and based on feedback- they love us!  Occasionally, we will meet a Mother, Sister, or Bridesmaid that doesn’t quite understand artistic wedding photography, so they get a little confused when we gently tell them that we don’t shoot off of magazine checklists.  But in the end, they all love the images, which is why the couple hired us to begin with.  Part of the reason that we do have amazing clients is because the interview process is two ways.  When a couple contacts us about shooting their wedding, we are just as interested in finding out about them.  Of course, we don’t bring them into a windowless room with a swinging light bulb for a full blown interrogation, but we do try to get a feel for their personalities.  We want to make sure they are hiring a photographer that is a good fit for them.  At the same time, we are also trying to make sure that we don’t book a job just because the date is open, we want clients who love our style of photography, and who are comfortable putting their wedding day memories in our hands (which means the magazine checklist doesn’t apply).

We have turned down clients in the past, based on a variety of reasons.  Like I said earlier, we want to make sure they find a photographer who is a good fit for them.  If that means that we don’t book the job, that’s ok!  In the end, they must be comfortable with the decision they make, and they should hire a photographer that will best capture the vision for their wedding day.    For brides and grooms searching for a photographer,  here are 5 things that would cause us to recommend another photographer for your wedding day.

1.  Availability. This is an easy one.  If we are booked, we will recommend photographers  that we trust.  We actually share calendars with several photographers for this reason-  when we are booked, we are happy to recommend trusted photographers who we know are available.     The big thing to keep in mind is that good photographers book up fast.  One of our good friends (who is an amazing photographer) is already booked entirely for 2012.  We are booked for several dates in 2012, but we still have some availability.  Why am I telling you this?  Because when you find a photographer that you like, and they are open for your date, don’t drag out the booking process.  Chances are that they are receiving several other inquiries for your date, and they will book soon.   One of the worst feelings is for us to develop a great relationship with a bride, but have to tell her that someone else booked her date before she could make a decision to pay the retainer.   When you find a photographer you trust and like, don’t delay the booking process, you’re date will get snagged by someone else.  Remember, wedding photographers only have 52 weekends a year to earn a living, those dates go very fast.

2.  Personality. Again, this one is pretty easy to recognize, but we do turn down jobs if we feel like the personalities just aren’t a good match.  For example, we had scheduled a meeting with some potential clients recently.  When I called to finalize the details, the groom was very short with me.  As he passed the phone over to his fiance, I could clearly hear him raising his voice towards her.  I brushed it off as a stressful day, then waited  for her to come to the phone.  When she came to the phone, she sounded very annoyed and short.  I knew that they were probably having a bad day, but based on this brief conversation- I realized that they just weren’t clients that we would want to enter into a working relationship with.  We want clients who love each other, and are excited about the wedding process.   The way you talk to the photographer may make the decision process easy for him or her.  Remember, dates book up fast- and most photographers realize that if a client isn’t a good fit, the date can likely be filled by a better fit.

3.  Time invested in the interview process. We’ve chatted with some clients who we absolutely loved.  Eventually, we realized that we weren’t a good fit simply because we couldn’t afford to invest any more time to their questions and phone conversations.  We have literally spent seven hours (split up) with some clients answering questions, giving consultations, and getting to know different members of the family.  There comes a point when the amount of time committed simply doesn’t make business sense for the photographer.  If we have to spend more time in the interview process than we will spend on the wedding day,  then obvioiusly the client still isn’t comfortable with us for one reason or another- and it’s simply time to move on so that we can devote our time to our actual paying clients.

4.  Budget.  Photographers should be upfront with all of their pricing and package information.  We understand that we may not fit into everyone’s budget, and that’s ok.  Most of the time, we can help you find a photographer that will fit into the budget if we are asked.  However, some clients seem to believe that photographers are open to a negotiation process.  I’ve never really understood this one.  Of course, we may be able to customize a package to fit your needs, but asking us to reduce our pricing because of budget issues is more of an insult than people realize.  People don’t go to the cashier at Macy’s and offer $100 for a jacket listed at $250.  Maybe it’s the fact that photographers are self employed.  Maybe it’s because people don’t understand that photographers charge what they do for a reason (equipment, insurance, taxes, family income, employee wages).  Whatever the reason, when a potential client asks us to reduce our pricing because of budget issues, we simply send them a list of other photographers, then move on.

5.  Shopping Photographers.  Today, we received an email from a potential bride that was addressed to several other photographers besides us.  It simply asked for pricing on wedding day coverage and a DVD.  This told me that she was simply shopping photographers based on price.  Honestly, if you are shopping photographers based on price- we really shouldn’t be on the list.  There are plenty of photographers who are cheaper than us, and we know this.  There is no reason for us to get caught up in a bidding war (see above).  We want clients that want to hire us for our talent, experience, and personality.  This is the main reason that we have never participated in a bridal show, because we realize that by nature, most bridal shows are set up for brides who are shopping based on price.  Fortunately for us, we receive our business from word of mouth, which means our clients love us!

If you are serious about hiring a particular photographer (whether it’s us or someone else), I hope these tips will help you see things from a photographers perspective.  Perhaps they will help you avoid some of the red flag issues that may be a turn off for the photographer you love.  More than anything, I hope they help everyone realize that wedding photography should be based on great personality matches.  The wedding photographer will be documenting the biggest day of your lives!  Having someone with a personality that you can trust and get along with is critical to producing great images that you will love.

Hope this helps!  Please feel free to add your thoughts or questions in the comments, I would love to chat more!

Mark

2. Save the candles for the birthday cakes.  (Candles around the cake are great!  Candles on the cake- not so great.)

3. Fire extinguishers are important, but put them next to the  drunk guests with sparklers (not behind the wedding cake).  Unless the cake has candles- in which case, refer to number 2 above.

4. Place the cake a few feet from the wall (before putting the cake on it) so that people can get behind it for the cake cutting.  Those people on the Food Network Challenges make it look easy,  but moving a 7-tier cake is no cake walk.

5. Heaters + Cakes = Fondue Fountain.

6. That private room to the side may look like  a great location-  perhaps the kids will hang around the cake instead of the D.J.’s equipment.

7. Silverware, Champagne, and Glasses should always be around the table before the cake cutting.  But if not,  it’s always fun to watch the planner, caterer, and venue try to pin the blame on each other.

8.  If your best man and maid of honor or giving toasts before the cake cutting-  make sure they know about it.  Also, make sure they give the toast, not Captain Morgan.

9.  Even if Aunt Jane or the venue tells you that you have to do the cross arm toast-  you really don’t.

10.  The cake cutting is the unofficial segue from reception to party.  Most elderly and families with kids wait until the cake before they leave.  If you don’t want to see Aunt Jane do the Stanky Leg-  serve the cake sooner, so she can catch the nightly news.

*The couple is on a budget that doesn’t allow for our wedding package.

*The couple is having a wedding elsewhere, and they want images made while they are in our area.

*The couple doesn’t think their photographer can do a good enough job.

*The couple wants variety among their photographs.

While all of these reasons can be valid,  we seldom take on portrait clients who are not our wedding clients.  I often feel guilty when turning down portrait inquiries, so I wanted to share a few of the reasons why we have this policy in place. Hopefully, it will help couples who may be in one of the above situations.

1. Rapport. The wedding day ALWAYS goes smoother when we get to know clients beforehand through the portrait sessions. With the engagement session- we get a chance to really build a relationship with the couple.  We laugh, we have a good time, and we share lots of stories.  On bridal sessions, we often get to know the Mother of the Bride, and even some bridesmaids.  These relationships help tremendously when the stress of the wedding day starts to rear it’s head.  Things just run so much smoother when we are able to build a rapport before the wedding.    For this reason, we think it’s in the best interest of all couple’s to use their wedding photographer to document their engagements and bridals.  Get to know each other before the big day.  Get accustomed to the whole process, from planning to proofing. This not only helps on the wedding day, but well beyond as you become familiar with the entire process of how your photographer works.

2.  Confusion. This area may be a little difficult for some clients to understand, but stick with me.  I’ve shot weddings where the work of other photographers (pro and amateur) was on display.  This usually creates an uncomfortable atmosphere for the photographer.  While the focus of the wedding is and always should be about the client, having a 20×30 bridal portrait standing at the entrance to the reception is usually going to be assumed to be the work of the photographer working the event.  This can create an awkward working environment for the main photographer, especially if the image is bad quality (because it will be associated with him or her).  Even if the image is good quality, it may make the photographer feel like he or she was the “2nd choice”.  I know this may come across as selfish on the photographer’s part, but either way-  an awkward environment can make it difficult for the photographer, and confusion could cost him or her any word of mouth referrals (a huge part of how most good photographers market themselves).  For the record, I don’t mind if client’s display the work of others-  It’s their wedding, and they should be the focus.  Once, during a wedding-  the clients had a few of our engagement images framed next to other engagement images that a friend took.  Not to toot my horn, but there was an obvious difference  (vibrant colors vs washed out, blurry, flat, sepia toned images).  I could hear guests discussing the images-  and I even heard someone comment on how fuzzy they were.  I could only hope that the person knew that some of the images were not ours.  Confusion like this can affect a photographer’s  mindset during a wedding, and it could affect their future business.   So why wouldn’t I want my work on display at a wedding that I’m not shooting?  Simply,  because I respect other photographers.

3.  Time Most photographers have a threshold for how much they can produce before they start to lose a little bit of energy and creativity.  I’ve found that I start to burn out physically and emotionally after shooting 40 weddings a year (which is why we cap our weddings to around 35 or less each year).  Keep in mind, these weddings also often include engagements and/or bridal sessions.  This adds up to a significant amount of time.  Quite simply,  I choose to limit my time to my wedding clients for two reasons.  The first reason is so that I can be more creative with their sessions.  The second reason is so that I can have more time with my family.

Hopefully, this helps encourage couples to stick with one photographer for all of their wedding related work.  However, we do realize that certain situations (like the destination weddings) may not allow for the same photographer to document everything, so we do occasionally break the rules and accept client requests in certain situations.

Can you think of any reasons that a couple should or shouldn’t use different photographers to capture their wedding experience? We’d love to hear your thoughts below!

However, there are times when a set schedule can work against the photographer. Not allowing enough time to set up for, or even capture certain events could cost a client some great photographic opportunities.   Photographers love to create and capture great images, but sometimes those images may take a little time that may not be available in the schedule.  Let’s chat about some wedding day images and about the planning and time allowed for each of them.  Hopefully, this will help you create a wedding day schedule that will allow for your photographer to create and capture some amazing images that he or she may have missed without the extra planning.

1.  Getting ready details:

Plan on the photographer to arrive before you put your dress on, so that they can find a more creative spot for the “dress shot” than of the back of the closet door.  This also allows for great “shoe shots”!

It’s even better to plan on the photographer to arrive before your maids get dressed- for shots like this one:

If you want detail shots of the groom and his groomsman, make sure you have selected a package with two photographers (so one can travel to the groom’s location).  If you and the groom are getting ready at the same location (like a hotel), it is possible for one photographer to get a few shots of the groom since no travel is required.

Donny and Kara

If at all possible, ask the florist to bring the flowers to the place where you are getting ready (instead of the church).  That way, the photographer can get lots of great flower shots, and your maids will have them for any group portraits taken before you leave for the church.

Kara and Donny

Kara and Donny

2.  Ceremony and Group Portraits (with bride and groom together)

If you’ve been following our blog for a while, you know that we highly recommend a “first glance” if possible.  Setting aside time before the ceremony where you can see each other in a private intimate environment is a great way to help the wedding day run smoother.  Once he sees you in your dress for the first time, and you are able to share hugs, thoughts, emotions, and tears-  (which of course will be documented by your photographer), then you can knock out all of the group shots including family portraits before the ceremony.  Just think- no waiting around after the ceremony!  You get to go straight to the reception (or somewhere with your photographer for even more creative portraits together).

The first glance:

Valerie and Tyler

Make sure everyone knows where to be and when to be there for group portraits.  Most portraits can be taken quickly.  The stress and delays are usually because someone has stepped away, and others are searching for them. For family portraits- we recommend limiting them to Grandparents down (Grandparents, Parents, Siblings, Couple).  Aunts, uncles, and cousins can all be captured more casually at the reception.  This will help portraits go much quicker!

Jessica and Brad

Allow time for a some alone time with your photographer for some more creative portraits (unless all you really want is a portrait of you two at the alter in the church).

Jessica and Brad

3. The Reception!

This is the area that we struggle with the most.  Usually, photographers are last to leave the church, and last to arrive at the reception venue.  This usually means that we must find a parking space far away from the venue, then carry our gear from there.  During this time, the bride and groom are usually arriving at the front door via the limo.  They get out- and walk right in (while we are still street lights away with our gear).  We urge everyone to make ample time for the photographer to arrive and set up whatever lighting equipment may be needed.  This only takes about 5 minutes-  but those 5 minutes can be critical.   For example,  if the first dance starts right off the bat-  the photographer may not be able to set up lighting for shots like the one on the left.  (By the way,  the shot on the right was made possible because the couple allowed extra time for portraits).

Ashley and Evan

Sometimes, couples don’t go straight to the first dance,  rather they go straight for the cake cutting.  We totally understand getting this out of the way early so that the guests don’t have to wait,  but just give your photographer a few minutes to get some great cake shots for you if you want to remember what the cake looked like before it was cut open:

Kara and Donny

The farewell.  If you want to make sure your photographer is there for the farewell,  make sure to check the hours allowed in your contract-  then adjust accordingly.  Sometimes, you may need to decide between earlier detail shots, or the farewell shot if enough hours aren’t included.

Aimee and Brian

We hope these tips help you come up with a wedding day schedule that allows for some amazing images!  Happy planning, and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions below.

Mark