My Editing Process for Weddings
Many people think photography is such a great job. I get paid to take photos? Taking photos isn’t even a 10th of my job as a photographer. Most of my time is sitting in front of a computer editing. I know several photographers that shoot and print but I’m not one of those. I think the editing process is as important as taking pictures.
After shooting an event I go home download and backup all my files. Then I load all those photos into a laptop so I can go through and check focus. Which means I blow up and check thousands of images, to make sure the focus is exactly on the focal point. (When I was in school one of my instructors was nicknamed the focus Nazi. He scared me for life.)
After the focus check I do a quick run through looking for images that aren’t up to my standards, then I batch process for the initial color saturation, rename the files, back up and re-upload.
At this point, I’ve put a couple days of work into the event. Once the files are all re-uploaded color and I go through correct each file. Then I organize the files and upload them on to the online gallery. At this point, I will email my clients and let them know that the gallery is up and they can start picking out their final images and share the gallery with family and friends.
Once they have made their final selections I will double check their final images, confirm their address and mail them out a disc.
While my process is very long I really think it’s the best way to ensure that my clients receive quality images. I know most photographers limit their editing and some only spend 4hrs max. Can’t imagine their clients being happy with the final result but….
The Natural Light Photographer
First off I prefer natural light to artificial light. However, if you understand lighting you can have amazing results with artificial light.
Recently there has been this flourish of “natural light photographers.” Most photographers use natural light but for the purpose of this blog we’re only going to talk about wedding photographers that only use natural light. Since I’ve been doing weddings for almost 10 years I know the idea that a photographer would claim to use only natural light sounds like a disaster after sunset especially during the winter, outdoors at night and dark venues with no ambient light.
I recently met with a bride whose sister hired a natural light photographer for her wedding and had less then amazing results. When she told me she hired a natural light photographer I just shook my head. She laughed. “I know right, I didn’t think about. What if there wasn’t any natural light?”
As a seasoned wedding photographer, I will say I use flash at all my weddings. The only reason I’d use natural light for an entire wedding is if it was a June wedding during the day but even then I’d probably want to flash fill a little.
Tip: If you’re planning to meet with a photographer that only uses natural light ask to see wedding he or she has shot at your venue or venues with lighting similar to yours. Also, ask to see lots of night photos.
Rustic Wedding Details
My Bridal Shower
Since My husband and I decided to elope I decided to do a dress reveal at my bridal shower. Before I came out I had a hand full of friends dress up in vintage wedding gowns. It was super fun for all, and unique. I really wanted my bridal shower to be a little different then your typical bridal shower. I had a game where guest had to draw what they thought the wedding dress was going to look like. Also tested my guests knowledge of Brian and I’s relationship.
Wee Kirk O’The Heather Wedding
Ben and Jen’s Sample Album
Here is an album I made from a wedding at Trump National In Palos Verdes.
Location: Trump National, Palos Verdes
Florist: Hanna Modern Bouquet
Photographer: Sara Jordan
How to hire a wedding photographer
Who better to tell you the things you should look for when hiring a wedding photographer than a wedding photographer. I’ve read wedding planners tips to finding the right photographer but I think there missing some things that only a professional wedding photographer can tell you.
Watch this video….
Wedding Timeline
Wedding Timelines
A wedding needs to be planned out in order to keep the day running smoothly. The idea behind a timeline is simple to ensure that you enjoy this special day and not have to be a DIY wedding planner the day of your event. It helps to keep your stress level at a minimum.
My approach is fairly basic. Layout how you’d like the day to go and then be flexible to last min changes. Here is a simple sample timeline that you can use to plan your wedding day, as far as photography. This timeline is based on what prefer a timeline to look like, as a wedding photographer to maximize coverage. Like most of my information this is basic and general and does not encompass all the cultural traditions, so please customize it.
Also notice there are no times, rarely do I find weddings/events run on time. I think it is important to list Ceremony and Dinner times, but other than that it is more important to just have a basic sequence of events, so everyone knows what’s supposed to happen next. The Ceremony is a critical time because you don’t want to leave your guest waiting. Dinner is important because it’s prepared to be ready at a certain time. Too often people organize their wedding to the minute and end up being stressed out that everything isn’t going exactly as planned.
Sample Photography Timeline
· Pre-Ceremony
o Location Shots
o Photograph the Bride
§ Photograph the Brides Details
· Dress
· Shoes
· Jewelry
· Invitation
· Garter
§ Bride Getting ready
· Hair/Makeup
· Dress
· Shoes
· Veil
· Jewelry
§ Bride and Bridesmaids
· Toasts
· Formals
· Gifts
o Photograph the Groom
§ Grooms Details
§ Groom getting ready
§ Groom with Groom’s men
o Pre-Ceremony Photo Session
§ First Look
· Bride walking toward the groom
· Grooms face waiting
· Bride and groom’s face when they see each other.
§ Formals
· Bride and Groom after first look
· Bridal Party
· Family
· Ceremony
o Pretty straight forward – Document the Wedding
· Cocktail Hour
o Formals
§ Family Formals
§ Bridal Party
§ Bride and groom
o All Guest enjoying Cocktail Hour
o Details of reception venue
· Reception
o Grand Entrance
§ Straight into first dance
o Intro Speech – Prayer, Bride & Groom’s Thank You Speech, or Brides Father thank you speech
o Dinner Served
o Maid of honor/ Best Man Speech during dinner
o After dinner open dance
o Garter/bouquet toss
o Cake Cut
o Couple Exit
If I were looking for a photographer… (Read This)
They say about half of all brides are really unhappy with their wedding photographer. Most don’t realize THE IMPORTANCE OF a wedding photographer. The truth is THAT once the cake’s been eaten, the guestS have gone home and the dress has been boxed, all you have are the pictures. Here are 10 insider tips to help you find someone qualified to capture your big day.
•Hire a professional wedding photographer.
•You need to look at a photographer’s portfolio and love most, if not all, of their work. Stay away from photographers that overly photoshop their images.
• Read the photographer’s Yelp reviews. Yelp is an uncensored resource for reviews. Yelp does not allow businessES to take down bad reviews.
•Know who will be photographing your wedding before you sign a contract. Trust me. You’re smart enough to hire your own photographer… you don’t need anyone else to do it for you.
•Find out about their formal training. Did they go to school for photography?
•Ask how long they’ve been shooting weddings.
•Ask about professional backup gear. Do they bring a backup for their backup?
•Ask how they save the photos after the event.
• (Very Important!) You want a photographer that is going to get involved in your wedding. Someone WHO will research the venue. Someone WHO will help you lay out your timeline so that you get the best photos.
•Ask how long THEY SHOOT, THE TOTAL COST and everything else you can imagine…then ask again!
I’ve been shooting weddings since 2004. I graduated from Brooks Institute of Photography. After school, I worked with several of the top celebrity and fashion photographers. I got into weddings because I love them. As a professional wedding photographer, I know I have to be prepared for anything, which is why I bring at least 3 professional cameras to every wedding. (I bring a backup for my backup) After a wedding, I download all the images to two external hard drives, two computers, an online gallery, and a disc. I have a 5-star rating on Yelp because I get involved with my events.