Showing posts with label weddings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label weddings. Show all posts
Monday, July 11, 2011
I got lost on the way to the church, but so did everybody else ...
I shot a wedding at this little church in LaValle Wisconsin a few weeks ago. My GPS took me to the middle of a farmers field. The farmers wife comes out and laughs and says "Must've followed your gps looking for Avent Chrisitan eh". Apparently lots of folks looking for the church end up in the middle of the farmers field. Farmers wife handed me directions to the church and off I went. Next time I'm using a map ...
Sunday, April 11, 2010
The digital photo age - from wedding shoot to wedding show in less than a week!
Rachel & Nolen got married last Saturday at Olbrich Botanical Gardens in Madison, WI. It was a medium sized ceremony with a reception across the street at The East Side Club. The proximity of the two locations and the fact that the wedding was held at a botanical garden setting made it easy for me to get plenty of great shots without spending a lot of time traveling with the couple. Rachel and Nolen booked me for four hours of photography, so efficiency was called for. It was a nice wedding, and a great party. Rachel and Nolen sure know how to cut a rug. Since the ceremony was inside with strong back lighting I metered for the correct exposure of the subjects (I don't use flash on ceremonies) and set the camera to a manual exposure of F/5.6 at 125th/sec at iso 400, then left it there for the ceremony. Later it was necessary to increase the contrast slightly in Photoshop to overcome the softness caused by the strong backlight coming through the windows.
All in all it was a another beautiful wedding day. And Rachel and Nolen got their photos in less than a week, thanks to the modern age of digital photography. Terry
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
A note: if you put your camera on maual as I did here don't forgot to it back in auto mode when you're done ;-)
We had a nice brief walk throught the gardens and then on to the reception
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
The Wedding Fruitcake
Christines grandmother made this fruitcake in 2002 and put it in the freezer, waiting for the day Chrisitine would get married. The day arrived on May 2nd, and the fruitcake came out of the freezer. I've seen a lot of interesting wedding cakes, but this was probably the most unsual. Christine and Jason said it tasted great, and I bet it did (grandma said she used a lot of rum and brandy in the fixings). Each of the tables at Nakoma Country Club was also graced with a jar of home made jam with a cute heart shaped label that read "Spread the Love".
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Bride Sold Me Her Car
Just back last week from shooting Katie & Cory's wedding in Boyington Beach, Florida. It was a great wedding and a lot of fun to shoot. The weather on the wedding day was a little cool for an out of doors ceremony, but the locals referred to it as free air conditioning. We did the formals at the beach front Ritz Carlton before the ceremony, and then on to the very elegant Buenvenuto for the ceremony and reception. Great party. I stayed until 1:30 and followed the bride and groom to their home for an after the wedding party. Those Floridians sure have fun. And the bride sold me her 2003 Nissan 350Z sports car for a steal. What a fun drive home!
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
A Bride's Secret to Great Wedding Photography
1. Look at each other
Please remember you are marrying each other not the minister or the registrar. I took ten years out of professional photography to become a BAptists Minister and I want to assure you its okay to face one another. You have spent a small fortune on wedding photography, but at the crucial moment all that anyone sees in your backs - talk to whoever is doing the wedding and TELL them you want to look at each other.
2. Do, do crazy things on the day
Please do act on the spur of the moment. Spontaneous things can work really great on wedding photographs and a good photographer will lap it up.
3. Colour or Black and White ?
Some will say what goes around comes around. But the reality is that black and white and colour photography are very different. Black and white is much more atmospheric and dramatic. Look at samples of photography because colour photographs should be either subtle or vibrant never wishy washy. Make sure you get both in your album. Ask what the mix will be, i usually do 70% black and white for intimate shots and 70% colour for group shots. Ask the photographer which they prefer and why.
4. Do it for real NOT mock
Beware the part-time wedding photographer who will want to do MOCK cake cutting and MOCK first dance so they can get away. Don't accept MOCK anything. If your photographer is not there when you actually cut the cake, then they've missed the speeches, and the meal and that special moment, and the... You want your photographer by your side all day.
5. Can you trust your photographer?
Trust is important. You have to feel you can trust your photographer, after all they will see you all made up and completely un-made. You have to feel you can trust your photographer so when they ask you to do something or pose in a particular way, its going to make a great photograph.
6. Style and approach
A photographer can't be all things to all people. Ask what their photographic philosophy is - reportage, traditional, journalism. Does their approach agree with yours?
7. Listening
The first time you meet your photographer, check whether you feel they listened to you. At the end of the day you want to open your album and get the wow factor, that happens when the photographer gives you something of what you are expecting, with things your were never expecting.
8. Flexibility
"Customer is King" is a true saying, or in this case " Queen" and being flexible is essential. I guess all wedding photographers go through the "Packages" stage in their career, I know I did. Here my package, take it or leave it. One thing to know about your wedding is that its UNIQUE. Therefore, you need a photographer who appreciates your uniqueness. If a photographer is not flexible to your desires before your wedding day, they will be even less flexible on your day.
9. To be seen or not to be seen
There's a big difference between being seen and being noticed. Its your day so do you really want a photographer taking over? - And it happens in so many ways - from telling the couple what to do - to making everyone wait for their meal. I've even known a photographer stop the ceremony because he missed a shot. Remember its your day and your photographer is there to guide you NOT dictate to you. However the thing that annoys me most is the photographer with the big flashgun. With the right investment in high speed lenses and a proper understanding of exposure 95% of photography can and should be taken with available light. In the last 12 months i've only used flash once.
10. Know what's going to happen in case of bad weather
You can never guarantee the weather. When the sun is out photography is easier because there are usually lots of places to go with the bridal party to get great photographs. But when its raining its a different story. Space is usually limited and locations likewise. Without exception I always checkout the wedding and reception venues if i've never photographed there before. Because I try to use only available light I need to see where the light is good - but I also check out where we can photograph on a rainy day.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Please remember you are marrying each other not the minister or the registrar. I took ten years out of professional photography to become a BAptists Minister and I want to assure you its okay to face one another. You have spent a small fortune on wedding photography, but at the crucial moment all that anyone sees in your backs - talk to whoever is doing the wedding and TELL them you want to look at each other.
2. Do, do crazy things on the day
Please do act on the spur of the moment. Spontaneous things can work really great on wedding photographs and a good photographer will lap it up.
3. Colour or Black and White ?
Some will say what goes around comes around. But the reality is that black and white and colour photography are very different. Black and white is much more atmospheric and dramatic. Look at samples of photography because colour photographs should be either subtle or vibrant never wishy washy. Make sure you get both in your album. Ask what the mix will be, i usually do 70% black and white for intimate shots and 70% colour for group shots. Ask the photographer which they prefer and why.
4. Do it for real NOT mock
Beware the part-time wedding photographer who will want to do MOCK cake cutting and MOCK first dance so they can get away. Don't accept MOCK anything. If your photographer is not there when you actually cut the cake, then they've missed the speeches, and the meal and that special moment, and the... You want your photographer by your side all day.
5. Can you trust your photographer?
Trust is important. You have to feel you can trust your photographer, after all they will see you all made up and completely un-made. You have to feel you can trust your photographer so when they ask you to do something or pose in a particular way, its going to make a great photograph.
6. Style and approach
A photographer can't be all things to all people. Ask what their photographic philosophy is - reportage, traditional, journalism. Does their approach agree with yours?
7. Listening
The first time you meet your photographer, check whether you feel they listened to you. At the end of the day you want to open your album and get the wow factor, that happens when the photographer gives you something of what you are expecting, with things your were never expecting.
8. Flexibility
"Customer is King" is a true saying, or in this case " Queen" and being flexible is essential. I guess all wedding photographers go through the "Packages" stage in their career, I know I did. Here my package, take it or leave it. One thing to know about your wedding is that its UNIQUE. Therefore, you need a photographer who appreciates your uniqueness. If a photographer is not flexible to your desires before your wedding day, they will be even less flexible on your day.
9. To be seen or not to be seen
There's a big difference between being seen and being noticed. Its your day so do you really want a photographer taking over? - And it happens in so many ways - from telling the couple what to do - to making everyone wait for their meal. I've even known a photographer stop the ceremony because he missed a shot. Remember its your day and your photographer is there to guide you NOT dictate to you. However the thing that annoys me most is the photographer with the big flashgun. With the right investment in high speed lenses and a proper understanding of exposure 95% of photography can and should be taken with available light. In the last 12 months i've only used flash once.
10. Know what's going to happen in case of bad weather
You can never guarantee the weather. When the sun is out photography is easier because there are usually lots of places to go with the bridal party to get great photographs. But when its raining its a different story. Space is usually limited and locations likewise. Without exception I always checkout the wedding and reception venues if i've never photographed there before. Because I try to use only available light I need to see where the light is good - but I also check out where we can photograph on a rainy day.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Monday, December 1, 2008
When to splurge, when to save on wedding costs
By LISA TOLIN
The Associated Press
Khris Cochran splurged for her wedding seven years ago. The ceremony was in a rose garden overlooking San Francisco Bay. The cake was made by a star baker featured on the Food Network. The honeymoon was in French Polynesia.
Then came the debt. She was $5,000 in the hole before she lost her Silicon Valley job in the dot-com bust."It took years to get out of that debt," she says. "By being so tied to the wedding dream, I ended up in a financial nightmare."
Weddings are said to be recession-proof, but the same can't be said for couples' budgets. As the economy takes a hit, many nearly-weds are looking for ways to scale back on a lavish wedding without sacrificing a special day. What's worth the splurge, and what's a smart save? Here are some ideas for richer and for poorer:
Save: Guest list
You can always elope. Barring that, if you want to save money, trim the guest list. "You really don't need to invite everyone you know or have a party of 20 bridesmaids," says Maria McBride, an editor at Brides magazine and author of "Party Basics for New Nesters."
If you really want a big crowd, consider a smaller wedding with a separate cocktail reception. It beats a 300-person sit-down dinner in both cost and atmosphere, says wedding planner Marcy Blum. "There's no way to go about making it affordable andreally fabulous, unless you're a rock star or someone you know is Kuwaiti." If your parents really want all their friends to attend, or your colleagues at work expect invitations, remember it's your day. A good rule of thumb: Have you had dinner with this person in the last year? If not, and you live in the same city, consider
a cut.
Looking back, Cochran wishes she and her husband had invited only the people
closest to them. "It's not only an instant budget saver but a way to make the whole
event more intimate," she says.
Splurge: Setting
David Tutera, who planned Star Jones' wedding, advises couples to focus their spending on the venue and decor, including flowers. "People walk away remembering the unique experience you create and not the food that you served," he says.
For Eda Kalkay, design and location were the most important decisions for her October 2007 wedding. The 150 guests to her city-meets-country wedding at an estate in New Hope, Pa., were treated to a white fantasy in the woods, with globes of white hydrangea, white candelabra and a surprise performance by a gospel choir. "It was so beautiful it felt surreal," says Kalkay.
If you want a deluxe setting at a discount, ask for a deal on a Friday or Sunday wedding, or cut costs with a daytime affair. And consider alternatives to expensive floral displays, like smaller "tablescapes" of candles and fruit, or centerpieces using a single type of flower, bought wholesale.
Save: Invitations
Cochran, who now runs the Web site DIYBride.com, says invitations are an easy way to cut costs. "Paper is cheap, and most people have a computer, word processing software and a decent printer already at home, which makes invitations an easy way to save some cash and be creative," she says.
Invitations set the tone for an event, but Tutera, author of "The Party Planner," thinks
guests are more likely to remember the last moments of a wedding. Etiquette experts still frown on electronic invitations, so prepare for raised eyebrows if you cut that corner. Instead, Blum suggests cutting down on invitation inserts and heavy stock that waste paper and increase postage.
Splurge: Photos
A wedding is only one day, but the photos last forever. Even on a budget, brides
rarely lament the amount spent on a quality photographer. "We really love our wedding photos and still get compliments on them to this day. She was worth the extra cash we spent," Cochran says. If you're cutting corners, however, you may be able to find a skilled student
photographer who's eager to earn extra cash and build a portfolio. And you can forgo
a videographer. "It's very passé compared to photography," says Tutera.
Save: Favors
"Nobody needs another place card frame, or a bottle of crummy wine with your name on it," Blum says. It may seem like a small expense, but even cheap trinkets add up when you have a lot of guests. Odds are, there will be no complaints if you skip the favor entirely. (Cochran also points to money-wasting extras like toasting flutes as a bad idea.) If you really want to give your guests favors, Blum suggests something edible. "You'd be much better off to have all your bridesmaids or ushers bake cookies and enclose a great recipe," she says. Another nice touch: offering a coffee cake or brioche on the way out for the next morning's breakfast.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
The Associated Press
Khris Cochran splurged for her wedding seven years ago. The ceremony was in a rose garden overlooking San Francisco Bay. The cake was made by a star baker featured on the Food Network. The honeymoon was in French Polynesia.
Then came the debt. She was $5,000 in the hole before she lost her Silicon Valley job in the dot-com bust."It took years to get out of that debt," she says. "By being so tied to the wedding dream, I ended up in a financial nightmare."
Weddings are said to be recession-proof, but the same can't be said for couples' budgets. As the economy takes a hit, many nearly-weds are looking for ways to scale back on a lavish wedding without sacrificing a special day. What's worth the splurge, and what's a smart save? Here are some ideas for richer and for poorer:
Save: Guest list
You can always elope. Barring that, if you want to save money, trim the guest list. "You really don't need to invite everyone you know or have a party of 20 bridesmaids," says Maria McBride, an editor at Brides magazine and author of "Party Basics for New Nesters."
If you really want a big crowd, consider a smaller wedding with a separate cocktail reception. It beats a 300-person sit-down dinner in both cost and atmosphere, says wedding planner Marcy Blum. "There's no way to go about making it affordable andreally fabulous, unless you're a rock star or someone you know is Kuwaiti." If your parents really want all their friends to attend, or your colleagues at work expect invitations, remember it's your day. A good rule of thumb: Have you had dinner with this person in the last year? If not, and you live in the same city, consider
a cut.
Looking back, Cochran wishes she and her husband had invited only the people
closest to them. "It's not only an instant budget saver but a way to make the whole
event more intimate," she says.
Splurge: Setting
David Tutera, who planned Star Jones' wedding, advises couples to focus their spending on the venue and decor, including flowers. "People walk away remembering the unique experience you create and not the food that you served," he says.
For Eda Kalkay, design and location were the most important decisions for her October 2007 wedding. The 150 guests to her city-meets-country wedding at an estate in New Hope, Pa., were treated to a white fantasy in the woods, with globes of white hydrangea, white candelabra and a surprise performance by a gospel choir. "It was so beautiful it felt surreal," says Kalkay.
If you want a deluxe setting at a discount, ask for a deal on a Friday or Sunday wedding, or cut costs with a daytime affair. And consider alternatives to expensive floral displays, like smaller "tablescapes" of candles and fruit, or centerpieces using a single type of flower, bought wholesale.
Save: Invitations
Cochran, who now runs the Web site DIYBride.com, says invitations are an easy way to cut costs. "Paper is cheap, and most people have a computer, word processing software and a decent printer already at home, which makes invitations an easy way to save some cash and be creative," she says.
Invitations set the tone for an event, but Tutera, author of "The Party Planner," thinks
guests are more likely to remember the last moments of a wedding. Etiquette experts still frown on electronic invitations, so prepare for raised eyebrows if you cut that corner. Instead, Blum suggests cutting down on invitation inserts and heavy stock that waste paper and increase postage.
Splurge: Photos
A wedding is only one day, but the photos last forever. Even on a budget, brides
rarely lament the amount spent on a quality photographer. "We really love our wedding photos and still get compliments on them to this day. She was worth the extra cash we spent," Cochran says. If you're cutting corners, however, you may be able to find a skilled student
photographer who's eager to earn extra cash and build a portfolio. And you can forgo
a videographer. "It's very passé compared to photography," says Tutera.
Save: Favors
"Nobody needs another place card frame, or a bottle of crummy wine with your name on it," Blum says. It may seem like a small expense, but even cheap trinkets add up when you have a lot of guests. Odds are, there will be no complaints if you skip the favor entirely. (Cochran also points to money-wasting extras like toasting flutes as a bad idea.) If you really want to give your guests favors, Blum suggests something edible. "You'd be much better off to have all your bridesmaids or ushers bake cookies and enclose a great recipe," she says. Another nice touch: offering a coffee cake or brioche on the way out for the next morning's breakfast.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Finding High Quality Wedding Photography
High quality wedding photography is an important ingredient in today’s wedding planning process. Indeed it is the one building block that provides the couple with a physical reminder of how wonderful their big day was. The difficulty, however, is what constitutes a high quality wedding photographer? If a couple does not know how to identify a high quality wedding photographer the chances are not good that they will happen upon one.
Indeed, the chances are good they will end up with average or even poor wedding pictures, giving them low value for their money. Even if a couple has the money to simply go out and hire the most expensive photographer around there is no guarantee that they will end up with the best possible wedding pictures, much less the best value for the money. Likewise, hiring the photographer that is booked many months in advance is no guarantee, though both price and popularity are indeed indicators that they might have the requisite skills to do the job that you want.
However, since most soon to be married couples cannot afford to simply go out and hire the most expensive and do not have or want to take the time to engage the wedding photographer that is booked two years in advance it is crucial to find a way to get the best value for your money. Put simply, what specifically are you paying the photographer at your wedding to do or possess?
First, a wedding photographer is compensated for their technical knowledge and to possess the right equipment. This is obvious. To find someone that is really skilled a couple needs to look at a portfolio of entire weddings taken by the specific photographer they are considering, not just a patchwork collection of the best pictures they or their company took from a variety of weddings. Anyone can put together an album of great photos if they take enough pictures. The problem is that an engaged couple are buying an entire wedding’s worth of pictures so compare on that level.
Second, a high quality wedding photography grows out of the photographer’s interpersonal ability. To many this seems absurd, but in truth this is probably the single most important factor in ending up with the best possible wedding pictures. A couple gets the best value from a photographer that sets them and their family at ease because the posed pictures will look most natural and the candid pictures will be more candid.
Third, take into consideration the photographer’s time and labor. If a pair needs to watch their budget this is the primary place to look. By carefully scheduling the wedding day so that the photographer can get in, get the pictures they need and get out, the price should be less than keeping them around all day. By scrutinizing and rearranging the schedule, a couple therefore will likely be able to meet the expense of a more skilled photographer and therefore have better quality pictures as a result.
Fourth, popularity is evidence the photographer might be suitably skilled. If a photographer is popular among brides there might be a reason - or it might simply indicate that they have the right friends. Regrettably, like anything else, the most popular wedding photographers command the highest fees. Still a photographer could be worth a look in the event they are popular. Ultimately, however, no bride should let the prestige of engaging the most popular photographer deter them from taking all factors into consideration when making their decision.
Finally, when a couple finds a photographer that meets their needs in order to make certain they get that high quality wedding photography they are paying for they need to get a written contract that guarantees that the specific photographer they are engaging will in fact be the one who shows up to shoot the wedding.
Of course, the big selling point of the wedding photography industry is that they are not just selling pictures, they are selling memories. It is a valid point. Ultimately when a couple buys wedding pictures they are buying a tangible record of their big day celebrating their union. That has value. Nevertheless, only the couple themselves can come to a decision regarding how much value it has. Still, by taking into account the above four elements of wedding photography and by taking the precaution to get the specific individual photographer named in the contract, a couple ought to be able to uncover a skilled individual to provide that high quality wedding photography that will reflect their big day for years to come.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Indeed, the chances are good they will end up with average or even poor wedding pictures, giving them low value for their money. Even if a couple has the money to simply go out and hire the most expensive photographer around there is no guarantee that they will end up with the best possible wedding pictures, much less the best value for the money. Likewise, hiring the photographer that is booked many months in advance is no guarantee, though both price and popularity are indeed indicators that they might have the requisite skills to do the job that you want.
However, since most soon to be married couples cannot afford to simply go out and hire the most expensive and do not have or want to take the time to engage the wedding photographer that is booked two years in advance it is crucial to find a way to get the best value for your money. Put simply, what specifically are you paying the photographer at your wedding to do or possess?
First, a wedding photographer is compensated for their technical knowledge and to possess the right equipment. This is obvious. To find someone that is really skilled a couple needs to look at a portfolio of entire weddings taken by the specific photographer they are considering, not just a patchwork collection of the best pictures they or their company took from a variety of weddings. Anyone can put together an album of great photos if they take enough pictures. The problem is that an engaged couple are buying an entire wedding’s worth of pictures so compare on that level.
Second, a high quality wedding photography grows out of the photographer’s interpersonal ability. To many this seems absurd, but in truth this is probably the single most important factor in ending up with the best possible wedding pictures. A couple gets the best value from a photographer that sets them and their family at ease because the posed pictures will look most natural and the candid pictures will be more candid.
Third, take into consideration the photographer’s time and labor. If a pair needs to watch their budget this is the primary place to look. By carefully scheduling the wedding day so that the photographer can get in, get the pictures they need and get out, the price should be less than keeping them around all day. By scrutinizing and rearranging the schedule, a couple therefore will likely be able to meet the expense of a more skilled photographer and therefore have better quality pictures as a result.
Fourth, popularity is evidence the photographer might be suitably skilled. If a photographer is popular among brides there might be a reason - or it might simply indicate that they have the right friends. Regrettably, like anything else, the most popular wedding photographers command the highest fees. Still a photographer could be worth a look in the event they are popular. Ultimately, however, no bride should let the prestige of engaging the most popular photographer deter them from taking all factors into consideration when making their decision.
Finally, when a couple finds a photographer that meets their needs in order to make certain they get that high quality wedding photography they are paying for they need to get a written contract that guarantees that the specific photographer they are engaging will in fact be the one who shows up to shoot the wedding.
Of course, the big selling point of the wedding photography industry is that they are not just selling pictures, they are selling memories. It is a valid point. Ultimately when a couple buys wedding pictures they are buying a tangible record of their big day celebrating their union. That has value. Nevertheless, only the couple themselves can come to a decision regarding how much value it has. Still, by taking into account the above four elements of wedding photography and by taking the precaution to get the specific individual photographer named in the contract, a couple ought to be able to uncover a skilled individual to provide that high quality wedding photography that will reflect their big day for years to come.
Madison WI photographer Terry Talbot
http://www.talbotphoto.com/
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)