Prepare your Home for Photography

Hi Clients to be! Here are some pointers to take care of to prepare your house for photography.

LIGHTS!

1) Try to ensure your light-bulbs, florescent tubes are of consistent throughout rooms. if your living rooms have 2 sets of lights, ensure that they are either warmlight or daylight. This is important as we have a problem when editing images. they will show the room as half yellow, half blue.

Do not use lights that are too "yellow". This cast can never be successful in correction. Applies to some streetlights and some banquet venues/hotel rooms as well.

2)If you only have a small mirror in your room, and if that mirror happens to be struck in your wardrobe, please forgo it. Normally it will be struck in a corner of your room where you will be behind the light and makeup artist needs a mirror to work in the morning.

Please buy a nice mirror frame (ikea) and you can shift around to more better light source around your room and near the windows if possible.

3)Gate-Crushing. If you favour this tradition, please ensure that your house unit has some form of light streaming to the side of your main gate. Flash may be use your main gate has no natural light. Another option is to either do the gate crushing at your hotel (nicer surroundings) or do it after 7.30am, where natural light will start streaming in.

CLUTTER

1) Clutter never fails to impress people, if possible close a room and move all the unwanted, unsightly items into the room. Always make the house as clean of clutter as possible.

2) This also means to hide your undergarments and loose clothing behind your doors into your wardrobe. We only like your wedding dress I guess, Haha!

3)Gate Crushing. Do hide footwear as the main gate will to be sole focus point during the gate crushing. you dun want your Pradas and Jimmy Choos to get trounce along with the food/drinks dish out during the Gate Crushing. Lots of shoes are fighting the attention with your groom to be. Not attractive at all.

BALLROOM

Table Centre Pieces. Tall and large centre-pieces are very eye catching and impress the guests a great deal. However they also hinders with the table shots and must be kept away once this commences. The huge centre pieces also cuts up people from communicating across the entire table.

more to add as I thinker of my mind.

Tools of the trade

As wedding photography goes, many people with a camera has great aspirations of being a photographer for a friend or relative's wedding. In modern weddings, there are wedding guests who sport more fancy gear than we already use. A few of these guests have professional aspirations and some happen to spot a good eye for angles and often block the professional, who has to jostle his/her spot for another angle.

As popular as digital cameras goes, its common that many guests, even our clients, own digital SLRs or other high end equipment themselves. The most popular question who be, which brand is better or what lenses to use.

I would like to tell you, tools are little like your own personality. Some people are flashy, some are more conserved. Brands are something like that, Some folks are attracted by certain brands as a prestige or lifestyle. I cannot tell you my lifestyle suit yours, so whatever brand you choose, its more to reflect your style and needs.

My choice of camera is the canon EOS system as this point of time for wedding photography. I like the shape of the camera bodies and the buttons layouts are very logical for my handling. I have very little to complaint how the system works and I'm generally comfortable to use anything it offers, from the entry level to its professional range. Yes design is very important to me, I cannot work with something is not pleasing in my eyes.

The lens in my kits evolves from time to time, as I update my hardware to make my shooting easier and new tools always never fail to inspire me. From the beginning I work with a huge zoom lens that covers almost all my shots, a 28-135mm and another wider lens, the 20-35mm for my wide angles. nowadays, my kit is spit into a morning and night assemble.

The morning kit contains the popular 16-35mm wide angle lens and the 24-70mm standard lens, both lenses are f2.8 and provides me with great coverage from pre-dawn to noon. Some rooms and spaces are rather poorly lit and I have a couple of prime lenses to work by, mainly the 24mm, 50mm and 85mm. If there is a large garden, or church ceremony, I would whip out the 70-200mm lens.

The night kit is more focus on shooting with the maximum amount of available light in ballrooms, So usually zooms lenses are kept away and my main lenses to work on are my 24mm and the 85mm prime lenses. I usually take the 50mm as well as the 135mm lenses to complete my night coverage. Most of these lenses have a maximum aperture of F1.2 to F2.

There, the kit was built from 6 years ago as I slowly evolve my way of shooting. My most favourite lens is the 85mm and the most versatile would be the 24-70mm. I shoot with 2 to 3 bodies, usually the 1Dmk2n, 5D and the Eos 1V.

Hope you equipment folks would enjoy 'peeping' into my kit.

Traits of a great client!

1) Will never ask to meet on Fridays and weekends, as most weddings happen to fall on saturdays and sundays.

2) Will never cancel on you 30 minutes before & after the appointment time, as time is important for everyone.

3) Will not ask you if you have more pictures, as we only present the best to your clients.

4) Will not push or rush your work, as you take pride in doing the best, and it takes time.

5) Will not take 4 months to confirm your work, as they value your services.

6) Will take pride and enjoy their wedding, cos you know you take the best pictures when they are happy!

7) Trust you, as we have an important job to do.

8) Never ask for more than 1 photographer to shoot their wedding, cos too many cooks will spoil the brooth.

9) Will ensure that you are taken care off, even you do not need much to work with.

10) Will cherish your work, so that you can perform your best for their most important day.

the 10 questions couples should ask

Your wedding photographer, the 10 questions to ask!

I have sometimes come across emails which couples copy and paste a series of standard questions which they themselves do not know what kind of answers to expect of themselves.

A good one is what films do you use? For that matter, most photographers do not have even have a film camera to start with, everyone is jumping to the digital bandwagon, even for some folks who use films, do most of you know the differences between your neo-pans to Tri-Xs?

If you are looking for a highly creative photographer/artist to document your wedding, these questions are a sure fire way to inspire and help you gain access to the level of intellect which you understand his/her craft.

1) Are you available for my wedding?
2) What is your concept of wedding photography?
3) How do you work?
4) Do you have a backup?
5) What do we need to prepare ourselves with?
6) Explain the cost involved in our wedding photography
7) How do we book you?
8) How is the payment structured?
9) What are the deliverables?
10) When will we be able to receive the deliverables



Are you available for my wedding?

The single most important question, most artists (photographers/videographers) work independently and when you view their portfolio, it’s The Artist you want to hire. For the same reason, most of us fail to understand when couples ask for videographer when they look into a photographer’s website. I feel fellow videographers echo the same sentiment.


What is your concept of wedding photography/videography

Whoa! What’s that, some may ask. Well it’s the same concept when you are looking at each photographer’s work. Each of us has our way and idea of how and what to capture. You will be surprise each artist have an idea of how their craft is present and where do their ideas and visions stem from.

Very often you will relate to an artist the way you are attracted to his/her work. Sometimes it’s the same personality or both the couples and artist may click on levels on ideas/ dreams.

Talking about their aspirations are a sure fire way to see the real artist and how passionate they are in their craft.


How do you work?

Hmm, it really depends what style of photography you are after, traditional portraits and poses photographers will like to command a certain presence in your wedding, giving directions to where to take nice portraits and documentary types prefer a hands off approach to working. Talk to the Photographer how he/she prefers to work will prevent any misunderstanding between yourselves and family members.

Do you have backup?

This is one question normally most professionals are well prepared, but to be sure do check on if there is normally any contingency in case the photographer falls very ill or having more than one set of cameras to ensure they are able to continue their job in case of any malfunction.

What do we need to prepare ourselves with?

Sounds like a no brainer but many couples fail to realize that the most important aspect for any photography is to enjoy your wedding day and let and your team of friends and family sort out problems for you! If you fail to realize this concept, talk to any wedding professional to help or assist you to allow both of you to make the best of your wedding.


Explain the cost involved in our wedding photography

Normally this is one of the first few questions in any couple’s mind, sadly some couples fail to realize that one of the most endearing aspect of the wedding is the memory, and photography/ videography. Some set aside a budget that often too low that only beginners want to take the job.

With the event of digital photography, many couples fail to realize the increase cost of the artist tools and effort to create the image. Professional grade cameras cost at least 2-3 times more than their film counterparts. Computers are part of the cost now, as most photographers need to edit and retouch their work, and software adds to this heavy cost.

This also takes up more of the artist time and the new age wedding photographer/videographer has less time to shoot more. All this adds to cost to the couple.


How do we book you?

Always ask that if you are interested in booking the artist, as many have different practices of signing contacts and payments of a certain percentage of a retainer fee to engaged their services.


How is the payment structured?

Again it differs from artists, some ask for a small retainer fee and some may like the full fees paid before the commencement of any services.


What are the deliverables?

Most artists have some form of packages so its best to understand your needs are and to explain in detail what you are getting.

Some photographers will return every single image to you whereas some would spend several hours behind the computer to edit and form a beautiful story of your wedding with their computer skills creating sepia tones, black and white or adding effects to enhance the pictures or movies

When are we able to receive the deliverables?

Some artists can turnaround with one day while others may spend up to more than a month to edit, develop and scan your images. All this may not include time to put together your wedding album, so please check with each vendor.