Questions to Ask …

How do you evaluate your photography needs and the photographers you are considering? This exercise might help you focus your efforts.

What’s Important to You?

Of course, we all live by budgets. Your Wedding Day has one too. How do you prioritize the items on your budget? For most couples, the Venue and menu are the biggest budget items. But after that, what’s important to you? For some, the band or DJ is most important. For others, maybe flowers are particularly important. And some might have the limo ride at the top of their list.

Our clients routinely have “Photography” near the top of their list. For our clients, after the cake is gone, the limo has pulled away, the flowers have faded, and the music is silent, there are still the photos. Fifty years from now, they will share their day fondly with future generations because of the images.

Have you met your Photographer?

It is essential that you know your photographer. Each photographer has a skill level, a style and a personality. Make sure you’ve met your photographer, that you like your photographer’s style, and that your personalities align. At I’mage Photo Studios, you’ll spend lots of time with our master photographer - the same person coming to your wedding - to plan your day’s photography.

Seems obvious, right? But it’s not! Many companies offer photography as part of a bundled package of services but rely on a pool of independent, sometimes inexperienced, photographers to cover the company’s weddings. That means that you may be looking at samples taken by a photographer who won’t be at your wedding - or worse, you might be meeting your photographer for the first time on the morning of your wedding!

Remember, nobody spends more time with you on your most important day than your photographer. That’s why we are so gratified when we get comments back from our clients like Jillian, who said, “You were just wonderful. We were honored to have you as a part of our day, truly.”

Has your Photographer invested in good equipment?

Photography is an art but it is also a highly technical craft. Sure, your iPhone or Galaxy has taken a great photo on occasion but don’t minimize the value of professional photographic equipment. Wedding photography represents one of the most challenging aspects of all photography. A properly equipped wedding photographer will have two professional cameras with full frame sensors, rapid focus, excellent low light capabilities, and dual memory cards to instantly store each image along with a backup copy. Imagine the heartache to find all of your wedding images lost to a defective memory card.

In addition, a seasoned photographer will be carrying the “trinity” of professional zoom lenses: a wide angle, a normal field, and a telephoto lens - all capable of f2.8 low light work. Also in a professional camera bag will be an assortment of “prime” portrait lenses and other specialty lenses. Finally, a professional package includes advanced flash systems. This collection of equipment gives the professional the ability to capture images that an amateur-grade camera simply can’t.

At I’mage Photo Studios, our equipment is second to none. Two professional-grade cameras, a collection of low light zoom and prime lenses, and specialty portrait, macro, and fish-eye lenses fill our camera bags. This investment of literally tens of thousands of dollars gives us the best chance to capture a moment. And as French Photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson said nearly a century ago, “That is the moment a photographer is creative. The Moment. Once you miss it, it is gone, forever.  ”