This month I was officially designated a Professional Wedding Vendor by the Association of Bridal Consultants.  Being appointed this degree is accomplished by being a member in good standing of the Association of Bridal Consultants and submitting a package of information consisting of letters of support from clients and industry professionals, samples of my work, a copy of my business plan, samples of my marketing materials and an essay.

“Your package reflected not only your talent as a photographer, but a high level of professionalism and involvement in the industry,” said Elise J. Enlow, a Master Bridal Consultant and Director of  Education for ABC. 

As a long time member of the association I am honored to receive this designation and grateful to all of my clients and peers who have supported me over the years. I am also grateful to ABC not only for the recognition but for the support and professionalism they bring to the industry.

The digital age has brought many wonderful advances, features and benefits to the world of wedding photography. With digital technologies, and proper training, I can now create same-day wedding slide shows, quickly post images on-line, handle all of my own retouching, apply wonderful effects to my images and create wonderful books and albums.  And in one sense, digital photography has saved me (and my clients) some expenses in that I don’t have to buy film or have proof prints made any more. In another sense, however, digital has ended up costing me a bit more.

I still have my film cameras from the late 1980s and the work just fine and I would trust them in a heart beat to do the job if needed (I’d also trust myself to get the shot on film even though I cannot see the image on the playback screen). But with digital, I am now on my fourth camera in the last seven years and these cameras are much more expensive than my film cameras.

The real cost of digital, however, is the time commitment I now make to my images. In the past I would just drop off my film, have properly exposed and color balanced proofs made, edit out the ones I didn’t like, have my clients pick their favorites, have the lab make enlargements and my album company mount the enlargements into an album – not as much hands on for me. Today, I am editing many more images, I am backing up images, color correcting my own images, uploading my images and designing my own digital album layouts. Now I do like the added control digital gives me but it does take a lot more time, and if I am going to continue to eat, pay rent, have a car, buy health insurance, advertise and pay for all of these wonderful toys, then I have to charge for my time and talents (as should any professional).

Where I see great dis-service in the wedding photography world is the photographers who don’t want to follow through with those extra services to provide better images within a professionally designed album and the brides who think they are getting a “deal” by hiring a photographer who simply hands over a disc.  Don’t let seeing your wedding images that evening or having a disc the next day fool you, quality wedding photography is about creativity, photographic skills and service, not the hype and flash of  having instant wedding images.

I have always said that capturing the image is only part of the story. Presenting the image, be it beautifully framed for the wall, or designed into a storybook album, is equally as important. I know all too well from research and discussions with brides that (unless they are a graphic designer) do not have the time, patience or skill sets to edit hundreds of images, color balance them, apply proper effects or retouching, design a pleasing layout and have a book produced that is of the quality deserved by these once-in-a-lifetime images. This is what we professional do.

Now it is true that I operate Albums for You, an album design, print and bind service for the bride who has decided to work with a “shoot and burn” photographer. As much as I would love more album business, I would much rather see photographers offer the full service of tending to their images from beginning to end with thoughtful editing, quality controls, creative design and a beautiful book that a couple can cherish and show off for the rest of their lives.

For the bride-to-be, I cannot stress enough the importance of hiring a full-service professional photographer who will create for you a finished album. Sure you can still have a disc of your images, but don’t short change yourself and do the dis-service of not working with someone who will provide you with that storybook album. The short-term savings will most certainly lead to long term disappointment when all that you have from your wedding day, is a shiny plastic disc.

 

To see all of Erin and Ryan’s photos you’ll need their special password and then can link to their images from the Online Viewing page our our web site at www.scottpatrick.com.

The right frame can greatly enhance the look and importance of your photographic art. This month’s special is good for all of our portrait and wedding clients. Order a wall portrait from your session or wedding by June 30, 2009 and receive 50% off the cost of your frame and mat selection. Contact us to set up a time to view samples and make image selections.

Early morning and late afternoon sun is some of the nicest to work with providing a wonderful quality of light. The western shore of Lake Michigan offeres some wonderful scenery like the dunes at Kohler-Terry Andre State Park near Sheboygan. To take advantage of the sun at the crack of dawn, however, Jenny and I had to get an early start to the day for this Trash the Dress shoot. Here her gown makes for a wonderful reflector as she lies in the sand.

To me, there is nothing more real than a child at play. Paige was enjoying a sunny afternoon at her favorite playground when I caught her on the swings.  The wind blown hair helps her look like a little starlet. Mom better watch out or she’ll let it go to her head. Does anyone else remember seeing how far they could launch themselves from their swing?

It’s not too late to take advantage of our Spring 2009 portrait special. Fred and Meghan, whose wedding I photographed in 2007, brought their new son Will in with them for some family portraits at the four month mark. You can still take advantage our our $49 portrait special if you book your session, in-studio or on location, by May 31, 2009.

 

Call us today to book your session!

414-671-1512 or 800-542-1512

This image seems to be one of everyone’s favorites from a series of table decor images created for The Veil Magazine earlier this year. The rich purples, lighting, floral and details make for a stunning setting. Thanks goes to Dymanic Events, Cuvee, Canopies Rentals, BBJ Linens, ACME Lighting, Muscari Floral, The Cake Lady and Paper Envy. This image as well as others done for The Veil and the many room and detail shots I do at every event take me back to my early days in photography. My first job in photography was in a commercial photo studio where we photographed everything from tools and lamps to custom vans and interiors. This is where I learned the most important aspect of photography – lighting. Without light we see nothing. Knowing how to see light and control light is what makes for great photographs. This image utilized a combination of natural outdoor light, ACME’s spot lights and my own strobe lights. It was a challenging but I think beautiful image.

This photo was taken a couple years ago but for me is a classic found moment. We were just about to start our pre-wedding bridal portraits in a church with wonderful natural light – St. Mary’s in Kenosha. While the bride, Debbie, was walking toward me, one of her flower girls came running from behind me to give Debbie her bouquet. It’s a warm, wonderful and real moment. The lighting is gorgeous and all natural, these are the types of images I strive for by being in the moment but by also being aware of what is about to happen and what is going on all around me.