The real value of photography

Posted by KC - 03/09/10 at 02:03:26 pm

Twenty years ago when my father’s terminal illness had progressed to the point where even the most hopeful of us realized his life was ending, my brother George arranged a weekend at the beach for our family. I distinctly remember resisting the idea but was persuaded to go along. When Dad passed away a month later, the few photographs we have from that weekend became treasured mementos. I hadn’t taken any of them.

Several years ago when the health of my father in law began to decline I quietly began making informal and mostly candid photographs of him, knowing from my personal experience that his family would appreciate them when he was no longer with us.

He died on Friday and about a dozen of those photographs, joined with images from his childhood extracted from carefully preserved old albums and a handful of 20 year old snapshots were converted to a slide show by the funeral director. It played as a loop on the day his friends came by to pay their respects. This image was chosen as the last in the loop, and may be among the most important photographs I have ever made. I am grateful to my brother for teaching me an important lesson that I could then apply many years later.

Doing more with less

Posted by KC - 01/06/10 at 08:01:42 am

One of the things I like most about being a wedding photographer is the chance I have to be a calming influence in the middle of all the chaos. This year we will continue to make the “trusted adviser” role a central part of the Craige & van Roden offer. It won’t cost our clients anything. It’s just who we are, and what I believe we are supposed to do.

Here’s our first suggestion: Write a short story. Imagine that you are about to celebrate your 25th wedding anniversary and are looking back on your wedding day. Describe what was wonderful about the day, what was really special, and what you most enjoyed. Don’t try to cover every little detail. Stick with what was most important and memorable.  Was it warm or cool, dark or light, inside or outside? Who were you surprised and excited to see? Were you rested and relaxed?  What do you remember seeing, tasting, hearing? Touching? Do you remember unique aromas?

If you keep to only a few paragraphs what you will be doing is pre-visualizing what is most important to you about your wedding day and setting yourself up for success as you continue through the planning process. Give it a try and let us know how it turned out.

Three mistakes to avoid when hiring a wedding photographer: Part 3

Posted by KC - 12/10/09 at 11:12:33 am

More good advice from excellent wedding photographers in other parts of the United States and Canada. This doesn’t mean that your uncle Bob won’t capture many good images. In fact, we occasionally include an image or two in our albums from the bride and grooms talented friends and family when they catch something that we miss. My gifted friend and fellow photographer, Charles Gupton, taught me early on to recruit these other well equipped and  highly skilled wedding guests as assistants. An extra set of hands to hold a reflector or flash, or help herd groups will always come in handy. We don’t let our egos get in the way of doing the best possible job for you.

#3 – Don’t Make the Mistake of Expecting Pro Results From an Amateur Photographer

I can’t tell you how many brides I’ve had come in to look at my albums, and tell me: “My sister got married last year. They had Uncle Bob take their pictures because he only charged them $200. But she didn’t get a single picture from her wedding that she likes.  Every time she looks at her pictures, she cries.” The biggest mistake a bride can make is to undervalue her wedding photography. Countless brides have tried to save a few dollars by hiring a friend, or having a family member take their wedding photos. And countless brides have little but tears to show for it. Think of professional wedding photography as an investment in your future joy. It will cost a little now (although it will cost less than the food you serve at your wedding), but it will pay off in great dividends, as you enjoy the memories for the rest of your life.
~ Fritz Liedtke, Fritz Photo, Portland, OR

Don’t leave your wedding photography up to chance! “Cheap” doesn’t necessarily mean good, and “good” doesn’t mean cheap! Do you want to risk one of the most important days of your life to an inexperienced photographer, or Uncle Bob, or Cousin Lenny who has a digital camera, instead of cutting corners on the hors d’oeuvres?
~ Joanne Bartone, Photographer, Pittsburgh, PA

Classic or dated? Wedding photography cliches to avoid.

Posted by KC - 12/09/09 at 02:12:29 pm

So, I’ll admit right away that I am guilty of some of these. And when I read this post on I Do for Brides I was reminded of the photographs from my own wedding in 1977…. full of stupid cliche images that I swore I would never duplicate. Hats off to Susan who said to me right off the bat, “..and don’t waste your time taking that stupid picture of my dress. I don’t get that picture and I don’t want it in my album.” Clearly we can learn something from our clients!

And now for your viewing pleasure, a few of the “cliches” from our recent blog posts…

I’m going to send a link to this post to the brides whose weddings these images are from to get their reaction (he writes nervously…). Hey, we don’t learn anything if we don’t listen. For the record I have never once asked a wedding party to jump up in the air.

Three mistakes to avoid when hiring a wedding photographer: Part 2

Posted by KC - 12/09/09 at 08:12:23 am

#2 – Don’t Make the Mistake of Prioritizing Products Over the Photography

Yes, we love designing and producing beautiful albums and we always have the story of your wedding day in mind as we capture each image. We are also realistic and know that your budget is limited. That is why Craige & van Roden offers collections that do not include an album as well as those that do. If photography is a priority, and you already have your Kitchen Aid Artisan mixer and all the dishes you need, you can “register” with us just like you do with Crate & Barrel or Bed Bath & Beyond. Encourage your friends and family to give you a spread or two in your album! We even have a nice boxed gift certificate they can wrap up and send to you.

“If you have a limited budget for wedding photography, invest the money in the photographer and not the album. If you look for a less expensive photographer so you can have money left over for an album, you will likely end up with bad photos in a pretty package. You are better off with great photos in a shoe box. You can always get an nice album down the road after you win the lottery or get that big raise, but if your photos are bad you are out of luck.
~ Dennis Drenner Photographs, Baltimore, MD

One thing I think a bride and groom don’t pay enough attention to is considering the quality of the photography aside from the album and wall prints. Clients get easily excited by the look of the album, the size of the album, or the fact that parent albums are included, or a large wall print, etc. However once the event has taken place and all is said and done the photography can’t be redone and clients will be disappointed if they have wall prints and 3 albums filled with mediocre photography. If clients can only afford the services of an exceptional photographer, with little or no product, at least the day is captured forever in images that inspire and take one’s breath away. Albums or other products can always be ordered when budgets allow, but hire a photographer based on his or her professionalism, integrity and photographic skills. Do not hire a photographer solely based on the biggest package deal they are offering.
~ David A. Barss, Photographer, Portland, OR

Three mistakes to avoid when hiring a wedding photographer: Part 1

Posted by KC - 12/08/09 at 10:12:42 am

Since we hope you are reading this blog because you are considering Craige & van Roden as your wedding photographer, or you know someone who might be, I wanted to include some good advice offered by other experienced photographers. I was not surprised to see “wrong personality” as the first mistake to avoid. When you like your photographer and your photographer likes you the bond formed is going to be reflected in the images that are captured on your wedding day.

“When you are hiring a wedding photographer, don’t hire someone whom you don’t really like on a personal basis! Their photos might be great, but remember that your photographer is going to be a very substantial participant in your wedding day, not only capturing your memories, but becoming a big part of them! So make sure you’re comfortable with their personality. If you find your photographer irritating, abrasive, or if you think their jokes are cheesy, keep looking. You REALLY don’t want to look at your wedding photos, and think “Oh wow, remember the incredibly inappropriate joke the photographer told right before he shot this?” or “That guy got on my nerves – I remember feeling irritated with him as this photo was being taken.” Your day is about your happiness, first and foremost. The most beautiful photo in the world won’t mean as much if your memory of the photography experience sours it!
~ Buffy Goodman, Edmonton, Alberta

The number one mistake to avoid when hiring a wedding photographer is to listen to everyone else. Your best friend might have loved her photographer, and your cousin probably swears by hers. So you meet with both of them and their pictures seem good enough. But did you like them? Your photographer will be with you all day, so it’s important you get along with them and enjoy their company. Your instincts will tell you a whole lot!
~ Britney Gardner, Turn Loose the Art, Huntington Beach, CA

I love to watch a master at work.

Posted by KC - 10/21/09 at 09:10:50 am

We photographed the wedding of Gillian and Craig on Saturday in Raleigh. Their elegant reception was held at the State Club with music provided by Joe Bunn of Joe Bunn DJ Company. Honestly, I’ve always been a “band guy” in part because I’ve never worked with a DJ with Joe’s talent and experience. In addition to a perfectly planned and executed playlist, including the University of Wisconsin Alma Mater for Craig, he quietly and effectivly served as master of ceremonies throughout the evening all the while keeping the attention and focus on the bride and groom and their family and friends. Seamless! Like a great waiter in a 4 star restaurant… always there exactly when you need him but never drawing attention to himself. I look forward to working with him again soon.

Jessica and Chris

Posted by KC - 09/13/09 at 07:09:34 pm

One of our favorite photographs from each wedding is the “big group” shot. It is always the first image I post and eventually finds it way into a prominent location in the album. Here are the bride and groom, their families, friends and guests from the Labor Day weekend wedding of Jessica and Chris at Falcon’s Hamlet.

At last….peaches!

Posted by KC - 06/20/09 at 03:06:59 am

So, I’ve been obsessed with peaches for the last 48 hours and today finally made it out to the farmers market at noon to make the buy. No knee jerk decision this… I carefully tasted samples from the three growers there and settled on Johnson’s Peaches from Candor, NC. Candor is about 40 miles west of Pinehurst in the Sandhills area of the state. Not only were the Johnson’s peaches sweeter… the samples were larger! These photos were made with my iPhone. The image quality continues to amaze me. One day I’m going to try photographing an entire wedding with an iPhone….

Enjoy!

Walking in your shoes

Posted by KC - 04/27/09 at 07:04:24 pm

It’s a good thing when a wedding photographer gets a little firsthand experience with the wedding process. It helps me remember how overwhelming it must seem for those of you who are undertaking one of the most complex and expensive project management tasks you will ever face.

Our son, John, will be married to his fiancée, Annie in Virginia in October. As the grooms parents our “job” is relatively simple. As the grooms father, my job is simpler yet. Regardless the pressure to find just the right venue for a rehearsal dinner in another state, to hire a caterer and set a menu that won’t complete with the reception and deal with the challenges of a guest list when our family is the size of a small army is real indeed (takes deep breath). And I realize that whatever the anxieties are that brides face they are tripled by the challenges of working through all of the decisions while at the same time keeping mom and dad and grandparents, aunts and uncles feeling appreciated and included.

I’m going to be looking over at our associates Patricia and Charles who will be photographing Annie and Johns wedding and wishing I were where they are! What we do as photographers is challenging and occasionally even miraculous. But compared with pulling off the job of planning a whole wedding it’s a walk in the park.

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