Vegas – Day 3…

I LOVE THAT SHOT!! (Above) It's probably my favorite from the whole trip and it reminds me a lot of Yervant's famous Rangefinder image of the bride against the red wall with the overhead can light. Anyway, day 3 was AMAZING…we spent 10 hours talking, shooting, learning & taking notes. Yervant is one of the most famous Australian photographers and wins all kinds of print & album competitions every year. He talked about how fashion magazines and the media influence the fashion-inspired shots he gets at weddings. He showed us how he uses video light to add extra dramatic lighting and depth to his photos in some low light situations. Then he talked about how he runs his studio and how he takes care of his clients and his staff…he is truly an amazing photographer and he's so funny and down to earth! His wife is super sweet too….they make a great team together! Here were some other favorites from the shoot with Yervant. I loved the reflection going on in this one…

And after removing the overhead sign, I liked this one too…we added overhead video light here. She was in a really dark stairwell under an overhang so under normal conditions, there wouldn't have been enough good light to shoot there but with the extra video light added, it was perfect. 

We shot outside in front of the hotel too, I loved how her veil nearly flew off in the sequence of the dip & kiss. By the way, these were hired models just for this photo shoot, they didn't even know each other until the shoot. (Brave souls…LOL) 

The studly looking groom…(model) 

And here's MY studly groom! 🙂 He's so good to me…holding my purse, camera bag, taking notes AND shooting videos all at once. Mr. Multi-tasker….xoxoxo

Then we went to the Miracle Mile Shops to shoot…we drew quite a crowd, I think everyone thought we were the paparazzi shooting someone famous! 🙂 

Loved the angle and available light on this one… 

Then when we were shooting in front of the fountain at Paris, Jim Garner (inventor of the ever popular Boda Bag) was walking by and stopped to say hi to Yervant! 

Then he busted out a few poses of his own! LOL Check out John's video by CLICKING HERE!!

What an awesome day!! After a full day of shooting, we grabbed dinner and then went to Jerry Ghionis' Business Institute kick-off program & opening reception. He had some amazing marketing ideas and said something that really hit home that I wanted to share. He said that brides who truly value amazing wedding images (and realize that the images are one of the only things they'll have left after the wedding) will hire their photographer based on:

1. Personality (which I think is key in building any kind of relationship with others!)

2. Quality

3. Experience

4. Value

And that they'll choose the photographer that's right for them in that very order too. That is soooo true!! Whenever it's humanly possible, I always like to meet with my clients before their wedding. Even if they're out of town, I'll ask if they'll be in Indy at all before the wedding and schedule an appointment with them. You have to make sure your personalities and styles jive and that everyone is on the same page. If someone comes in and says they want all traditional images, I will most certainly refer them to someone else who I know specializes in that style…but if they say they want more of a mix of candids, fashion, photojournalism, fun stuff, etc. then I know they will be a good fit for us. 

I think that quality and experience speaks for itself when you look through photographer's albums though. Ask yourself – are the images vibrant and sharp? Do the people look like they're having a good time? Are they presented in an artistic manner that matches the style you're looking for? As far as value goes, look at the tangible and the intangible items when hiring someone…are they responsive to your emails and calls? Do they organize your wedding day for you so that you don't have to worry about anything but having a good time? Often the intangible is just as important as the tangible items in a package.

Photography packages are very hard to compare sometimes because it's like comparing apples to oranges…it's always better to splurge in that area of your budget and cut something else in my opinion. And I'm not just saying that because I'm a photographer…when I was a bride, I knew who I wanted to hire for our photography before I was even engaged. The moment I saw Gary Fong shoot a wedding, I knew that his style & personality was a perfect fit for us. He's now retired but we spent more on him 5 years ago than what my current highest package rate is right now, just to give you an idea. 😉 Sometimes I think brides can get really wrapped up in a lot of wedding "stuff" that they forget to take a step back & re-prioritize their budget for what's really important. Don't get me wrong, I love all of the awesome wedding ideas and details and many of them make for great images – especially on my blog! 😉 But after it's all said and done, you'll have a husband, a ring, a cake topper and an amazing album full of awesome images from your wedding day – if you hire the right person. 😉

And thanks Jerry Ghionis for reminding all of us what is and should be the most important priorities for our clients, I think you hit the nail on the head with that one! 😉