Hot Trends in Wedding Photography

Like any other aspect of a wedding, the photography follows trends and fresh ideas. The stiff group portraits that were the standard in wedding photography for generations have become the exception rather than the norm. For inspiration for your own wedding, check out these hot trends in wedding photography.

Informal candids are definitely the most popular variety of wedding photos. They are intended less to be a visual record of who was at the wedding, and more as a fluid overview of some of the high points of the day. They should capture the mood and spirit of the wedding by giving the viewer glimpses into the little moments that make the day special. The bride might want her photographer to be there when she is getting into her bridal gown and wedding jewelry to get a snapshot of her dress going over her head or her sister struggling to pin on her veil. A good candid photographer will have an eye for the other memorable parts of a wedding, from capturing a meaningful glance exchanged by the bride and groom to the look of pure joy on the face of a flower girl on the dance floor. Your guest book will tell you who was at the wedding; the candid photos should show what they did and capture the festive spirit of the event.

Wedding photography taken in unusual places is one of the hottest rising trends in weddings. Many of these pictures are taken as engagement photos before the wedding, but they are nothing like the posed studio shots your parents had taken when they announced their betrothal. Urban backgrounds are particularly popular, ranging from black and white photos set against a towering city skyline to gritty scenes in front of graffitied brick walls. For couples who do not live in a city, popular backgrounds include seasides, natural locations, and even places like carnivals and zoos. These settings are also gaining popularity for day-of-wedding photography; the contrast between the wild setting and the bride in her exquisite bridal gown, veil, and wedding jewelry makes for an interesting juxtaposition which gives the pictures an edgy quality.

Another trend in wedding photography is to make pictures a part of the event itself, rather than just something to look over weeks later. The rise in digital photography has made this possible. For instance, you might have the photographer use the photos he took during the wedding ceremony and cocktail hour to project as a slideshow onto a wall during the reception. Digital photo booths are finding popularity instead of traditional wedding favors. The guests can go into the booth and have their pictures taken as an instant keepsake of the day. Some of the photo booths will even have a monitor on the outside which will show all of the pictures taken during the reception as a slideshow for everyone to enjoy. An added bonus is that the newlyweds can get a copy of all of their guests's pictures burned on a disc for them to have as a souvenir.

There are several other up and coming ideas in wedding photography, including using images of the bride and groom on save-the-date cards, favor boxes, and even the wedding cake. Many couples are eschewing the traditional heavy wedding album and choosing to have customized photo books created online instead. With all of the amazing technology at our fingertips, wedding photography is a field that is only going to continue evolving in new and fascinating directions.

Guy has been writing about society and weddings for a long time. If you have a topic you would like to know about. Let us know at SilverlandJewelry.com. Every bride needs gorgeous wedding jewelry that makes her feel beautiful. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Guy_Antonelli

Find More : Photographer Wedding , Photographer Professional , Photographer Services , wedding photography , wedding photos , engagement photos , digital photography

Photo Retouching For Beauty Pageant Photo

You often see famous Hollywood actors/actresses, and top models appearing on Magazine covers with flawless skin and complexion. You may wonder how they managed to look so stunning and spot-free? Well, the key lies in "retouching". It can be either manual retouching as in the mode of makeup artists retouching the faces of the actors/models before photo shoot, or via digital photo retouching done on the photos using advanced Photoshop retouching techniques.

With manual makeup, emphasis can be added to various parts of the face to achieve the desired skin characteristic. However, for some people, their faces can easily oil up in the process and they may end up soaking in the make-up. With Digital Photo Retouching, such annoyance can be avoided.

Thanks to the advancement of digital camera technology. It has made digital photography easily within reach of the ordinary people. This is the first step towards Digital Photo Retouching. Next, you would need an image editing software. The free and popular software would be Gimp, which can be easily downloaded online. If you are looking for more sophisticated effects and features, Photoshop is the choice software in the market.

The things which you can do and the amount of effects that can be achieved with Photoshop is indeed endless. As far as pageant photo retouch is concerned, here are just some of the features you can look forward to:

* Smoothing or Softening of the skin * Removal of Blemish * Thickening of Eyebrows * Addition of Makeup and/or Tan * Removal Stray Hairs * Addition of Eyelashes * Tooth Whitening * Addition of Sparkle/Glitter * Blurring/Changing/Removal of Background * Touch of Shine On Lips * etc.

If you want to lean to retouch photo on your own, you may find many free-of-charge Photoshop tutorials online. But, retouching photos is a very time intensive task. If you prefer to leave it to the professionals, you may take a look at the work of this site: Photo Retouching For Beauty Pageant Online

Janelle Zhang is a freelance Digital Photo Retouching Artist at http://www.photoretouchinglab.com She has many awards-winning national pageant photos which can be viewed online. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janelle_Zhang

Find More : Services Photo , Photo Digital , Retouching Photo , digital photography , photo retouch , photo retouch

Wedding Photographers Can Market More Effectively by Placing Wedding Venue Comments on Website

The wedding photography industry is competitive. To thrive in this environment, most photographers need to execute an effective marketing plan. With increased traffic going to the web, having a web strategy is essential. This article looks at how listing local wedding venues on a photography website along with some photography related commentary can benefit the photographer, his clients and the wedding venue.

The photographer benefits by having these listings on the site because it conveys the message that he is an expert in the area, his key search engine rankings will be enhanced and his relationship with vendors can be built.

When a client reads a comment on various wedding locations from a photographer's perspective, he is able to see the depth of the author's knowledge. He is able to see that the photographer is not just a startup shooting his first wedding, but is an experience professional with a detailed knowledge of shooting in a number of different locations. A potential client can also get a feel for a photographer's shooting style and preferences as he reads the critiques. The client should also gain some insight on the photographic benefits of choosing one venue over another.

Additionally, writing these evaluations can help the photographer's website improve its page ranking on valuable keywords. When posting a venue commentary it is helpful to the client to see an address. This address will have the city's name tied to it. This will help a website gain search engine strength on the name of the city.

A photographer can also create contacts and enhance his relationships with the venue managers by posting venue comments on his website. Like the photographer, the venue is in business and is benefited by additional exposure. By contacting the venue and explaining his plans to write the commentary and asking for feedback, a photographer can establish a positive working relationship with the venue managers.

With the advent of digital photography and relatively cheap digital cameras and related software, the photography industry has become increasingly competitive as more people are entering its ranks. Adding helpful content - such as venue listings will help a photographer distinguish himself from the majority of these professionals.

The author, through photo journalism, provides a unique expressive perspective for weddings, seniors, events, proms and newborns. In addition, she works as a Laguna Beach Wedding Photographer with a knack for shooting in rural areas such as the local wineries. She also teaches photography classes to a number of Orange County Photographers. While Vanessa began her business in the Temecula area, she later move to Newport Beach and began serving Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach, and Irvine. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Vanessa_Honda Find More : Wedding Photographer , wedding photography , digital photography

As A Professional Photographer, Are You Charging For The Wrong Thing?

By Kirstin Carey

With the introduction of digital photography, tif you didn't have the unique picture-taking skills you have.

he world of professional photography is changing rapidly. It's becoming more difficult to make money from selling photos, but that doesn't mean that you should close up shop and find a new profession. You just have to change some of the rules and reposition your method of making money.

From my experience in consulting and presenting workshops and programs for photographers, most are charging for the wrong thing and need to make some simple, yet dramatic changes to continue to excel.

Your Real Service

Back before digital became so popular, photographers made their money on prints. Makes sense, right? Well now, dependence on selling prints to the client is the worst way to run a wedding or portrait photography business.

Your real value is in the professional vision you have that makes you different from every other wedding and portrait photographer out there. The thing that makes you better than the photography studio at Wal-Mart is how you choose to take the photo-not the photo itself. So, if your true value is your photography skills, then why set your prices on the actual print? The photo would be nothing

You need to make a paradigm shift-for yourself and then your clients-regarding those things for which you are charging.

How to Make the Paradigm Shift

What I have found works beautifully for my photographer clients is a complete overhaul of their pricing strategy. The focus should be placed on the photo session itself, not on the prints.

The most crucial part of the photography session is capturing the images-not the printing of the images. Anyone can print an image, but not everyone can capture the perfect moment. It's the capturing of that moment that the client really wants, and that's why he or she is hiring you. Therefore, you need to focus on charging for the photographic process.

How Do I Charge for the Real Value?

Sit down and decide the minimum you want to make on each wedding or portrait project. Then, set your prices according to that minimum.

For example, let's say you want to make a minimum of $5000 for each project; simply set your baseline there. Then, create three "packages" that your client can select. The $5000 becomes your price just to take the pictures. Each package selected from there is then a bit more.

Package A could be $6000, package B could be $7500, and package C, $10,000. While your clients can select the package they want after seeing the images, they should be asked to pay the $5000 up front. That $5000 acts as a paid credit toward the selected package.



Stop "Nickel & Diming" the Client



Charge your clients for value and avoid charging in ways that "nickel and dime" them, and they will actually pay you more! Really, we all know the expenses to make a 3x5, 4x6, and 8x10 don't really vary all that much, so why charge the client for a specific size? While some people don't value an 8x10 as better than a 5x7, they do value choosing what works best for them. Rather than giving them two 4x6 images, two 5x7 images, and one 8x10-inch in the package, give them the option of getting five images of their choice up to an 8x10-inches. This approach makes things simpler, and it shifts the focus from the prints to the value of choice.



Now, I know what I'm about to say next is quite controversial, but another way to raise value is to offer what most photographers wouldn't ever dream of in their packages-all the digital images (gasp!). You could, as part of your most expensive package, give the client the digital images to do with as he or she pleases. This will raise the value of your premium package option dramatically, giving the client incentive to pay even more!



Really, if your focus is on your talent for capturing the right moments, then why not give the client every digital image should he or she choose to pay for it? It's an option few photographers are willing to offer, and one that would certainly make you and your packages stand out.



Also, stop charging for exact amounts of time or other "nickel and dime" items, such as dinner at the wedding. The client is paying you to capture moments. You shouldn't be charging them for your meals or your time. Refocus how you think about what it is you are getting paid for. Get comfortable pricing those services that the client values, and I promise you, the client will pay the bills.



Every industry has ups and downs, though it's during the down times that the smart businesses succeed. If you want to continue making money in this business, you have to make some dramatic changes in how you charge and for what you charge. Many photographers are killing their businesses by hanging on to the old ways of pricing or doing just what "everyone else is doing." Break away from the pack and start charging for what the client really values, and you will see an increase in revenue and an increase in high-paying clients.



About the Author: Kirstin Carey is the author of Starving Artist No More: Hearty Business Strategies for Creative Folks. Kirstin knows most creative professionals hate sales, contracts and discussing money. She consults photographers and other creative folks on the business side of creativity so they set better fees, make more money and get better clients. Get proven strategies and insider secrets guaranteed to help creative types like you get the business help you want at http://www.MyCreativeBiz.com.



Source: www.isnare.com

Permanent Link: http://www.isnare.com/?aid=138670&ca=Career


Find More : digital photography , professional photography , portrait photographer