For years I custom designed print and album packages for my clients. Now I have taken their favorite options and created several packages. Package pricing makes it easier for a bride to not feel overwhelmed by the number of choices and options that she has when selecting what she needs for her wedding. As always I can add additional items to a package.
The Economy package is for the bride on a budget. At $700 it is one of the most inexpensive wedding packages available. This package includes images from the ceremony and formals and is limited to one location. Images would be available through an online gallery for ordering.
The Memories package is the first of my "All Day Coverage" packages. Reasonably priced at $1500 this package includes up to 8 hours of photography. Plenty of time for the pre-wedding, wedding, formals and reception. A CD of images and an online gallery for print orders.
The Beauty package is great package for the bride who wants a printed album. All Day Coverage, CD of images and online gallery for print orders, and a Kingston 20 page 5x5 leather album. This package is priced at $2000.
The Elegance package is for the bride that wants it all. All day coverage, an online gallery, a CD with high resolution images that can be printed and low resolution images that can be posted or emailed, and a Kingston 20 page 10x10 leather album with a personalized cover. This package is priced at $2500.
Many images look wonderful in a simple black and white.
The fresh snow covered this small tree lined path. In person it was beautiful. The soft light shined through a break in the trees giving hope that there was an end to the dark tunnel of pies.
Unfortunately, looking at the developed image in color left me wondering what I had taken an image of. The soft light was hidden by the dark trees and it was hard to differentiate the details.
Then I changed it to a soft black and white. By removing the muddy colors the simpleness of the light and the dramatic effect of the image are allowed to shine through. The focal point wasn't the green and brown pines or the dark tunnel of snow they created - but the sense of hope and accomplishment that could only be seen in the light.
Black and white is an art in and of itself. You can choose to do a soft version like I have above, or you can choose something more contrasting. Like this:
In this image the young couple were standing on a dimly lit porch. The porch door, which was originally visible, was made of colored glass in a variety of hues. In the color image your eye went everywhere trying to find a single topic of focus.
A soft black and white would have muted the colors but the rows of glass panes would have continued to be a distraction in the image. With this image I choose to use a more contrasting black and white in order to completely blacken the background and bring your eye to the pain focus of the image - the young couple.
Your choice of what style of black and white you use will depend on your needs and your artistic vision for the finished work.
As stated by my son, "without Santa there would be no Jesus. Santa has to open the door to let Jesus in."
When you think about it carefully it makes sense. Santa embodies the concept of giving without looking for anything in return. He is the face of goodness, kindness, charity and the Christmas Spirit. While he does give into the materialism of the season he also shows that someone out there cares. He brings gifts to everyone, regardless of age, gender, or race. He never asks for anything but except good behaviour.
The character traits that he embodies are the same ones that we, as people, need to have to find love, joy and happiness in our lives. Jesus may be the "reason for the season" but if you don't open the door to let him in - then how will you hear what he has to say?
As the Christmas season nears I find myself doing on of the things I dread - shopping. Why do I dread this? It's because all of the major stores higher low paid seasonal employees who are so low on the importance scale that they aren't ever trained in basic customer service.
On one recent trip I was checking out with the cashier - which was actually going well. Then another employee walked behind her. In a matter of seconds a third employee showed up and started with the "You won't believe what happened!" story. The 2nd and 3rd employees just stood there telling the whole store about their adventures from the previous night at a volume that must have deafened the actual cashier. I felt so badly for this cashier as she was not only forced to listen to the rant but the way the other were standing she was blocked in and unable to get away from them.
On another outing I was standing in line while 2 cashiers shared the same counter space checking out a line of customers. One cashier saw a woman approaching and loudly announced, "I'm not helping her," and then left the other cashier to deal with the entire line herself. I was quite shocked that this girl didn't think that piece of information needed to be kept to herself. I hope the lady she was referring to complains to the company because that cashier needs a lesson in basic manners.
I think the biggest mistake that people make is applying for - and getting - a job that they can't handle. A friend of mine went to a hair salon the other day and related this interesting story to me.
She was sitting next to another client. As her stylist did her hair the stylist next to kept asking questions. Like "How do I cut this piece?" "Does this color look right?" "I'm not sure how to deal with this part can you do it for me?" My friends cut took twice as long a usual because her stylist had to keep stopping to help the obviously unqualified hair cutter next to her. While my friend was happy with her haircut in the end - the inconvenience discount helped as well - it did leave her wondering if management realized that they were paying this girl mostly to stand around and do nothing because she was getting all the other stylists to cut her clients hair.
Interestingly enough this all boils down to one of my well known pet peeves. Common Sense.
If any of these people had any common sense they would know not to gossip while on the job - especially not in front of customers. They would know how rude it is obviously skip clients who are waiting in line and they would know that if they have to get someone else to do the work for them that they should quit so that management could hire someone who can do the job in their place.
I know it's really months away but if you want to get your Family Photo Christmas Cards back in time for the holiday then you need to be thinking of setting up that appointment now. Photo cards take at least 2 weeks to come in and when the season is busy that expectation can be pushed back to 3 or 4 weeks as the printers get deluged with orders.
When considering your Christmas or Holiday photos keep a few things in mind.
Colors - Very few places can custom colorize your photos. This means that you will have to choose from available card templates. The templates traditionally come in red, green and blue options with a few in neutral colors. Many retail locations like JC Penny's Portrait Studio even show you the templates on line so that you can see what you like before you get there.
Clothing - If you pick the card or speciality boarders that you like before you get there then it allows you to pick color co-ordinating outfits. There is nothing worse than having a fabulous image of your family in orange shirts only to discover that none of the card options go well with orange.
Templates - If you have a favorite be sure to tell the photographer that. Or if you know you just love the multi-image grouping. This way the photographer can make sure that create images that will fit easily into the templates you love.
Communication - Communication at the beginging of your session is critical. Retail photography studios like JC Penny's Portrait and Sears Portrait Studios book the camera room in 10 minute increments, with time after for viewing and ordering outside of the camera room. This means that the photographer only has 10 minutes to create your perfect image. The more information you can give them the better chance they have of creating something that you love.
I know what your thinking - I'll just book 2 sittings. While this works logically it's almost impossible to pull off in reality. There are almost never two back to back sessions available. This means that you will be coming in on one day for the first 10 minute session and have to come back on the second day for the other 10 minute session. This also means that you will be paying sitting fees for both sessions unless you have a coupon, club membership or other discount that waives the sitting fees.
Time Management - With the sittings being so close together it's also very important that you arrive on time, or a few minutes early for your appointment. If your 5 minutes late then you've just cut your 10 minute session down to 5 minutes. And if your 10 minutes late there is a good chance that you will need to re-schedule the appointment. Likewise if your young child is just completely uncooperative on the day of your sitting then you may need to reschedule.
Pets and Large Groups - If you plan to have a pet or a large, 6 or more people, in your portrait you will need to call the studio in advance to see what the specific rules are. At most retail chains pets can only be photographed as the last appointment of the day in order to ensure that the clients coming in after the pet do not have an allergic reaction. Some retail locations camera rooms are only 8 ft wide leaving very limited space for large groups.
Pricing - Everyone loves the retail studios coupons. $4 for an 8X10 print sounds great from the clients point of view. However if the company is going to stay in business they must cover their costs. This includes employee's wages, health care coverage for full time employees, studio building costs (like the rent, electric, props, backgrounds, etc) . In order for the retail outlet to stay open they have to rely on volume of clients coming in. If 10 clients come in and each purchase only 1 $4 sheet then the store has only taken in $40. That's less than what they are required to pay in minimum wage for a days work to the employee. If they didn't book in 10 minute segments then the studio would be forced to close.
Non Retail Studios - Freelance or Private photographers can offer options that retails chains can't. They can give you more time in the camera room, have more editing options (hand coloring, removing blemishes, etc) and may be more flexible (outdoor portraits or late evening hours). This all sounds great but you have to remember that this level of service will be substantially more than $4 a sheet. You may also find that the non-retail studio has fewer options for backgrounds or props depending on the size of the studio.
Choosing - When it comes time for you to choose someone to create your family portrait it's best to weigh your options. If you choose a retail chain look for coupons in magazines or on their website. If you choose to go with a private photographer look at their book, see if their style of photography suits what you need. See if they have the prop and template options that want. Also check with friends and family. Chances are that if they had a good experience you will too.
It's that time of year. The time when we all ask "Why are the Christmas decorations out? It's only September." It's also the time to start thinking about Christmas cards. Many families like to kill two birds with one stone by purchasing cards that incorporate a family portrait. There is only one problem with this. When the family portrait looks bad, the card looks bad.
While the photographer does play a part in making a good picture it is also up to the family to do a little homework of their own. There are two major mistakes that people make when getting family portraits done. The first is the Stepford Wives syndrome. This is where every child and parent are in identical clothing, with identical hair and want identical poses. This really just looks creepy and boring. Which one is Sarah? No idea because she looks just like her sister Beth who is two years younger. The only exception to this rule is identical twins under the age of 2. After the age of 2 even they usually want some differentiation between them.
The second is the Disorganized Mess. These are the people who told the children "wear what you want" so one shows up in hot pink and the other in a deep red. Not only is this not visually appealing it makes it nearly impossible for the photographer to find background that will compliment both colors.
A good photograph has everyone in color and theme co-ordinated outfits. There are lots of options for this.
If mom looks better in blues and dad in greens that's fine. Just pick blues and greens that are in the same hue. Don't have one person in a bright blue and the other in a mint or pale green.
The image to the right is a good example of color co-ordination. She's in a brown dress, on the beige background, while he's in a black suite withe an off-white shirt. Even the blue tie works because the tie is in a muted color palate that works with the rest of the hues in the image.
If you are one of those people who just has to have every family member in the same fabric then take a cue from the America's Got Talent contestants the EriAm Sisters. The girls would wear all the same fabrics but one would wear a jacket, the other a belt, and the third a skirt. Or they would all wear plaid but in different, complimenting, colors.
By doing this is visually makes the images cohesive but also keeps it interesting since they are not "mini me" of each other.
So please remember as you pick out the outfits that your family will wear for these once a year pictures.
1. Color co-ordination does not mean matchy-matchy. 2. Different complimentary colors in the same pattern or use of the same fabric in different locations is better than mis-matched "wear what you want" for visual appeal. 3. Get the outfits and the appointment early. It takes 2 to 3 weeks for the Christmas cards to come in and can take longer as more people put off doing it until the last minute.
Nancy Catherine Walker specializes in a candid, natural style of photography. Her experience ranges from pageants and events to portraiture and commercial stock. She is a member of the PPA, EPIC and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep.
My photographic work is varied. I mostly shoot stock but also cover events, portraiture, and the occasional wedding. I am forensically trained through Evidence Photographer's International Council (EPIC) and will soon be certified. I am also a member of the Professional Photographers Association (PPA) and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep (NILMDTS).
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