“With Every Move, There is a New Beginning”
Lowell, MA – That cheeseball line above was taken from a moving box, which undoubtedly annoyed me every time I had to pack and move another box. Let’s face it, unless you live like a nomad, moving is a terrible experience. When Ashley and I first moved into the Loft at 27 Jackson St., we didn’t have much, it was mostly photography and studio gear. We rented a small truck, moved it all in and in the preceding months just made like 45 trips to Ikea to get what we needed. Well, as it turns out, we didn’t realize how much stuff we had collected until it came time to move.
As you can imagine, we’ve had a lot of changing going on… with the baby on the way and moving our life and our business, we’ve been pretty overwhelmed. However, once things settle down it’s going to be perfect. Our new loft is a bit different, but we’ve already felt the positive affects it is having on our photography. The new place is built around a community of artists and we’re very excited to be a part of it. That doesn’t mean it was easy leaving our old place. It was our first place together and there were so many memories both personal and professional. It’s weird to leave the place where we started and that’s why on the day of our last shoot, I thought it was important to make this image. For me, I consider this a family business portrait. We’ll never have this exact space again and we’ll miss the floors, the windows and our signature blue wall.
Adios Loft 27; we’ll never forget our time together!
(This entry was inspired by a heartfelt email we received from a client)
Being invited to photograph a wedding is not just about signing a contract or getting a new account. There are so many options out there for wedding photography, so when a couple invites us to be their photographers it is something more than just a business transaction. It is an honor and a privilege and we take this work very seriously. In essence, we are entrusted to capture the moments and beauty of a celebration of life and love, and in order for us to do this effectively we give all of our attention and skill into our efforts. It’s standard for us to go the extra mile to make sure the bride and groom are taken care of, not because it’s in the contract but because that’s just how we work.
Since we’ve begun photographing weddings we have met some really remarkable people. The initial consultation is almost like a first date, and will definitely set the tone for the relationship. When we opened the door to let them in we were all strangers, but as they left there was a budding friendship in the midst. The very nature of the work requires us to form a relationship with all of our couples, their families and friends. When we arrive as the bride and groom are getting ready, they are surrounded by only their closest friends and family… and us. There needs to be a comfortable level of trust, acceptance and personal familiarity, which is impossible to attain in a standard business transaction.
The best piece of advice out there for finding your ideal wedding photographer(s), other than finding a style that you like and pricing that matches your budget, would be to seek out someone whose personality clicks with yours. Can you picture yourself spending 8 plus hours working with them on your wedding day, plus countless hours on album and order fulfillment?
Any wedding photographer or any wedding professional, for that matter, who loves their job is going to feel the same way about client relationships. The ones that don’t are the salesmen of the industry and they will probably get you a good price, but at what cost?
The images below are representational of a bride and groom comfortable with their wedding photographers.
You always have the option of cutting out the pro photographer and letting a novice or advanced amateur shoot it.
“My cousin/uncle/friend bought a digital SLR and they take pretty pictures so they will definitely be able to handle a wedding, right?”
“Maybe not.”
If you are not into photography in general then I’m guessing you don’t really want to invest the money in professional wedding photography, and that is ok. As long as there are limited expectations put on the amateur’s work, everything should fall into place. On the plus side, you will at least have some pictures of your wedding day and have saved a considerable amount of money. And what if your amateur turns out to be a natural talent, and ends up being sparked into greatness because of your wedding? There is always that possibility, but the odds are against it, and at the end of the day there can be NO complaints about your amateur photographer missing this shot or that shot. NO complaints about being handed a disk of images that are dark, out of focus and not properly sized. NO complaints about your “online print store” book that really didn’t come out that good. The adage “you get what you pay for” is usually spot on in this regard.
However, if you love pictures and really appreciate the art of story-telling photography, you are going to want to consider investing in professional services. A dedicated wedding photographer will have the sense of purpose necessary for anticipating moments, posing portraits and maintaining a high level of creativity throughout the day. Not to mention the hours a professional will spend preparing your images for preview, print and album design. Consider the overall experience that you receive from a true professional and that is a large part of the investment.
It is a matter of determining YOUR level of appreciation for photography. Every one places their own value on such a subjective experience; but in the wedding planning arena it is often viewed as just another commodity, that can be easily replicated by the inexperienced. So if you choose someone outside the industry please adjust your expectations to match their experience.
If anyone has used a cousin/uncle/friend as their main source of wedding photography, we’d love to hear how it turned out, good or bad, and please post a link to the pictures.
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Wedding Album vs. Digital Files
Have you chosen to invest in digital files rather than a wedding album? Here are some considerations for you.
The Wedding Album
Tradition: The Wedding Album has become the benchmark for displaying a couple’s wedding images. The book becomes part of the family, especially in the early years as it is on display and later on stored and revisited by children and grandchildren and hopefully great-grandchildren.
Preservation: The quality and craftsmanship of today’s bookbinders have given The Wedding Album a look that can fit any style and personality. Easily stored in a preservation box at room temperature, these books last for generations.
Tangibility: The feel of the pages, the cover, the spine and the overall craftsmanship are a very large part of enjoying the modern wedding album. Photographic images were meant for print and these albums are a testament to this fact. A visit to a newlyweds home will undoubtedly involve a peak at the wedding album.
The Digital Files
Digital storage: With the access of large – resolution files comes the need to organize, store and back up these files for the future. The digital files need to managed, organized and protected. The DVD or Flash Drive where you received your files should only be considered a temporary vehicle for your digital file storage. They should be backed up onto at least one on site external hard drive and one off site hard drive or remote server.
Rate of advancement: Digital photography is here to stay, but what direction will it go? No one really knows if DVD’s, USB connections, or even JPG’s will be around in 30 years. Imagine all those floppy disks out there sitting in boxes with files from the 80′s; that very well could happen to a disk of wedding images.
Dependence on technology: There are infinite ways to use and show off digital files, from digital photo frames to slide shows with music, etc. The world has embraced the digital photography revolution, but what is often over looked it the dependence upon technology. You can’t very well look at digital images without the use of a computer, tv, and almost certainly the internet.
Continue reading Digital Nation and the Role of The Wedding Album
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Hi, we're Ash and Rich; we are Pizzuti Studios. Welcome to our blog, where you'll find a variety of images, some personal thoughts, and reflections from our lives as wedding and portrait photographers.
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