Great Price + Fantastic Quality = Perfect Shots, Perfect Prints
I have yet to meet a person on this planet with no concern for money or expenses. I have yet to discover a world where money has little bearing over vision and creative preferences. I have yet to choose taking the path of never sacrificing for the sake of savings. Given that I am probably one with the rest of the world in this predicament, I have decided simply to embrace the pre-existing condition and find a way to make the most of it.
Like with every other expense we have in life, weddings take a toll on your budget and sometimes, even your savings. Contemporary weddings have been finding ways to create significant, sentimental value with little cash leading most couples to strictly prioritize necessary elements in planning a wedding. Most people, however, cannot bear to sacrifice wedding photographs and wedding videos. These are two of the most expensive items on the list given the popularity of destination shoots and coffee table books. The reason behind this is valid though; anybody would want to have the most important day of their lives chronicled in the highest quality and the most artistic way possible. This usually makes it worth the cash. But you don’t need to jump in and just sign a contract with the first Orange County wedding photographer who passes you by. Once you’ve gone through How to Choose a Wedding Photographer and Wedding Photography Styles, your next step will be to evaluate the photographer’s package and inclusions. To help you ensure that you’ll be paying for nothing less than everything you deserve, here are the common inclusions in a wedding photo coverage package and some add-ons that you may wish to avail, budget permitting of course.
PRE-NUPTIAL SHOOT
Most couples choose to have a pre-nuptial shoot in a location or locations significant to them. The pre-nup shoot usually chronicles their journey as a couple, from the first time they met to when the groom proposed or the different highlights of their life as boyfriend and girlfriend. The pre-nup shoot cost must be specifically identified in the photographer’s package as this is considered a separate project from the wedding day coverage. For instance, there may be a completely separate shoot with just the bridesmaids in their beach wedding dresses.
Pre-nup shoot costs account for the photos to be taken and the editing and output required. To save on cost, most couples just ask for specific photos to be edited and ask for the soft copies so they can have them printed themselves or turned over to the video editing supplier. Others require print outs in a digitally designed photo book whose cost must be accounted for as well or requested as part of the shoot package.
WEDDING DAY SHOOT
Part of the basic photo coverage package are indoor shots taken inside one of the wedding venues in Orange County where the bride, groom and entourage are being prepped for the ceremony, the church, and the reception. In each of these places, the photographer will take candid and directed shots depending on the wedding style you’ve agreed upon on the shots needed for the photo book. An Orange County wedding photographer can take as many shots as he deems is necessary and may turn over all raw files to you in one folder and a separate file with significantly chosen shots that he has edited for all intents and purposes.
Outdoor shots are also to be taken by the photographer after the ceremony. This usually takes place in between the ceremony and the reception and is taken on the church grounds or wherever the Orange County wedding ceremony took place. This is the first shoot of the couple as husband and wife and must employ the wedding style discussed between the couple and the photographer. Most couples use these photos as part of the same-day edit videos that is shown at the end of the program during the reception.
STUDIO PORTRAITS
These are add-ons to the basic package. Most studio portraits are done to be used in a photo frame that guests sign with their best wishes for the couple. This frame is brought by an assistant to the Orange County wedding photographer around every table to gather messages for the couple. Some couples also opt for a studio shoot to have a formal memento to be hung on the wall of their new home. Studio portraits could be costly depending on the size and the number of prints you’d require.
PRINTS, BOOKS, DIGITAL SERVICES
Most wedding photography packages offer unlimited shots for 3-12 hours onsite on the day of the wedding. Depending on the length of time you require and the number of prints, there are preset packages to choose from. The most basic package offered by the Orange county wedding photographer will usually offer 3 hours onsite, all high resolution files in a DVD and complimentary 30-50 pieces of 4R prints chosen and edited by the photographer. Higher priced packages will offer more prints and a digital photo book which you can opt to have printed by the same supplier or in soft copy only.
If you know your Orange County wedding photographer and can talk to him easily, try to negotiate for the prints to be those of your choice. Also ensure that hard copy proofs or digital ones will be sent to you before the actual printing so you can evaluate the quality and decide which ones you want to have printed or edited. Your photographer must also allow you to view and comment on the design of the photo book to ensure that it is in line with the theme of your wedding and that it is exactly how you want your day to be portrayed. You can both make a compromise on the number of revisions that he can do as some photographers charge extra for every revision.
Weddings are special moments that everybody wishes there’s an unlimited budget for. However, in this day and age of advancement and a more competitive wedding industry, you surely don’t need to sacrifice quality for price. Sure, it might take a lot of research and you’ll probably have to make more than a dozen phone calls, but it will be worth it in the end. Turn to your most trusted family, friends and colleagues for referrals and you’ll surely find that shutterbug worthy of your hard earned cash!
by Kerry Johnson – Follow Kerry on G+!
Wedding Catering Orange County
