Getting What You Want from Your Photographer
Text and Photos by Sarah Pukin
Biography
Sarah Pukin Photography is a modern, edgy & fashionable Wedding & Boudoir Photography boutique located in Calgary, AB. Recently Sarah was recognized for being in the top 5% of wedding photographers in the world and received the Brides Choice award 2010 from Wedding Wire. Sarah believes that every couple has a different love story, and a different style. She will capture your wedding discreetly and professionally while bringing her considerable expertise and experience within the worlds of weddings, high fashion and photojournalism. Sarah shoots both locally and internationally.
Every Bride and Groom wants to have a worry free day full of memories, laughter and love. It’s my job to capture and immortalize all of those emotions. Every wedding is different and every couple has their own unique love story. Because of this, I personally strive to capture every unique emotion in the most natural way possible with out being obstructive and distracting.
The way a Bride’s eyes catch her Groom’s as she walks down the aisle. The way the Groom nervously takes his Bride’s hand after shaking her Father’s.
My top two favourite parts of a wedding are when the bride and groom are just about half way through their vows and that look of excitement and love is written all over their faces. My second favourite part is when we go off to shoot the formals.
Shooting the formals gives the couple time to enjoy each other and forget, if only for a moment, about their hectic schedule. I set up my couples in a situation and tell them to enjoy one another – I tell them to ignore me and just have fun. This allows me to capture a before, during, and after. The ‘before’ is the most formal shot, the ‘during’ is always full of laughter, and the ‘after’ is serene.
Top 5 Ways to Get the Photos You Want from Your Photographer:
Be Clear.
Sometimes things can get mis-communicated. The best way to really show your photographer what kind of images you want is to show them examples. Check out your favorite bridal blogs, magazines, and be sure to check out the photographer’s portfolio. Print or tear out some of your favourite images and bring them as examples. Remember, just because you think you have explained what you’re looking for doesn’t mean your photographer perceived it the same way.
Style.
Before selecting a photographer you should decide on a style you want your images to have. Talk it over as a couple and decide what you both want. Then approach photographers for consultations, and find someone who has experience taking the style of photos you’re looking for. If you’re looking for bright vibrant images, you wouldn’t want to select a photographer who has nothing like that in their portfolio. Keep in mind that all photographers have a different shooting style & editing style. Look for a photographer who has examples of what you want. The style you’re looking for should be something your photographer does, not something they could do.
Bringing along your favourite images to a consultation can go a long way. For example, you could say to your potential photographer: “To me, this photo is very edgy and fashionable, would you agree?” or “I love images that are _________ like this one, specifically ______.”
Quality, Quality, Quality…
One of the biggest mistakes a bride and groom can make is to fall in love with a photographer’s work without considering the photographer’s ability to provide quality images. There is no point in liking their work if it doesn’t print well.
The best way to check out if the photographer you’re considering can produce the quality you want is to check out images in their portfolio closely.
Look to see if images look grainy. Keep in mind that sometimes photographers do this intentionally. Are the images too dark, or washed out? Can you see detail on the wedding dress? If you can’t see the details & texture on a dress that means the photographer blew out the dress. In other words, their settings weren’t correct.
Another great tip is to ask your photographer what kind of camera they shoot with and do your research! It takes two seconds on Google to check out what abilities their camera has. Ask your photographer how many lenses they have and what ones are their favorites. Also ask why! If your photographer says they only have one lens than they might be an enthusiast instead of a professional. Most professionals have a bunch of lenses, more than one camera body, lots of flashes, memory cards, batteries, ect, so ask them: “What’s in your bag?”
Keep in mind that a true professional will have shot many weddings before and know what can go right and wrong in any situation. Experience will have taught them how to compensate for different things (rain, snow, power outages, orange/yellow lighting, little to no available light, video light) to assure your quality is maintained. A novice or enthusiast might know what could happen, but until they are in the situation they won’t be able to assure you they can provide what you need.
Angles.
One of the most important things when choosing a photographer is to check out their angles. If the photographer you’re looking at only has one angle in all their images it would be safe to say that that’s what you’re going to get. If that’s what you want, than that’s not a problem but if you’re into more creative photography, check out the angles that the photographer is using. If their angles represent a more creative side you will be able to tell that your photographer is passionate about photography and it’s not just a job to them.
When I shoot weddings I am always looking for the best angle and for ways to create beautiful angles that show off my bride and groom’s features and style. Finding the right angle takes practice. It’s not something you can read and just do – It’s something that comes with practice and imagination. Man I love angles!!!
Personality.
The best way to make sure you’re going to get the images you want is to make sure your photographer’s personality meshes well with yours. If you’re looking for images that are fun and full of laughter, you wouldn’t want to book a photographer who is extremely serious. Remember, the best way to have fun is to surround yourself with people who are fun.
Recently I had a client contact me telling me she hated the wedding photos her photographer took because he didn’t want to do anything they wanted to do. She could have prevented this by meeting her photographer beforehand and testing the waters.
When you’re at your consultation I suggest cracking a joke or seeing how your photographer reacts to the things you say. If you don’t get the reactions you want they might not be the best fit for you. It’s okay not to mesh with someone. The next photographer might be a perfect fit. There is nothing worse than walking away from your wedding and saying: “What was wrong with out photographer’s attitude?”
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