The ManicaPost
Anne Ruthenburg
I wish everyone one that claims to be a wedding photographer knew this one important thing . . . that when the wedding is all over, the main player the bride and groom, will only fully experience their wedding in full — through the photographs that are taken. So failing to capture the moments should be a sin.
Why am I saying this. Well because this year I can count on my hand how many wedding I attended that had wedding photographs that captured the moments. More over I nearly fainted when I noticed the photographer taking photographs of the bride and groom in front of a wall with razor wire above it. Yet the garden had tons of trees and flora that the couple could have had the most beautiful pictures done.
I also noticed how the relatives continued to photo bomb the Bride and Grooms photo’s. What a disaster! The Photographer did not seem to have any power over any of the relatives. Eventually the groom got frustrated, so many of the photo’s had an unhappy Groom with relatives behind them being silly.
The kids were hardly captured and when they were captured in the photo’s no one was guiding them on what to do.
Anyway I am being distracted. But I think weddings these days are treated like a birthday party and many Wedding providers are simply providing services without the pride and excellence that goes with being a Wedding provider/vendor/service provider. So as always, I am pointing out where we are failing as professionals and I am also equipping couples with information, to help them get the best service possible. There are many Photographers out there – Great! But not all the photographers are “Wedding Photographers”. To be a wedding Photographer you need to be creative and have an eye for detail and special moments. You have to be able to see something that no one else can see. You have to be able to tell a story out of each photo. You need to be able to manage people and be orderly. But you also need the photo’s to look as natural as possible even though they are staged.
So here are some major things I believe couples wanting to hire a photographer should do/have:
1. Cheap is okay but is not always the best. Every Photographer is not a Wedding Photographer. There is an art to taking wedding photographs I promise you.
2. Before you Wed, make sure you and the Photographer go to the different venue’s so that the Photography can map out which people, he or she will photograph at which venue. There is no need for the whole Bridal party and relatives to all follow to every venue. Only those needed at that specific venue should go, then as soon as the photo’s are taken, the people can leave or go back into the vehicles.
3. Your photographer needs to give you a pre-organised photograph programme. The programme will state how any photographs will be taken at each venue. The program needs to include which family members / friends will be photographed at which angle. The programme will also say who gets photographed first , second, third etc.
4. The photography list should be given to the wedding manager or whoever is in charge of your wedding. It must also be given to the person in charge of the transport so that people are moved to each venue on time and smoothly.
5. A good Photographer will take pictures of the wedding before everything begins. In other words, they will be set up before everyone arrives, so that they capture everything, from pre-makeup to arrival of the guests.
6. Wedding Photographers will also have portable lighting, in case the venue is dark.
7. Studio photo’s are also a great idea for a couple that want photo’s but do not have a good backdrop. Studio photo’s mean that the photographer takes pictures after the wedding or before the wedding with the dressed up couple, they add whatever background the couple choose.
That’s it from me this week folks. I hope this will help future couples. Ann can be found at Aloe Garde Mutare. 0772933845
