For most brides, they have had a vision of their wedding for some time. Some may have known what they wanted since childhood! A particular wedding dress, a certain type of cake, where the wedding will be, what the flowers will look like or what the band will be like. Sometimes it turns out exactly as visioned and sometimes it does not, but still a beautiful wedding none the less. Because no matter what, the bride and the groom are still in love and that is what makes the day beautiful and unforgettable.

But, 10 years later, the love and the photos are all that remain. And all to often, especially with today’s economy, brides will set no limit on the price of the dress and then shop for their photographer on craigslist! And then the heartache begins. No pictures delivered, bad pictures, missed shots or just a bunch of random shots. Please take the time to insure that the photographer that you choose matches the style that you want to capture your day and that you look at samples of their work. Look for consistency!

You do not have to break the bank, but you do get what you pay for.

Last week, Kathleen and I took the Head Start School Pictures and what a hoot! Those little kids can and will say the darndest things. Gotta love them. The school is is Hughes Springs, Tx. One of the teachers had painted the windows and we used her art work to customize their memory mate.

On April 24, 2010, Kathleen and I had a wonderful time sharing and saving Trisdon and Rusty Knight’s wedding day. The services were held at the First Baptist Church of Jefferson and the reception was held at the CVA Hall in historic downtown Jefferson. There was a great turnout of friends and relatives to help celebrate and great time was had by all.

We would like to thank the Brides that voted on us for this Award!!! We are located under the Shreveport, La area.

This is a slide show of some of our photography from families, seniors, and a few weddings.

This is a little video of some of our shots from Katie and Kevan’s wedding in Jacksonville, TX at The Legacy.

What are the advantages of hiring a professional?
A professional photographer will be timely – arriving at your wedding promptly, and getting the results to you on time. A professional has just the right equipment and film for photographing your wedding. Having attended many weddings, an experienced wedding photographer will be at ease at your wedding. A professional uses a color laboratory that is in the business of meeting high professional standards of print quality. And, a professional is used to working with individuals, couples, and groups to make the formal photography go smoothly. When you think about the cost of photography, remember that the photographer’s fee is only part of your investment: You, your parents, your extended family and your friends will be investing time with the photographer during your wedding. Don’t waste time on your wedding day with a photographer who won’t produce results you love!

So, I want a professional to photograph my wedding. What do I do next?
Visit wedding photography web sites, then choose photographers to call. Emailing is not personal enough for wedding photography. If you like the photographer on the phone, go visit with him/her. When looking through sample albums pay attention to your emotional response to the photography and to the communication skills of the photographer. Look for high technical quality too. Once you have decided on a photographer whose work has meaning to you, discuss prices, deposits, packages, quantity of pictures and so on.

What is the first question I should ask the photographer?
Once you have established that the photographer is available for your date and location, you will want to ask, “If we select your studio, will you be the photographer covering our wedding?” Some studios have several photographers and you may be speaking to a salesperson. The sample albums may have been done by photographers who do not even work for the studio anymore. If this is the case, you should make arrangements to meet with and see the work of the particular photographer who will be doing your wedding. You should also ask for a commitment from the studio to that effect, in writing.

Shouldn’t I be asking “What do I get and how much does it cost?”
Even shopping for shoes or furniture you wouldn’t ask that question until you find the style and quality you like. After you have looked through a photographer’s portfolio – seeing candids, formals and illustrative pictures, you will know if this photographer has the technique, style and spirit to be the eyes through which you and your children will see your wedding day. Of course, you should determine if the photographer is within your budget, give or take a little, but what you really want from photography is memories and feeling. Look for an established and reliable photographer whose work moves you, whose technical quality is tops. If you find a photographer who makes you happy, you never will regret your investment, whatever the dollar cost. When we have invested in items that will be with us for the rest of our lives, our satisfaction has been highest when we have paid that extra bit for the best quality.

So, how much does wedding photography cost?
Prices range from $500 to $10,000, and even more! Photographs (and maybe video) will be your only permanent record of the day. You want good photographs (or you would not have read so far), so be prepared to spend a minimum of $1,500. Reprints will be $15 to $45 each. Expect better photographers to charge the higher rates. In other words, it is reasonable for an unexperienced photographer to charge you as little as $10 for a print. And, it is reasonable for an excellent photographer to charge you $40 for a print of the same size. That is because you are getting better service and a better product from the experienced professional. If you are looking for a bargain and shop via phone for pricing, or even worse craigslist, you are following a recipe for poor to mediocre photography. My research indicates that photography runs between nine and fifteen percent of the total wedding budget. When couples value photography highly and are on a limited budget, they will spend up to 30% of their wedding budget on photography.
Most brides initially underestimate the cost of photography by 50% – in other words, you will probably spend at least twice as much as you budgeted, unless you have advice from a wedding coordinator who is familiar with prices in your area.

We want to spend no more than $1,500, but all the good photographers start at $2,000 and up. Why is it so expensive?
Because photography is not a commodity. Because some people can see the difference between poor photography and good photography, and they are willing to pay for it. Because to make a living at photography, the artist must gross an average of $3,000 to $6,000 per wedding. Because if the not-good-enough-yet photographers charged more than $1,500 he/she would never get a chance to practice at a real wedding. Because a professional photographer knows that his/her expenses and overhead, even with digital photography, even with the smallest package, are $1,500 to $2,000 per wedding.

We’re having a small wedding, with thirty people, and only wanted to spend $1,500 on pictures. What can we do?
The first thing to do if you want a professional photographer under these circumstances is to be flexible. A true wedding professional only can only work so many weekends a year, and reasonably expects one or two large weddings per weekend from May through October, or year round in tropical climates. If he/she reserves a prime Saturday or Sunday in October for you, then larger weddings will have to be turned away. If your budget is small, you will be choosing from the second and third tiers of wedding photographers. If you plan your wedding in the evening or especially early in the day, you might find a photographer who can fit you in after or before another event, and thus be able to work with your budget. Unfortunately, when you are limiting yourself to a smaller photo budget you can expect lower quality photographs.

Congratulations on your engagement! Now comes the hard part, actually planning the wedding. With so many things to consider, the details and costs involved with planning a wedding can be quite intimidating. Fortunately there is help out there for those who want it. There are many companies across the country and probably several in your own city that specialize in putting together wedding packages. With the right wedding package you can often find most, if not all, of your wedding needs met all at once. The perfect wedding package will save you time and money, relieving the stress involved in planning what is supposed to be the happiest day of your life.

Wedding packages are as diverse as the people who purchase them. With so many options available. How do you choose the right one? The best way to go about it is to have a plan before you even start looking at wedding packages. First of all, you need to know how many people you will invite to your wedding. Since wedding package prices are largely designed around the number of people in attendance this is information you must have before shopping around. Next, of those invited, how many will be invited to the reception? While it is traditional to invite everyone to both the ceremony and the reception, it is no longer a requirement. Partially due to the advent of wedding packages, it is now quite common to invite a large number of people to the ceremony and just a percentage of those to the reception. The reasoning behind this is cost related in most cases. If you can afford it and would rather stick with tradition you can certainly still invite everyone to the reception.

You’ll also want to be sure of the number of people in your wedding party before you start looking at different wedding packages. The reason for this is the same as above. Wedding packages can often include tuxedo and dress rental for the entire party, so you’ll certainly want to know exactly how many tuxedos and dresses are included in the wedding package you select.

Next, you’ll want to look at practical issues like geographical locations. If you’re getting married in your church and need only to select a reception hall, you probably want to make sure that the one you choose is not too far from the church. Driving a long distance to and from the reception after the wedding ceremony is no fun for anyone involved. Choose a wedding package that includes a choice of locations or a location near where you want to have the ceremony. If you don’t have a place for the ceremony already you may find a wedding package that includes a chapel and reception hall together.

Now you’re ready to start searching out your perfect wedding package. Your local telephone directory is a good place to start and the Internet is a wealth of information on this subject as well. With a little time and planning you can find a wonderful wedding package that will save you time, planning, and money later on.

We have a wedding coming up this Sunday at the Tankersley Gardens in Mt Pleasant, Tx. Kathleen and I have not been there before and we are really looking forward to it. We will post a few afterwards.

Weddingwire.com is a great place for brides to be to visit and gather information.