Experience
Working with DaviD
The Perfect photographer?
THINGS TO CONSIDER...
When searching for the perfect wedding photographer, here are some very important things to consider. Your wedding Day is once in a lifetime. Hiring a professional photographer who possesses education, experience, quality equipment, and a personable nature is crucial for several reasons. Below, we outline the key benefits of choosing such a photographer, with detailed explanations and examples.
Besides the rings, the images we make are all we have..., forever.
1. Expertise and Training - Technical Skills: Professional photographers undergo extensive training, learning about composition, lighting, color theory, and post-processing techniques. This education allows them to capture images that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also technically sound.
Understanding of Equipment: A well-educated photographer knows how to use various types of cameras and lenses to achieve specific effects. For example, they might use a wide-angle lens for landscapes or a macro lens for close-up shots, ensuring the best quality for your needs.
2. Experience - Diverse Situations: Experienced photographers have likely encountered a variety of scenarios. Whether it’s dealing with challenging lighting conditions at an outdoor wedding or capturing candid moments during a corporate event, their experience ensures they can adapt quickly and effectively.
Problem-Solving: With experience comes the ability to troubleshoot. If something goes wrong — like unexpected weather changes during an outdoor shoot — an experienced photographer can pivot and still deliver quality results.
3. Quality Equipment - High-Quality Gear: Professional photographers invest in top-tier equipment that enhances image quality. This includes high-resolution cameras, quality lenses, and advanced lighting setups. For example, using a full-frame camera can result in better low-light performance, which is essential for evening events.
Post-Processing Software: Professionals also have access to advanced editing software and understand how to use it effectively, allowing them to enhance images after the shoot, correct colors, and remove imperfections.
4. Interpersonal Skills - Creating a Comfortable Atmosphere: A personable and fun-loving photographer can help you feel at ease during the shoot. This is especially important for events like weddings or family portraits, where genuine emotions are key. For instance, a photographer who engages with the subjects can capture more candid and authentic moments.
Building Trust: Trust is vital in a photographer-client relationship. When you consider your photographer a friend, it can lead to better communication and understanding of your vision, resulting in images that truly reflect your personality and style.
5. Custom Tailored Service - Understanding Client Needs: A professional photographer will take the time to understand your specific preferences, whether it’s style, theme, or specific moments you want captured. This tailored approach ensures that the final product aligns closely with your expectations.
Post-Shoot Support: An experienced photographer will guide you on how to use the images, whether for print, social media, or personal keepsakes. They can also offer advice on photo albums or wall art, enhancing the overall experience.
6. Investment in Your Memories - Long-Term Value: Quality photography is an investment in your memories. Choosing a professional ensures that your important moments are captured beautifully, allowing you to cherish them for years to come. For example, a well-shot wedding photo can become a cherished family heirloom.
Professional Reputation: A reputable photographer will have a portfolio showcasing their best work and client testimonials. This gives you confidence in their ability to deliver high-quality results.
Hiring a Videographer?
THINGS TO CONSIDER...
Are you looking for the perfect wedding videographer? Here are 12 tips in finding the best wedding videographer and getting the most out of your wedding film.
1. Hire a professional. Bride’s number one regret is not having a video. I know I wish my parents did and so do they. There is no other time than your wedding when you are surrounded by so many happy friends and family, and to hear what was said and see people interacting is priceless. Considering all the time, money and energy that goes into your day capturing professionally it is a fairly small investment that will pay off for generations.
2. Hire a local videographer. To hire someone who has shot at the location and worked with the local vendors already will make for a better film.
A professional, who is familiar with where the sun will set, what shot angles are best, when conditions and light are optimum are all big factors in having the best film possible.
3. Don’t just look at just their portfolio, look at their reviews on multiple sites. The top professionals have consistent delivery. This means that even on the days when things don’t go perfectly (timing, weather, lighting, and hundreds of other variables that could be problematic) they can still deliver a great film.
4. Know the style you like. There are so many ways to shoot a wedding but here are the three main ones:
Music video: It focuses on cinematic shots, and is a visually driven film with lots of time shifting through parts of the day with effects and music with lyrics. This style has little to no audio such as vows, speeches or any other voice over dialogue.
Candid/minimalist: The opposite of the music video: This style is like a professionally shot home movie– it focuses on candid moments with a more handheld style, and is more about moments of guests laughing, speeches, natural audio and interactions between people over visual flair. These films have a more organic natural feel with instrumental music driven by dialogue.
Cinematic Story Telling: I personally feel this style is the best of both worlds and this is how I shoot my films. It has the visual production quality of the music video but with the feel and emotion of the Candid style. In this style there are the stunning cinematic shots but also the emotional feel of the day with dialogue from the day.
5. You should pick a videographer because you love their films and style. After you hire them please don’t send them films shot by other videographers.
6. Make sure your videographer is a licensed drone pilot. Nothing captures the beautiful landscape of Maui like the drone. Legally you must be licensed to fly. Also some venues don’t allow drones.
7. Have personal elements. Personal vows are best, but if you don’t want to do personal vows during your ceremony, you could exchange vows during your first look, if doing one, or you could exchange cards to be read out loud. To have the personal dialogue helps us tell your personal story more.
8. Be aware of your videographer’s turn-around time for your film. Some brides wait a year for their film but industry standard is about six months. We have it in our contracts to delivered within 60 days. Also before hiring, be aware of how responsive your videographer is. You don’t want to have the nightmare of having to track down your videographer months or years after the wedding for your film.
9. Legally we have to use licensed music. Not every song is available to the public for licensing. There are licensing sites and tons of options and I think that using music most people haven’t heard makes your film more personalized.
10. Final edit options. There are so many options for final delivery; here are the main delivery options.
Trailer/Teaser, a video that is one to two minutes in some cases sixty seconds so that it will fit on Instagram (their current time limit is sixty seconds)
Highlight film, ranging from three to six minutes of the best moments of your day, this is great for weddings without much of a reception or with minimal speeches
Short Film, eight to ten minutes, I think this is the best balance: it still has the visual engagement of the shorter films but you still have time to include speeches and content to tell the story.
Feature Film twelve minutes and longer, this is great to get completely into your day and story. The feature paired with a trailer is a great option so you have both versions for those who want the full film and those who want to just see the best moments.
Raw footage: completely unedited footage. I recommend having this for archival purposes, it isn’t as watchable as the edit but is an inexpensive option for safe keeping.
Regarding the format for your film: 4K resolution is four times the resolution of HD and is currently the new video standard. This is usually an add on, but is a standard inclusion on all of our video packages.
4K is only viewable on 4K TVs and computers. USB flash drive or online is the standard delivery for your film now. USB drive is the most universal delivery format or even online via download link.
After receiving your films it is crucial you back them up. Hard drives fail over time so having your films backed up in a second place or in the cloud is highly recommended. Most videographers only hold on to the project for so long after deliver so do not rely on one copy.
11. Leave it the professionals. Many guests are aspiring photographers, iPad users, are usually a bit over eager to capture your ceremony, so have your minister make a request to the guests prior to the ceremony to leave the photos and videos to the hired professionals. You don’t want a pink iPad in view when you are coming down the aisle!
12. Timing. Videography has a lot more moving pieces than photography; from our tripods, to lights, to drone and other gear we rely heavily on the timeline to make sure we can cover what is happening but also be ready to cover what is going to happen next. And at times multiple things are happening at once, such as the bride getting into her dress, the groom getting dressed and the completed ceremony site is ready for filming. For coverage of all of these crucial moments, we rely on the detailed timeline that your coordinator put together.
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