Beach Weddings by Deb and Gary Felton Studio 8.3 Photography has teamed up to create St.Thomas and St. John wedding packages that are of a high end value and quality. These packages are for the discerning couple that understands and want to focus on good photography. It’s for couples that know how quality wedding pictures can capture the beauty and emotion of their day in a unique way.
Gary Felton’s Studio 18.3 wedding pictures are not only essential but are priceless in value of memories and are worthy of becoming a part of your family’s history. You will not find any wedding package with this quality of photography anywhere, in other words, we not only give good photos, our photos are more than just technically correct they are special.
Add this to the Beach Weddings by Deb’s special touch and you will have a day that will exceed you expectations.
So by joining together Beach Weddings by Deb and Gary Felton has created a world class wedding package of exceptional value. Not only will you have the opportunity to get a DVD with high resolution negatives but a8×12 Custom Graphi Album.
Graphi Studio Albums are a timeless storybook of your perfect day. These albums are hand crafted in Italy using Graphi’s patented continuous page binding system with every page opening flat and having a perfect panoramic view. The books come in many formats from 8 x12 but can be upgraded all the way up to 16x 20 and are truly works of art.
With service and quality like this why would anybody trust thier memories to anyone else?
How can guest be the reason you get fewer professional pictures from your wedding Photographer?
No, I’m not talking about Uncle George and his two fingers over Aunt Martha’s head.
Weddings and families members with cameras go hand in hand. After all, a wedding is a joyous occasion and who wouldn’t want to join in by taking pictures of the bridal couple and guest. It’s a fun and cost effective way to get extra pictures, or is it?
Planning a wedding is a wakeup call to any one getting married. The cost involved for all of the vendors that supply your wedding services are not cheap. You would not have Grandma in the kitchen with the caterer while they are getting your reception meal ready would you? So why do guest think it is ok to stop the work of a photographer to get their shot of the arranged pose or group shot. What many guests don’t realize is that your photographer in most cases is being paid by the hour. Every time a pose arranged by the photographer is held a minute or two longer to allow guest to take their shots is money out of your pocket. Every time a photographer has to wait for someone to put a camera down to be in a group shot is money out of your pocket. Even if money is no object the missed shots that could have been but didn’t because of lack of time should be everyone’s concern.
It’s true the more pictures the better but wouldn’t it be better to have as many professional pictures as possible? Most photographers in the wedding business will work with the guest and are very polite and stand back while guest take the shots. I have seen everything from guest asking to have their camera used by the photographer, to asking them to wait until someone comes back from the restroom so that they can take the picture also. I have seen guest follow a photographer around asking for photography advice and how to fix their camera.
A classic example below shows what can happen to a special moment when other cameras are being used when the photographer is shooting. The red lights on the bridal couple are from guest cameras focusing on the couple. The photographer’s camera picked up the infra red which is on all of the digital camera these days. Since most photographers use cameras that pick up every detail they will also pick up all flashes from the guest.
Notice the light on Groom from guest camera
What’s the solution? I suggest having a person assigned to work with the photographer. Someone not in the wedding party. Let’s call this person the photo liaison. The requirements of this person should be close to a drill sergeant and the duties would be as follows.
Follow the photographer until he/she is finished. At the very least, until the guest shots are completed and they have left for the reception.
Have list of names of guest for group shots to be taken with or without the wedding party.
Start gathering the group together so that the photographer can move from one shot to another without waiting.
Run interference or when a guest asks the group to wait. Be prepared to say sorry can’t wait. Need to get this done so we can celebrate (or something to that effect).
Be prepared to ask for cameras not to be used while low light shots are done.
Be prepared to step in when guest want their camera to be used.
Have access to water, tissue, lipstick, powder for the bridal couple.
Water for the photographer would be nice too
Anything to get the best results from your photographer and the best pictures for you.
Also it would be nice to remember the photo liaison with a special thanks of some kind.
Getting married is an exciting time in your life. It can also a very stress full time. More and more couples are choosing to have a destination wedding. Having one in the U.S. Virgin Islands means no passports are required. It also means your ceremony could be on any of the multiple beaches, tropical gardens or one of several denominational Churches located on the islands. A destination wedding can be as simple as bridal couple on a secluded beach or as elaborate as inviting 200 guest.
Regardless of the size of your wedding these steps can lead you through it.
1. Set a date for wedding.
2. Determine a budget.
3. Research destination location for ceremony (I am partial to St. Thomas, St. John in the Virgin Islands)
4. Research travel arrangements. Cruise or air reservations.
5. Determine the number of guest that will be attending.
6. Choose your wedding party,
7. Reserve wedding planner or coordinator and have consultations.
8. Your wedding planner will then with your approval arrange:
a. Hair and makeup appointments.
b. Reserve Flowers for ceremony and reception.
c. Wedding Cake.
d. Reserve wedding ceremony and reception locations.
e. Reserve music for ceremony and or reception.
f. Reserve caterer for reception.
g. Arrange toasting table after ceremony.
h. Arrange for chairs at ceremony.
i. Arrange for transportation to and from ceremony and reception for wedding party and or guest.
9. Reserve photographer if not included in package and have consultation.
10. Send out save the date cards.
11. Set up website for guest with destination, travel, hotel information.
12. Place wedding announcement in local press.
13. Arrange for wedding dress and or attire.
14. Coordinated wedding party attire.
15. Send out invitations.
16. Visit jeweler for wedding bans or wait and visit one of many in St. Thomas or St. John.
17. Finalize travel and or hotel arrangements;
18. Mail in marriage license and wedding applications to wedding planner to bring to court house.
19. Arrive to destination.
20. Pick up marriage license at courthouse in St. Thomas.
There are, of course, many more things than those listed above that you will need to put on your specific wedding planning checklist that are personal to your wedding, but the above will give you an idea of the things you need to include.
Remember, planning a wedding at home is challenging, planning one in a distant location can be over whelming. A wedding planner that you feel comfortable with will give you the ultimate reward of a happier and more stress-free wedding day.
21. Have a wonderfully planned and happy wedding Day.
They were the Possibly the happiest couple getting married this week.
He was from New York and She was from Ireland. They met on line.
The ceremony took place on St. John in the Virgin Islands.
60 guest attended, 30 from the U.S and 30 from Ireland. A tribute to the happy couple.
The Vows were written and rewritten over a period of months but the final results were completed one week prior to the ceremony. The Bride’s sister sung “The simple gifts” and was accompied by a Cello.
“Simple Gifts” was written by Elder Joseph while he was at the Shaker community in Alfred, Maine in 1848. These are the lyrics to his one-verse song:
‘Tis the gift to be simple, ’tis the gift to be free,
‘Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,
And when we find ourselves in the place just right,
‘Twill be in the valley of love and delight.
When true simplicity is gain’d,
To bow and to bend we will not be asham’d,
To turn, turn will be our delight,
Till by turning, turning we come round right.
The Groom’s brother read the following excerpt from THE VELVETEEN RABBIT~ By Margery Williams ~
“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. “Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”
“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse. “It’s a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but Really loves you, then you become Real.”
“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.
“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”
“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”
“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse. “You become. It takes a long time. That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get all loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”
A romantic wedding for a very personable and romantic couple
This is what they emailed upon arriving back to the U.S.
Dear Deb,
Alec and I just wanted to thank you for your part in making our wedding ceremony so special.
I wish I could rewind and be standing under that arch again, staring into Alecs’ eyes and hearing your calm voice. It was a fairy tale and we will never forget it.
We haven’t yet received the professional photographs but I wanted to share a couple that was sent to us by one of our guests. Once we receive the others we will be sure to pass them on.
In my last Blog I discussed How to choose a wedding photographer. Today I would like to discuss the questions that should be asked when you have narrowed down the list of potential photographers. Will the person you have been talking to, be the one taking the photos?
You are relating to a person who will be taking and recording a major day in your life. Make sure he/she is the one who will be taking the photos at your wedding. Some companies have multiple photographers. If you decide to commission just such a company, would you be able to view the photos of the person assigned to your wedding? Does the photographer who photographed the wedding also do the editing?
How would the guy or assistant in some lab know the color of Uncle Joe’s shirt or the true color of the bride’s flowers unless he was at the wedding too or that the photo of you and Grandma is really important. Do you have the equipment to take pictures in a church during the ceremony? Most churches will not allow flashes during the ceremony but there is professional grade equipment that can take pictures in very low light. Do you have a studio we could visit?
Has the photographer invested in a studio where clients can come and see his/ her work? Bottom line if they are serious about the profession and a full time experienced photographer they will have a studio or office. Like any business they will have proper professional facilities. What education, background or experience have you had?
Have they been qualified by an organization? Have they been honored by their peers, hold any awards, or certificates? Have they invested in advertising and industry standard annual membership reviews? Have they a degree in photography or Internship with a professional photographer? Are any of the above listed on their web site in addition to how long they have been in business?
Again with my two cents:
Now days any one can become a photographer, just have a decent point and shoot camera. When checking out their completed portfolios ask how the photographer captured certain pictures. Are the pictures displayed, ones that he took or some his assistants took? What type of imaging? If he uses raw imaging he has more control of color and content. Taking a picture in Raw is only the first step in producing a quality image ready for printing. If quality is of the utmost importance to a photographer then they should be shooting in Raw. That being said, I know many professional photographers who do not shoot in Raw for one of three reasons:
1.) They don’t know how.
2.) They don’t want to take the time to process the images afterwards.
3.) They don’t have the extra memory cards to hold the additional capacity of raw images.
Let me explain a bit here. If the photographer does shoot in Raw, the photographer’s computer rather than the camera will process the data and generate an image file from it. Guess which has more processing power: the digital camera or computer? If he uses the common jpeg he is allowing the camera to capture it and do the thinking.
Shooting in Raw will give the photographer much more control over how your images will look and the ability he has to correct images due to exposure or color balance that may have been committed when the photograph was taken.
This is my slant on the experience issue. This is where quantity over quality comes into play.
There are photography companies that believe if they bought state-of-the-art equipment such as a camera with as many fully-automated features as they can get, they can then hire less experienced and less costly photographers to do the photography at events. Then in turn they can supervise them from afar and photograph several differents events at the same time at reduced cost. The smart cameras would hopefully take care any the problems. In addition they do limited editing on images therefore they charge less to the customer.
Kind of like having Uncle Joe take the pictures only more expensive and you not left with the camera.
When cost is the major factor in looking for a photographer some customers don’t want to know the difference between excellent quality and fair quality. They don’t want to know that art cannot be created by a computer chip but needs a creative mind doing the work. They don’t realize until it’s too late what a sacrifice they made.
The adage “You get what you pay for” fits in here because the best work comes from people who have a vested interest and pride in their art and in their profession.
As a wedding planner here in St. Thomas and St. John I often get asked why I do not include photography in my services or packages.
Let me explain first that I like taking pictures and consider myself an amateur photographer.
But a little knowledge can be dangerous and with something as important as a wedding, I would not consider risking the wedding couple’s happiness to an amateur or part-time photographer.
Today let’s look at the difference between a photographer and a professional photographer.
With today’s economy it is very tempting to have Uncle George take the wedding photos. After all he has been taking pictures for years, he likes doing it, and his camera looks impressive.
First of all, ask yourself what would happen if Uncle George’s camera battery goes dead or the pictures were accidentally deleted.
What if (and this has happened) there was something on the lenses of his camera and every picture had a streak across the middle.
Would Uncle George and you still be able to talk to each other at family functions?
So, if I have your attention, I will give you my two cents. Wedding photography is an investment. It increases in sentimental value over time to become a treasured family heirloom. Fifty years from now you should be able to show your wedding pictures at your anniversary.
A true professional photographer will never run out of anything. They have back up equipment with back up files management which means your photo’s will never get lost or destroyed.
The pieces of equipment a professional has goes far beyond the camera’s and back up camera’s, it also includes an expensive array of lenses, lights, computers, printers, hand held flash meter, several different flashes and battery packs to name only a few.
A true professional photographer will be unobtrusive to the ceremony.
A true professional photographer spends hours behind the scene editing, making sure your photo’s are color-edited, retouched, and creating an album or online gallery.
Photography is a skill and an art. A professional doesn’t simply shoot a camera; he or she has to be able to capture the day. Your wedding is special and unique so should your album be. Let me first clarify – I believe creativity is innate in a person – and the best equipment can’t make an uncreative person a creative photographer.
Most wedding photographers in St. Thomas or St. John rely heavily on websites but when looking for a professional don’t assume that a website makes him or her a professional. Photographing a wedding imposes some of the greatest pressures a photographer will experience; that’s why skill is important. Photographing a wedding requires a special type of skill set, experience and a keen understanding of how to anticipate, in addition to great people skills and etiquette.
When checking out photographers website look to see if;
Do they include full albums or complete client online galleries on their website for you to look at or just the best shots of several?
Check their credentials for experience and education. Remember you get what you pay for.
Does the photographer belong to any professional association?
Are the group a shot choreographed, is everyone’s face showing or is anyone looking away or squinting into the sun?
How long has he or she been in business?
Will the photographer you talk to, be the one doing the photography on your wedding day?
Does the photographer do his or her own personalized editing or send them off to be done?
While these suggestions are a great place to start in looking for photographer only you can decide what is most important for your wedding day.
Just remember the photos will last long after the cake is gone.
In closing I could not have made my point as well as Judge Joe Brown , this video is hard to watch but a professional photographer would have had top of the line equipment that would allow him or her to shoot within the church, a rebel XT cost about $700.00 the Cannon series 1 that the Judge mentions cost $8000.00. So take a look and see why choosing a professional is so important
