For all of those brides who came to the Standard Examiner’s Bridal Gathering at the Union Station on January 23rd, you were able to witness a live hair demonstration by Thomas Hardy and Masterpiece Images. Tom Hardy demonstrated and explained things to consider when choosing how to do your hair for your wedding. Ryan Hadley shared how those things relate to getting great pictures. You can see what was presented in the following videos of that demonstration:

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There are many different ways photographers will put together a wedding photography package. There are generally pros and cons to each type of package. You can use the chart below to assist you in analyzing the package type that fits what you are wanting.  For information about our packages and what is included, you can fill out a package request form.

Package Type	Description	Pros	Cons
Print Only	The photographer provides a print of every image of the wedding day	You have a print of every image from the wedding Printed photographs are better than digital files for preservation reasons Photographs printed by the photographer will be better quality	Prints are loose or come in a box and can easily be lost or damaged It will be up to you to organize the pictures in a photo album or scrapbook You have to purchase duplicate or larger prints from the photographer
CD only	The photographer provides a CD of the images from the wedding day	You have a file of every image taken You can print images out at your convenience Release of copyright is generally given from the photographer to you Digital files make it convenient to post pictures on blogs or other internet sites for friends and family to see	Since this type of package only comes with a CD, all printing and other costs are yours The photographer may only release the rights to certain size of prints or give other conditions CD’s and DVD’s can easily scratch or may degrade over time and you may lose your pictures
Al a Carte	You choose the parts that make up your package	You get to pick and choose what you want in your package You will have choices of different products and services such as albums, prints, cd’s, etc.	Prices for Al a Carte items are generally more expensive than if included in a package Al a Carte packages can be confusing which may lead to not getting what you want
Comprehensive	Packages are designed to include most things you need or want and are generally discounted over buying them separate	Packages will include varying amounts of coverage, prints, albums and possibly CD’s Several options of different packages may be offered by a photographer	Some photographers may not be willing to change something out of the package that you do not want Package may not fit exactly what you are looking for
Flexible Packaging	Packages are a cross between comprehensive and Al a Carte where there are prescribed packages, but you have choices in what goes in them	Packages will including varying amounts of coverage, prints, ablums and possibly CD’s You get to pick and choose what you want in your package You get the additional items you want at a package price	Most photographers do not offer flexible packages Can be confusing if the packages aren’t explained well enough about how they work

At Masterpiece Images, we have adopted packages that fit the flexible package description because we feel it is important for you to have choices and flexibility in what you are getting in your package.

There are many photographers who are willing to shoot your wedding ranging from those who are just getting started in photography or who do photography on the side, to those who do photography as their profession.  In each of these groups you may find photographers that lack some of the necessary skills and experience to get great pictures at your wedding.  Here are a few tips that will help you understand what to look for as you are shopping photographers.

Ask for multiple samples

Many photographers will show you their best pictures when meeting with them for the first time.  What you see, however, may not be a true reflection of their average work.  Asking to see more than one wedding will help you feel comfortable that your pictures are going to turn out like what you see.

Ask about their formal training

A photographer who has receive formal training in photography will generally take better pictures.  Most photographers have never received formatl photography training.  A good way to discover if they have received formal training is to ask if they belong to the professional photography associations, such as the PPA or IPPA which are the national and local professional photographers associations.  The formal training for protrait photographers is mostly obtained through these organizations.

Find out their experience at photographing weddings

Experience is key to getting great pictures.  In general, the more experience a photographer has at shooting weddings the better the pictures are going to turn out.  A good way to find out their experience is to ask how many weddings they do each year.  A full time wedding photographer will generally do between 50 and 70 wedding per year.

Discover how well you relate with the photographer

Most brides want to work with a fun and friendly photographer.  The demeanor of the photographer can have a big influence on your day and how happy people look in your pictures.  There are three questions you can ask yourself as you meet with the photographer that will help you determine how well the two of you might relate

1. How would you rate the overall experience of the consultation with the photographer?

   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10

   poor                                                           great

2. How well do you understand what you would be getting with the photographer?

   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10

   poor                                                           great

3. How well do you like the photographer?

   1     2     3     4     5     6     7     8     9     10
   poor                                                           great

These tips will help you identify photographers who you can trust as you are shopping around for photography.  If you rated the above questions with a 6 or higher, chances are you will have a good experience with the photographer.  If you gave a rating of 5 or lower on any of the questions above, you may experience problems using that photographer and it would be good to continue looking at other photographers.