Q) I have heard about different types of wedding photography, one was called photojournalism. What is photojournalism and what type of photography do you offer?
A) This is one of the more popular questions that we are asked. First, let me address what are the different types of photography offered for weddings.
There are two main types, portrait (or traditional), and photojournalistic. The look for each of these is very different.
Portrait is the more posed look, usually shot in a studio, or a specific location. This is the type of look that has been popular since the first photograph was taken at a wedding.
Photojournalistic is the newest trend, made popular by the big weddings that employ a number of photographers that will follow the bride and groom from early in the day till late at night, capturing thousands of images. Pictures are done through the entire day by photographers that are in the shadows capturing the day. In true photojournalistic coverage the pictures are never posed, they are captured as they happen. This is what we see a lot of from the movie star weddings, they are shot at an exotic location with millions spent to make everything look perfect.
So which is the best? Well I have heard from people that like each type of photography, with each having benefits. Photojournalistic was very popular in the early 2000's but has dropped in popularity in the last couple of years, mainly due to the fact that most weddings captured this way do not get the great wall portraits that people want, so many people have gone back to a portrait look. At Paterson Photography we use a mix of each style, this gets you the best of each world. We capture the traditional portraits, as well as cutting edge prompted reality portraits that everyone loves, and action portraits of the day. We truly believe that each wedding is special and that is what we work at capturing.
Q) If I purchase one of your wedding packages are there any other charges that I will be billed for?
A) No, what you see in the price list is what you get. To help you feel more secure when you book your wedding with us you will get a sheet outlining exactly what your wedding package contains. Beware of other photographers if the prices are hard to understand, or if they do not offer complete packages. We believe strongly in fair, easy to understand pricing. That is why you will find ALL our prices on the web site as well as in our handouts - we hide nothing! Be very scared if a photographer insists on a face to face meeting before they give you the prices, they have taken the sales courses and know how to pressure you!
Q) Why shouldn't I get a friend or a non professional to take pictures at my wedding?
A) A lot of people think of this and although it looks like a great way to save money it isn't! I have several thousand dollars worth of equipment to use at your wedding, back-up equipment, a professional studio for bad weather and many, many years of training. If your photographer doesn't have this, you are risking your most special day. Spread over the years of your marriage, the price of your pictures done by a professional will be the best investment you could make! I have heard from so many people, that if they could change one thing about their wedding they would have spent more on portraits and less on the meal, limo, etc. Remember after your wedding all you will have are your memories and the portraits, your memories will fade over time - professional portraits are timeless and will last! If your photographer is not experienced in taking wedding images, find someone else. Don't allow your photographer to train on your wedding!!
Q) How much experience do you have?
A) I started taking portraits over 23 years ago. Since that time I have worked in many areas of the photography industry, from taking portraits, printing, teaching and much more. Unlike many photographers I do weddings because I like to, not because I have to. At Paterson Photography you are hiring an artist, not just a name. The work that you see is the work that is done by Mike Paterson, not an assistant or an extra. Some photographers in southern Alberta do weddings because they see them as a fast way to make a dollar, no experience, no studio, no training, no equipment and sometimes not even any work to show of their own. Be careful when booking a photographer, make sure you are seeing work that they have done (not only in person, but on the web as well) and not something left over from a previous owner, or samples made outside of an actual wedding. It is one thing to take hours to make one good image with a model or in a school, but something very different when the photographer is working during the wedding day and having to work under time pressure and keep things flowing smoothly.
Q) Do you offer video services?
A) No, I offer photography services only. I have been asked many times to enter this field but I feel it is better to specialize in one thing and to do a great job on that.
Q) What are the differences between all the people that are taking wedding pictures?
A) There are a number of differences, the main one is the commitment and dedication that each one brings to the craft. I have had a number of calls over the past year from people that have booked a person without a studio to do an assignment, only to find out that they disappeared, or no longer want to be a photographer. One of the first things that I did as a business was to open a store front studio. I wanted to show my customers that I was serious about being a photographer and at the same time to allow my customers the option of using a studio in poor weather. The next thing that I made sure of was that I had enough equipment, and the right equipment, for the jobs that I would be asked to do. Many of the people that are doing photography from their homes do not have any commitment, nor do they have the equipment to do a good job, some shut down as soon as they have to buy more equipment or replace equipment. The next thing that separates the different people is the education and training, this makes a huge difference. You are not buying a piece of paper, you are hiring someone to record your memories for you, the way they see it. The photographer needs to make sure that the lighting is correct, posing and cropping are correct and that when everything is done they are delivering to you a work of art - NOT just a piece of paper. This is one of the biggest areas lacking in many of today's photographers!! Anyone can take a picture, it takes someone with desire and training to make the picture something that you fall in love with.
Q) How many weddings do you do a day / year?
A) I only schedule one wedding a day. I know that some photographers work on an assembly line principle and will do as many as they can fit into a day, but I will not. I approach each wedding with a set of ideas for that wedding. From the talks that I have had with the wedding couple, ideas that they have given me and locations that they request I work up a series of portrait ideas for that couple. Then on the wedding day I refuse to rush the couple for portraits. I will take the time to get the best portraits that I can and not put anyone in a box for time. Our studio averages over 200 wedding inquiries a year, I could shoot a lot more weddings if I wanted, but I prefer to get great images from the weddings that I do.
For how many a year that I shoot that depends on how they fall through the year. I try not to do more than an average of two Saturdays a month over the year. Again, if I am not fresh it shows on the images. I have seen this many times when a photographer gets burned out doing wedding after wedding, all the prints start to look the same. This is another area that sets us apart from other photographers, your wedding is important and we treat it as such, not a job. Your wedding day is a time to make memories that you will cherish for years.
Q) Do you travel around Canada and the US?
A) Yes, we travel doing weddings, commercial work and teaching. Over the past several years we have reduced our air travel as it is getting harder to transport our gear, and insure that it gets to the location on time. We love doing weddings in Waterton, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Banff, Jasper and a lot of other locations in between.
Q) Do you offer the new coffee table or magazine style albums?
A) Yes we do.
Q) What are booking fees, why do you charge them?
A) Booking fees are the amounts that are paid to book your date for you. We charge these as one third of the total package price when you book us, one third one month before the wedding and one third one month after the wedding. Why do we charge this fee? For a couple of reasons; First it is a way that you can pay the total amount of your wedding in installments. Second it gives you the security to know the date is yours. Some photographers do not do this as it allows them to "shop" around for the customer that will spend the most money. You will not know if you are booked till the day of the wedding and the photographer doesn't show up. This is a lot of gambling on the chance that you may get a photographer. Some photographers charge a booking fee but they say they are refundable. What this does is it allows them once again to cancel. If the deposit is refundable because the client cancels then it also means that it is refundable because the photographer wants to cancel. Over the past year we have been contacted many times because photographers have cancelled. Our booking fees are not refundable, once you book you can rest easy that we will be at your wedding.
A) This is one of the more popular questions that we are asked. First, let me address what are the different types of photography offered for weddings.
There are two main types, portrait (or traditional), and photojournalistic. The look for each of these is very different.
Portrait is the more posed look, usually shot in a studio, or a specific location. This is the type of look that has been popular since the first photograph was taken at a wedding.
Photojournalistic is the newest trend, made popular by the big weddings that employ a number of photographers that will follow the bride and groom from early in the day till late at night, capturing thousands of images. Pictures are done through the entire day by photographers that are in the shadows capturing the day. In true photojournalistic coverage the pictures are never posed, they are captured as they happen. This is what we see a lot of from the movie star weddings, they are shot at an exotic location with millions spent to make everything look perfect.
So which is the best? Well I have heard from people that like each type of photography, with each having benefits. Photojournalistic was very popular in the early 2000's but has dropped in popularity in the last couple of years, mainly due to the fact that most weddings captured this way do not get the great wall portraits that people want, so many people have gone back to a portrait look. At Paterson Photography we use a mix of each style, this gets you the best of each world. We capture the traditional portraits, as well as cutting edge prompted reality portraits that everyone loves, and action portraits of the day. We truly believe that each wedding is special and that is what we work at capturing.
Q) If I purchase one of your wedding packages are there any other charges that I will be billed for?
A) No, what you see in the price list is what you get. To help you feel more secure when you book your wedding with us you will get a sheet outlining exactly what your wedding package contains. Beware of other photographers if the prices are hard to understand, or if they do not offer complete packages. We believe strongly in fair, easy to understand pricing. That is why you will find ALL our prices on the web site as well as in our handouts - we hide nothing! Be very scared if a photographer insists on a face to face meeting before they give you the prices, they have taken the sales courses and know how to pressure you!
Q) Why shouldn't I get a friend or a non professional to take pictures at my wedding?
A) A lot of people think of this and although it looks like a great way to save money it isn't! I have several thousand dollars worth of equipment to use at your wedding, back-up equipment, a professional studio for bad weather and many, many years of training. If your photographer doesn't have this, you are risking your most special day. Spread over the years of your marriage, the price of your pictures done by a professional will be the best investment you could make! I have heard from so many people, that if they could change one thing about their wedding they would have spent more on portraits and less on the meal, limo, etc. Remember after your wedding all you will have are your memories and the portraits, your memories will fade over time - professional portraits are timeless and will last! If your photographer is not experienced in taking wedding images, find someone else. Don't allow your photographer to train on your wedding!!
Q) How much experience do you have?
A) I started taking portraits over 23 years ago. Since that time I have worked in many areas of the photography industry, from taking portraits, printing, teaching and much more. Unlike many photographers I do weddings because I like to, not because I have to. At Paterson Photography you are hiring an artist, not just a name. The work that you see is the work that is done by Mike Paterson, not an assistant or an extra. Some photographers in southern Alberta do weddings because they see them as a fast way to make a dollar, no experience, no studio, no training, no equipment and sometimes not even any work to show of their own. Be careful when booking a photographer, make sure you are seeing work that they have done (not only in person, but on the web as well) and not something left over from a previous owner, or samples made outside of an actual wedding. It is one thing to take hours to make one good image with a model or in a school, but something very different when the photographer is working during the wedding day and having to work under time pressure and keep things flowing smoothly.
Q) Do you offer video services?
A) No, I offer photography services only. I have been asked many times to enter this field but I feel it is better to specialize in one thing and to do a great job on that.
Q) What are the differences between all the people that are taking wedding pictures?
A) There are a number of differences, the main one is the commitment and dedication that each one brings to the craft. I have had a number of calls over the past year from people that have booked a person without a studio to do an assignment, only to find out that they disappeared, or no longer want to be a photographer. One of the first things that I did as a business was to open a store front studio. I wanted to show my customers that I was serious about being a photographer and at the same time to allow my customers the option of using a studio in poor weather. The next thing that I made sure of was that I had enough equipment, and the right equipment, for the jobs that I would be asked to do. Many of the people that are doing photography from their homes do not have any commitment, nor do they have the equipment to do a good job, some shut down as soon as they have to buy more equipment or replace equipment. The next thing that separates the different people is the education and training, this makes a huge difference. You are not buying a piece of paper, you are hiring someone to record your memories for you, the way they see it. The photographer needs to make sure that the lighting is correct, posing and cropping are correct and that when everything is done they are delivering to you a work of art - NOT just a piece of paper. This is one of the biggest areas lacking in many of today's photographers!! Anyone can take a picture, it takes someone with desire and training to make the picture something that you fall in love with.
Q) How many weddings do you do a day / year?
A) I only schedule one wedding a day. I know that some photographers work on an assembly line principle and will do as many as they can fit into a day, but I will not. I approach each wedding with a set of ideas for that wedding. From the talks that I have had with the wedding couple, ideas that they have given me and locations that they request I work up a series of portrait ideas for that couple. Then on the wedding day I refuse to rush the couple for portraits. I will take the time to get the best portraits that I can and not put anyone in a box for time. Our studio averages over 200 wedding inquiries a year, I could shoot a lot more weddings if I wanted, but I prefer to get great images from the weddings that I do.
For how many a year that I shoot that depends on how they fall through the year. I try not to do more than an average of two Saturdays a month over the year. Again, if I am not fresh it shows on the images. I have seen this many times when a photographer gets burned out doing wedding after wedding, all the prints start to look the same. This is another area that sets us apart from other photographers, your wedding is important and we treat it as such, not a job. Your wedding day is a time to make memories that you will cherish for years.
Q) Do you travel around Canada and the US?
A) Yes, we travel doing weddings, commercial work and teaching. Over the past several years we have reduced our air travel as it is getting harder to transport our gear, and insure that it gets to the location on time. We love doing weddings in Waterton, Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Banff, Jasper and a lot of other locations in between.
Q) Do you offer the new coffee table or magazine style albums?
A) Yes we do.
Q) What are booking fees, why do you charge them?
A) Booking fees are the amounts that are paid to book your date for you. We charge these as one third of the total package price when you book us, one third one month before the wedding and one third one month after the wedding. Why do we charge this fee? For a couple of reasons; First it is a way that you can pay the total amount of your wedding in installments. Second it gives you the security to know the date is yours. Some photographers do not do this as it allows them to "shop" around for the customer that will spend the most money. You will not know if you are booked till the day of the wedding and the photographer doesn't show up. This is a lot of gambling on the chance that you may get a photographer. Some photographers charge a booking fee but they say they are refundable. What this does is it allows them once again to cancel. If the deposit is refundable because the client cancels then it also means that it is refundable because the photographer wants to cancel. Over the past year we have been contacted many times because photographers have cancelled. Our booking fees are not refundable, once you book you can rest easy that we will be at your wedding.
Questions
Q) What about hours of coverage?A) For years the number one request from prospective bride's was that they would like great pictures. As more and more photographers entered into the field this got changed to "How many hours coverage do you offer"? The reason that this changed is that sub standard photographers decided that they would offer a ton of hours and thousands of images to compete with the photographers that were offering great portraits. This has filtered down to other photographers over the years and now we get asked a lot "How many hours of coverage do you offer"? We do not offer a breakdown of hours, for many reasons. A couple of reasons are: 1) You are an individual, we do not shoot more than one wedding a day, no matter what package you choose. We REFUSE to rush you!! If you show up a few minutes late I will not rush you or worse yet dump you on an assistant so I can go do the next shoot. If I only booked you for an hour or two then our great service would not be possible. Also, a lot of photographers will try and push you into a full day coverage using the number of pictures as the selling point - they forget to tell you that most will be sub standard. 2) I will not offer a huge amount of hours and thousands of poor images when I know that you want quality over quantity. I would rather shoot your ceremony and formals and deliver GREAT portraits, then to do the machine gun approach for the entire day. 3) For many years I have asked couples after their wedding about the pictures that they like, these couples were ones that I did the wedding and ones that used other photographers. Almost 100% have mentioned that they love the ceremony and formal coverage but find that reception coverage and pictures of getting ready were not worth it - how many pictures of people getting drunk do you really want is the top response I received. The second response was that the getting ready pictures caused a lot of extra stress. The exception to this is people that have had larger weddings with the reception at a special location such as at a resort, on a beach, etc. For a lot of our clients we do a staged cake cutting before the reception as this is the only picture that they really wanted from the reception.
1263c 2 ave south lethbridge alberta canada
403 - 327 - 1114
Q) What about retouching of our portraits?
A) In the past retouching was an option that could cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars to have all your portraits professionally retouched and the addition of special enhancements. Today, at Paterson Photography, we include minor retouching (glass glare, spots on clothes, hair out of place, acne, and more) with all the portraits you order, at no additional charge!! No separate level of portrait prices to find out about later.
Plus, we offer portrait enhancements such as spot coloring, water color prints and lots more special enhancements, all included in the price of the portrait. Why pay for an option when Paterson Photography includes it with all our work?
A) In the past retouching was an option that could cost hundreds, even thousands of dollars to have all your portraits professionally retouched and the addition of special enhancements. Today, at Paterson Photography, we include minor retouching (glass glare, spots on clothes, hair out of place, acne, and more) with all the portraits you order, at no additional charge!! No separate level of portrait prices to find out about later.
Plus, we offer portrait enhancements such as spot coloring, water color prints and lots more special enhancements, all included in the price of the portrait. Why pay for an option when Paterson Photography includes it with all our work?