Wedding Photography: Don't Skimp!

I was reading an article on CNN this morning about a couple in New York (where the average total wedding cost is apparently almost $50,000), and there was a quote I found particularly interesting...

"Spend less money and attention on things that aren't very important to you.

Michelle and Jason knew exactly where they would loosen the purse strings: photography. 'That was one area we didn't want to scrimp on,' says Michelle."

This has always been my philosophy. With the current price of gas and rising prices everywhere, it's no wonder people want to save a couple of bucks. But I don't think having your friend who happens to have a camera do your wedding photography is the best way to do it.

One thing that won't bring you back to the essence of your wedding day in 20 years is whether you went with starfish or sea shell centerpieces. Simple elegance is a great way to save money, but skipping wedding photography is a mistake for a number of reasons. Nothing is going to capture the essence and memory of your day like powerful wedding photos of you, your wedding party, your venue and your guests. You need an experienced wedding photographer to capture those moments.

Here's a link to the article in full, it has some interesting ideas about how to save money on your wedding and some other wedding price statistics.

http://www.cnn.com/2008/LIVING/personal/06/20/wedding.budget/index.html

5 Wedding Photography Tips

Here are some general tips that you can do to make sure you can get the most out of hiring a wedding photographer:

1. Schedule plenty of time. Shorter bookings may seem like a good way to save money, however, when only enough time for the ceremony and part of the reception is booked, it's nearly impossible to squeeze in time for those really memorable artistic shots.

2. Know who you want photos of. Provide your wedding photographer with a list of the important people at your ceremony, especially if it is a very large event. This way group shots are much less chaotic, and the people most important to your wedding day are captured.

3. Schedule the right time of day. Critical for outdoor weddings. The right lighting is essential to being able to capture strong photos. Mid-day (usually about 11am - 3pm) lighting is not particularly good for wedding photography. The best times are earlier in the morning from sunrise until about 10 or 11 am or in the afternoon after 3pm.

4. Trust your photographer. Your photographer might ask you on occasion to pose in some way that might seem odd or unnatural, however, many times these poses look very natural in photos and help you to look your best.

5. Give the family photographers a heads-up. While it's nice to have family that cares about taking as many photos as they can at your wedding, it's too often that they start stepping on your hired photographer's toes. I try to give them as much space as I can, but there have been many times where a family member has stumbled in and ruined what might have been a fantastic shot. Remember, this costs you more value than it does your photographer! Give the photographers in your family a friendly heads-up before your event to avoid any potential issues.

If you follow these five guidelines for your wedding photography, it will greatly increase the overall quality of all of your wedding photography in Sanibel, Naples, and Fort Myers.

Gawker Media Event Photography

Last week Michael Grosser Photography was hired for event photography for Gawker Media Group (Gawker.com). Gawker is a Manhattan based media group that runs 15 media blogs, including Gizmodo - a technology blog and Defamer - a celebrity gossip blog. It was quite a surprise last week Monday when I got a call stating "Hi this is Gawker Media and we need a photographer tonight." Luckily the last minute calle came on a Monday night, so no one was getting married. I dropped what I was doing for the chance to work with a name like Gawker. They had me doing event photography at an I-Media Advertising Summitt at Coconut Point in Bonita Springs.

Long story short, it was a long night, but I had tons of fun and met a lot of interesting people. To see the photos they used from the event, check out this link:
http://assets.gawker.com/assets/imedia/feb08/.

Do you need to book a wedding photographer in Naples, Fort Myers, Sanibel, or Captiva last minute? If so, let me know! I still have some dates open in the next couple of months!

Sanibel & Captiva Island Wedding Photography

Having your wedding on an island like Sanibel or Captiva can be something out of the pages of a fairy tale.

However, to capture the magic of the day, you need to have the right beach wedding photographer. There's a lot more to beach shoots than just showing up and taking the photos, although with the fantastic scenery in the Sanibel and Captiva area, you could almost get away with it!

To capture the essence of your dream beach wedding, I try to create a dreamy feel to your photos during post processing to help capture the euphoria of the day as your Sanibel Wedding Photographer or Captiva Wedding Photographer. For more information or to find out if I'm available for your date, please contact me!

Busy Wedding Photography Season... Book Soon!

It's getting to be a busy wedding photography season in Sanibel, Naples, and Fort Myers. Do you have your date booked yet? Dates are filling up fast with almost every wedding photographer in the area! I have some choice dates left for wedding photography, but make sure to book soon if your wedding is in the next six months. You don't want to have to settle for the last-choice wedding photographer because you waited too long!

Welcome to my Blog!

This is a new section of my website where I will be posting tips and info regarding Naples Wedding Photography, Sanibel Wedding Photography, Captiva Wedding Photography, and Fort Myers Wedding Photography. Here you'll be able to get my opinions on the local area and ideas I have and also provide me some feedback of what you think of my ideas or even some constructive criticism of what I can improve. I look forward to hearing from anybody and everybody!