Together friend and fellow photographer Ryan Phillips and I created WeddingPhotography411.com   to educate future brides and grooms about the most important part of any wedding day, their wedding photographs. As wedding photographers, nothing is more heart breaking than to hear a couples horror story about how they hated their wedding pictures or even worse, that not one picture turned out! This usually happens due to lack of knowledge of how to find and hire a great wedding photographer. We are here to help you understand everything there is to know about getting great wedding photography. If we can keep a bad or disappointing wedding photography experience from happening then this expression of our passion will be a success. The two founders of WeddingPhotography411.com Ryan and Robert each have more than 20 years of experience photographing weddings, portraits, fashion and commercial shoots.  Between the two of them they have photographed more than 1000 weddings and events since they first started their careers in professional photography.  Their goal is to share their experiences with you and help you and your photographer to capture amazing photographs on your wedding day.

Together with our team we have spent countless hours putting together the most comprehensive guide for new couples getting married to navigate their way through the ins and outs of wedding photography. We will cover everything from choosing the right photographer, dissecting their packages and creating the perfect timeline.  We will add tips from some of the most well known and respected event planners in the industry. Each week the site will be updated with new tips for getting the most out of your wedding photography.  We would love for you to check out WeddingPhotography411.com and let us know what you think.

Robert Evans

So here’s the deal. Ryan and Robert will be hosting a completely comprehensive wedding photography workshop on Wednesday, November 17th with slots open at 7PM and 10PM EST and will be tackling ALL of the questions and concerns that we get on a daily basis from brides-to-be. Here are some of the topics that they will cover…

• How to look your best in all your shots!
• How to determine your wedding photography budget.
• Discuss typical packages and show you what you should be getting for your money.
• What photographers are really showing you in their portfolio and whether your photographer has the experience to shoot at the level you want.
• The importance of having a photography time line and how to sync it with your wedding planner’s general time line.
• The importance of seeing your photographer before the wedding.
• How to avoid the headache of wrangling family for pictures.
• Details are what get your wedding published! We’ll show you how to get the most out of your detail shots – and yes, it means planning time to shoot them.

And all of this coming from two guys who have literally worked with the most famous people in the world to photograph the most famous weddings in the world (we’re talking Tom + Katie and Brad + Jennifer, people). This is a REALLY cool opportunity to educate yourself on how wedding photography should work and how to get the most out of your photography dollars. The workshop cost is $29.

Click here to get signed up! And make sure you start jotting down your questions as there will be a live Q & A after the lesson!

PurePhoto is a community for people who love great photography. You can learn, be inspired, connect with others, buy art prints and even sell you own. Check out PurePhoto for more info.

First and most importantly are the character and personality of the individual who you will hire, and invite as a guest to your wedding.  These characteristics may not be the first thing you think about when hiring a photographer, however, it will definitely be the most important factor in the decision-making process. The first thing you need to determine is whether or not you like the images that this particular photographer has to show you.  Be it on a web were you have viewed page after page trying to weed out  those photographers you don’t want to see, to figuring out the ones you do.

It is definitely important to be excited by the images the photographer shows. If you have made an appointment or decided to visit a photographer, chances are you already are interested in their work but this is not always the most important factor.  What is?  Personality.  Now that you are in this persons studio or space, the question you have to ask your inner self, do I like this person? Do I feel comfortable with this person?  Will my friends and family like him/her? Would I invite this person to my wedding as a guest?

Personality and character may not be the first thing you judge when interviewing a potential photographer but it is usually the one common thread that influences the final decision. You have to really like and trust the photographer who will be capturing your wedding images. You may find the Ansel Adams of wedding photographers, but if her or she bugged you in anyway and you are not totally honest with yourself, the only person who is going to suffer is you. The bottom line is, if you don’t like your photographer for any reason, your wedding images and your memories are going to be reflected upon as if looking into a tarnished mirror.

The second factor and almost as equally important as personality, is the photographers eye. The way he or she sees and captures the wedding day. This unique trait separates one photographer from the next. “The Photographer’s Fingerprint”

One photographer can try to copy another photographer’s style, but the fact is no two photographers see the same. When looking at different photographers work, take notice of how and what they see. Do the images move you? Are they emotional? Do they tell a story? Are they artistic and creative? Are they real, do the people look comfortable?  Finally, out of all the photographers you will meet with, whose images did you gravitate towards the most? Usually, the answer to these questions and the definitive question, who is the right photographer for me, is only an inner voice away, just listen and trust.

Finally, the last deciding factor is usually the cost. You spend hours if not days of your time interviewing photographer after photographer and now you have found the perfect photographer for you. His images are amazing and he/she is the greatest person however, your inner voice picked someone who is a little out of your budget. What do you do?

Ask yourself a few important questions. After the wedding is over, what am I going to have left?  Answer: Your pictures and your memories, everything else is going to be forgotten, only remembered through your photographs. According to a survey run buy the largest online wedding website, the number one regret couples had after their wedding day was over, was that they wished they would have hired a better wedding photographer.

Shopping for a wedding photographer is like buying a house; you get what you pay for. In both cases the purchase and decision to buy is based on emotion. Buying a little more than you can afford is always a wise investment that you won’t regret as long as you have put in the time to find the perfect one for you.

With that said, it doesn’t mean there are not ways to get the most for your dollar.  One way is to buy all albums and portraits, anything you might want up front as part of a package instead of buying a la cart afterwords.  Another way is make sure you understand what it will cost before and after the wedding. Sometimes a photographer’s packages appear to be less expensive at first glance, then after the wedding you get hit with add-ons you did not expect.  Then you end up spending more money than you would have with a photographer who appeared to have been more expensive.

Don’t make the mistake of weeding out photographers because you called or emailed and asked for prices and then crossed them off your list because they exceed a certain dollar amount that you determined photography should cost. If photography is a priority than do not settle for second best.

Finding a great photographer is much like discovering a great restaurant.  Let’s say you were to call around to ten different eateries and ask, “How much are your meals?”  If you never take the opportunity to meet the owner, taste the food or experience the ambiance and charm of the restaurant how can you make an educated decision?  All of these things make dining a great experience.  Calling on the telephone won’t give you the same experience.

Go taste the food.  Wouldn’t you feel better spending more in the end because you loved your photographer and your images were so great you wanted to put them all in your album,  than to get less than you imagined and end up spending more than you dreamed.

In summary what separates the good from the bad is in the eye of the beholder; art is subjective.  Make sure you feel great about the person you hire and see a distinction in the work.  In the end can you afford to be disappointed when the curtains close on your wedding day and the narrator says “ They Lived Happily Ever After”?

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans.com

Orange County Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans.com

San Diego Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans.com

Destination Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans.com

RobertEvans.com 818-509-9222

http://www.facebook.com/RobertEvansStudios

http://twitter.com/RobertEvans

My mission is to be the most trusted name in wedding photography by creating artful images that freeze time and provide memories that last far beyond the fleeting moment.

PRINCIPLES

I believe that photographing a wedding is a privilege and an honor which I cherish each time I am invited to participate.
I am entrusted to capture moments in time that will be shared with family and friends for many generations into the future.
I photograph each wedding as if it was my own.
I shoot to capture emotion in art so people are swept back to the exact feeling and moment the image was taken.

VALUES

Always do what is right.

Project confidence, but remain humble.
Have compassion for others.
Respond to each person’s individual needs.
Be the standard that all others strive to achieve.

FINGERPRINT

As a professional photographer for over twenty years, I have learned that with each passing year I grow as an artist and my body of work continues to improve each day. However, nothing great comes easily, quickly or without hard work and sweat equity. Paying your dues pays off because with experience comes knowledge, and combining what I have learned with my distinctive vision has helped mold me into a leader in my industry. With this success comes a certain responsibility, and I always strive to set an example among my peers by appreciating each day I pick up a camera, committing to continually grow as an artist, and vowing to never be complacent or arrogant. Finally, I have learned that making a mistake or failing is part of the process and that growing from the experience and moving forward makes me better as a person and an artist.

If the cake is not what you envisioned, you will soon forget and put it behind you. If your pictures are terrible however you will spend the rest of your life looking at your disappointing images reminded of your bad photographer. When planning a destination wedding you might want to consider bringing your favorite photographer to ensure your pictures are perfect. This way you control one of the most important vendors you will hire for your wedding.

Finding a great photographer is a lot easier today with the help of the web. Most photographers these days have a website and this is a great place to begin your search. The Internet is a great way to search for a photographer, whether you want to find a photographer close to home or across the world.  With most everything done on the web these days you just need to find the right person for you.

Bringing along a photographer means you will have to pay for that person or persons travel expenses, however the additional extra cost is usually minimal when you consider all the money you will be saving not having to feed the hundreds of guests who would have shown up if you were to marry closer to home. This reason alone is why most couples opt for a destination wedding in the first place.

If you do choose to bring the photographer of your dreams, here are some of the expenses you will be responsible to pay.

1. Airfare to and from your destination.
2. Hotel accommodations during their stay.
3. Airport transportation to and from on both ends or a rent a car.
4. A per diem each day, multiplied by the number of days per person. A per diem is generally used for food, but also covers expenses such as tipping, taxis, and other unexpected expenses while traveling.
5. Some photographers might even charge an additional fee for a weekend buyout. This would make up for lost revenue when the photographer is out of town and can’t make it home for a possible Sunday event.
6. Travel time is also sometimes charged. This is a fee charged for the time it takes

To get from location to the other, or lost billable time.

Of course travel fees will vary from photographer to photographer, and how far and where your wedding will take place. One thing you might ask your photographer for in return for you paying for his travel, that he doesn’t charge you to shoot your rehearsal dinner and maybe even Sunday brunch, especially if he or she charges you a weekend buy out fee. Having your photographer shoot rehearsal dinner is a great opportunity for him to get to know all the members of your families and get to meet your guests ahead of time. It makes a huge difference when everybody in familiar and comfortable with the photographer.

Lets say your wedding in going to be held on a Saturday, have your photographer arrive on Thursday in order to give them plenty of time to arrive scout your location, get settled, and possible adjusted to a new time zone. Then he or she can be ready to shoot the wedding rehearsal and rehearsal dinner on Friday night, then Saturdays wedding. The photographer can choose to fly home Sunday or leave on Monday giving them a brief rest and or mini vacation after a long weekend. Tip if your wedding will take place Monday through Thursday you might be able to negotiate a better rate since most wedding photographers busy days are Friday thru Sunday and a lot of destination weddings take place during the week.

You should pay for the first three nights and the fourth night is optional but a nice gesture of appreciation for a job well done. If your wedding happens to be out of the country or the photographer has to fly more than 8 hours to reach your wedding, you should pay for five nights minimum, giving them enough time to arrive and adjust to the new time zone fully rested and ready to impress you with their creative abilities.

Bringing along the photographer of your choice will be the best decision you will make when it comes to your wedding. It’s a decision you will cherish for the rest of your life. By hiring your favorite photographer you control who is photographing your wedding and the quality and style of their work, and most importantly you get to choose a person who you actually like and feel comfortable with.

Your images can be placed online so  you and your family and friends can view as well as purchase images. Your photographer can also put your albums designs online for approval making the whole process simple and painless.

Bringing a photographer might cost you a little more than you planned, but in a year I guarantee the extra money you spent won’t be missed.  However if in the end you hate your wedding pictures you will spend the rest of your life regretting  your decision and wishing you would have spent the money.

Serving Southern California and Beyond

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Orange County Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

San Diego Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Destination Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

RobertEvans.com      818-509-9222

The second key to a great photographic experience is getting your family and friends to the right location and on time, then getting the key players to stay around and not wander off while waiting for their turn in front of the lens. From a photographer’s perspective, if everyone showed up on time and stayed in the area where pictures are being taking without wondering off, family portraits would be much faster and a lot less frustrating, especially for the bride and groom.

Stay on Time

The best way to make this concept a reality is by communicating with your families ahead of time.  You must make the time and extra effort to let each person know where and when they need to be.  If you have people in your family or bridal party who are notorious for being late, it’s a good idea to hedge a bit about the time they need to arrive. Depending on how late they run behind, it would be a good idea to have them arrive at least one half hour before they really need to be there.

Place a phone call or write a personal note to each person or family member you would like to be included in your wedding portraits.  Let them know how special they are to you and how much it would mean if they would be in a picture with you.  Express to them how imperative it is that they arrive on time and not to wonder off, until they are excused. Communicate to them that being on time and staying around helps to make family pictures a pleasure and run more efficiently.  By taking the time to call or write each person, letting them know how important they are, people will make more of an effort to be on time, as opposed to telling them at the last minute, you need to be here for pictures tomorrow at three.  Everyone likes to feel special and most of the time people will go out of their way when they do. Use  the rehearsal dinner as a time to remind them once more.

Your wedding pictures are usually not a priority to anyone other than you and your parents; everyone else is there for a party. We all have friends and family members who are notoriously late, you can bet your wedding day will be no different.  A little time embellishment here really works wonders.

Getting great wedding images is not just the responsibility of your photographer.  There are several factors that determine the outcome of your images.  Clear communication between you and your photographer and family members and other vendors, is a great start.  Be on time; nothing hampers creativity more than lack of time.  When a bride runs late, the photographer can only work with the time he/she is given.

Most importantly, have the time of your life at your wedding.  Once your day arrives, let everything go and have fun.  Take in every moment and feel and express every emotion as it comes.  A great photographer can see and capture emotion, but even the best photographer can’t get you to fake it.

Smile….

Robert Evans

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Orange County Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

San Diego Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Destination Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

RobertEvans.com 818-509-9222 ]]> http://blog.robertevans.com/2010/01/19/one-white-dress-two-white-lies/feed/ 2 http://blog.robertevans.com/2009/12/31/wedding-pictures-st-regis-monarch-beach-a-local-destination-wedding-for-an-orange-county-bride-groom/ http://blog.robertevans.com/2009/12/31/wedding-pictures-st-regis-monarch-beach-a-local-destination-wedding-for-an-orange-county-bride-groom/#comments Thu, 31 Dec 2009 19:51:03 +0000 Robert http://blog.robertevans.com/?p=478 Sometimes a destination wedding doesn’t mean you have to take a trip far from home, maybe you just need to be in the right place to feel like you are far away. Take the St. Regis  Monarch Beach Resort along the Dana Point coastline, one of Orange County’s luxury resorts and wedding locations in Orange County.  The St. Regis is California’s only Mobil Five-Star resort and a AAA Five-Diamond retreat located in Orange County, CA.  This resort is the SoCal experience at its finest, the perfect home base for exploring all things OC…and one of the most beautiful places to have your very own home-away-from-home destination wedding.

Why not, with most of your family and college friends coming in from out of state anyway, does it matter to where they fly?  You can have your destination wedding right in your backyard that is easy for you to plan and less expensive for your local friends than a typical destination wedding.  Having saved the cost of airfaire, your local guests can get rooms for the weekend and relax and enjoy the irresistibly seductive resort hotel and spa that is the St. Regis Monarch Beach.

Last year a couple hired me not only as their wedding photographer, but as a historian for their entire weekend of activities which included a Margarita-themed welcome party, rehearsal dinner, golf day, wedding, and brunch.  As a local Orange County wedding photographer, the family came in to meet with me and we had the opportunity to make a connection prior to the wedding weekend.  This pre-wedding meeting and interview is usually not an option when you are hiring vendors from far away.  I have shot many a wedding where I was hired over the phone, with the couple viewing my images and making a decision to hire me from my website and speaking to me by phone, but it is always a pleasure to get to meet my couples face-to-face ahead of time.  One other nice perk to hiring a local photographer for your stay-at-home destination wedding is the chance to do an engagement session a few months prior to the wedding day.  The engagement session is a chance for the couple and me to familiarize ourselves with one another – just one less thing to do on the wedding day!

As you can see from the their wedding pictures it was an amazing weekend. Everyone had a great time and enjoyed themselves because everyone stayed at the St. Regis without having to worry about driving to the different events. Imagine going on vacation with 200 of your closest family and friends, what a blast it would be and it was apparent the whole weekend, everyone had such a great time. The wedding took place over  Memorial Day Weekend so the guests enjoyed three to four days of  Orange County beach weather and fresh air, nothing like 81 degrees with a light ocean breeze to make you take in a deep breath an exhale the stress away.

If  your an Orange County Resident or live in Southern California the St. Regis Hotel Monarch Beach is the perfect place for your local destination wedding. Why spend extra money on flying some place far away when you can head to Orange County, one hour from Los Angeles and San Diego while enjoying some of the best weather and scenery in the world. If you do live far away, you just may want to consider making the trip to the Dane Point Coastline and check out the St. Regis. If your getting married and looking for one of the best wedding photographers in Orange County, well I think you are in the right place.    I look forward to meeting you.

Two of my favorite Orange County wedding vendors who help to make my job and my images the best that they can be, Square Root Designs who does the most amazing flora designs you will ever see, make sure you watch your guests mouths drop as they enter your room. My next must is your event coordinator and designer Kathleen Whittle Cover from To Love and To Cherish who you will take the stress of the planning from you and make your wedding perfect from beginning to end.

RE

St. Regis – Monarch Beach

One Monarch Beach Resort
Dana Point, CA 92629

t. 949-234-3200
f. 949-234-3201

Los Angeles Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Orange County Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

San Diego Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

Destination Wedding Photographer-Robert Evans

RobertEvans.com 818-509-9222

There are many factors and lots of hard work that go into planning and pulling off the perfect wedding. Your wedding day isn’t a complete success until everyone has returned home safely and is reminiscing about what a great time they had, all the while raving about how beautiful the wedding was.

After photographing more than 800 weddings over the past 20 years I have created a set of goals for my weddings. There are many people who come together to make the wedding a success. I have always felt a responsibility to do my part to make sure all my couples have beautiful wedding images.

I know that writing down your goals is fifty percent of accomplishing them, so one day I thought I would write down exactly what I expect out of the wedding day as the photographer and all the things that will make my/your wedding day a complete photographic success. I am always honing my list, molding it to hopefully cover all aspects

Below are the goals I have created for myself to make sure all the couples whose weddings I photograph are a complete success. I thought I would share my goals so my current and future clients can share the same goals, thus doubling the energy and focus for creating the most amazing wedding day and images for all of my couples.

1. All guests, family members, and vendors arrive and depart safely to and from the wedding without incident. No accidents, tickets, transportation breakdowns, or traffic delays. Everyone arrives safely and on time.

2. Bride & Groom, bridal party, and family arrive on time for photographs, three hours before. A relaxing stress free day for the bride & groom.

3. Great weather, beautiful light, great locations, and ideal conditions for creating and capturing beautiful images.

4. No camera or equipment failure, no card errors, corrupt files, or lost media. No human errors or lab mistakes. No lost or stolen equipment or media- all vendors.

5. No interference or distractions from other photographers – No Uncle Harrys. I am the only photographer.

6. Perfect exposures, densities, white balance for all images taken. Sharp beautifully lit images.

7. Always maintain a high life condition, great health and happiness for myself, all vendors, guests, family, and friends. Many in body, one in mind for a successful event. Unity for all.

8. Incredible inspiration, motivation, and energy while maintaining a positive attitude for myself and my assistants. Set an example while demonstrating instinctive brilliance, standing out in the crowd not only as a great photographer but a great human being as well.

9. Fresh new creative ideas for each wedding. I am in rhythm with the universe, I have an incredible sense of vision and creativity on the wedding day. I will be in the right place at the right time to capture the most amazing, emotional, touching, creative, powerful, one-of-a-kind images, never missing a single moment or event throughout the day. I have eyes in the back of my head.

10. When people see my images it moves their hearts and touches their lives in a positive way. People will gasp at the beauty of their images.

1. This will be the best wedding I have ever photographed. These wedding images will be better than any other wedding images I have ever taken. People will notice.

12. The wedding day will unfold with beauty and without incident. Everything will run smooth and on time. The adjective used over and over at the end of the day will be; Flawless!

13. A wealth of referrals from a job well done, from this event and all events in the future.

14. Health and happiness for the Bride & Groom, their families and friends, in this lifetime and in the countless generations to come.

Every couple’s wedding deserves to be perfect, even if we can’t photograph your wedding please use these goals to help you make your wedding as smooth and flawless as possible. Write them down and read them everyday leading up to your wedding. Meditate, pray, or whatever it is that you do, just do it!  By taking responsibility for what happens on your wedding day you will create a far more positive result than just leaving it to chance.

Oddly enough taking responsibility for everything in life and writing down our goals propels us forward much quicker than blaming others for our situation.