Before the big day arrives, though, I thought I’d share some suggestions to help my future GWC’s (Guest-With-Camera) enjoy the shutter-happy project that will be your friend’s wedding…without getting a death stare from me.  OK, well, I don’t give death stares.  But you know what I mean: you know we (the photographers) are there and we know you’re there.  Let’s work together so everyone has the most fun possible!

So please, take just a moment to read through the following handful of requests.  You’ll find that I am in no way asking you to leave your camera at home. 

1.  Say Hello!  I like new friends.

Most of my brides & grooms will alert me before the wedding day about their photo enthusiast friends who will probably have their camera at the wedding.  This is usually followed by a promise of “don’t worry, they won’t get in the way!”

So first of all, I want to ensure you all that I don’t see every guest with a camera as someone who’s going to “get in the way.”  Digital cameras are awesome, and most of us have one (or two, or four…or six…let’s not go there!).  And who would we be if we left the house without that camera to attend a dear friend’s wedding?  Brides & grooms love all sorts of photos from their wedding (just peruse a recent bride’s Facebook page!), so please, go ahead and capture the snapshots I’m missing while I’m focusing my attention on the main event.

Honestly, though, if you intend to spend more of the wedding WITH your camera than WITHOUT, I’d just love for you to say “hi.”    I worry that if I run over and introduce myself out of the blue while you catch up with Aunt Betty, you’ll think I’m trying to intimidate you or scare you away.  I don’t bite, I’m really quite nice and I’d love to meet you!

2.  Be aware of the professional throughout the day…and respect their line of sight.

I am one person and only one person, that’s for sure.  Although I usually have an assistant or second shooter with me, the two of us won’t see everything you see- so shoot away.  I’m happy that the bride and groom will have images from the angles where you are viewing the wedding in addition to mine.

What’s the catch?  Location, location, location.  Be aware of where the professional photographers are working, because it changes frequently.  And sadly, yes, we’ll often be in the most optimal places to capture a great shot.  After all, the bride and groom have paid a considerable amount of money to ensure that the best shots ARE covered by a professional photographer.  With that in mind…please refrain from popping into the middle of the aisle right before the kiss.  Or at any time, for that matter.  And especially don’t lie in the middle of it.  If you are going to get out of your seat and shoot, please don’t stand at the very end of the aisle next to the officiant during the processional.  Or at the end of the pews in the church.  Or basically anywhere that could put you between the subject and my lens.  See that spot where you could get the perfect shot of the exchange of rings?  Chances are I’ve already scoped it out.

Is this all about me being greedy and wanting nobody else to get the best shot?  No, not at all!  It’s about that chunk of their budget that your family or friends have paid me to get the best shot.  They don’t get a refund if your head is in the way. 

Also, I should point out that you as guests have a great opportunity to capture shots that I won’t be able to get so easily: other guests having fun!  Take shots of your friends & family members truly enjoying the day while the bride & groom are busy.  The couple will LOVE to see the smiles their event brought to everyone’s faces.

3.  We’ve got a schedule, and we’re sticking to it.

Do you know what one of my favorite things to say to a bride & groom on their wedding day is?  “We’re right on schedule!!”

Running behind is stressful on any given day- on a wedding day it can add anxiety and worry to a celebration that has no place for such feelings.  My couples and I sit down prior to the wedding day to discuss the time we need and the schedule they want, and I intend to stick to it.  Staying on time (or even ahead!) gives my couples the peace of mind they need in order to enjoy their wedding to the fullest.  So where do you come in, you wonder…

Imagine the bride and groom all lined up with their family- it’s a huge family shot with Gramma, Grampa, aunt Edna, cousin Bobby- all these people all together!  It is such a wonderful opportunity.  After taking three minutes to round everyone up and line them up and get them all looking at the camera and smiling, the hired photographer snaps off a few rounds of shots and says “Thanks everyone!”    After this scene takes place, have you ever been the one to pipe up from behind and say “WAIT!  One more!!”?

It’s really tempting to hand your camera to someone and say “oh, get one for me!”  However, please realize that all of those “one more” requests add up.  Throw in a few of those after every shot and we’ve suddenly extended that set of family portraits by ten minutes or more.  Not to mention, the people involved in the portraits had to stand there longer than planned.  Odds are they aren’t even smiling anymore.  Would it be a better idea to stand right next to me and shoot at the same time?  NO.  No matter how loudly I scream “LOOK AT THIS CAMERA PLEASE, EVERYONE LOOK HERE!”…  There will still be those few people who can’t hear me or aren’t paying attention…and they’re now looking at YOUR camera.  Yikes, that’s worse than derailing the schedule.

What’s the solution?  Check out the sweet website I post for each couple about a month or so after their big day.  You can peruse all of the images from the day, and if you want you can even order a 5×7 or an 8×10 right from that gallery.

As one last note on this topic, please remember that I am hired by the bride & groom.  I am not there to shoot a professional family portrait for free, and their JPEG images are not licensed for them to share with you.  Please don’t ask me to take a shot of your kids with the intention of asking the bride to email you her digital negative for your holiday cards.  It is not only taking advantage of their investment but it is also against the terms of the print release that they received with their digital negatives.

4.  Keep the geek-speak on the down-low.

I’m a Canon camera kind of gal, and I bring bags full of other fun gadgets and gear with me to each event.  I LOVE to talk shop.  I’m a total camera nerd.

Do I love to talk shop AT a wedding I’m working?  No.  I know it is very tempting to take this chance to ask a professional why they chose Canon over Nikon, or what range their big honkin’ sniper-lens is, or how many megapixels their cameras have, etc etc etc.  Grab one of my business cards and we’ll have a great convo over email or a cup of coffee someday.  When I’m at work, my mind is on what I’m doing with my gear and not why I bought it.  I’ll be happy to swap wish lists and reviews at a later date.

5.  Throw me some props, yo- it’s a super nice thing to do!

After the big day, I know that we photographers are just itching to get up the next morning with a cup of coffee and hit the laptop.  Whether you’re a pro or an amateur or just an enthusiast, we all enjoy the excitement of seeing our images appear on screen.  What’s better?  SHARING!  What good would our images be if they won’t be there for everyone to enjoy?  Facebook, SmugMug, Picasa, and all sorts of other websites and software make it easy to upload images to the world wide inter-webs.

Am I about to ask you not to post your pics online?  Heck no.  That would be insane.  What I AM going to do is beg shamelessly for free promotion.    Odds are that within 24 hours of the wedding, I’ve got an album uploaded to the Red Gecko Studio fan page and have tagged the bride & groom.  Eventually, a blog post will follow.  I will love you forever (in that platonic, thanks-so-much-you-rock kinda way) if you can give me a shout out as the pro ‘tog at the wedding.  Link to my website, blog, or Facebook page for extra brownie points and interweb-hugs.

Well, folks, there you have it.    All of the thoughts you probably didn’t want to know that we professional photographers are thinking when we see you walk in with your camera around your neck.  I hope that at your next wedding, you’ll have tons of fun snapping photos and just as much (if not more) fun enjoying the dance floor and open bar (hey, you’ve got me beat there).  All while avoiding the death-stare of the hired photographer!

Starting your own photography business?  Stay tuned for my post just for you!

After a busy weekend, I am posting only a quick peek!  More tomorrow…

And to up the mommy love factor, I was joined by my own amazing mommy who is joining the Red Gecko Studio family for the year!

I hope that all of you had wonderful & warm Mother’s Days everywhere. 

In the midst of business tasks, preparation for this weekend’s upcoming green wedding, and the usual daily activities in the life of a married business owner, I found an intriguing challenge via Facebook last week.  A friend of mine posted an entry to a contest hosted by the Youngrens, a husband and wife team of amazing wedding photographers who travel the country documenting some pretty gorgeous events.  Jeff Youngren had stumbled across a captivating scene one day with only NINETEEN frames left on his memory card.  Gasp!  Instead of turning back for more memory, he decided to challenge himself to tell the story of that scene in the remaining 19 frames he had at his disposal.  I think his results were pretty fantastic.

As a classic over-shooter myself, I thought that Jeff’s challenge to the rest of us photographers was a good one.  The task: find an interesting location and tell its story in only nineteen frames.  Better yet, do it without looking at the back of the camera and WITHOUT DELETING A SINGLE IMAGE.  Wow!  For someone who can easily shoot 19 shots of a single pair of earrings at any given wedding, I knew this would be a great exercise for me.

Problem was, I couldn’t think of a location.  Actually, I found myself in the UW Arboretum just yesterday without my camera (darn those impromptu motorcycle rides).  So I sadly gave up on the idea of shooting this challenge.  That is, until my new associate shooter (I call her Mom, but you can call her Cammie) were on our way back from a photography seminar this evening.  We had met up to carpool in DeForest, Wisconsin, right off of the highway at a TA truck stop.  As we pulled into the parking lot after a long day of learning, we noticed the abandoned building that lives next to the TA.  Or, lived.  One day long ago.  As a novelty shop…  I said to Mom/Cammie, “Aaaw, that would have been a great spot to shoot for this challenge I was going to do…”  It took a second for the bright idea to set in.  “Let’s shoot it!”

Mom/Cammie agreed right away.  What a fun way to end a day of photography education!  I explained the challenge to her and we set out on the wet gravel to seek out our 19 frames.

Without further ado, my 19 frames.  Keep in mind that these were shot without looking at the images until after they were all finished, and without deleting any images in the process.  They’re pretty much in the order that I shot them in.  Enjoy!

So…  How’d I do?

Definitely visit the Youngren’s blog to vote for me (or for whomever’s response to this challenge you think deserves your vote)!  They’ll be posting the voting rules tomorrow, April 13th.

And with that…  WHO’S READY FOR WEDDING SEASON??  I sure am!

For details about hiring Red Gecko Studio as the photographer for your upcoming wedding, please use the Contact section of this blog! Red Gecko Studio proudly serves weddings and special events in Madison, Milwaukee, and southeastern Wisconsin. Travel to any other location in the world can always be arranged,so don’t hesitate to ask about your destination wedding! Thanks for visiting, and please take a moment to leave your thoughts as a comment!