Finding the Right Wedding Photographer

Marriage.  That moment in time when it is absolutely critical that a woman asks the right – although tough – questions to ensure the success of her relationship with that oh-so-important person… her wedding photographer.

Yeah, there is a groom but those are a bunch of different questions.

Choosing the right photographer for your wedding day makes everything go much smoother. It can mean the difference between a warm, gushy feeling as she looks on those pictures or a cringe of regret for years to come.

It is our philosophy that wedding photographers should create beautiful portraits with minimum distraction on your wedding day. Guests and others in the wedding will not even notice our presence. We believe in photographing a wedding in a manner and style that captures the events of the day. We want to show people in a relaxed and happy environment.

The first question you should ask yourself when choosing a photographer is, professional photographer or amateur?  We’ll come back to that one, it’s one that a lot of couple start with but isn’t a good starting point.

Best start with who you are and what you want.  Do you want a photographer to be posing you throughout the day or one that can get great candids?  Remember, you’ll be busy on your big day.  If your photographer is counting on you to remind him or her that there needs to be a shot with Great Uncle George and another with all of your female cousins, you had best have a lot of energy, organization, or an easy going spirit if some of the shots are missed.

What photographic style do you like?  Take the time to see samples.  Do faces look happy or is there a theme of impatience, which indicates people felt they were away from the fun too long and frustrated with the photographer?  You’ll also get fresh ideas for your photos.  Is the photographer willing to do something other than the cookie-cutter poses?

That said, some traditional poses are really worth having… the walk down the aisle, the first kiss… does the photographer do these well?

What do you get for your money?  Do you get the photographer you’ve interviewed and decided is a good person or is there going to be a surprise?  You’ll be spending at least as much time with that person as your wedding party so don’t pick someone you can’t stand.  Will you be able to get digital images or must you and family members buy reprints from the photographer?  What is the cost and quality of those?

Now, back to the first question… you can’t take your own photographs so you have to find someone you trust.  If you’re thinking of having a friend do the photography to keep costs down, ask these same questions of the friend.  While you may save some dollars, hiring a professional like Premier Portraits may save you much more in terms of lost images that can never be recreated or an ugly argument with a soon to be ex-friend.

Wedding & Engagement Information 

– We have over thirty years experience creating memories that will last a lifetime!

·      Engagement Sessions:
Take place at our studio or on location.
Several different poses and background to choose from.
Background replacement capabilities, which allows us to use almost any background you can imagine.
To compliment your session we have “Save the Date” cards available.

·      Photography Services:
Proof book with all your images.
DVD slideshow with images and music of your choosing.
Private online gallery for easy ordering.
Photographers full attention for the day.

·      Video Services:
1-2 hours of fully edited video.
One manned and one stationary camera.
Wireless microphones used during the ceremony.

·      Albums:
Based on cover, number of pages, photos and size of album, we work with you in selecting the album that is right for you. We will even design the album to beautifully showcase your special day.

Prices vary, please call for details.

PremierPortraits Studio is locally owned and operated at 260 East St in Plainville, CT and is committed to supporting the community with quality service and portraits. 860.410.4303

Lighting and Portraits

The best lighting available is that from Mother Nature.

It’s lucky then that the weather turns comfortable and the days grow longer, giving us more access to that great light to capture some of the biggest milestone moments in our lives – graduations and weddings.

If you’re shooting indoors, find the largest window and pose your subject toward the glass to get a soft, natural lighting effect.

By positioning people at an angle to the window, you can get different lighting effects.  Use a large white object to reflect light onto the shadow side of your subject.  A white umbrella, large sheet of stiff paper or poster board or even a sheet will work well.

Pay attention to where the sun is in the sky.  You don’t have to know that the window is west facing if the late afternoon light is burning through the panes of glass… you need to pay attention to the amount of light coming in and if that amount is going to create a harsh effect.  If you can’t see the source of the light, the effect will be softer.

The same thing goes for posing outside.  The new greenery makes for a great backdrop but don’t shoot into the sun or place your subject in the dappled shade under a tree.

Use a tripod.  Whether indoors or out, those three legs will be steadier than your hand and give a sharper, clearer photograph.

Take the time to learn the features of your camera.  Most equipment will offer more just flash on or off.  Is the scene right for enough flash to remove red-eye or maybe just enough more to fill in shadow areas?

Practice.  Don’t wait until the family has gathered from far away to start learning how light will effect your shots.  Despite the fact that digital cameras offer instant results, none of your subjects will want to wait while you work through trial and error to get the right effect.  Their exasperation will appear on their faces and can ruin a once-in-a-lifetime moment.

Finally, consider a professional portrait.  Premier Portraits is able to offer the security of knowing that these important shots will come out as beautifully as you anticipate the moment will be.

PremierPortraits Studio is locally owned and operated at 260 East St in Plainville, CT and is committed to supporting the community with quality service and portraits. 860.410.4303

When to use a Professional Photographer

What’s the difference between hiring a professional photographer and taking your own photos?

Despite the advances in technology, there is still a significant gap between professional grade photographic equipment and what the average consumer can purchase.

That fact is evident by the large gap in prices; and if you want to convince yourself it’s okay to save a few dollars when recording the most special moments of your life, you probably will be able to turn a blind eye to the quality of photos you can get yourself.

We’ve heard how great the new cell phones are but they will never capture the level of detail that a professional portrait camera can record.  When you want to crop a portrait to focus on one or two people in a group shot.  Then you need that much detail to create a clear, stunning portrait.

Too often, we will listen to clients who tried to do their own photos at a wedding or family reunion, only to be disappointed in the quality.  The sadder stories contain a cautionary tale of treasuring moments in time because friends and family are no longer with us when the next big occasion rolls around.

Experience counts for a lot when actually snapping the portrait.  That images captures one specific moment in time and, frankly, a whole lot of emotion.  We’ve seen expressions that would be more appropriate in the booking room of a police station than a studio.  We know that’s not the time to take the photo.  Most people will be stiff and even wary when staring into a camera with a timer.  It’s a normal reaction, to be anxious while waiting for something to happen.  A professional portrait photographer can get one or more subjects to relax, be themselves, and let the beauty from inside show through.

We also have the equipment and experience to properly light a scene and create a portrait that tells a story well.  Poses are important.  You can pretty much date a portrait by how people were posed in the 70s and 80s.  It wasn’t pretty.

Now, photographic techniques have advanced to the level of magazine covers.  Skin tones are true and people look healthy and attractive in the right light.  It takes years to learn how to control the variables involved in light and shadow.

Post-processing is important, too.  Removing red-eye is pretty easy but there’s a lot more to it.  Sometimes, the perfect portrait has one flaw and a professional portrait photographer can take care of that.  We also whiten teeth better than a dentist.

At Premier Portraits, we love the fact that people are enjoying photography.  It’s a great way to spend your time and can be very, very rewarding.  It’s also got a lot of moving parts – don’t get us started on posing pets and little kids – so, when a picture is going to be very special, it pays to capitalize on the best equipment and experience possible to get a portrait that fills the heart with warmth instead of regret.

PremierPortraits Studio is locally owned and operated at 260 East St in Plainville, CT and is committed to supporting the community with quality service and portraits. 860.410.4303

Photo Restoration

Have you ever admired antique photographs in someone’s house until you asked about the identity of the people in the pictures?

Too often, the reply is, “Oh, I don’t know.  I just liked it.”

Few of us purchase new picture frames and leave in the flimsy image of two smiling models on their “wedding day.”  So, why do people hang strangers who lived long ago on their walls?

The answer is simple.  Antique photographs provide a sense of history and timeless beauty, which can enhance any décor.

As for the strangers part… few old photographs survive in good condition.  The same light that creates photographs destroys them.  Other enemies include moisture, temperature, and microscopic critters that literally eat the photographic paper.  That is, if the previous generation didn’t crush the picture in the back of the junk drawer.

What of negatives?  Those are no more indestructible than the pictures developed from them.  Too many people count on negatives never took care to protect them to find themselves heartbroken when precious memories are lost forever.

Part of the allure of old photographs is the patina they’ve acquired over the years.  Premier Portraits Studio can ensure the lifespan of old photographs and the memories they hold.  We restore faded photographs, often finding hidden details lost over the decades, or adjust the coloring of new portraits so older and newer generations can hand side by side in a way that focuses on family resemblances than the differences in photography over the past century.

Our quality photographic studio can restore old images, removing wrinkles, stains, or areas where the paper shows through as a white blotch.  Those areas can be dots or large areas and neither makes for an attractive piece of artwork on any wall.

Missing pieces of any picture can be a challenge to restore and it takes skill and experience to do it properly.

There’s an old joke, where a man brought in a photograph of his two uncles after they passed away.  He asked the studio to remove their hats, as the men were never seen during their lives without something covering their hair.

The photographer replied, “I can do that, but tell me which way they parted their hair.”

The man said, “Dunno.  I figure you’ll find out when you take off the hats.”

PremierPortraits Studio is locally owned and operated at 260 East St in Plainville, CT and is committed to supporting the community with quality service and portraits. 860.410.4303