I correspond with hundreds of Los Angeles area wedding photography clients every year. And over the course of that year, one or two folks will share that they didn’t select me because a family friend offered to photograph their wedding. Although I can only speculate as to a client’s motivation, I’m hesitant to agree that hiring a family friend to photograph a wedding would be the good choice.

Experience

I photograph an average of 35 weddings every year. And, over the course of my career, I’ve photographed hundreds of weddings. This means that I’ve worked in hundreds of different locations, in challenging lighting situations, under all kinds of weather conditions, and all the while living and working through countless wedding day “emergencies.” Although a family friend may be quite good at holiday photos or family photographs or even fashion photography, can they cope with a wide range of rapidly changing situations and still capture amazing photographs of the hundreds of special moments that are your wedding day?

Skill

I’m an experienced camera operator. Over the course of a single year, I’ll take over 75,000 photographs. And, on a typical wedding day, I’m changing equipment settings constantly. After my many years as a professional wedding photographer, my cameras and lighting equipment have become extensions of my body. I no longer consciously think about camera adjustments or lighting situations. I simply view a scene and adjust my equipment automatically. And because of that skill, I’m able to capture rapidly evolving wedding moments as they happen. Without those skills, important wedding moments can be missed—moments that can’t be recreated. You only get one chance at weddings.

Equipment

I invest heavily in equipment. For example, my primary wedding equipment includes two Nikon D3 cameras (carried at the same time), a 24-70 f/2.8 lens, a 70-200 f/2.8 lens, two SB-900 flashes, and 32GB high speed memory cards. And in addition to my primary equipment, I also have a backup camera (D3x), four backup lenses, four backup flashes, and a host of other lighting gear. To put this in perspective, at a typical wedding I arrive with over $25,000 in camera equipment with about $15,000 carried on my person at any one moment. This equipment allows me to create amazing photographs in extremely challenging lighting conditions—conditions where lessor cameras and lenses struggle to keep up. Has your family friend invested in the professional cameras and backup equipment necessary to ensure the best possible photos, even when the lighting is horrible or when something goes terribly wrong with one or more pieces of gear?

Insurance

Good professional photographers carry insurance. My insurance coverage includes general business liability ($2M), equipment insurance ($100k), and professional liability insurance (aka errors and omissions). If the unthinkable happens, I want to be prepared. That means peace of mind for me and my clients. As an aside, did you know that many venues won’t allow photographers on-site unless the photographer carries adequate liability insurance? Is your family friend insured? Are they underinsured?

Motivation

My reputation is on the line every time I photograph a wedding. Therefore I have a strong incentive to do an amazing job—especially in the age of the Internet where every aspect of customer-service is a matter of public record. My livelihood is at stake every time I photograph a wedding. Is your family friend similarly motivated?

Focus

When you a hire a professional to photograph your wedding, we are typically focused on one thing—capturing excellent photos of you and your fiancé. If you hire a family friend, then one may assume that they’re going to be friends with several of your guests (or perhaps many of your guests). In those situations, that family friend may sometimes end up distracted by those guests. It’s only natural to spend a few minutes chatting with friends at weddings. And it’s only natural to share a drink when offered. And it’s only natural to photograph people you know more frequently and with greater enthusiasm than people you don’t know. But, if you hire me, I’ll be focused on the single task of creating beautiful photos of you and all of your guests and working every second of the day (except when I spend a few minutes to grab a quick bite during your reception) doing the job you’ve hired me to do.

Service

As my business is photography, I’m relying on your patronage in order to meet my financial obligations. As such, it is in my best interest to provide good service before, during, and after the wedding. This service includes providing deliverables (digital negatives, albums, proofs, physical prints, etc.) as well as using my experience to advise you on a wide range wedding related planning considerations. This is my job. It’s what I do every day. Can your family friend say the same thing?

I’d like to admit that I fully realize, that for some clients and for a variety of reasons, a family friend may be your only choice. However, I’m hopeful that this brief essay will empower some clients to ask pertinent questions of that family friend before making their final decision.

Some couples ask to forego their engagement session because they’d like to save money or because they’ve already had their photos recently taken elsewhere. However, having me photograph you and your fiancé before the wedding is one of the most important things you can do to improve your wedding day experience and the quality of photos you’ll receive. Simply stated, I create better wedding day photographs when I’ve had a chance to photograph you before the wedding.

Although I’m sure you’ve been photographed by friends or family, it’s unlikely that you’ve ever worked with a professional wedding photographer. Therefore, it’s only natural that you might feel a little bit anxious about having your photograph taken over a long time period in public settings. And since your wedding day is probably not the best time to first experience that kind of pressure, one benefit to an engagement session is that you’ll become more comfortable in front of the camera. And although that factor is certainly important, this experience also gives us time to establish a relationship built on trust and familiarity.

During the engagement session, I’ll be working hard to gain a better understanding of your personalities, your best expressions, and your quirks. In terms of technique, I’ll work to show you how to appear casual in your photos so that your images will have the candid feel that you hired me to provide you on your wedding day. You’ll also learn about my "style" of working. This means that on your wedding day, you’ll be able to quickly adjust to situations which will help everyone stay on schedule and help me create some amazing photos than might not have been possible if you were "first timers" with me. This engagement session experience will also allow you to clearly articulate the style of photography you prefer so I can take that information in hand on your wedding day.

As a final obvious benefit, you’ll be able to view your engagement session photos long before your wedding day. That advance viewing will let you see how great I can make you look which will increase the confidence you have in yourselves as well as in my skills as your wedding photographer. In my experience, after our session, you’ll get really excited about the photos that I’ll take on your wedding day.

I’m hopeful that this short explanation helps you better understand why I feel an engagement session is super important to my clients. If you still aren’t convinced, please give me a call and I’d be happy to talk through your concerns.

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: "This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com)." Thanks a bunch!

When it’s time to photograph your family, I’ve found that it’s super important to work from a well-organized list. Creating a list before the wedding will help ensure that we’ll make the most efficient use of our time.

When you’re planning your schedule in relation to your family portraits, I suggest that you budget a minimum of three minutes per photograph. Although I can certainly photograph most groups in a minute or less, you’re going to want to budget for delays that are likely to occur.
Once you’ve created a draft of your list, please send along via e-mail. I’ll take a look and if necessary offer suggestions related to the order of photographs or perhaps mention my observations in relation to any duplication in your groupings.

After we’ve finished, I suggest that you contact each person and make sure that they know where and when they are supposed to meet for the family photos. I’d recommend that you stress the importance of being there on time as folks will often disappear when it’s time for formal portraits.

Formal Portraits (Post Ceremony)

Here’s a list of common formal portraits that I’m often asked to photograph after the ceremony–typically near the ceremony location. Please feel free to add other groupings unique to your family, but please note that your own list should have far fewer groupings than those presented here. When you’re preparing your list, please name the group (as seen below) and then list the members in the group. For example: "Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Siblings (Jane, Bill, Sally, John, John Jr.) " That information will assist me in helping you organize the order of the list. It will also help us on the wedding day as my assistant will be able to call on members by name rather than by their relationship to you and your fiancé.

• Bride and Groom with Officiant
• Bride and Groom with Flower Girl(s) and Ring Bearer(s)
• Bride and Groom with Sons / Daughters
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Parents, Grandparents, and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s Family
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Parents, Grandparents, and Siblings
• Bride and Groom with Groom’s Family
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s and Groom’s Parents
• Bride and Groom with Bride’s and Groom’s Parents and Grandparents
• Bride and Groom with Entire Family
• Bride and Groom with Special Friends and Family

Creative Portraits (Pre or Post Ceremony)

The Creative Session is the timeframe you’ve set aside for your fashion forward photographs (similar to your engagement session). The Creative session typically includes the bride and groom and bridesmaids and groomsmen only–family members or other members of the wedding party are not present. I usually spend half of our time with the wedding party and the other half with the bride and groom only.

In terms of the time you should set aside for the Creative Session, most couples budget an hour and a half (1.5 hours). For larger wedding parties or in cases where you feel my fashion-forward portraits are super important, I recommend that you set aside two hours.

Unless you let me know otherwise, in addition to madhotsexy™ creative portraits, I’ll also capture some “typical” photos–time permitting. If you have any thoughts about these photos, please let me know your specific preferences prior to the Creative Session.

Typical

• Bride Only
• Groom Only
• Bride and Groom
• Bride and Groom with Bridesmaids and Groomsmen
• Bride with Bridesmaids
• Bride with Each Bridesmaid
• Groom with Groomsmen
• Groom with Each Groomsman

Optional

• Bride and Groom with Maid of Honor and Best Man
• Bride with Groomsmen
• Groom with Bridesmaids
• Bridal Party Couples
• Headshots of Groomsmen
• Headshots of Bridesmaids

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: "This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com)." Thanks a bunch!

For portraits, the warmth, depth, texture, form, contrast, and color in photographs are dramatically affected by the angle of sunlight. When the sun is low on the horizon in the early morning or late afternoon, I’m provided with a diffused light that’s often gold or orange in hue and is typically ideal for portrait and outdoor event photography. Since the sun is in this position for only a short period of time, photographers call these two times of day–near sunrise and sunset–the “magic hour.”

In the morning hours, as the sun begins to climb across the sky, the sun becomes a harsh light source–and harsh light sources generally aren’t very complementary for most photography. This “hard” light can cause deep, dark, and distinct shadows on your facial features and underneath your eyes. Although problems with that harsh light can sometimes be addressed using open shade or flash photography, those techniques don’t create the same kind of pleasing effects you’ll see when I’m using natural warm natural sunlight present only during the magic hour.

The sunrise magic hour generally begins fifteen minute to thirty minutes after sunrise while the sunset magic hour usually ends about fifteen minutes before sunset. In both cases, the “magic hour” only lasts thirty to forty-five minutes. Because of this limited timeframe, it’s helpful to stay on schedule to take best advantage of the light. Generally speaking, the farther away you move from the magic hour, the less complementary the light becomes for photography.

If you’re interested in spectacular sunset skies in your photos, you’ll find that the sunrise / sunset “effect” you probably want typically appears ten minutes before the published sunrise time and ten minutes after the published sunset time. However, if there are no clouds or dissipating marine layer, sunrise and sunset skies in Los Angeles are often brief and unspectacular.

Another weather-related condition that affects photography is seen on days with overcast conditions. With overcast skies or fog, sunlight is highly diffused. And diffused light is often excellent for photographers. Although the sky may not be particularly interesting, the evenly diffused light is extremely complementary to most subjects.

As a closing comment, I want to mention that I realize important events can’t always be scheduled around the “magic hour.” As a professional photographer, I’m expert in the various techniques needed to mitigate issues related to harsh lighting conditions. However, when possible, I do recommend that you take the “magic hour” into consideration when scheduling your events and portrait sessions.

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: “This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com).” Thanks a bunch!

I want you both looking madhotsexy™ in your photographs. With that in mind, I’ve put together a few helpful tips about getting ready for your engagement session. Please remember that regardless of what you wear or how much you prepare, we’ll have a great time and create some awesome photos during your engagement session!

What Should I Wear?

You first consideration should be choosing attire appropriate to your location. For example, if we’re meeting at the beach, unless you’ve settled on a stylized fashion-forward engagement session, you probably won’t want to wear your finest evening wear. Likewise, if we’re shooting downtown, board shorts and flip-flops aren’t going to fit very well with local scenery. And if we’re working in a garden setting, high heels are prone to sinking in the lawn so that’s probably not a wise apparel choice either. Think carefully about our shooting location and let that be your first consideration.

In regards to apparel specifics, I generally promote two options. My first suggestion is to wear matching colors. For example, you could both wear blue jeans and white shirts, or khaki pants and black shirts, or you might wear a yellow sun dress and your fiancé might wear a yellow shirt (if you’re a guy and you’re reading this, please switch that around). Put simply, matching is easy, it works, and it makes for great photos. When your apparel combination is simple, people who view your photos will pay attention to you and your expressions instead of what you’re wearing. If you like this idea, I have one caution–make sure that the colors you’re wearing are exactly the same. For example, if you have a new black shirt and your fiancé has a well-washed black shirt, if the washed shirt is slightly faded, that can be very apparent in your photos. Make sure the colors really match!

An alternative suggestion is that instead of wearing matching colors, you can select wardrobe items in the same color palette. If you’re wearing earth tones (brown, tan, green), then your fiancé should also wear earth tones. And if you’re wearing pastel colors (pink, light yellow, light green), then your fiancé should also wear pastels. However, you’ll want to avoid wearing highly contrasting colors. For example, if you’re wearing a dark red shirt, then your fiancé shouldn’t wear a light pink shirt. That kind of contrast can prove jarring in photos. To put it simply, if you’re wearing light colors, then your fiancé should also wear light colors. If you’re wearing dark colors, then your fiancé should also wear dark colors.

After selecting your color scheme, make sure that you’re not wearing clothes with strong patterns, busy prints, or prominent logos. That kind of apparel can draw attention away from your best attributes—your faces and expressions. If you don’t have access to a stylish new wardrobe, you may want to consider a shopping trip before your engagement session. Even if your budget doesn’t allow for new apparel, you might be surprised to learn that some clients purchase new clothes but later return those same items. I know that returning items sounds a little crazy, but stylists for commercial photographers do that all the time! You may also want to take a look at some supplemental information found in my blog post titled Choosing Complementary Colors.

As a final wardrobe consideration, please consider bringing an alternative outfit to the engagement session. Although you’ll likely leave those additional clothes in your car, it’s best to be prepared for any contingency. During one engagement session, a groom dribbled ice cream down the front of his shirt. But we were fine; he had another shirt in his car. In another instance, while driving to the engagement session location, a bride spilled coffee on her skirt. We were again saved by the back-up wardrobe. It’s best to be prepared; you never know what might happen during an engagement session!

Other Recommendations

• If you have any questions about your wardrobe choices, please call me. I’d be happy to talk in more detail about your plans!
• Comfort is a key consideration on your engagement session. We’ll be walking quite a bit so think about comfort when you’re making your shoe choices.
• It’s much easier for you to drop your photographic inhibitions when it’s just the three of us; therefore, only you and your fiancé should attend the engagement session.
• Plan on leaving cell phones, purses, bags, makeup, and other accessories in your car. If your keys are bulky, I’ll carry them for you. We don’t want bulky things in your pockets!
• Make sure your wardrobe is pressed. An insignificant wrinkle can sometimes detract from an otherwise great photo.
• Bras and bra straps often cause problems in photos so ensure that your undergarments aren’t visible through your clothing.
• Remove all tags from white or semi-transparent clothing. Under certain lighting conditions, those tags can be visible in your photos.
• Avoid wearing multiple layers of clothing. If you do wear layers, that can sometimes add perceived weight in your photographs.
• Even for slender subjects, it’s often difficult to focus attention on your face if your bare arm is competing for attention in the photograph. So unless you’re very thin, avoid sleeveless shirts, sweaters, or blouses.
• Avoid wearing distracting jewelry including large watches, rings and earrings as well as prominent necklaces. Jewelry should be kept at a minimum as these items can sometimes detract from the photograph.
• Unless you’re going for the "rugged man" look, the groom should shave no more than a few hours before the engagement session. I’ll be taking several close up photographs where facial hair shadow will be evident.
• Getting a manicure a few days before the engagement session is sometimes a good idea–even for gentlemen. Pedicures are also great if we’re doing any barefoot shots or if you intend to wear open toed shoes.
• Try to get a good night’s sleep before your photo session and avoid alcohol. You’d be amazed how easily bags under your eyes can detract from your photos!

If you’d like to use this information on your own web site, please place the following statement and link (URL) wherever you use this text: "This information was provided by Los Angeles wedding photographer Rob Greer (http://www.robgreerweddings.com)." Thanks a bunch!