Last Saturday we had the extreme pleasure of  photographing Melanie and Drew’s wedding at Hidden Creek Country Club.

Here are a few of my favorite wedding pictures from their day.

The bride was gorgeous and so excited! Her makeup was perfected  by Meredith Runion. The elegant and delicate flowers were created by Reston Floral. The bridal and groom’s cake were supplied by Edible Incredibles, who lived up to their name again. The DJ was provided by Kirkabee DeeJays. Fun was had by all and Drew’s children were the highlight of our day, they were so precious! We couldn’t have gotten luckier with the weather and the weeping cherries added to the ambiance in their full blooming glory!

Congratulations Korrin and Andy Glasscock!!

Thought this was a great list of questions to ask, to help you make the best choice of wedding photographers.

1. Will you personally be the photographer for our wedding?
2. If the answer is no:
   When can we meet the photographer whose work I’m seeing so I can see if I feel comfortable with that person/ see if we are on the same wavelength?
3. If you are not talking to the photographer, also ask:
   If the photographer we want no longer works for your studio when our wedding comes up, what will you do?
4. If you are talking to the photographer:
   Are you a full-time photographer?
5. What do you do the rest of the week?
6. What kind of experience, background, and education do you have?
7. Have you received any formal classroom training as a photographer?
8. How long have you been a wedding photographer, and how many weddings have you photographed?
9. Have you handled events of my type and size before?
10. What are the reasons you think we should hire you?
11. Is this your recent work that I’m seeing?
12. Do you use black and white film when photographing in black and white?
13. I’m looking for a photojournalistic photographer.
    What is your definition of ‘photojournalism’?
14. What are your criteria for choosing what you would photograph at my wedding?
15. How do you know how many pictures to take?
16. Who is your most favorite photographer (not necessarily a wedding photographer)?
17. Have you ever been published in a photography journal/had a show, etc.?
18. What makes your photographs better or different than anybody else’s?
19. Why did you choose wedding photography as a career?
20. What time do you arrive to setup your equipment?  What kind of equipment does he/she use?
21. Hours of service:
22. Do you bring backup equipment with you?
23. How many people will cover the event?
24. Do you provide a written contract and guarantee?
25. What are your policies regarding proofs?
26. What are your policies regarding negatives?
27. What are your policies regarding delivery times?
28. Is a deposit required? If so, how much?
29. When is the deposit due?
30. May I make partial payments?
31. When is the final payment due?
32. Is gratuity included in the price?
33. If not, what is the percentage of the service charge?
34. What percentage are the taxes?
35. What is the overtime charge?
36. Are there any additional charges not mentioned? (i.e. travel)
37. What are the refunds/cancellation terms?
38. A question to ask yourself: Has the photographer addressed your personal concerns satisfactorily?
39. What happens if the photographer is ill?
40. How do you ensure that no one else is booked for that day? Just in case you need the full day for your event?
41. Does the photographer take portraits as part of the package?
42. Can the photographer provide referrals of who he/she did work for?  Email or phone?
43. What kind of processing time does it take for the pictures to be developed?
44. Is there a website that these can be previewed for the guests?
45. Does the photographer provide DVDs/CDs without their copyright symbol for printing?
46. How many copies of the DVDs / CDs of your pictures does your photographer provide? (in our case, one for bride/groom, 2 for parents, and one for the safety deposit box)
47. Is this photographer on Professional Photographers Association (www.ppa.com) or has he/she won any awards?

Make sure that you get to see your photographer’s work from all different angles.  You want candid shots, pictures of you and your groom, pictures of your event, pictures of your family and friends!

Hope that helps!

Come see us and many other wedding vendors at the Bridal and Special Events Expo!

The date is Sunday March 20,2011.

The Place: Convenient West Belmont Place, at the National Conference Center in Leesburg, VA

The Time: Noon-4 PM

Featuring Hunt Country Celebrations, tastings, champagne, prizes, discounts, drawings and giveaways.

Brides may pre-register to enter our drawing for $200 towards any vendor!

$25 discount on any new service booked at the Expo

Please come visit with us, mention you read this on my blog and receive an extra $25 off any new service we have to offer.

See You There!

The Lindbergs

L H Lindberg Photograhy

I think I’m going to write a blog soon about all the mistakes I see the brides make; even after the best attempts at perfection in planning.

About your makeup: there seems to be a misconception about the fact that a bride’s makeup should be put on last, because it needs to look fresh. Girls!–if the makeup was put on correctly it should last you about 15+ hours. Don’t wait until the final seconds or the moments after your bridesmaids to have your own makeup put on.

The first reason is because if you wait, the makeup artist can end up skimping on the time she puts in on your own makeup because she’s spent so much time with the other girls. In that case the bridesmaids always end up looking much better than the bride. Also; the makeup artist, herself, is freshest for the first person to apply makeup to. This also goes for the hair-your hair should be done first, then the makeup second, so that the artist can enhance the shape of your up-do with the makeup shadow concentrations as she shapes your face.

The second reason is a selfish one but one that benefits you entirely. If your hair and makeup is finished first; the photographer can begin to photograph the all important beautiful portraits of you while the other girls are getting ready. In the case of our company, this can mean from 100-200- more fabulous, unhurried, images that we can present to you.

Too many times we’ve run into this problem, the bride hires us to come early to begin her photography, but she’s still in her jeans, no makeup on and hair in rollers. As cute as these type photojournalistic shots sound in theory, they aren’t flattering in reality. Most of our brides this year haven’t been ready for photos until 10 minutes before her ceremony. This being said, I want to remind you to have your bridesmaids get dressed before you have them help with your own wedding gown. Sometimes, the clothes they’re wearing are quite unflattering and distracting from the image.Your choice of photographer is an investment to use wisely. You’ve spent a lot of money, so plan accordingly and take advantage of your photography.

By the way, before you ask: the makeup artist we most recommend is Gustavo. His work is art and perfection every time!

As I said in my prior post “It’s About Time”

Do your homework. Find an exprerienced wedding vendor by checking the internet, talking to friends, asking your venue or your place of worship. Have you participated in or attended a wedding recently that you admired any of the elements that went into that beautiful wedding? Ask the bridal couple for their vendor list. Be sure you can meet a vendor face to face. You’ll have a much better experience if you can spend some one on one time with the actual people that will be with you your entire wedding day. Some of the larger companies don’t offer this; as they are more into the numbers, than the personal customer service.  Don’t shy away from the small company, as they would have the most pride in serving you.