A wedding ceremony is one of the most memorable and enchanting occasions that everyone dreams of experiencing in their lifetime. Therefore, a professional wedding photographer is a must to document the events of the wedding day so that the memories can be preserved forever.
Many of you, though, might be uncertain as to whether or not a photographer qualifies as a vendor. This blog aims to clear up all your queries.
Read on to learn about wedding photography vendors and the facilities they provide for wedding photography.
What is a wedding vendor?
A wedding vendor is someone who offers their service or product for a wedding event. The list of vendors includes the venue, wedding planner, decorator, decorating items, florist, catering service, music services like DJ, dress provider, hair stylist, makeup artist, photographer, cinematographer, event equipment such as chairs, tables, lighting supplier, transport service, and many others.
Every vendor has a particular set of responsibilities, and a successful wedding is the result of all the vendors working together to make it a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Is a photographer considered a vendor?
Whether it’s a birthday party, family reunion, or wedding, photography is essential to every event. A professional photographer is thus absolutely required to capture events in high-quality photos that can be cherished for a lifetime. However, do photographers count as vendors?
Yes, absolutely!
Generally, those who offer products or services are referred to as vendors. Interestingly, photographers fit into both categories. Photographers provide their services in the form of shooting images and photo retouching. In addition to that, they provide products in the form of printed pictures and photo albums.
They can therefore be viewed as vendors, albeit of a unique kind, without whom an event is impossible to hold.
What do most wedding photography facilities include?
A wedding day happens once in a lifetime. Whether you are hosting a huge ceremony or a simple wedding in a church, you need a professional wedding photographer to capture the wedding moments that you can cherish for the rest of your life.
Wedding photography includes more than just capturing the wedding ceremony; it also takes care of other needs related to taking pictures. To know what wedding photography facilities include, read the following.
Complete D-Day coverage
On the wedding day, there are a lot of things to cover, including the bride and groom’s dressing session, the processional, the officiant’s remarks to the couple, the vow exchange, the ring exchange, the kiss, the unity ceremony, and many other rituals that are performed in accordance with the rules of particular religions.
Typically, all of these activities call for 6 to 8 hours of coverage. In most cases, the contract specifies the time frame the couple wants the wedding photography vendor to cover. However, if the client needs more coverage, they can ask the photography vendor to arrive earlier or stay longer.
Post/Pre-wedding coverage
Pre and post-wedding coverage are common these days. The pre-wedding photo shoot is typically scheduled months in advance, while the post-wedding photo shoot is usually scheduled the day after the wedding, the following week, or even the following month.
Through the pre-wedding photoshoot, the couple gets the chance to feel comfortable in front of the camera and build rapport with the photographer. Additionally, the ideal photography styles, angles, and positions for the couple can be determined. Moreover, the post-wedding photoshoot gives the couple the space to create their lovey-dovey moments.
Couples get the opportunity to capture more memories of their wedding through pre- and post-wedding photography while enjoying their romantic moments worry-free and uninhibited by the wedding rituals or guests. Therefore, as part of the wedding photography service, wedding photography vendors travel with the couple to different locations to take pre- and post-wedding photos.
Videography
There is no doubt that still images have the power to freeze moments in time. Videos, however, give you the chance to relive the moments. People can watch the expressions of their parents and relatives, the moment of taking vows, and the laughing and crying moments over and over again. Therefore, the demand for videography is growing with time.
People these days want their wedding videography to be no less than a movie. Therefore, the demand for creative wedding photographers is on the rise. In the wedding video, starting from the couple’s love story to all the wedding rituals, including walking down the aisle, taking the vows, and other celebrations are documented.
Usually, the wedding video is no longer than an hour, and clients receive the edited video files on a USB stick. However, in addition to the edited version, clients can request to receive the original, unedited video footage.
Drone Coverage
Wedding photography techniques have been significantly impacted by the use of drones, particularly in the case of destination or outdoor weddings. Drones are useful for capturing the natural beauty of the shooting location from a bird’s eye view. Besides, it gives you lots of room to be creative with photo and video compositions.
Moreover, drone shots make it simple to change an ordinary picture into a dramatic one. In other words, it is the ideal gear to give wedding images and videos a dramatic vibe. However, photography vendors may charge extra for the drone shots if they’re not included in the package.
Photo editing & retouching
The finished product that the photography vendors deliver contains some form of editing because raw files are imperfect and need to be polished in order to be perfect. Minor editing techniques used by the photographer include cropping, straightening, noise reduction, adjusting color temperature, and removing people, unsightly objects like garbage cans, light switches, fire alarms, and other distracting background elements.
Customers can also ask for extensive retouching, which includes things like liquefying to look slimmer, fixing wardrobe malfunctions, changing the color of one item, taming flyaways in the hair, smoothing the hair, and many other things. However, the cost of the package does not include the fee for additional retouching. Hence, an additional cost will be charged depending upon the level of difficulty of retouching.
However, it is expected that the request for retouching from the customer’s end is to be completed within 4–6 weeks of the delivery of the image. Otherwise, it is assumed that the customers are happy with the finished product.
Provides digital albums both online and offline
Photographers take thousands of images on the wedding day and other events like pre-wedding and post-wedding shoots and store all of the images in their password-protected online library. They also provide the clients with the password to access the images from the online gallery so that they have the freedom to select images of their choice.
Additionally, the package comes with digital albums made up of DVDs, CD-Roms, and USB drives that are filled with a large number of professionally edited, high-resolution photos and videos. The photographer can also provide a digital copy of the traditional album if the client requests one.
Provides printed wedding albums
A traditional wedding album contains high-quality printed copies of the wedding photos. And without traditional wedding albums, wedding photography is considered incomplete. However, the number of images in the album is limited compared to a CD or DVD.
Before delivering the actual album, photography vendors usually offer a low-cost book-sized preview of the album so that clients can review the images and decide whether or not they are okay with them. Later, they get the actual album printed with the consent of the client.
Besides, clients can ask the wedding photography vendor for particular images to be printed in bigger sizes for the purpose of wall art, frames, or home décor so that the wedding memories can stay in front of their eyes whenever they enter their house.
Providing the copyright
When it comes to using and sharing images, image copyright is a sensitive and important issue to be considered. According to federal law, photographers own the rights to every image they capture.
In most cases, photographers give their clients only limited usage rights. However, given that it makes up a significant portion of their business and source of revenue, some vendors charge an extra fee to grant copyright to each and every image.
Therefore, clients should carefully review the copyright clause before signing the contract.
FAQ
Does the photographer own my pictures?
Yes, in accordance with copyright law, photographers are the sole owners of every image they take, and as such, they are the only ones who can determine how to use those images in public.
What do most wedding photography packages include?
Most wedding photography package includes-
Pre & post wedding photo session
- Wedding day photo session
- A certain number of digital images
- A certain number of printed images in an album
- A large frame or canvas to hang on the wall
- USB stick with videos and images
- Access to the online gallery
How much do the best wedding photographers cost?
In the US, the cost of a wedding photographer is between $1200 and $3000, which includes a photography session, retouching images, and other services in the package. However, the average cost can be expected to be around $2,000.
Do you tip wedding photographers?
If you’re pleased with the photographer’s work, you can give them tips to show appreciation for their efforts. Consider giving a 15-20% gratuity or whatever is comfortable for you.
Conclusion
Everyone hopes that the most important day of their lives, their wedding, will be enjoyable and memorable for everyone. What other ways could there be to relive and experience the wedding moments besides wedding photos and videos?
We hope our blog has provided you with enough information regarding wedding photographers and their services to make your journey with a wedding photographer smoother for your big day!
