1/29/09

good friends, great questions!

Well as you all know i simply love what i do for a living! there are moments throughout the days that i go "oh my gosh this just fits me." :) but with this love comes a massive amount of work and dedication. because of my love & passion for photography i end up spending quite a while tweaking each and every image until i deem it almost perfect. Because we "artists" can be a little "eccentric" as my husband likes to say we have a tendency to gravitate toward one another. We (photographers) just understand each other.


one of my great friends is the fabulous Ksenija Savic of Ksenija Savic Photography. Ksenija & i met in December of 2007 when she documented my sister-in-law's wedding. we instantly clicked that day, and have been friends ever since. :) the other day, Ksenija & i were talking and we both realized that although every photographer is different from each other, both she & i specialize in fine art photography and tend to have a longer turn around time due to the process that goes into editing, post-processing, etc. we feel it's crucial for our clients to know that every photographer is trained differently, and specializes in different areas of photography, therefore what's right for one photography business owner may not be right for another. so the question that we discussed was :


why does it take so long to receive my wedding/portrait images?

{Ksenija and i decided to colaborate on the verbiage of this post}

while we've been lucky to not have anyone ask this question, at times maybe we wish you would! we wonder if you might be asking yourself this question, or just plain want to know more about the logistics of it all!

recently we saw and were inspired by a simular post on Anne Ruthmann's blog {a lovely & awesome photographer} while we agree whole heartedly with everything she expressed in her post, we decided to share our process as well.

so today, we decided to share with you a bit about the process we fine art photographers go through the minute your session, or wedding is over. however, just to make it easier, let's use a wedding for the example!






step one:
we load all memory cards to the computer in order to properly back up your beloved photos.
then spend what seems to be a NEVER ENDING process,
burning dvd's of these files to make extra sure the images are safe, as well as backing them up to an external hard drive!!
EXAMPLE: 3500 images = 8 - 10 hours (MINIMUM)



step two:
all thousands of images are reviewed (often times up to 4000 images... yes 4000)!!!
one by one, we choose the best of the best images, to help make your life easier.
the idea behind narrowing down images, is to make sure only the most perfect shots are edited and given to you.
we take so many to make sure we can have a grand selection of every moment!!!
this process can take hours & hours looking at each individual image, to decide whether to keep or not to keep.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 2 - 3 hours (MINIMUM)



step three:
somewhere between 100 - 300 top favorite images are selected and then given the very special artistic effect
that is custom by photographer's style and makes your wedding unique and special!!
this is the process that takes the most time, energy, and personal touch, as well.
in order to provide you with the beautiful, one of a kind, fine art you invested in, this process most definitely cannot be rushed.
EXAMPLE: 75 images = 10 hours (MINIMUM)


step four :
a blog post is created so that you have a great sneak peek to be able to view, share & enjoy some of the top faves from your day!
everyone does blogging a little differently, however for me, i really love being able to make my blog posts as special as possible because of how much i connect with my clients. i want this to be the time that you get to view the best of the best, the most moving & memorable images. an average blog post from start to finish takes me about 24 + hours (MINIMUM).



step five:
color and density is corrected with each and every image. images are cropped if necessary.
Because your wedding was shot in a multitude of different lighting situations each image can have a different correction needed.
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 21 hours (MINIMUM)




step six:
the images are loaded to an online proofing company.
depending on the photographer's system and the on-line company used...this can take several days. And inevitably my internet decides to act up right in the middle of a wedding upload :)
EXAMPLE: 2500 images = 48 hours (MINIMUM)


...so now you can see it has been a MINIMUM of 117 hours - just to get to this point! this of course doesn't include other weddings & sessions shot, client meetings, daily emails, phone conversations, downloading/backing up, orders made, album designs, etc. that all happen in the 'in between' time either!

****PLEASE NOTE****! both Ksenija & i feel it's super important for all to know that we as photographers each have our own way of doing things. some photographers have a team of editors,,, and others do it all themselves there is truly no right or wrong... which is what makes it an art & so special.

all of us have a different style and approach. what is MOST important is the fit. finding the right person to capture the memories of your special day who also has the style that makes your heart swell,,, because after all, we are around you the entire day, too!!!



another thing that both Ksenija & i firmly believe in is that what counts in the end is the quality of your wedding photos. when you see how much you love, LOVE them, you will be sure it was worth the wait!!!


and then, you will have all the years of your life to relax, share & enjoy them!


and just for fun... here are a few more top fave images from this past year that have all gone through the meticulous process mentioned above!























13 comments:

Hayley said...

You go girl!! Your love for what you do (and not to mention amazing talent) is what puts you above the rest :)

lynn said...

Great post, heather! It always helps to know what your process is! It makes the pictures even more powerful, because I know how much work goes into them. Plus I love seeing some new shots that I haven't seen before! Looking forward to spending MY day with you!

Heather said...

Lynn and Hayley thank you so much for your comments :)

I'm equally looking forward to your big day!

Unknown said...

YAY! A Karen & Eric photo on the blog!!!!!!!!!

Kari Crowe said...

Great post!

Jenna said...

I just posted Ksenija's version of this on WB and I wish I would have known you had one with your pictures as well. They are so beautiful, I wish I would have split the post between your pictures and hers :) I've subscribed to your feed. Lovely photos.

Lynn~ said...

wow! this blog post was re-posted from Ksenija's blog on weddingbee.com (one of my favorite sources for inspiration and bridal community!) I put a link to your blog on a comment, so people can check out your fabulous pics too!

Jim said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Heather said...

Jenna thank you so much for taking the time to leave me a comment! Your kind words are much appreciated!

Lynn- You're so sweet to have posted my blog on WB. Thank you thank you :)

Read and See said...

I'm SO glad your blog was linked on Weddingbee, because I can't believe I hadn't seen your work before! I've been following Ksenija for a while, but I didn't know you were out there with equally gorgeous, inspiring images! I've just been back through your blog halfway through last year. Amazing stuff, and I'll be following for a long time to come! Oh, wedding porn, how I love thee...

Jim said...

thank you Ruby Slippers! How kind of you to stop by and leave such wonderful words! :)

Studio222 Photography said...

Great post Heather! I think this is something that is so important for our client's to understand! I have been thinking of posting something similar but I'm not sure I could have said any of it better myself! Thanks for posting that!

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