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WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY UNVEILED: Inspiration and Insight from 20 Top Photographers
Inspiration and Insight from 20 Top Photographers
By Jacqueline Tobin
Wedding Photography Unveiled reveals the art, philosophies, strategies, business practices, and techniques of twenty top wedding photographers from across the United States and showcases their favorite images.
MELISSA MERMIN: “I love images that make people laugh and disturb the senses a bit, like great art does. I always walk a fine line at weddings of making images that please my client and making images that are personal to me. They are commissioning your vision.”
BACKGROUND: Before photographing people professionally, Melissa Mermin was an in-house product photographer for a design company. In 1996 she was hired to shoot her first wedding and has since had a passion for capturing perfect moments through a camera. She received her BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and soon after studied photojournalism under Boston Globe photographer Janet Knott. In 2003, Mermin partnered with Earl Christie to form the team of Mermin + Christie Photographers. She now works independently again, under the company name Melissa Mermin LoveStories.
IN MELISSA’S BAG: Two Canon 5Ds, 16-35mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 80-200mm f/4 IS, Canon 580 flash with a few diffusers, a few PocketWizards, wires and gizmos, lots of batteries and chargers, lots of 4-gig flash cards, an Epson 4000 storage viewer, and a 15-inch Macbook Pro laptop for editing. Stands and umbrellas for portraits using flash go in a separate bag. (For dark hotel weddings, Mermin rents Dyna-Lites with extra long cords or uses her Canon flashes on stands and slaves them.)
CAN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT: “The Canon 5D, my 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, and my 85mm f/1.4 lens. I could shoot an entire event with just those if I had to.”
WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY UNVEILED: Inspiration and Insight from 20 Top Photographers
Inspiration and Insight from 20 Top Photographers
By Jacqueline Tobin
Wedding Photography Unveiled reveals the art, philosophies, strategies, business practices, and techniques of twenty top wedding photographers from across the United States and showcases their favorite images.
MELISSA MERMIN: “I love images that make people laugh and disturb the
senses a bit, like great art does. I always walk a fine line at weddings of making images that please my client and making images that are personal to me. They are commissioning your vision.”
BACKGROUND: Before photographing people professionally, Melissa Mermin was an in-house product photographer for a design company. In 1996 she was hired to shoot her first wedding and has since had a passion for capturing perfect moments through a camera. She received her BFA in painting from Massachusetts College of Art and soon after studied photojournalism under Boston Globe photographer Janet Knott. In 2003, Mermin partnered with Earl Christie to form the team of Mermin + Christie Photographers. She now works independently again, under the company name Melissa Mermin LoveStories.
IN MELISSA’S BAG: Two Canon 5Ds, 16-35mm f/2.8, 85mm f/1.4, 50mm f/1.4, 80-200mm f/4 IS, Canon 580 flash with a few diffusers, a few PocketWizards, wires and gizmos, lots of batteries and chargers, lots of 4-gig flash cards, an Epson 4000 storage viewer, and a 15-inch Macbook Pro laptop for editing. Stands and umbrellas for portraits using flash go in a separate bag. (For dark hotel weddings, Mermin rents Dyna-Lites with extra long cords or uses her Canon flashes on stands and slaves them.)
CAN’T LEAVE HOME WITHOUT: “The Canon 5D, my 16-35mm f/2.8 lens, and my 85mm f/1.4 lens. I could shoot an entire event with just those if I had to.”
INSIDE WEDDINGS: ASK THE EXPERT 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your Photographer
Choosing the Perfect Professional (from Inside Weddings, 2010)
You finally set a date, picked your venue, caterer, florist, cake and the perfect dress that expresses who you are. Now, who will be the one to beautifully capture the story of your big day? A photograph is all you have after it’s over in a blink of an eye, so this is something you don’t want to skimp on. Many photographer book popular dates two years in advance, so don’t wait until the last minute to start your research. There are a lot of photographers out there to choose from these days, and it can feel overwhelming. Everyone these days including your grandma calls themselves a “photographer” in this digital age we live. It’s a good idea to pick an experienced seasoned photographer over a friend who offers to take some snapshots between glasses of champagne, or the ‘weekend warrior” who does some wedding photography as a hobby.
Seek Introductions
The internet is a great way to look at portfolios and see styles you like. You can get a quick feel for the photographer’s style and personality from their website, and it can be a good place to weed out who’s work you really connect with. Magazines and many wedding internet sites now feature ‘Real Weddings’ so you can not only get ideas for your own wedding, but also see a photographer’s talent documenting one wedding from start to finish.
Personal referrals are probably the best way to narrow your search; ask your friends to see their wedding images and if they had a good rapport with their photographer. Look at your catering manager recommendation lists as they have worked with these photographers in the past. They often have recent weddings photographed at the venue you’ve chosen, and it’s a great way to envision how your wedding may look like and get ideas for where you might want to do your formal posed pictures. Hiring a wedding consultant will not just give you more peace of mind; they can often show you albums of photographers they have worked with in the past, so you can let them do some of the screening process to narrow it down to 2 or 3. A professional referral is valuable resource as they usually have worked with other wedding professionals who they trust and are considered the best in their field of expertise. For destination weddings, you may not be able to meet with the photographer in person, but some photographers have a personal interview video to get a virtual feel, and scheduling a phone interview or Skyping is a great way to see if you connect personality-wise. Next to your fiancée, your photographer is the wedding professional you will be most intimate with during and after your wedding, so it’s important to feel really comfortable with them. If your photographer is local, doing an engagement photo session is a great way for both of you to get to know each other before the wedding.
Questions To Ask
Ask if the photographer you’re meeting with and whose work you are viewing will be the person who actually shows up on your big day. Many studios typically do hundredsof weddings a year and may work with a revolving door of up-and-coming photographers. The last thing you want is for a stranger to show up at your wedding, which can spell disaster if your personalities don’t click or you don’t like their work. Find out what happens if your photographer is ill and can’t show; do you get your deposits back or do they substitute another? What happens to your deposit if in an unlikely event you need to postpone or cancel your wedding? Do they offer albums and image proof books? Are the high-resolution images included in the coverage (also known as ‘digital negatives’)? If you are doing a destination wedding or hiring a photographer far from your venue, what are their travel fees? Are engagement photo sessions included or priced separately? What is the cost for additional coverage time, and are they available to cover a rehearsal dinner or next-day brunch? Will the photographer contact you before the wedding to go over details like last minute changes to the schedule (i.e, a rain plan for doing your formal portraits indoors?)
Packages and Pricing
Don’t hire the cheapest photographer on your list if they are not one of your favorites. To quote John Ruskin, “There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey.”
Many photographers have a minimum number of hours they are contracted for, or they provide “complete” coverage of the day, typically 7-10 hours. You can also hire your photographer to get coverage of your rehearsal dinner or post-wedding farewell party if you are having a destination event with many celebrations throughout the weekend. Within a few weeks after your wedding, your images are usually posted to a private website for viewing and ordering prints. Your photographer may also offer the images on a high res DVD (also known as ‘digital negatives’) or may be available for purchase. If you know you want an engagement session, albums and other goodies, many photographers offer a package of goods and services that are written into your wedding agreement and save you money if you were to purchase them separately after the wedding. To hold your date, most photographers require a signed wedding agreement, as well as a retainer fee ranging from $1000 to 50% of the package price. The remaining balance can be due anywhere from 6 months to a week before the wedding.
Get it in Writing
Once you’ve made your decision on who you will be hiring, have your wedding agreement state who will be actually shooting your wedding, and make sure the work you are viewing in the studio is the person who will be showing up. Also get in writing what happens if your photographer is ill or cannot physically show up, and make sure any deposits paid will be refunded. Many photographers require a meals for themselves and their crew, and if it’s in a photographers agreement, make sure you let the caterer know to make extra meals for your vendors.
Commissioning a photographer is like commissioning an artist to create a unique and personal work of art for you, so be very choosy on viewing portfolios, personality and what post-wedding services they offer to show off your wedding. It is the one thing you get to hold on to after it’s all over in a blink of an eye.
INSIDE WEDDINGS: ASK THE EXPERT 10 Questions to Ask Before Hiring Your Photographer
Choosing the Perfect Professional (from Inside Weddings, 2010)
You finally set a date, picked your venue, caterer, florist, cake and the perfect dress that expresses who you are. Now, who will be the one to beautifully capture the story of your big day? A photograph is all you have after it’s over in a blink of an eye, so this is something you don’t want to skimp on. Many photographer book popular dates two years in advance, so don’t wait until the last minute to start your research. There are a lot of photographers out there to choose from these days, and it can feel overwhelming. Everyone these days including your grandma calls themselves a “photographer” in this digital age we live. It’s a good idea to pick an experienced seasoned photographer over a friend who offers to take some snapshots between glasses of champagne, or the ‘weekend warrior” who does some wedding photography as a hobby.
Seek Introductions
The internet is a great way to look at portfolios and see styles you like. You can get a quick feel for the photographer’s style and personality from their website, and it can be a good place to weed out who’s work you really connect with. Magazines and many wedding internet sites now feature ‘Real Weddings’ so you can not only get ideas for your own wedding, but also see a photographer’s talent documenting one wedding from start to finish.
Personal referrals are probably the best way to narrow your search; ask your friends to see their wedding images and if they had a good rapport with their photographer. Look at your catering manager recommendation lists as they have worked with these photographers in the past. They often have recent weddings photographed at the venue you’ve chosen, and it’s a great way to envision how your wedding may look like and get ideas for where you might want to do your formal posed pictures. Hiring a wedding consultant will not just give you more peace of mind; they can often show you albums of photographers they have worked with in the past, so you can let them do some of the screening process to narrow it down to 2 or 3. A professional referral is valuable resource as they usually have worked with other wedding professionals who they trust and are considered the best in their field of expertise. For destination weddings, you may not be able to meet with the photographer in person, but some photographers have a personal interview video to get a virtual feel, and scheduling a phone interview or Skyping is a great way to see if you connect personality-wise. Next to your fiancée, your photographer is the wedding professional you will be most intimate with during and after your wedding, so it’s important to feel really comfortable with them. If your photographer is local, doing an engagement photo session is a great way for both of you to get to know each other before the wedding.
Questions To Ask
Ask if the photographer you’re meeting with and whose work you are viewing will be the person who actually shows up on your big day. Many studios typically do hundredsof weddings a year and may work with a revolving door of up-and-coming photographers. The last thing you want is for a stranger to show up at your wedding, which can spell disaster if your personalities don’t click or you don’t like their work. Find out what happens if your photographer is ill and can’t show; do you get your deposits back or do they substitute another? What happens to your deposit if in an unlikely event you need to postpone or cancel your wedding? Do they offer albums and image proof books? Are the high-resolution images included in the coverage (also known as ‘digital negatives’)? If you are doing a destination wedding or hiring a photographer far from your venue, what are their travel fees? Are engagement photo sessions included or priced separately? What is the cost for additional coverage time, and are they available to cover a rehearsal dinner or next-day brunch? Will the photographer contact you before the wedding to go over details like last minute changes to the schedule (i.e, a rain plan for doing your formal portraits indoors?)
Packages and Pricing
Don’t hire the cheapest photographer on your list if they are not one of your favorites. To quote John Ruskin, “There is nothing in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and he who considers price only is that man’s lawful prey.”
Many photographers have a minimum number of hours they are contracted for, or they provide “complete” coverage of the day, typically 7-10 hours. You can also hire your photographer to get coverage of your rehearsal dinner or post-wedding farewell party if you are having a destination event with many celebrations throughout the weekend. Within a few weeks after your wedding, your images are usually posted to a private website for viewing and ordering prints. Your photographer may also offer the images on a high res DVD (also known as ‘digital negatives’) or may be available for purchase. If you know you want an engagement session, albums and other goodies, many photographers offer a package of goods and services that are written into your wedding agreement and save you money if you were to purchase them separately after the wedding. To hold your date, most photographers require a signed wedding agreement, as well as a retainer fee ranging from $1000 to 50% of the package price. The remaining balance can be due anywhere from 6 months to a week before the wedding.
Get it in Writing
Once you’ve made your decision on who you will be hiring, have your wedding agreement state who will be actually shooting your wedding, and make sure the work you are viewing in the studio is the person who will be showing up. Also get in writing what happens if your photographer is ill or cannot physically show up, and make sure any deposits paid will be refunded. Many photographers require a meals for themselves and their crew, and if it’s in a photographers agreement, make sure you let the caterer know to make extra meals for your vendors.
Commissioning a photographer is like commissioning an artist to create a unique and personal work of art for you, so be very choosy on viewing portfolios, personality and what post-wedding services they offer to show off your wedding. It is the one thing you get to hold on to after it’s all over in a blink of an eye.
THE BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE “A Budget for Every Bride” (2003)
Documenting the reception, and everything else, can be another expense. But photography is one area where no one wants to be disappointed.
Melissa Mermin, a Cambridge-based photographer, changes between $6,000 and $15,000 per wedding.“There’s different artwork out there, and it’s all varied in price” says Mermin. It’s like buying a brand…Look for how much experience they have. But ultimately, it’s really how you feel about the work.”
“It’s the one thing you’re going to have years later to pass on to your children,” Mermin says.
“Everyone is going to forget the food and the place, and the dress is going to be put away. The photographs will last.”
THE BOSTON GLOBE MAGAZINE “A Budget for Every Bride” (2003)
Documenting the reception, and everything else, can be another expense. But photography is one area where no one wants to be disappointed.
Melissa Mermin, a Cambridge-based photographer, changes between $6,000 and $15,000 per wedding.“There’s different artwork out there, and it’s all varied in price” says Mermin. It’s like buying a brand…Look for how much experience they have. But ultimately, it’s really how you feel about the work.”
“It’s the one thing you’re going to have years later to pass on to your children,” Mermin says.
“Everyone is going to forget the food and the place, and the dress is going to be put away. The photographs will last.”
PHOTO DISTRICT NEWS “Double Vision: A Couple of Friends Shooting Couples”
After being a solo photographer for several years prior, my former partner Earl Christie and I teamed up and formed Mermin+Christie Photographers in 2002. We were pioneers of the photography duo, only a handful of couples at the time shot weddings as a team. While our romantic partnership dissolved, we continued to work together for several years as our styles complimented each other.
PHOTO DISTRICT NEWS “Double Vision: A Couple of Friends Shooting Couples”
After being a solo photographer for several years prior, my former partner Earl Christie and I teamed up and formed Mermin+Christie Photographers in 2002. We were pioneers of the photography duo, only a handful of couples at the time shot weddings as a team. While our romantic partnership dissolved, we continued to work together for several years as our styles complimented each other.
BOSTON MAGAZINE WEDDING ISSUE
Portrait of an Artist
Boston photographer Melissa Mermin likes to spend a little time with the bridal party before she takes out her camera at her wedding. Mermin is the first to quip, “just ignore me.” “I want to be as unobtrusive as I can be,” says Mermin, who has captured walks down the isle for more than six years.. “ I want to take photographs with our changing the moment.” So she has perfected techniques of shooting candids and portraits that chronicle a day in the life of the bride and groom with tried-and- true results. Mermin, who combined degrees in fine art and photojournalism with newspaper work, has taken her art of wedding photojournalism to all new heights. She shoots primarily in crisp black-and-white for photos with a dramatic edge and then hand-tints the portraits, using archival inks and papers that are made to last 60 to 70 years without a shift in color. Just think, the portrait will look as beautiful on your 50th anniversary as it did on your first. She prefers to shoot the engagement portrait as a candid with the couple in “relaxed attire and outside in one of their favorite locations, or with their dog … anything that would make them feel more comfortable.” The photo is then enlarged into an 11 by 14 inch black-and-white portrait that is matted framed, and later displayed on an easel at the doorway to the wedding reception. “It’s a nice way to greet your guests,” she says. For portraits taken outside, Mermin keeps the elements simple. “As far as makeup is concerned, I ask the bride to bring face powder, especially when we’re shooting outside and it’s hot and humid,” she says. The bridal party can use a little dusting to prevent the unwanted shine that can appear on the faces in photos. Camera-shy groom? Mermin has a surefire remedy for a tense groom. “I have one of his friends stand directly behind me telling jokes and talking as I’m shooting,” she says. “That way, the groom is laughing and relaxed when he’s looking into the lens.” Wedding photos are usually finished within three to four weeks after the wedding, at which time Mermin sits down with the couple and reviews the proofs. If they’re interested in having a wedding album made, they can then make the photo selections. She uses elegant black-leather albums with black matte pages that frame each photo in style. A favorite wedding photo also can be used as the front of thank-you cards always a nice personal touch when sending them to your wedding guests, she says. Mermin limits the number of weddings she photographs to 15 per year, so she has enough time and energy to devote to each of her clients as they celebrate their Big Day. – B.L. Brynko
BOSTON MAGAZINE WEDDING ISSUE
Portrait of an Artist
Boston photographer Melissa Mermin likes to spend a little time with the bridal party before she takes out her camera at her wedding. Mermin is the first to quip, “just ignore me.” “I want to be as unobtrusive as I can be,” says Mermin, who has captured walks down the isle for more than six years.. “ I want to take photographs with our changing the moment.” So she has perfected techniques of shooting candids and portraits that chronicle a day in the life of the bride and groom with tried-and- true results. Mermin, who combined degrees in fine art and photojournalism with newspaper work, has taken her art of wedding photojournalism to all new heights. She shoots primarily in crisp black-and-white for photos with a dramatic edge and then hand-tints the portraits, using archival inks and papers that are made to last 60 to 70 years without a shift in color. Just think, the portrait will look as beautiful on your 50th anniversary as it did on your first. She prefers to shoot the engagement portrait as a candid with the couple in “relaxed attire and outside in one of their favorite locations, or with their dog … anything that would make them feel more comfortable.” The photo is then enlarged into an 11 by 14 inch black-and-white portrait that is matted framed, and later displayed on an easel at the doorway to the wedding reception. “It’s a nice way to greet your guests,” she says. For portraits taken outside, Mermin keeps the elements simple. “As far as makeup is concerned, I ask the bride to bring face powder, especially when we’re shooting outside and it’s hot and humid,” she says. The bridal party can use a little dusting to prevent the unwanted shine that can appear on the faces in photos. Camera-shy groom? Mermin has a surefire remedy for a tense groom. “I have one of his friends stand directly behind me telling jokes and talking as I’m shooting,” she says. “That way, the groom is laughing and relaxed when he’s looking into the lens.” Wedding photos are usually finished within three to four weeks after the wedding, at which time Mermin sits down with the couple and reviews the proofs. If they’re interested in having a wedding album made, they can then make the photo selections. She uses elegant black-leather albums with black matte pages that frame each photo in style. A favorite wedding photo also can be used as the front of thank-you cards always a nice personal touch when sending them to your wedding guests, she says. Mermin limits the number of weddings she photographs to 15 per year, so she has enough time and energy to devote to each of her clients as they celebrate their Big Day. – B.L. Brynko