First, think about what will remain after your wedding aside from the memories. The only tangible reminders will be your wedding rings and your photographs. Thirty years from now, you will still look at your wedding photographs and they are probably even more valuable at that time, than a month after your big day. If you look at it this way, you might understand that wedding photography is actually quite important.

Perhaps you are one of those couples that are considering to ask a friend to do their wedding pictures. Think really, really hard about if you want to go there. They might take GREAT landscape or pet photos, but that doesn’t mean that they will be great wedding photographers. Working on a wedding means working in a stressful environment where there are no second chances. Do you really want to put that responsibility on a friend? What if he messes up? Don’t you think that might ruin your friendship? You really want to hire an experienced photographer that can work in a stressful environment and will keep their calm.

We are saying all this, because we would hate it if anyone looked back on the photos of their big day and realized too late that they would have been much better off with a professional wedding photographer. Everyone plans to get married only once, and there is no way you can repeat your wedding if the photos didn’t turn out. So please think about this when you’re making your decision.

The image below is a ring shot from Em & Glenn’s wedding. I love their custom made rings, especially Em’s “oui” ring. They designed that themselves, isn’t that awesome?!

There are many different advantages to a first look and we want to talk about some of them. First of all, a first look is great for the couple. You get to spend this special moment with just the two of you. You can do whatever you like; there’s not two hundred people watching. Of course, we will be there to capture what’s going on, but we will not be intrusive or say anything. We let you have as much time as you’d like. A first look is much more intimate than waiting to see each other at the ceremony when you cannot really enjoy the moment as the ceremony is about to start. Our experience is that the first look is much more magical than waiting until the ceremony to see each other!

Secondly, the first look is an opportunity to spend more time with your guests. You will only get to spend so much time with them at your wedding and in order to maximize this time it is best if you can move directly from your ceremony into your reception. So if you were to do a first look before the ceremony you can also do the entire portrait session with the two of you and with the wedding party in the morning as well. That means you do not need to go away after your ceremony and can start your reception right away!

Thirdly, a first look is also great for your photographer. They will be able to create better images if the people they are photographing are relaxed and not feeling like they need to hurry up to get to the reception. Of course, there is the ceremony to get to, but with good planning and preparation there should be plenty of time for great photographs without any stress. Typically, after the ceremony your wedding party will be ready for food and drinks, so they will appreciate it if they can get to the reception right away. And as we’ve mentioned before, the images from the first look will probably be some of your favourites from your wedding. There is nothing more intimate than the moment when you see each other for the first time on your big day.

We recommend considering a first look to all of our clients. However, we do understand that this is a very personal choice, and we want you to know that we respect your decision, whether you choose to see each other before the ceremony or not!

The images below are from Kris & Eileen’s wedding. They chose not to only do a first look in the morning, they also shared their vows with each other in the morning! This is what they had to say about their experience: “[The] first look was a great idea by Rosanne. It allowed us to share in our excitement and joy in privacy. We were able to say our personal vows to each other with full intention and to get the “nervous jitters” out. When it came time to walk together down the aisle we were no longer nervous and could focus on the day ahead.”

The question about the copyright of your wedding photos (or any type of photo taken by a professional photographer) comes into play when you purchase the digital photographs from your photographer. By the way, we hope that everyone understands that photographic prints are not meant to be scanned on a home scanner and then reprinted. When you do this, it means you’re hurting the reputation of the photographer that created the photo, because the reprint will not reflect the quality that the photographer provided.

Let’s assume that you have purchased the disc of the digital images. Most photographers will give you a so-called “image usage licence” which basically means that you are given the right to make prints with the digital files. This does not mean, however, that you own the copyright of the photos; that is a different thing. The contract between you and the photographer will specify that they still have the full legal rights to the images, but the client will have the rights to reproduce the images for personal use. It will be illegal for you to sell your photos, or enter them into contests, for example. After all, you aren’t the person who made them. Typically, a photographer will never sell the copyright to an image, unless it is for a very high premium, as it means that they loose all the rights to the image.

You can compare photographs with other artwork, such as paintings. When you buy an original painting you can compare it to purchasing copyright of a photograph. It means you OWN the piece. It will be a very valuable piece of art, because there is only one original.

The same applies to photography. Photographers are artists and there is only one original photograph and one copyright holder. Most of the time you would choose to receive just the personal usage rights to an image, which can be compared to a reproduction of a famous piece of art. There is a price tag, but it will be a lot more affordable than the original.

Just a side note here that photographers always have the moral rights to their images (even if they sell the copyright). Moral rights to an image means that photographers have the right to have their name associated with their work, and also the right to the integrity of their work (so no clipping, cropping or editing of the image).

You might have noticed that we didn’t say “digital negatives.” That is because the digital photographs you receive will typically not be the files straight out of the camera. In the film days when you were given the negatives, they were the files that came straight out of the camera. These days, photographers spend a lot of time working on the images after the wedding in Photoshop and other progams to make the image look its best. Sometimes people think that with the switch to digital cameras photography has become less expensive, but it is the complete opposite. Yes, photographers don’t need to buy rolls of film, but there are lots of other expenses that weren’t there in the film days (such as retouching software and storage of all the terabytes of photographs they shoot every year). And don’t forget the amount of time a photographer has to work on the images, while in the film days they would simply drop off the rolls at the lab. Nowadays a photographer will typically spend a week on one wedding! That’s a lot of work for one day of shooting!

We hope that you understand a little bit more about the copyright to your images. If you have any questions that we left unanswered, feel free to contact us!

Vendors:
Wedding Venue: Whitley House
Officiant: Janice Whaley
Caterer: HeavenScent Catering
Cake artist: A Wee Cupcakery