5 questions to ask your wedding photographer

Congratulations, you’re engaged! Now it is time to plan your big day. You will no doubt spend countless hours sifting through bridal magazines and surfing the web to find vendors that will help you achieve your dreams. Every vendor is important, but there is one you must know and trust more in-depth than any other: your wedding photographer. This is the vendor that will spend all day with you, and they are responsible for making sure every detail you worked so hard on is documented to relive for years to come. Because of this you want to make sure that you are in sync with their work and personality, but there are also have five questions you should ask to ensure that your photographer is as qualified as possible, and will give you the results you are looking for.

Question 1: Wedding Experience

How many years have you shot weddings? One of the most important aspects of a wedding photographer is their experience. Wedding photography is an art unto itself, and unless a photographer has covered weddings extensively, there are many details and nuances that they will simply not know to cover. You should look at the number of years in the business, and how many weddings they do per year. Of course, quality always trumps quantity, but this should give you an idea of how seasoned they are in shooting weddings.

Question 2: Professional versus the Weekend Warrior

Do you do this for a living, or is it a part-time job? Documenting a couple’s day consists of many different types of photography: fashion, portraiture, food, architecture and more. Because of this, it is beneficial to have a photographer that does more than just weddings, and works full-time, not just on the weekends. A photographer that shoots for a living develops his or her craft much more fully than someone who only does it as a hobby or to make extra income. Check and see if your photographer is a full-time professional, or part-time enthusiast.

Question 3: The Assistant

Will you be bringing an assistant? By having an assistant at the wedding, your photographer is bringing along a second set of hands, and eyes. An assistant enables the photographer to not be bogged down handling equipment, and stay focused on capturing moments. Things happen quickly, and assistant is one of the best ways to make sure your photographer works as effectively as possible.

Question 4: Backup Equipment

Do you always carry a backup camera? Weddings are a once-in-a-lifetime event. No matter whom you choose, there is always the chance that something could happen. You need to make sure your photographer is prepared. Ask if they have at least two cameras, and if the cameras they have are professional series. There is a great deal of difference in the speed and quality between consumer and pro cameras.

Question 5: Two Weddings in a Day

Are you shooting more than my wedding on my wedding day? Always check whether your photographer shoots more than one wedding in a day, or keeps to a one wedding per day policy. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to document a wedding well, and their attention should not be split between two different events. You want your photographer focused on making beautiful images of your day, not on how they are getting to their next shoot.

Wedding Vina/Valpo

ok 8 hours sleep in 4 days and here i am ready to shoot again...This wedding was set in 2 awesome locations, Church on Salinas, Vina del mar and then the officers Naval Club in Valparaiso. Both locations were just beautiful, a great day and with full formal dress there will be some popping image coming out of this set or sure...I did a session with these guys on the beach...see posting from a couple of months ago...they were a little nervous and it payed off as they were great on the day...Only one image prepared just for the blog at this time...more later..i currently have 3 wedding sets and 1 commercial set of images to edit so i will be shckled to my MAC for the next 3 weeks.

Wedding 3rd Dec PUCON, Chile

WOW, this was a fantastic event...too much to write about and I have not time to tell you the storys of this one..Bloody Great!!
I left on the Wednesday morning very early, drove to Santiagoto catch my flight to valdivia, then bus transfer to Pucon...met the bride and groom to cover a tour of the event locations and meet the people involved. Next day was a total of 11 hours of shooting time..what a party!!!..the best carnival session I have experienced..everyone went nuts !!!...got back to the hotel at 4am to get ready to catch the 6am bus to begin my trip home...thinking....GEEZO tommorow I have another wedding AHHHHHHHHH

Heres a few tasters of this event...

Wedding Olmue 28th Nov 20

A very cute country style wedding..heres a few takes from the day. Wonderfull warm sunny day in Olmue with a great group of people from several different countries.

Country Style wedding in Olmue 1/Nov 2009

What a hot hot hot day in Olmue..Based on a parcela at the foot of the mountains in fantastic Olmue this couple had a very counrty style wedding with all the trimmings. Heres a few samples of the day GREAT FUN AND RELAXED...!

.

Vina Wedding 21st Nov 2009

WOW...what a day...Beautiful day..great locations and a fantastic crowd !
I actually found the party of this wedding very hard to photograph as I was constantly laughing at the antics of the guests. This is definitely in the top 3 weddings attended this year, Thanks guys for making me and the team welcome.


Heres a couple of sample shots from the day.

Off to Pucon

So its confirmed, another Austrailian client conirmed. This time its a national destination shoot in PUCON. Truely a spectacular place for wedding photoraphy in Chile. Here's the deal !...2nd Dec 2009...Drive to santiago airport, park car, fly to Valdivia, bus to Pucon. 3rd Dec...Shooting. 4th Dec...bus pucon to Valdivia..fly to Santiago..Drive home to Vina..5th Dec..Wedding shoot Vina del mar. My question is...how Coffee will I have to drink?

I am hoping all the flights and connections run smooth, this being chile we never know right!

in the last few weddings I've encountered some unbelievable delays, for example, a full coach (bus) of 58 guests 45 mins late for a wedding as the driver decided to take a detour on route to get his particular brand of cigarettes in a specific store while on route to the wedding, this not only nearly caused the groom to have a stroke but lost ultimately 1 hour of available shooting light for me and my team. ONLY IN CHILE...well mabe PERU also..

Wedding 14th Nov 2009
Pichidangui, Chile
So...a 2 hour drive north into the 4th region took me to my first meeting with Paula and Daniel. After flying in from Switzerland last week they have been so busy we did not get a chance to meet so all details had been done over the phone and email. This was such a unique event, A church carved into the rocks on the ocean front was the main stage for the ceromony..Very different. Then we took off to the beach for some informal shooting before hitting the beach front hotel for the rest of the day. These guys were great...Willing to get the feet wet makes all the different for a beach shoot...Good Job Guys!...I think you both look fantastic..Next week..Recreo and Vina...watch this space

On the Job !!

If you see me at a wedding...this is how you will recognize me !!! I probibly see about 70% of a wedding with the camera in front of my face so consider yourself lucky.





.

Matrimonio Santiago 7th Nov 2009

Great location, Golf Club, Lo Barnechea, Santiago, Chile.
This wedding was a german Chilean event and brought a huge array of cultures from traditional german outfits to easter island dancing..wow...great job guys...and hey...that first dance...what a show..next week...Pichidangui..









What a great night...I really have the best job in the world..a wedding every week and sharing in such great moments with really nice people.. heres a few quickie preview shots in low resolution...

Hair, Manicure, Pedicure , Nails

OK so here we have a great service and what seems to be great quality work also so for your wedding hair and nails check this out

PELUQUERIAS PALUMBO www.palumbo.cl

Vina
Mall Marina Arauco
T: 56-32 268 0468
marinaarauco@palumbo.cl

Santiago

Alto Las Condes
T: 682 2305

Providencia
T: 862 2311

Check your Date here for Availability

This link takes you to the calender system for Wedding photography allowing you to see if I am booked or free on your event date...If I am already working then I am sorry. Maybe i can help you find an alternate photographer anyway.....

http://cid-968e6e8e1617ddfa.calendar.live.com/calendar/Fotografia+%24s+Photography/index.html

Weekend Couples Shoot

Well Saturday 31st Oct was a very grey day with horriby unspectacular lighting and I seriously considered moving Clare and Marcelo to another weekend to shoot with them, but, I dont have any weekends between now and their wedding day so It had to be done...Regardless we went to the beach to give them an idea of what will be going on for the wedding day. They told me they were very unsure about getting their fotos taken but they were truely great and willing to have fun...Heres a couple of shots...what a laugh we had..Good job guys

Who is actually taking your wedding photos?

After speaking with a potential client for Dec 5th 2009 which I already have a booking for I offered to look at some other options for her to assist looking for an alternative wedding photographer in Chile.

I did some research and sent her in the direction of a couple of photographers I already was familiar with and a couple of others I researched onine.

Three of the five had the date availible but none of them actually attend and take the wedding photographs. They would be sending other photographers that they work with. In many cases it seems that although the photographer advertises under there name fronting themselves as the photographer with their name as the website etc but on your big day you may not get the main person....so....after this discovery I strongly suggest you clarify...Who is actually taking your wedding photos? Many so called or self proclaimed wedding photographers in Chile are in fact filling gaps in their income only by doing wedding photography at weekends. With little experience and no formal qualification take care who holds the responsibillity for recording your most special day.

Entering into the season

So 25th October and the wedding photo season has kicked into full swing. Wedding photographers all over CHile and no dobt the southern hemisphere are now recharging batteries friday and saturday nights until the end of May 2010.

I have finally take charge of someting I was never happy with in supplying wedding photography sevices in Santiago and in Vina del mar. Offering Clients wedding packages for their photographs. It seems so standard and boring. To me, a wedding is so unique and needs a unique approach and a unique construction to the format of the days photography. People are all so different and like different things, to try to provide a package to report such an event is really a comprimise on the part of the bride and groom.

So as of today I will take the details of each event based on what the client needs and wants, not what they can get for their buck. Through customising my wedding photography delivery I am convinced that the type of client I serve will have a greater satisfaction and also allowing me to work outwith the constraints of a package. Weddings require huge amounts of flexibility and adaptabillity on the behalf of the photographers. Packages are a ball and chain for all. Contact me for a sample price on your event. Below on this blog you can see a listing for free quote where you can fill out all your information to recieve a free quote on your wedding photography for events in Chile. for weddings in other countries please contact me directly through www.weddingphotochile.com
( fotografo matrimonios santiago vina del mar chile fotografia boda )

PORTRAIT SESSION IN VINA DEL MAR 17/OCT 2009

Fotogafo de matrimonios en Santiago y Vina del mar

Fotografia de matrimonio GRATIS !!!!!!!

GRATIS FOTOGRAFÍA GRATIS de su matrimonio…… gáne sus fotografías de bodas en 2010!
www.WeddingPhotoChile.com se complace en anunciar a usted la oportunidad de ganar sus fotografías de su matrimonio en el 2010. El sorteo está abierto a todas las parejas en el mundo que estén planificando sus bodas y matrimonio en cualquier localidad de Chile, incluye Santiago y Viña del Mar.
La selección tendrá lugar el día 5 de Diciembre 2009 y el ganador será contactado el mismo día. Los resultados serán publicados en http://WeddingPhotoChile.blogspot.com

Lléne el documento ubicado en http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEg1OG9SNnV0SkRsZ1FxNXJmemxpeHc6MA..

Gane, gana, gratis, bodas, fotografía, fotografías, fotógrafo, matrimonio, Santiago, viña del mar, chile





FREE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

Win Your Wedding Photographs in 2010

www.WeddingPhotoChile.com is pleased to announce to you the opportunity to win your wedding photography in 2010. The competition is open to all people throughout the world planning marrage in locations besed in Chile including Santiago and vina del mar. The selection will take place December 5th 2009 and the winner contacted the same day. Results published on http://WeddingPhotoChile.blogspot.com

Please complete the document located at http://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dEg1OG9SNnV0SkRsZ1FxNXJmemxpeHc6MA..

Win, free, wedding, photography, photographs, photographer, matrimonio, santiago, vina del mar, chile

Wedding Dresses

Great resource for wedding dresses.
www.noviasmariaegenia.cl
Very nice people and awesome quality...very original
Locations in Vina del mar and in Las Condes.

Also have a division for amazing quality flowers....great service

Everything Chile

WOW, This is one of the best resources I have found for EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT CHILE.

These never a question goes unanswered here..
http://www.allchile.net

Wedding Forum

For all things wedding and Marrage visit this FORUM
http://weddingphotochile.freeforums.org

Leave and take information to and from others for all things wedding

Wedding Video para Matrimonios / Bodas

This is a fantastic Video company with years of experience, they are a compan that I highly recommend based on previous experience and other clients experience. Rodolfo Paez is truely a master at his craft.

Visit this link WEDDING VIDEO to see a sample and to get a quotation for your event. It is very portant the the video people and the photographer(s) know how to work together, Myself and my assistants have previous experience with RPS Productions and we work very well together.
You can contact Rodolfo by email at info@rpsstudio.cl or by telephone 56-2-7169860

ESPAÑOL
Este es un fantástico Video empresa con años de experiencia, son una empresas que yo recomiendo altamente basado en la experiencia anterior y otros clientes experiencia. Rodolfo Páez es verdaderamente un maestro en su embarcación. Visita este enlace VIDEO PARA BODAS para ver una muestra y para conseguir una cita para el evento. Es muy portant la el vídeo y el fotógrafo(s) saben cómo trabajar juntos, yo y mis asistentes tienen experiencia con RPS Productions y trabajamos muy bien juntos. Usted puede comunicarse con Rodolfo por email a info@rpsstudio.cl o por teléfono 56-2-7169860

Wedding Stationary

Hello everyone....If your looking for some very creative and original wedding or event stationary. I have seen some stunning results from the prople at STUDIOUS in Vina del mar
contact
LESLIE VOISIER
Art Director
Address: 5 norte 209, Viña del Mar Chile | Phone: 56 09 90997195
Email: lvoisier@studious.cl
Web: www.studious.cl

Consuelo y Raul

Well this was fun...A smaller family event with about 40 people at home for a civil ceromony and then THE PARTY !. Before the event we 3 managed to catch 20 mins on the beach before the sun said good night...Heres a quick look at some beach shots...enjoy

FACEBOOK LINK

(Britanico) Fotografo Matrimonios Santiago Vina del mar bodas on Facebook

Dress yourself to Impress yourself

Attention all brides to be....If you are in Chile, Vina del mar and santiago specifically or, you are getting married in Chile...this place is worth traveling to no matter where you are During one of my weekly marketing walks I stumbled onto this place NUPCIART by Denisse Mora www.nupciart.com Santiago 093374274 / 074982913 Vina del mar 32- 2682521 These are some of the most unique wedding dresses in Chile...I would love to shoot a wedding where the bride has used this dress maker. Check it out !

Fotografo de matrimonios santiago vina del mar

Event Organisers

This is an excellent reference for an event organising company in Santiago. www.milproducciones.cl Contact them and ask to speak to Mauricio

Price Wedding Photography / Precio de fotografia de boda

For a quotation click here
Cotizacion clik aqui

Looking for the finest wedding dresses in Chile...look here

http://www.lasadrianas.cl/

If your looking for unique and finely crafted wedding dresses..you need look no further. These people produce the best I have seen in Chile...in fact...South America...a few of my clients have had dresses from here and they are a pleasure to photograph.

Working with so many brides over the years, I to apprieciate the differences between nice and amazing wedding dresses. Thes are just flat out amazing...the materials are excellent as the light reacts perfectly with them for photography.

Just for Fun

Locations for Weddings in Chile

Hi there,
So your thinking about getting married in Chile ??...well theres a few locations and companies Ive worked with lately and they really impressed me. I will list them at the bottom of this post.
If you already live in Chile then sourcing good locations is easy as you have the means to go and physically see the place to check it out. As a fotografo de matrimonios (wedding photographer) in Chile I also feel obliged to do the same and actively have been. For me it is very important to know the location before the event, know the hot spots and the pitfalls of each location to ensure I bring the best equipment to cover the shoot for the client and also to pre visualise how and what I will use on the location to create the images, ie backdrops, gardens, lighting, reflect, shadows, stairs, architecture etc etc.
It still saddens me that so many chileans have all these wonderfull scenic locations for weddings and choose to perform the ceremony so lte in the day missing out on so much good lighting...with summer coming soon that will change but the last 11 weddings I have covered have been after 7pm in winter...flash flash and more artificial light...if you have the choice brides to be...change the time to suit the sun!!!
So, where do I like to shoot and why.......well as you have probibly gathered by now, any location has its good points but for me...its all about daylight to make you look amazing... If I had to state some preferences for locatios in the Vina del mar city area then it would be

Castle Ross (Vina del mar)
Hotel Radisson (concon)
Sheraton Hotel (Vina del mar)

These three locations have amazing ocean views which also contain some landscape in the backgrounds creating great backdrops for sunset photography. Castle Ross also has the element of architecture within the building and some nice features in its gardens.
If you are looking for a very regal backdrop of a wonderfull old white stone building with mosaic tile floors and stairs and also beautiful gardenrs then, the fine art center in "Quinta Vergara" in Vina del mar has amazing architecture for wedding backdrops and can be availlible for wedding photography with a simple permission from the municipalidad de vina del mar. You can see some sample portraits (retratos) at this location in the Galleria at www.gardnerhamilton.com , select Portraits/Retratos. These images were taken from 2pm to 5pm and the lighting changes can be noticed.

OK Other locations I feel are special...other than the listed above you should look at "Sporting Club Valparaiso" it is actually in Vina del mar about 5 mins drive from centre of town. This old race track has a beautifull old building attached to it with several event rooms all very regal with magestic views and oak panelled walls floor to ceiling. i was photographing a wedding there a couple of weeago and was very happy with the results as the elegance of the bulding amplified the elegance of the event.

Prefer the countryside.....I have one thing to say http://www.indomita.cl/

This is without a doubt in my mind...Thee place to get hitched! the vew, the look, the service...oye oye oye...Located 45mins drive from Santgo and about the same from Vina del mar it is the greatest location no matter where you event. As you can see on their website the location is second to none, both for your event and for the purposes of wedding phontography. The sunset in the valley, the low light beaming down through the rows of vine rees, the mountains, the clean fresh air, the bloody amazing vino...beautiful....romantic...its everything a wedding photographer dreams of.

Event Planners in Chile.....well...its different from say USA for example but hey, their trying!!!...but seriously I ve woed on several occations with a company called CASA EVENTOS ( house of events is the nearest translation) www.casaeventos.cl These guys blew me away, after working in other countries over the years and seeing a lot of styles...these guys I consider to be the masters of their craft in Chile..there food is just down right great and with great presentaation and originality. The visual presentation is beautiful but most of all what stood outo me is something not much found down here at the end of the earth, attention to detail...these guys nail it wonderfully, and to me again this is important as photographs and more so wedding photography is all about details.

so in short here is my list for the Vina del mar area..I will post the same for Santigo soon although....Vina is way more picturesque to begin.

Location (City)
Castle Ross, Vina del mar
Hotel Radisson, Concon
Sheraton Hotel, Vina del mar

Location (out of town)
http://www.indomita.cl/ (I'm not giving you a choice here as I want the best for you lol)

Event Production
www.casaeventos.cl

Contact me if you would like info on other location and even from other cities in Chile and I will try to help you...thanks

Being a British Photographer in Chile

Being a British Photographer in another country means you have offer something special to stand out from the crowd. My proud membership to BIPP helps me to say to my clients that I have the qualifications and skils to serve them well. I am not a guy who just picked up a camera and decided to make some money but I am formally qualified in my field to do so, and will do so with professionalism.

Cotizacion SIN COSTO Fotografia de matrimonios bodas Santiago Vina del mar

Cotizacion Aqui
Click Here


Visit this link to submit your information and recieve your estimation for your wedding
thanks

Blogging

Bloga Bloga Roooooooo !!!!

FREE COUPLES PORTRAITS

This week I have decided to start the free monthly portraits for couples who are getting married. How does it work? ok...all the clients who book with me each month...their names are put into a monthly draw and one couple wins the chance to do a free photosession for couples portraits consisting of around 3 hours of phototime from which they will recieve a CD containing minimum 10 images all full size files, without copyright and ready to print and send. The final images will be fully edited in Photoshop and of full pro quality.

On average I get 8 to 10 weddings per month booked so theres a good chance of winning...Good luck and look forward to hearing from you.
Saludos
Gardner
www.weddingphotochile..com
www.fotografobritanico.com
www.gardnerhamilton.com

The copyright freedom pays off

Well, today I booked a wedding for a great couple, it's a smaller and very private event needing some very specific shots but I know it will be a great shoot. They have great energy and seem very willing to be flexible to help create a range of image styles in a short timeframe..GREAT !.
Something the groom mentioned about why they decided to go with me on this event , other than the fact i;m a nice guy !! was due to the lack of copyright on their images....are they famous you ask?? No...well not that I know of...but his sister 18 months ago got held to ransom with her wedding photographs due to the photographer providing all the images as small file sizes and watermarked. When she asked for the original files to print and email the photogrpher then presented an entirely new set of prices...this is a typical example of what goes on in this industry...Honestly...it makes me sick.

These photographers should have there cameras surgically removed. I would bet something very nice and expensive that the photographer did not even have a registered copyright to fight a case with..unfortunately in many cases the client just wants their images without more problems or without the risk of getting no images so they pay up...terrible.

So I rest my case with the copyright free images for clients.....

Pro or Hobby Photographer....whats the difference?

I remember when I first started out in photography, what seems like 2 lifetimes ago..and I remember asking a seasoned Pro " what's the difference between a pro and a hobbiest photographer? " he looked DOWN at me and replied in almost a whisper, as if it were top sectret " a pro will keep less than 10% of what he shoots, a hobbiest keeps them all."

At the time i was 17 years old I did not realise the significance of this statement but over the years it has became more and more prevelent and has always almost haunted me. Do I count my total shoot images to ensure I keep less than 10%..NO..but after I do my first cut, second cut, edit then final cut...im always testing myself to see what % I do keep.. While not to satisfy the old man watching over me from somewhere today, but more as a guide as to how accurate I am performing when I pull the trigger. I like to assess myself in this matter.

The reason for my assesment is in my understanding there are two Schools of Photographers, one school of photographers know what they want, create and capture...the other school is the school of shoot and hope...the gaurdians of post production!!!.. While both can create fantastic images there are two very different mind sets..one of pre creative vision and one of post creativity..to have both is the key. So...back to my assessing of me...I assess my keep image volume because if i shoot for example a wedding and with 600 frames i keep 100 then for 500 frames I have not been thinking...while during moving events like dancing etc I may run a sequence of frames at high speed this maybe accounts of another 100 of the 600 said possible shots...so now I say for 400 frames was i guesing and hoping...the very thing I despise?...NO longer the case because after the first 3 weddings I ever photographed I realised that the point and shoot at everything and hope to catch is what the untrained, unqualified, and non pro photographers do....spending many many hours in post production. By putting the thinking head on I can reduce my shoot and strike rate to a 35%-40% keep rate.

Now, what does this mean for the client...in reality..nothing...this saves me time and makes my work more profitable....The only possible gain for the client is they get there images faster and the image contant is less random and more composed. Where possible, taking 2 seconds to think before shooting can save hours of trawling through hundreds of images containing silly errors and can save hours of photoshop time.

So other than the fact of a pro photographer making a living from photography and hopefully being qualified to some level or having a natural abillity I think the difference between a pro and hobby photographer is how your mind is thinking before you press the button or, not thinking. When filling your refridgerator counts on pressing the button at the right time it changes the thought pattern..if it doesn't then enjoy your hobby!!!

getting married in Chile, matrimonios en Chile

Matrimonio en Chile…


Getting Married in Chile..

So…your getting married in Chile, or your thinking about it…well, without a boubt, Chile has some of the most stunning locations and backdrops I have ever seen. As a photographer the entire content of the photograph is very important to me, not just the subject but the entire composition. Chile has some amazing elements to offer for your wedding location from vine yards to mountains, snow, beaches, desert, glaciers etc etc etc..

Something to be aware of if your coming to Chile for your wedding is that most of the ceremonies take place after 7pm meaning that at many times of the year there is very low natural light or even none at all. In all my years as a wedding photographer I have always preferred the results using natural light for obvious reasons but in Chile, the system provides for evening weddings mainly meaning many of the photos have to be taken with artificial lights and flash. While this still produces perfectly good photos, it never replicates the beauty of natural light. So…if you have the option, set your church or ceremony time for around 4pm, after the main heat of the day and into the soft evening light…this may sound trivial but makes a world of difference to the resulting images and video.

Fotografo Matrimonio Boda Santiago Vina del Mar

ENGLISH BELOW

http://www.weddingphotochile.com/

Bienvenido al Blog de Gardner Hamilton (www.gardnerhamilton.com) y la fotografía de boda de Viña del Mar y Santiago de Chile.

(www.weddingphotochile.com) Este blog es para compartir experiencias e ideas, conceptos y problemas con la fotografía de bodas en Chile.

ENGLISH

www.WeddingPhotoChile.com


Welcome to the Blog of Gardner Hamilton (http://www.gardnerhamilton.com/) and Wedding Photography for Vina del mar and Santiago, Chile. (http://www.weddingphotochile.com/)


This blog is to share experiences and ideas, concepts and problems with wedding photography in Chile.

In my experience, Chile has some very capible photographers but they lack innovation in composition and a deep enough knowledge of post production (eg - Photoshop) to produce the high quality Fine Art style photography required for wedding clients.


In nearly all of the weddings I have photographed in Vina del Mar and in Santiago, local clients always require an album containing printed photographs. This is obviously the tradition in many countries but, after working in several northern hemisphere countries such as United States, Canada, Japan and many locaions in Europe I notice a trend change where 90 percent of clients now only request images on a digital format (DVD / CD).

The freedom of the digital image gives clients the availibility to email and print at their own control. The problem then begins with Watermarks!!! As a pro photographer for many years I realise the importance of a photographer protecting his copyright and his work. In my opinion this is for the commercial side of photography. Many of the photographers I have encountered in Chile do not even own their own copyright yet cover there images with a bold watermark stating protection. This as in other countries is a way to ensure clients have to return and pay for more images.


In my mind and looking to the future, I see this as the rope with which they hang themselves. I prefer to give the client disks of full size, copyright free images for them to do with as they please. This means I do not make resale on the images but for a wedding, seriously...how many clients come back year after year for prints....come on photographers.....cut your clients free...


My next BIG ISSUE with images in Chile is print quality. Chile has one pro lab and to be honest it has failed me twice already. While they have state of the art equipment...they pay no attention to paper humidity levels and ink tempratures so all their fancy gadgets become useless. The turn out the same quality upto 20"x16" as the regular Kodak store in the street. For high quality large prints I still use the USA.


What struck me the most when arriving to Chile 18 months ago was the huge demand for informal wedding photography, the opposite of the northern Americas where the formal pose and fine art portrait is a key element of the event. Just last week i was shooting for a couple from Santiago who had a fantastic wedding event at Sporting Club Valparaiso http://www.sporting.cl/ A bueatiful Venue and a great event hosted by http://www.casaeventos.cl/ . This particular client wanted only informal photos, which turned out to be great as they were all party animals and were dancing crazy all night. A far change from the very rigid and formal events timed to the second in other parts of the world. Using some super wide angle lenses (10mm) my assistant, Mauricio, and I captured some very different images using monopods to shoot from different perspectives and give alternative views of the event..A SUCCESS !


Next week I am working with a Canadain couple who tie the knot on a roof top at midnight in Santiago...i will let you know how that goes.