Making memories

I'm fast becoming a Pinterest girl. I pin a LOT. And I love seeing what others pin. It gives me a LOT of good ideas for clients and myself. And as much as I love what others are pinning and the ideas I get, it also makes me want to scream sometimes.

A big pet peeve of mine is when people post photographs and say, "I want that pose." The photo is of a moment in time. It's not a pose. It's a bride and her niece dancing. Or it's the couple starting a second line. For example, this pic of my husband and I with our second line umbrellas taken by David Paul Studio -

Would I have loved a fancy pic of us posing with our umbrellas like everyone else has? Probably. But I also love this moment that was captured....of me basically having the following conversation with my northerner of a husband -

Him - "What am I supposed to do with this?"
Me - "Walk...just walk and bounce."

And that's what we did and I have this picture to prove it :)

Yes, previously I said to look at other photos to see what photographers have to offer, but I meant look at their style and if it's something you think you might like and if they capture moments. Please remember that life is about living and your events are short. So enjoy every minute of it and let the photographer capture.

Is this entirely too harsh? I know my job is to be on your side....to talk to the photographer and make sure he/she knows the photos you want. And I am on your side. I want you to get the photographs from your event that you WANT. But my job is also to help manage expectations and keep things in perspective. You want to create your own memories; not recreate someone else's memories. Please keep that in mind. 

To tip or not to tip?

The service industry is all about offering skills and knowledge as a product. It's a service. A service shared with the client or other people. Services are not necessarily always tangible. For example, I am offering you the service of  my professional organizational and planning skills to help you execute your event. You can't touch my professionalism or organizational skills, but you will see the end result - a successful event. In fact, there is a whole industry called the "Service" Industry. It includes everyone from the posers on NOLA streets, event planners and the hotel concierge at front desks to the public relations officer and photographers. 

Each person in the service industry is there to help, or service, you. Well, have you ever wondered if and how much you might need to tip them? 

A tip, or gratuity, is a sum of money given to certain service industry workers for a service performed or anticipated in addition to what they may make on their salary. Many service industry professionals depend on tips more so than their salary so it's important for us to consider then when thinking about whether to tip or not to tip. To help us out in this area, I did some research and found some help in guiding us through the tipping process. None of this is new, I just gathered, edited and put my own twist on the information and put it in one place for a reference. 

Tips are based on several things. First, tips are most often based on a percentage of the total cost of services provided (for example, when dining out, it's customary to tip 15-20% on the total or pre-tax total). Because we're all based in different regions and standard of livings can vary greatly, percentages help standardize how much we should tip . Second, tips are also based on the quality of service. How well did the professional do in providing you their services? A waiter who did extremely well might deserve a 25% tip; someone who did poorly, 10% tip. Should we ever not tip at all? Probably not since, like I mentioned before, the service industry depends on tips as income. If it was that bad, talk to a manager so the waiter or service professional can learn from their mistakes. 

Most of the time tips can be handled in person as your finishing your event; however, sometimes timing can be an aggravation. For example, at your wedding you don't need to worry about handing out money. Give it to your coordinator or "go to" person to hand out during the night. Other events, ask the service professional when they'd like to receive it. And even if you can't tip, if you want to give a gift, that works too. It's all about showing appreciation for the services provided. Which brings me to my last point, a genuine thank you goes a long way. 

Looking for YOUR Event Photographer

My last post was about working on my photography and items I wanted my client to keep in mind as we go through planning her event. Here are some tips for finding the right photographer for you and your event.

Experience - How much experience does this person have with your type of event? Is this their hobby or their job? For example, I do photography for fun because it's something I love. I've been doing it for a while and still have a lot to learn, but I can certainly give you a good product as well. Which leads me to my next question: do they have a portfolio (or blog) you can see?

Their Style - What style are you looking for when it comes to the finished product? Are you looking for documentary, formal, whimsical, classic? Study different photographers (if you do not know them, I'll research and send you some to consider) to get an idea of what you want. Something in particular to think about is posing. Some photographers are really good at still shots, but not so much with candid photos. What is most important to you? Think about it and look for those characteristics in their photos.

YOUR Style - More importantly, what is your style. Look at your past photographs you love of yourself and others. If you're not comfortable with posing or "modeling" don't hire someone or let someone pose you. You're paying a lot of money, you should get what you want.

Appearance - Meet with different photographers to get a feel of how they present themselves and their staff. If they show up to a meeting in their pajamas, is that really who you want? How do their staff dress and present themselves? Staff may be new to the business but they should still know how to dress. A photographer (and videographer) should dress for the occasion and blend in, not stand out.

Personality - Along with appearance and your style consider their personality. Can you talk to your photographer? Does he/she understand what you want? Are they willing to work with you on this type of event? Is their a "chemistry" between you and the photographer or is it completely awkward?

Client References - Ask photographers for references you can talk with, not just listed on the website or blog. Get an idea of what others thought and who they would recommend for your type of event.

Vendor references - How well does the photographer work with other vendors? Talk with your videographer, caterer, venue and see if they worked with the photographer before. Who do they work well with? How did their experience go with your potential photographers?

Other items to think about:

• pricing
• proofs
• turnaround time
• contract and requirements/limitations
• equipment
• time available

I know this is a lot to think about when choosing a photographer, but considering all of this will go a LONG way in making the actual event run smoother and ensure you get the product you want.

Photography and Specials

My first client turned out to be an old friend, which makes her special. Not only is she special, she is also taking advantage of the 2013 special (http://itsyourtimeevents.com/Specials.html). Keeping up with my photography reminded me throughout the day things/ideas/shots she might want to think about. For example, what pictures she wants on her big day? Who in particular or what in particular? What is most important to you? I'm going to ask her to make a list and I'll check them off as we go through her big day. After all, that is my job :) I'm also going to share this list with the photographer (or make sure Lorey has) so he knows exactly what's going on as well. Keeping everyone on the same page ensures things on her big day will go smoothly and she'll get exactly what she wants in the end.

It was also nice to be apart of today because it allowed me to meet the important people in her life!  Here's a sampling from the day.