Shoot and burn, also known in photography as “kill it and bill it” is when at the end of the day, the client receives a CD-ROM of the photographer’s work, and that is it. But in the end, is that all you will be left with? What about the album, the enlargements, and the prints?
After the honeymoon, when you go back to work, or are expecting a child, will you have time to consider enlargements, prints, or design your album?
As stories of your life are passed down to your children and the next generation, surely your wedding will be a hot topic, and nothing can bring that story to life the way your photos can. So why not spring for the album? The enlargements? Or calendar version of your photos? How will the start of your family’s history be remembered?
With improvements in technology, home computing and photo processing it is enticing to think you can produce the album, prints, and enlargements on your own. You can go to online to ShuterFly, Picasa or stop by Walgreen’s which offer low prices on these services and more; but what do you get? Who is processing your photos? And what recourse do you have if you don’t get what you want?
The Art & Craft of Photography
While many brides these days still attempt to save money and time by asking their photographer for a CD-ROM; they are discounting the time and the process of post-production work. In this case, I can assure you that the short term loss of a few extra bucks will be your greatest long term gain.
In most cases a photographer does carry a laptop and can burn you a CD onsite. And that is it. But what about the post-production? Cropping, color-correction, special effects, black & white, sepia tone, retouching and more.
These are the reasons a photographer shoots. In the spur of the moment, the photographer doesn’t have time to crop, color or adjust white balance; they have just enough time to capture the moment.
1. Cropping
Perhaps the most important step in the art of post-production is the Cropping. This is when the photographer analyzes each photo individually and determines the focus point and the message of each image. While an unprocessed photo may look sharp and magical to you, the photographer is able to reshape and reposition the subjects in the image to make them stand out much more effectively.
The color photo (left) is very sharp and captures a valuable moment of closeness. The cropped photo, (right) however, really paints a picture of intimacy not quite present in the color photo. The choice to convert to black/white further illuminates the subject. Click photo to view larger and notice the difference for yourself.
2. Color Correction
In the Color Correction step of the post-production the photographer can really hone in on slight imperfections. What may look like a great shot may still be a long way from perfection, and probably has multiple areas which can be improved. Lighting, skin tone, and day or night time ambiance are all attributes which can be noticeably improved with just a few minutes of deeper inspection by a trained eye.
3. Color, Black & White, and Sepia Tones
In the color photo, the subject has redness in her skin on her chest, a bright white spot of over exposure on her forehead, and light breaking unevenly through her veil. The choice to switch to black and white has lessened the harshness of light on her forehead, evened out redness on her chest and evened out the break of light in her veil. Click photo to view more closely.
Color Saturation, Black & White or Sepia tones are an area where the photographer’s knowledge and experience can truly make a difference. Some photos tell a better story in black & white or sepia tone, and it may not be obvious when you’re staring down a deck color photos which ones would benefit from this process. And, while many home softwares can convert photos to grayscale, a professional photographer has the ability to properly proportion the color ratios that are converted into black and white, rather than having to accept a software’s best guess.
4. Special Effects
Special Effects are where the photographer’s magic really happens. Where a great photo can become the vision of a dream, or the subject of a little girl’s fantasy. Many photographers can frame a great shot, meter the light and position a subject. But, if you look at any exceptional wedding photography it should be immediately obvious that the photographer went to great lengths to envision the moment.
A fantastic example where special effects makes a dynamic impact on the image of bridesmaids. Color on black/white in addition to a unique bordering which serves to really center the subjects and make them POP!
Unless you know how to perform these tasks yourself you are really only getting half the work, at a premium price. Why lay money down or your wedding day for only half of the job?
At Duron Studio Photography we don’t like to send you off empty handed. We highly recommend that you make the most of the experience while its happening. However, if you’re going to wait on an album, enlargements and prints, you may want still want to consider paying for post-production. That way, your event is still fresh in our mind when we sit down to edit and produce. And when you realize what a task it is to arrange extra services down the road, you’ll be more than half way towards preserving the memory.
