Tamea Burd Photography. Your life is beautiful.

Langston swings

2008-04-25T17:15:00.000-07:00

Doing a photo-shoot for a band. We were in a park and took a break by playing on the swings. I love this shot, he looks like a little kid.

Almost Spring!

2008-03-17T00:29:00.001-07:00

Raindrops on green shoots. It's almost Spring!

Have a 'Green' wedding! Hire a digital photographer!

2008-03-05T08:04:00.000-08:00

There are many simple ways to have a ‘Green’ wedding and hiring a digital photographer is one of the easiest ways of all…

Why go digital? Well, here are a few reasons:

Receiving your wedding or portrait photos on DVD and/or CD is more cost effective and more ecologically sound than paying for up to several hundred printed photos you may never even use.

It’s commonly known that the chemicals it takes to develop and print photos are toxic. As is the process for making the paper to print them on. That paper is chemically treated in a variety of ways and photo-paper is not known for being recyclable or recycled.

And film itself is responsible for a large contribution to environmental pollution. Most especially because of the emissions of methylene chloride, which is a solvent used in the making of photographic film. Very, very toxic.

Then there’s the processing. For every roll of 24 film prints, at least 4 ounces of chemicals get poured down the drain during the processing. Down the drain means in our water systems and leaching out into the soil.

Silver is also used in the processing of film. As a matter of fact, around 40% of all the silver consumed in North America has been used to make photographic materials.

Silver is discharged from film processors, such as photo labs and hospital x-ray units, in the form of sewer sludge. Silver ions can be more toxic to water organisms than mercury.

Recently, the Stockholm Water Authority in Sweden noted that the rise of digital photography was a major reason why silver pollution had diminished by half in the city's sewers in just five years. .. Proof that choosing a digital photographer really does have a positive effect on the environment!

Of course you’ll want to have a few prints made up for framing, but when you receive your wedding photos in digital format, all you need to do is choose just a few shots to be professionally printed, instead of dozens. Or you can even do your own printing at home.

Another really great thing about having your images in digital format is that they’ll last forever… While film images will deteriorate over the years, digital images can be safely archived indefinitely without ever losing quality.

For more information on many ways to go ‘Green’ for your wedding, visit http://www.blueplanetwedding.com/

Hiring a wedding photographer - The important questions to ask.

2008-02-17T04:08:00.001-08:00

So you’ve narrowed down your selection of potential wedding photographers. You’ve now got to decide between two or three. You like their work and they have similar rates and packages. But you still aren’t sure who to hire. What else can you do to help make your decision? Contact the photographers who made it to your ‘short list’ and ask them some key questions…

The rates are important, yes and of course you’ll want to inquire about them. But once you’ve got a fairly clear idea of the amount you can expect to pay, there are several other things you should make sure of as well...

The first and maybe most important question you’ll want to ask: Does the photographer provide you with a detailed shot-list to fill out prior to your wedding?

This list is invaluable for you and for your photographer. On this list, you’ll fill out the names of the wedding party and family members so your photographer knows who is who, without you having to take time from your wedding day to make extra introductions.

Then you fill out information about the various shots you want. Do you want photos of the wedding party getting ready? Bridal party and groom’s party? Do you want family photos before and after the ceremony? Do you want photos of the cake cutting and the signing of the legal documents? How much time are you allotting for each activity?

All of these details (and more) can be arranged with your photographer weeks or months in advance by filling out this shot list. This ensures you and your photographer both know what to expect and how much time you have for each location and activity. Things go so much more smoothly when those things are worked out ahead of time!

Another important question to ask your potential photographer: If you hire them, will they give you a free consultation before your wedding date?

The answer to this should always be yes. Whether it’s in person or by telephone, at least a few days prior to your wedding, you and your photographer should have a one-on-one discussion about the kinds of photos you envision for your wedding day. Especially if you plan on having formal/posed shots of the bride and groom alone. Where would you like to do those? Would you like them to be posed, or would you like something more casual? Do you have any special ideas in mind? These are things that are best discussed in person with the photographer so you can both be clear about your vision and your needs for your wedding photography.

A question that should definitely be a deciding factor in who you hire, is: How soon after your wedding can you expect to receive your photos? Anything under 30 days is reasonable. More than 30 days is not.

A few other things you may want to ask about as well:

Does the photographer have portable lighting in case of bad weather or in case of a dim, indoor location? You want to be sure to hire someone who is prepared for any eventuality.

Do they work in digital or film or both? These days, most photographers work strictly in digital, so you’d think you wouldn’t even need to ask. But occasionally a photographer will use both and you may want to specify this just in case there’s an extra charge for whatever they shoot in film.

A VERY important thing to make sure of before hiring any kind of service supplier for your wedding - including your photographer – is if they provide a contract and invoices and/or receipts. Don’t hire anyone who doesn’t provide you with some form of documentation for your transactions. Contracts and invoices/receipts are for your benefit and protection just as much as they are for the tradespeople and service suppliers you hire.

And always make sure you get a signed contract upon paying any deposit fee.

Which reminds me… You should also ask your potential photographer if they require a booking fee/deposit. A professional photographer will require this, so expect them to say yes. The average professional photographer doesn’t tend to charge more than $500 for a deposit, often a bit less. This deposit guarantees the photographer’s availability for your date and time.

Make sure that the booking fee is refunded from the total sum agreed upon for your wedding photography contract.

And you should ask when you’re expected to pay the entire sum for your wedding photography. Some photographers invoice you after your wedding, some require full payment by the day of.

Either is acceptable, but more often than not, you’ll be expected to make the full payment on or before your wedding day. This applies to paying videographers as well.

One last thing you might want to ask is if Photoshop image re-touching is included in the photographer’s rates or if they charge extra for that? It’s something that should be included; charging an additional fee for re-touching is a bit unscrupulous.

In this age of digital photography, Photoshop (or an equivalent program) is exactly like a darkroom. Contrast and colour are corrected and adjusted. Blemishes are removed, focus is sharpened, effects can be added, images can be produced in black and white as well as colour.

Making these adjustments to photos is all part of a professional photographer’s job and you should not be expected to pay extra money for this service. If someone doesn’t include this service in their photography rates, I would recommend that you hire someone else who does.

Now that you’ve asked these questions, you can base your decision on the answers you get from the photographers you’re considering hiring. And you should expect a conscientious photographer to ask you some questions too.

We’ll cover those next!

www.tburdphotos.net

Valentine

2008-02-14T03:43:00.001-08:00

Hearts are beautiful.

Anjou Pear

2008-02-12T02:07:00.000-08:00

The colour was so rich and red, I had to take a photo before this pear was eaten.

How to choose a wedding photographer. Part one: Rates

2008-01-21T01:11:00.000-08:00

With so many photographers available, how do you know who to choose for your wedding day?

The first and most important thing is to make sure you've taken a good look at their website and/or portfolio. If their wedding images suit the style you're looking for, that's a good start.

But there are many other factors to consider and price should not be the most important. Because that old adage 'you get what you pay for' tends to be true in most cases. Which is why deciding to hire the least expensive photographer is not often the best choice. Someone who charges much less than standard professional photography rates is not a professional.

How can you tell what the difference is between amateur and professional photography rates? It's fairly simple…

Anything less than a thousand dollars for four hours (or more), is too good to be true. Those 'cheap rates' are almost certainly someone just starting out in the business.

Which is not necessarily a bad thing, but you run the risk of hiring an amateur or hobbyist photographer who may not have proper skills, experience or equipment. Someone who is new to shooting weddings may not know how to dress or act professionally at your event or how to be inconspicuous while still taking the very best shots of you and your day.

In Vancouver, standard rates for professional wedding photographers - with good reputations, good portfolios, good equipment and a wealth of experience - start at $1200 dollars for four hours and can range as high as $5000 or $6000 for longer, more involved shoots.

The highest range is for the well established photographers with many years of experience and a strong body of published work.

If you're hiring someone for two or three hours, expect to pay at the lower end of the scale. If you're looking for someone to shoot your entire day – from the wedding party getting ready at the beginning of the day all the way through to the reception at the end - expect to pay at least $2000.

Why? Well, professional photographers charge professional rates for a reason. They have high-quality equipment, they have years of experience and they give the very best results.

Bear in mind that a photographer's work is not done once they've taken several hundred photos of your wedding. All of those photos have to be edited and worked on. In this age of digital photography, most times that means a photographer will spend another several days working on your pictures in a computer image editing program such as Photoshop.

When you're hiring someone to take photos of your wedding, you're also paying for the many hours of work they will do afterwards to make your pictures just perfect for you.

Ten years from now, you may not remember exactly how your cake tasted, or what songs your dj or band played. Your wedding photos (and video if you have one) will be the one tangible connection to your memories of that day.

Your wedding day is one of the most special moments in your life. It deserves the best documentation. And that’s worth paying for.

Next time: The important questions you should ask when you're choosing a photographer.

http://www.tburdphotos.net/

Mira

2008-01-05T02:34:00.000-08:00

While I was shooting a portrait session for my friend - and brilliantly talented singer - Mira Black, her shoe came undone.

Sometimes - often - my favourite photos are the random, almost accidental ones... Mira bent over to do up her shoe-strap, I decided to take a picture. Didn't focus, didn't adjust for light, for motion or anything else.

And it's one of my favourite shots from our session. Mira is a jazz singer and looks very much like one in this picture.

http://www.mirablack.com/

Softly shining in the snow...

2007-12-26T22:51:00.000-08:00

This is my favourite photo from the last month or so. It's on West 10th Avenue in Vancouver. The street with all the beautifully restored heritage homes.

The lights on this bicycle shine all year around. In the snow, it looked like it belonged to winter faeries.

I pictured them resting it against the tree, while they silently painted frost masterpieces on all the sleeping windows of this street.

I'll be home for Christmas...

2007-12-24T00:18:00.001-08:00

Standing inside a bank, looking out the window at all the last-minute Christmas shoppers, I noticed this man.

He wasn't asking for spare change, he was just sitting on his milk crates. Every few minutes, he'd put his head down and sigh so deeply I could see his shoulders move.

The Santa hat is why I had to take his picture through the glass. From inside, where it was warm and people were taking out great handfuls of money to spend on mostly useless gifts.

'Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled.

2007-12-22T09:02:00.000-08:00

The sky has been so uniformly grey for what seems like months. Vancouver may have more temperate weather than the rest of Canada, but every December I think I'd almost trade the above-zero for a week of sunshine and ice.

Almost. I'll have to spend a few weeks one winter in Winnipeg and then see how I feel...

Walking to pick-up a Christmas parcel waiting for me at the post-office, keeping my head down against the weight of the sky, I saw myself reflected in a pool of bare branches and rain.

Silent night...

2007-12-21T12:32:00.000-08:00

In the dreary, damp rain of a Vancouver winter, I was so happy when we got a whole two days of snow.

Walking through my neighbourhood with my camera, I saw at least ten other people taking photos.

Funny to live in a place where snow is a delightful novelty...

This picture looks like Narnia to me.