Herbert & Nina (Destination Wedding, Germany)

It was another great destination wedding, this time in Germany. After some days of rain the sun was shining just for the right day. The wedding was celebrated at the most awesome locations in my favorite german city, Bamberg. And the ceremony was held in the old cathedral of Bamberg. Great? Awesome!

Herbert & Nina are such a wonderful couple, look how happy and relaxed they enjoy their great day and how beautiful the bride looks in this awesome dress!

Congratulations, thank you to let me be a part of your wonderful day!

Old but still great: This Land!

Have fun today and enjoy the past. Who knows what the future will bring :)
If you don't already know it, discover JibJab. Watch one of their greatest flash movies, This Land!

One day of summer. And some portraits.

It was said to be maybe one of the last days of summer. With really hot weather up to 30° Celsius, great to go to the lake, swim, relax and meet some friends.

We took the chance and visited some good friends that live near the lake of Lucerne, Markus and Gisela. It was really time to go because I never met their youngest family member Loris till today. He's one year old now and super cute. As I am a photographer and specialize not only in wedding photojournalism but also in portraiture and family photography, I was honored to shoot some relaxed portraits :) OK, maybe he's not that convinced about what I'm doing... I hope later in his life he will love this shot nevertheless.

Actually I was first asked to shoot some new portraits for the passport of his elderly brother Silvan, turning 4 years old in 2 weeks. But as Silvan didn't like the idea to have pictures taken of him - even when he was explained that without passport he would not be able to join the family for holidays - I started with some classical shots from the back :)



But finally we found the smile we were looking for. With a little bit of mum's help :)



Of course he was able to do it better all on his own:





OK, I think Silvan is ready for holidays :)

Post production

Clients often don't understand what "post production" means, why it is necessary and why they have to pay for it. That's why they negotiate to have the job done without. Normally just for the sake of saving some money. But would they be happy with the final result if they got the images without allowing the photographer to finish his work? I don't think so. They will say he's a bad photographer - while comparing his work with other photographers that certainly DO post production, of course! And they will neither book him again nor recommend him to other prospective clients.

So let's dive into the subject. Why does it need post production and what is it? Compare the two pictures below. The difference is called post production :)

This is the untouched photo straight out of the camera:



It's a nice, acceptable shot. Exposure, focus and colors are OK. But not more. That's what you get (or maybe less) if you hire just the cheapest photographer to cover your wedding or another high end event. Often they work the "shoot to burn" style: shoot the wedding and just burn the photos right from camera to a CD and hand them over to the couple, without any post production or retouching. It's obvious why "shoot to burn" photographers can offer their services for a very low price. They don't need expensive tools, not years of learning and acquire skills, no time at all after the wedding for finishing the pictures and no backup strategies. The photos are ready to deliver to the client at the moment they are shot. That's where their workflow ends.

And that's where the workflow starts for the "other" photographers.

This is what the picture looks like after some work in Photoshop, called "post production" (click to view it big):



The image has been lightened, converted to black & white, added some sepia toning and the texture of an old paper to give it the taste of an old photo. To make the picture something unique and special.

[Working with "textures" like this is very modern at the moment in photography, check out the website of the master of FineArtTextures, Jesh de Rox!]

In the previous post (open the link in a new window to compare the pictures "side by side") I used the same photo to announce the slideshow of Sibylle & Jan. The picture is in color but nevertheless did get some post production: lighten, color correction, contrast bump, a little vignette and sharpening.

Post production needs time, knowhow and sometimes special tools and software. That's what you pay the photographer for. Not just for showing up with his fancy camera for 10 hours at your wedding. Also cheap photographers can afford an expensive camera. That's not what makes the difference. It's the photographer's eye and creativity, his knowhow and professionalism and what the final result looks like. After post production (And that's also the reason why photographers are not payed for the amount of hours they are "on location").

If you're fine just getting average (or below) images of your wedding, go ahead to hire the cheapest photographer you can grab. But don't expect wonders and don't be disappointed afterwards.

If your main concern is the quality of your wedding images and the album, examine the photographers' work well and ask them the right questions before you sign the contract.

Every couple should choose the photographer that fits its needs, style and budget. And it feels comfortable with. It's OK to hire a "shoot to burn" photographer. If you know the difference and are aware of the limitations this might bring. But don't expect wonders. As everywhere else in business, what you pay is what you get! The choice is up to you.

Enjoy your wedding day! It will be an unforgettable moment in your life. Hopefully you picked a good photographer and will enjoy his work for a lifetime.

(If you are more interested in the photography business read John Harrington's great book Best Business Practices for Photographers or his blog Photo Business News & Forum.)

Did it! Slideshow Sibylle & Jan (Wedding)

Brand new hot stuff! :) Another great couple that tied the knot! Watch the slideshow of Sibylle & Jan on my website www.danielzihlmann.com or **CLICK HERE** to jump directly to the slideshow. Enjoy! :)

Alive and kickin' :)

I had quite a busy July with two great destination weddings (France and Germany) and another wedding in Switzerland. That means also a lot of post production work to do. But now I'm catching up :)

What is in the works right now:

• Sybille & Jan (Wedding): Slideshow
  
• Herbert & Nina (Wedding): Gallery

Stay tuned!

Sibylle & Jan (Wedding, Switzerland)

More pictures and slideshow of Sibylle & Jan coming soon!

In the meantime please check my latest slideshow of Claudia & Timo (wedding) on my website www.danielzihlmann.com