DVP Trash the dress

Happy planning,

Dani

DVP Shoot List

Happy Planning,

Dani

DVP Web Blog: Locations

Happy planning,

Dani

Just click on this link to see my first attempt.

http://www.youtube.com/user/DaniValiquettePhotos?feature=mhw4#p/u/0/gEzdAv6bQ2Q

Enjoy and happy planning.

Jenna with her Attendants

A parent album can be any number of pages; 12, 24, or 30 are common page numbers, and often it contains many of the same pictures you have chosen for your own wedding album. The album should tell the story of your wedding day and reflect the photographic style that better reflects your parent’s. (This might be the same as your own, but my experience is that parents do prefer the more traditional photos.)

Jenna with her Parents

It is a good idea to talk to your parents about what they would like in their album. Perhaps they would like more pictures of the church or ceremony then you selected for your own album.

Jenna and Dan: The View

You’ll need to keep in mind the number of “detailed” photos that were included in your package. If you pick too many new pictures, you’ll risk going over your allotted amount.  Of course, if you feel that these photos better express the day from your parent’s perspective, we can work together to determine which to include without inflating the price past your budget.

Happy planning,

Dani

The Proof is in the Pudding

A common question from clients is, “What is a proof?”. And the confusion is warranted because depending on the photographer “proof” can have many meanings. In short, when you get a proof from me it is a picture from me that has been colour-corrected, maybe the exposure has been adjusted, but there is no Photoshop magic. (And how we love the Photoshop <3, don’t we ladies?)

Don’t forget all wedding packages come with a proof book to help you choose the pics for your wedding album.  If a picture calls for it to be converted to black and white, I’ll usually do that in the proof book so you have an idea of the overall feel of the photo.

Digital Proofs

What about digital proofs? All your proofs are available online in your password protected gallery. (Remember, the point of this is to share it with all your friends and family!) You will also be given a proof disc.  These are the files from which your proofs were printed. They are low resolution files (meaning they will look like ca-ca if you blow then up past 8×10 inches) with my website on them. Feel free to email them to Nana in Maine or post them to your Facebook wall.

So that’s a proof.

Happy planning,

Dani

18. Wedding day! Here is the bad part, your final balance is due. (Sorry to rain on your big day.)

Now that is over, so let’s talk about the good stuff. You’re getting married today! Relax, enjoy the day because the truth is you can’t do anything about the weather or your brother-in-laws hair. (Though I do agree with you it is awful!) You have completed the agenda; we know what we need to do; now let’s follow the game plan.

I am not going to say too much here about the pics that day, but read the articles in your wedding package from some great tips and hints on getting great images.

19. Watch the blog for updates on your wedding. I love to blog about every wedding that I shoot. Want to know what images I love from the day? Check it out.

20. About three weeks after your big day you will get access to the client site of www.daniellevaliquette.com to view your proofs (on website). You will also get a proof book.

HINT: The first time you see your prints write down your reactions to them.

21. Live with your proofs for at least a week. Decide what images you want in your album, which you want on the walls, which you would like for your thank-you cards, which you would like to give to your parents as gifts. And don’t forget to direct your friends and family to the client gallery. This way if someone wants to purchase a print they can go on the site and do this themselves.

Your prints are delivered about three weeks after the order is placed. Would you like the print framed? I can do that!

Don’t feel like you need to pick every single picture for your album. Sometimes a good album design includes pictures that you would have not thought of using or in a way way you may not have thought of presenting it. If you have 30 images that you love, let Danielle provide you with suggestions.

Now, you have delivered me the pictures and if you are doing printed albums we design the album. Once the design is complete, we’ll sit down and review the digital document of your albums. If you love it, you and your finance sign off on the album or we makes your suggested changes.

Once we have sign of your album and the parent albums are delivered to the printer. It can take anywhere from 4 to 16 weeks to get your album. It depends on the printer and the time of year.

22. Think you’re done with us? Though it might not be for everyone, you may want to consider a “Trash the Dress” session. What is TtD? Trash the Dress works under the assumption that you have no plans to wear this dress again. The bride puts her dress back on (usually on the 1rst anniversary or very close to it) and together we take some unconventional photos. Some things we’ve done in the past include going to a gritty location like a warehouse, construction site, or abandoned building. And as the name suggests we trash the dress. Again, this might not be for everybody, but for the more untraditional amongst us it is a unique opportunity to get some really different pictures.

As you can see from this process, we are committed to the wedding photography process. Depending on your wedding requirements the relationship can last a year. Many of my wedding clients extend this relationship for years once they have children.

Oh and don’t forget the last step.

23. Life happily ever after.

Happy planning,
Dani

How it will all go down:

1. We meet to discuss your photography requirements. It is always helpful (but not necessary) to bring a list of questions along. There is nothing too silly to ask. Besides, we’ve heard it all. We’ll work together to complete the Bride and Groom questionnaire to make sure that we are a fit.

2. Determine if Dani is the right photographer for you. When hiring a photographer there are two things that are paramount: 1. the style of the photographer and 2. if you get along with the individual and think you can work with them. Basically, do you give?
Someone might be a phenomenal photographer, but their style might not be yours. (Ever been in someone’s house and thought that the décor of their home was wonderful, but just not for you? Photography can be like that.) Hire the photographer whose pictures evoke emotion in you. And not the photographer who is award winning (though certainly it’s always a bonus when they are both evoking and award winning).

Most important is how you and your fiancé get along with the photographer you’ve hired. (This is one reason why an engagement shoot is so important, but more on that later.) Does your photographer make you feel comfortable? Does she help you get great pictures? Does she make you feel relaxed? Does she make you laugh?

3. Hire Dani!

4. Review process document. We’ve written this document so that you know exactly what to expect from you, and in turn, we know exactly what it is you are looking for. This will tell you what to expect when, and how much.

5. Chose your wedding package and discuss the requirements. By this point, you have most likely determined what it is you are looking for, as well as your budgetary restrictions. You’ll need to consider:
•    Your budget.
•    The hours you need Dani
•    If you want a second/third photographer.

Chose your album and print requirements. This doesn’t mean you can’t change your mind later, but this way we have an idea of the “end game”. As your photographer, this helps m know what it is I need to ensure I get. Also, this tells me about you and gives me little hints about you and your fiancé. The more I know about the two of you, the better suited your pictures will be towards you.

6. Sign the contract. This means that I’m your photographer! Yippie!

7. Give deposit. (The “yucky” part.) A deposit of 50 percent is required to save the date.

8. Deliver bride and groom package. This contains a bunch of “goodies” for you and your fiancé. Some of it is some interesting marketing material from vendors who provide items for people who are embarking on adventures like you are, but more importantly it contains valuable information about the pictures that are going to be taken on your big day. Also, don’t forgot to check out the blog at www.daniellevaliquette.com for tips and tricks.

9. Sign the Model Release form. This is a document that is essentially part of the contract that reminds you that Danielle Valiquette Photography owns the copyright to the pictures. Really, all this means is that I will post them on my website and blog. (Don’t want your pics posted? No problem!) This model release form pertains to the engagement shoot, the wedding day, as well as a “trash the dress” session, but it does not pertain to any boudoir images. If we shoot any boudoir images the release of these are done on an image-by-image basis. This means if you don’t want to share these, you don’t have to! (Want to know a secret? I didn’t want mine posted.)

10. Read all the helpful information in your wedding package.

Also, don’t forgot the blog. I love to blog about the weddings and shoots I do and give little tricks and tips about how to get the best images possible.

In addition to the documents that include tip and tricks, you and your fiancé will get a Wedding Day Shoot List. Honestly, this is just a standard list I use to facilitate discussions about what pictures you NEED to get to make yourselves happy (and possibly the happiness of your extended family members). And this is where you’ll tell Danielle Valiquette Photography about any “sticky situations”. For example, if your Aunt Vera hates your second cousin Sam, but both are coming to the wedding and your fiancé’s Mom wants a family shot together, so you think it would be funny to place them beside one another. Let me know! Or more likely, you have family members that have promised to grin and bare it on the wedding day, but you prefer not to push the envelope by putting them cheek to cheek in a photograph, this is where you let us know.

11. You may not know all the details of your big day yet, but the Wedding Day agenda in your package will get you thinking about all the details you need to start thinking about. This agenda will be filled out by you so that Dani knows exactly what’s going on and when. We don’t want to miss a moment!

12. Book the boudoir shoot. Okay, girls, this one is normally just for you. Not that I wouldn’t take pictures of a guy in their underwear, in fact, I’m all for it! It is just that boudoir is traditionally of the bride. So what is boudoir? Check out the website for some ideas, but in a nutshell it is tasteful shots in your lingerie. These make a great gift for your finance. Talk about something special just for him.

Consider doing boudoir shots as part of your bachelorette party. It is a whole lot of fun. You can rent a hotel room or do it at your place. Get the girls together, some wine, a make-up artist, your best sexy things, and prepare for some fun. The best part you get great, professional images (of something you most likely are not going to do every year of your life), and your best girlfriends are all dulled up for a night one the town. If you have rented a hotel room you and the girls also have a place to come back and crash after a night of dancing.

So that is steps 1 to 12. Head back to the blog next Matrimony Monday for the next steps.

Happy planning,
Dani

My last post was a little about Dani the artist, but what about the business side? Danielle Valiquette Photography is different from other studios in another important way. Sure I am artist, but I approach what I do in a systematic fashion (thanks to a background in sofware project management), so that my couples and families know exactly what to expect and when. Sure you’re hiring an artist, but not some loosey-goosey studio. You are not getting a photographer who works 40 hours Monday through Friday for someone else, and then picks up his camera Saturday because it seems like it might be a fun way to spend a few hours. (Mind you it is fun.)

Each couple gets a client package that includes information on how everything will roll out over the next few months. Remember, the relationship with your wedding photographer sometimes lasts as long as a year. You want that relationship to run smoothly and without obstacles. Your package includes things like:

• Bride and groom interview sheet where we make sure that Danielle Valiquette Photography is the right photography studio for you. Does our style make sense for you both?
• A wedding day plan that we create together to make sure that the day goes off without a hitch. We can discuss possibilities you may not have thought of. Perhaps you’d like to do pictures that day after the ceremony to ensure you have lots of pictures of the two of you.
• A contract that protects your investment.
• Tips on how to dress for the engagement session.

If you want to know more about me drop me a line at dani@daniellevaliquette.com.

Happy planning,
Dani

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