Information about Doubletree Lloyd Center Weddings: Doubletree Hotel & Executive Meeting Center Portland-Lloyd Center 1000 NE Multnomah, Portland, Oregon, United States 97232 Tel: +1-503-281-6111 Fax: +1-503-284-8553 The following is published by kind permission of Tamara Orton, Inner Spirit Photography: A few years from now, while your gown is safely nestled in its archival box and the stale, year old cake top has been eaten; you may want something more to help remind you of how you felt on your wedding day. It might be then when you realize just how precious your wedding photographs are. Wedding photography dates back as early as a few years after the invention of the camera itself. It has become a cultural norm to display the wedding photographs of our mothers and grandmothers as a historic record of one of the most wonderful days in their lives. It is no wonder that many couples feel choosing who will photograph their wedding day is one of the most important decisions they will face in planning. Finding Local Photographers Considering this importance, how will you find out who the wedding photographers in Portland Oregon area are? Luckily, there are many resources available to you. One popular way to search is to use the internet. Simply type the words " portland wedding photographers " or " oregon wedding photographer " or " cancun wedding photographers " or " jewish orthodox wedding photography in portland " or "doubltree hotel lloyd center wedding" ; in your favorite search engine and you will be provided a long list of sites to visit. Many photographers who have websites include galleries of dozens of images, answers to many questions you may have and a bit about their pricing as well. Much research can be done sitting in front of your computer in PJ’s! Your friends, family and local vendors may even be able to recommend a few photographers to you. Their good word holds much merit as they have had first hand experience with the photographers they are recommending to you. They may even have samples they can show you which brings us to the next topic- style. Wedding Photography Styles Every photographer has a style which is all their own. However, wedding photography can be categorized into four distinct style types: 1) Traditional wedding photography is characterized by a heavy lean towards a more formal, posed style. The emphasis is on formal portraits. "Candid" photographs may also be included but tend to not make up the majority of work. 2) Artistic Style is characterized by creative interpretation of your wedding moments. Artistic elements such as line, shape form, light and movement are used to create images which might remind you of work you might see in an art gallery. 3) Fashion Style is characterized by a modern, posed or prompted look. Edgy colors, lighting and environments give a progressive feel to the imagery much like the images you might see in advertisements for clothing designers in your favorite magazines. 4) Documentary style is a very hands off approach. The photograph adopting this approach will allow wedding moments to happen with no interference and will tell stories with the photographs they make. Some photographers may lean heavily toward on style while others may incorporate combinations of these styles in varying doses. The photographer you choose should have work which speaks to you. The Consultation Once you narrow your list of potential photographers you will need to make an appointment to meet with them. Something to consider during your visit is how well you like their personality. You will be spending a lot of time with them on your wedding day and you will want that time to be spent with someone you like to be around. You will want to view sample images and albums to check for quality and consistency of their work. You might also want to ask a few questions. Here are some suggestions for questions you might want to ask: Who will photograph my wedding? Does the studio subcontract with other photographers, or will the person you meet with be the one who photographs your wedding day? If a different photographer will shoot your wedding, can you view samples of their work? What is included in the photographer’s fee? What services and products are included in the money you will invest? What products are offered and what are the costs of these products? How and when will you see your wedding images? How do they handle the portrait session during coverage? Some photographers have specific policies regarding the formal portraits which might include seeing your fiancé before the ceremony. Some brides and grooms prefer this approach while some do not. You might have a few other questions. Make sure to write them down and take them with you so you will remember to ask them. You might notice the question commonly listed "What equipment do you use?" has not been included. If you love the images you are seeing- if the quality is acceptable to you, it matters little whether the photographer used medium format, digital or crayons to create it. (I’m kidding about the crayons by the way ;) ) The Investment Your wedding photography budget will depend on many things which no formula can determine. If photography is very important to you, you will want to budget more for it. If it is not, budget less. The local price range for photographers can range from 500.00 to 6000.00 or more depending on the level of service and quality of products offered. Somewhere within that range lies the perfect photographer for you. Why Hire a Professional? I cannot tell you how many emails, phone calls other conversations I have had with people telling sad stories of how they trusted a friend, relative or amateur to photograph their day and how many images were lost due to inexperience and equipment failure. A wedding day is too important to hand the job over to someone with little or no experience and hope for the best. Booking your Photographer Once you have done all of the research, how do you decide who will photograph you wedding. The decision can be based solely on one word- trust. Since you have spent much time viewing portfolios and meeting with photographers, you should make your decision based on who you feel you can trust to handle the job. Your next step is to book as soon as possible. Many photographers book 9 to 12 months in advance. To book, you may need to pay a retainer and sign a contract. From there, all systems are go and you can move on to other wedding planning decisions trusting your photographer to capture your day beautifully. We also carry coffee table style or magazine style albums, along with Graphistudio, and leather albums. Return to top Evrim Icoz Photogarphy provides fine art wedding imagery for local weddings in Portland, Vancouver, Mexico, Sayulita, Cancun and Oregon area and is available for travel. Please visit our website to see our portfolio and to read more about our services.