After the marriage ceremony, a bride and her bridesmaid are showered in rose petals by the groom and groomsmen. Vermont is the ideal location for many destination weddings.
Michael's Weddings
FAQ
Do you make prints and albums?
Yes. I personally craft my prints on state-of-the-art Epson large format printers. I use Hahnemuhle Fine Art Paper or Epson Fine Art Canvas with 100 year plus archivability. I proof and print these custom prints to a standard that exceeds that of any professional photo lab that I have personally worked with. I offer several types of albums and folios that you may purchase from me a la carte; please ask for more information if you are interested. Prints start at $40, silk hardcover albums start at $600, and handmade albums at $1800.
After our wedding is over, how long before we see our photographs?
Within a few days of the wedding (except for ones that require travel), I will have posted a web gallery of 100 or so of my favorites. You will then receive a disc within 3 weeks of the wedding and you may take these to the lab of your choice if you would rather print them yourself.
How long do you need to make portraits?
If it is after the ceremony, I need 20 minutes of prime-time with the couple and an additional 20 with the bridal party. In an ideal world, I would love an hour, if you can give it; but portraiture is not meant to be the defining experience of the day, your celebration is, and I respect that.
Any other combinations that are important to you, I would like to come after. Keep in mind that even for the most enthusiastic subjects, there is only so much portrait-energy (for lack of a better term) that people have in a day, and we want to make it count. It is a question of quality vs. quantity.
Does it help you if we make a list of photos?
When I make a wedding portrait, it is my responsibility to capture you and your spouse at your best on your special day. For me to do this, I need you caught up in the magic and unconcerned about an unfinished list of portrait combinations. Certainly some of you may think that if it is on the list, it is therefore off your mind; but in reality this is rarely the case.
If it is absolutely important to you to make one, I would love to work with you and the list; but I ask to please keep it brief and we'll schedule an appropriate block of time for it after the bride and groom portraits.
Do you work with an assistant?
I do, but this depends on my needs for the day. There is freedom to working alone, quietly, low-key. This is the way I usually work. At weddings where I know that it will be a little more technically demanding, it helps to have an assistant. I do not charge more for the use of an assistant.
Should we meet before our wedding date?
In an ideal world, absolutely! However, as most of my clients do come from afar, meeting up isn't always practical. The very best thing to do is a couple's portrait session so we can warm up and get to know each other a little. Meeting for coffee or lunch is also fun. I at least encourage talking on the phone and I am most always available for that. Don't be afraid of bugging me. This is part of my service to you.
Do you scout locations before you shoot?
I do whenever I can. I am happy to meet you on location if it works with both of our schedules. Whether I scout before the wedding day or not, I always arrive more than several hours early to get to know the area and introduce myself to the staff.
Our wedding is on such and such a date, can you pencil us in?
I am afraid that I cannot. It is first come, first served and I require a $1000 retainer fee and signed contract to book you for your date. I do only one wedding per day and if I am required to travel around the wedding event I book those days as unavailable as well.
Do you charge for travel?
No, I do not. My rates cover my own travel and accommodation. I know how much time I need to arrive and scout locations and how much it costs me to do so. I don't want to nickel and dime and I like to keep it simple for me and for you.
Do you mind using our frequent flier miles?
Yes I do, and I prefer to book my own travel and lodging (though I understand if you have a lot to use up). I learned this the hard way, but this is for the best for both of us. I am oh-so-close to efficient and inexpensive travel and having control over my schedule allows me to bring the equipment I need and to guarantee you that I will arrive on time and in top form.
What kind of equipment do you use?
I have redundant gear of the best professional equipment available. Is this important? You bet. There is a difference between consumer, "prosumer" and professional equipment. Gear does break down and you need to have backup. I have three camera bodies (A Nikon D3s and two D700s); a variety of lenses (the 16mm fisheye, the spectacular distorsion-free 12-24mm f/2.8, the all purpose bread-and-butter 24-70mm f/ 2.8, the magical portrait specialist 85mm f/1.4, the long 70-200mm f/2.8 VR and the really long 300mm f/2.8 VR). All have their use in the style of imagery I am after. For my lighting I use Nikon speedlites; studio lights including Dynalite, Elinchrom Ranger, and an Alien B ringflash... and heaps of reflectors and light modifiers to coax the light when it isn't so cooperative. Then there is all the miscellaneous extra batteries, extension cords, light stands, etc. In case you are wondering, yes, I am well-insured.
Are you a gearhead?
Umm, I guess so. OK, I never get ask this one but I feel I need to explain myself a bit. No, good photography is not about the gear; great images can be made with plasticky-little cameras made for small hands and with lens-glass that likes to flare anytime you point it close to a light... However it is my responsibility to you as your photographer for a one-time event to have the best and most reliable equipment that I can. It is also my personal need as an artist and craftsmen to have access to a properly equipped toolbox. To consistently be able to capture extraordinary moments and make good portraits in a limited amount of time requires a variety of equipment and experience of how to use it. And, no I don't use every piece of gear on every shoot; depending on the situation, I use what is necessary and appropriate.
Did you go to school for photography?
I didn't. I actually hold degrees in Spanish Literature and Outdoor Education. In the end, making my living as a photographer is my calling and I am glad that life has led me here. I started by assisting both wedding and commercial photographers in 2002 and freelanced my own commercial work, sports photography, and photo-J with small publications until 2004 when I opened up my own studio. It was in 2005 I supported myself solely by my photography and soon thereafter specialized in shooting weddings.
Why weddings?
It is the funnest and most interesting kind of photography. No more 30-second-portraits-of-grumpy-executives for me thank you very much. Personally, I'm smitten with my amazing wife Marie-Eve who celebrated with me our relationship in a marvellous little autumn wedding where it snowed and the caterer's food cart tumbled over; all part of the fun. Basically, weddings are awesome and so are people in love.
Do you use Adobe Photoshop?
Yes, of course; every photographer does and has to. I treat it as an electronic photography darkroom rather than an electronic band-aid. I use it mainly to convert my images to black and white and to prepare prints. My basic workflow is that I shoot my images in RAW, which are essentially digital negatives (jpgs are not digital negatives and contain substantially less color and tonal information in them than RAW files), and upload them into Adobe Lightroom for editing, archiving and basic RAW file preparation. This entire process usually takes about two days.
Where is your Blog, Facebook, Twitter, etc?
Oops. I've been meaning to get around to it. The computer is a time-sucking monster and to stay fresh I limit my time on it to the tasks that I truly enjoy. I absolutely love every aspect of my experienced and well-honed photography workflow, from time on the camera, to making prints, and to placing stamps on your package. This is what you would hire me for right? That being said, I've been dabbling in the Facebook thing for Michael's Weddings a little bit lately and plan to have a larger social media marketing presence in the near future. I know, I know, it is a way for people to get to know me, see my work, raise my web presence, etc… I do enjoy following my other photog friends in their blogs but for me personally it really isn't my thing. Click here to see my fledgling Facebook Fan Page.
What do you wear to weddings?
In Canada and Northern US, I usually wear a black dress shirt and black or dark grey dress trousers and black dress shoes. The weddings I've done in the tropics depends on the style of the wedding but they've involved light colors and fabrics.
Do you photograph other things?
Yes, a fair amount of personal work; my baby girl is frequently on the other side of the camera as is my wife. I have also done a few fine art print series and art shows involving underwater and nature photography. I do get portrait and commercial commissions from time to time as well. To see some of my other professional work, you can go to http://michaelalbertphotography.ca
Who is your inspiration?
Too many to list here, but I'll name a few names. Sebastiao Salgado does incredible black and white film work and he is my all time favorite (I am not a huge fan of his site and you might have better luck googling his name in google images). Antonin Kratochvil makes raw and edgy portraits and still shoots with film as well. James Nachtwey is a dedicated war photographer; his brilliant coverage of conflict zones is very disturbing but original and makes you pay attention. I find the flat dreamy light of Erik Almas's commercial work very appealing. Henri-Cartier Bresson, Annie Leibovitz, Mario Testino... the list goes on and on. Then there is Jacques Cousteau, The BBC Plant Earth series, The Blue Planet...