A good wedding photographer should know when to direct and went to observe and capture candid moments during a couple's big day. This splendid wedding that took place at Liberty Grand was filled with emotions and this particular page of the wedding album features one of them.
It is often said that a photograph is worth 1000 words. In this image, the predominant words to describe it would be: love, happiness, intense emotions.
Seconds after the bride and groom saw each other they hugged and kissed with passion. It was in that moment when I captured this frame.
I attend many wedding photographers meetings in the greater Toronto area and I'm surprised how much talent the city generates every year. Even new photographers hit it out of the park once in a while creating masterpieces of wedding photography. However, very few take the time to critique their own work and to improve their craft.
Several years ago I had the pleasure to discuss what makes a good image with a great artist considered one of the top wedding photographers in the world: Roberto Valenzuela. He gave me a priceless piece of advice: to improve your craft, always analyse your work after the special day.
I know many professional photographers who have been documenting weddings for more than a decade and the best ones have something in common - the always strive to improve over time.
To make a long story short, let's take a look at the merits of this image. It is a environmental portrait of the couple captured with a wide angle lens. That allowed me to feature not only the bride and groom but also the beautiful architecture of the building behind them.
When using a wider frame, I managed to offer a variety of looks to my clients. Besides the close-up portraits, I also like to show the beauty of the wedding venue for which couples spend tens of thousands of dollars.
Many professional photographers prefer to use the telephoto lenses because it makes their life easier. The composition data have to be outstanding when he shoot tight. You don't have to think about leading lines, patterns, frames and so on and can only focus on the moments unfolding on this special day. However, the great artists are those who can deliver phenomenal imagery that emphasizes the subjects and captures the environment.
As a professional Toronto wedding photographer I pride myself in delivering the best quality photos to my couples. To offer them a perfect depiction of their wedding day, I spent a significant amount of time post processing the images. In the overcrowded Toronto wedding photography market, this sets me apart from the crowd. Some studios offer free engagement photography while others provide discounts. In a desperate attempt to book more events, I even saw photographers offer photography and your fee at the same rate. However I feel that offering a free engagement session or video devalues the brand and cheapens one's work. Instead, I would rather offer a short time to my couples while maintaining my hourly rate.
Some confessors of mine would argue that my rates are very affordable but I beg to differ. In fact, my profit margin is as high or higher than that of all the photographers due to the cost efficiencies I implemented in my workflow.
Coming from a corporate environment where every penny mattered, taught me to be thrifty and provide value to my customers. As such, I have obsessed with automations and I'm passing my savings to the couples. It is the same strategy that allowed Walmart to become one of the largest retailers worldwide.
Speaking of post processing, my first step is to collect correct images in Adobe lightroom. Afterwards, I take all the photographs into Photoshop to polish them. As far as I know, no other wedding photographer in Toronto does that. In fact I consider the professional look of the images I deliver my sustainable competitive advantage.
Location: 25 British Columbia Rd, Toronto, ON M6K 3C3.
