Monthly Archives: October 2012
You have all heard about Bridezillas. Those terrible, overbearing, control everything brides who expect every professional vendor she hires to bow to her will or be devoured. Luckily, in my 20 years in the wedding industry, I have run across only a few of these creatures who destroy weddings and leave a trail of unhappy professionals and bewildered guests in their path. But what I have noticed becoming more and more of a trend is what I like to refer to as the unbridezilla. What is this you may ask? Well, let me tell you.
The unbridezilla is armed with a double barrel shotgun approach to their wedding: “I don’t know” and “I don’t care”. These are the two answers a vendor will receive to 95% of the questions asked of them. A recent conversation I had with one of these lovely species of bride:
“Your ceremony is at XX…
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Wedding Cancellations Are A Bummer
But they do happen and I just had one happen recently. I never like to get that message, but it happens at least once a year. That’s why I wanted to post a reminder to couples to read your contracts carefully and make sure you understand what your signing. Don’t be afraid to ask questions.
Most wedding vendors will have retainer amounts in their contracts. This is an amount that the vendor will retain if the contract is canceled by the couple. On my contract, the 1/3 paid at the time of the contract signing is a retainer that is nonrefundable. I also have all payments made within 30 days of the event are nonrefundable as well.
You might be wondering why. From the time we sign a contract together, I will turn everyone else away when they contact me about the date, potential income I’m turning down. I can only afford to do this if I know I’m absolutely going to get paid on the date I’m holding. Re-booking the date with a new couple is nearly impossible because the couples I turn down have booked with other photographers. So that’s why we have to have a retainer policy in the contract.
You’ll want to think about who is signing the contract, too. For instance, I had a situation where the soon to be mother in law paid for the photography, but the bride signed the contract, making the bride my client, not the mother in law to be. Any credits or refunds that might be due will go to the bride because she is the one I have a signed agreement with and only her.
Anyway, I always hope to not have cancellations in the first place. I’d rather be working and doing what I love. Read your contracts, keep copies of them, and make sure the appropriate person signs the contract.
Nice post with lots of great information. Thanks to Gema Ramadhan for posting.
LENS ELEMENTS & IMAGE QUALITY
All but the simplest cameras contain lenses which are actually comprised of several “lens elements.” Each of these elements directs the path of light rays to recreate the image as accurately as possible on the digital sensor. The goal is to minimize aberrations, while still utilizing the fewest and least expensive elements.
Optical aberrations occur when points in the image do not translate back onto single points after passing through the lens — causing image blurring, reduced contrast or misalignment of colors (chromatic aberration). Lenses may also suffer from uneven, radially decreasing image brightness (vignetting) or distortion. Move your mouse over each of the options below to see how these can impact image quality in extreme cases:
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| Original Image | Loss of Contrast | Blurring |
| Chromatic Aberration | Distortion | |
| Vignetting | Original |
Any of the above problems is present to some degree with any lens. In the rest of…
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Don’t Miss This Bridal Show at The Clarion October 21, 2012 Shepherdstown WV
Journal’s Bridal Show Held at The Clarion in Shepherdstown
 On October 21st at the Clarion in Shepherdstown WV The Journal will be holding a Bridal Show. Brides- and grooms-to-be will pack the luxurious Clarion Hotel & Conference Center in historic Shepherdstown Sunday October 21st for The Journal’s 15th annual Bridal Fair. This is a FREE event and vendors will be giving away great prizes. Crouse Photography will give away a FREE Engagement Session voted for by brides on a recent poll on my facebook page. Here’s a link to some great advice for booking wedding vendors. What to ask and what to look for before you sign a contract. Think you can’t afford a professional Wedding Photographer? Read this blog post before you decide. |
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 In other news! Some of you may know that I am also an indie author. If you have a kindle and you love to read, then you should get my story, Fortune, while it’s available FREE. October 4th and 5th If you received a fortune cookie that said you were going to die, what would you do? Unlucky Sarah goes on a hunt to find out who gave her the fortune and why. What she discovers will change her forever. Fortune is an 11,000 word story that will keep you at the edge of your seat. YA and adult fiction fans alike will enjoy the ride this story will take you on. You won’t be able to put it down. |
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