Paulo Jordao Photography - BLOG

Hi everybody, This is Paulo Jordao I just got this article published. I hope you enjoy it. 

Professional Photographer - Are You Kidding Me? 

Would you agree with the statement that no matter what profession you look as an example, some professionals are better than others and that for some reason, they produce better results, better quality, better services and etc?

That is how most of people decide to hire their accountants, doctors, lawyers and etc - Somehow, in their mind, such professional’s expertise or the services that he or she provides justify the investment that their clients will make.

If you only needed a doctor to prescribe some headache medicine, you wouldn’t spend your time and money going to an expensive specialist. You would probably go to the closest doctor’s office in your neighbor or the cheapest doctor in town to prescribe that for you. But if you need a more complex diagnostic or a specialist to treat a serious illness, for sure you would drive or invest whatever was necessary to have the best doctors and tests that you could afford. Wouldn’t you?

That is a real fact that you might have to deal on a daily basis for whatever services you might need - You would go as far as necessary or invest as much money as you could possible afford depending on the importance or the urgency of your specific situation or necessity.

That is also true with Photography…

If you need few cute pictures of a family vacation or your kids little birthday party that you only bought some sodas and a cake - no special decorations, clowns, balloons and etc - you could probably have anybody with a descent digital camera shooting them for you (yourself, a cousin, a stranger passing by, etc).

But, if you need someone to capture the images of some unique and special moment of your life - a Wedding, Bar Mitzvah, Sweet Sixteen, Pregnancy, New Born, Special Family Portrait and etc - You might consider hiring the best Photographer that you can afford.

With the digital era (where you can find some good semi-professional digital camera for under $800) and so many people without a job, it is very common to find so many “amateurs photographers” trying to offer you a good deal.

Here are some tips to help you finding a Real Professional Photographer:

1) Website- The photographer has to have a nice website with samples of the event that you need him or her for (few different weddings, birthdays, portraits, etc).

2) Equipment- I am not kidding,… you would be surprised to know how many “photographers” only have their camera and a flash. Nothing else!

3) Studio- It doesn’t mean that all Professional Photographers have to have a Commercial Studio, but no matter if the Photographer has a Home-Studio or a Commercial Studio, you need to set up an appointment to check the photographers work (prints, albums, collections, etc).

4) Appearance- Does he or she look and act professionally? As I said before, “As soon as you decide that you need a photographer for your personal project or special event, you should hire the best Photographer that you can afford”.

“Don’t trust your lifetime memories to an amateur!”

Here is one of my published articles:

You have planed carefully for months and months all the details of this special day that is your Wedding. You booked the church and the reception place; you found your perfect dress and the most gorgeous flowers, you selected the food and drink list, hired a DJ and a Photographer.

The stress of something going wrong at the last minute is not small, but on this article I want to teach you how to avoid at least one of them: The wedding Photography Fiasco.

Let start from the beginning…

1- Before you hire a Wedding Photographer, be sure that he/she is a specialist in Wedding Photography, and not just another photographer that shoots everything, including some weddings.

2- Start doing an Internet search on Google or Yahoo to find few Wedding Photographers not to far from where you live.

3- Look for samples, and testimonials on the Photographer’s Webpage to be sure that you like his/her work and that few other clients also liked him/her.

4- Before you meet the Photographer, it is a good idea to call him/her to be sure that the date is still available and to talk about your budget and what would be included in your Photography Package.

5- When signing the contract, check all the little details and don’t be afraid of asking for further explanations. On your contract, should say all the information about your wedding like; location, date, what time the photographer should be there and what time he/she would end his work time, what kind of album (pages, quality, size, etc) and when you would get it.

No matter how good written the contract is, you just have to trust that you did your best and that nothing wrong is going to happen.

 This week I was shooting Paula and Terance’s Engagement Photography Session.

They are getting married in November, and we thought that now would be a great time to have their Engagement Session done.

They are a fun couple and were very excited with not only the Photo Shoot, but with the Video Love Story that I am creating to them.

First, we stopped at the Train Tracks -Fort Lauderdale Riverfront - than, we came to fort Lauderdale beach (a little south of Las Olas blvd.)

As usual, here in Florida, it was a very hot and humid day. The weather was not perfect, but I got some great shots of them. And the most important… We had a great time together!!!

If you want to check other Engagement-Photography posts - Here are some more samples of Engagement Photography (CLICK HERE)

Trough the years of your childhood up to the present day you might have felt once or twice that life gave you some second chances. But there are times and occasions when something goes wrong, and no matter what, not even life itself can help you. You can say that Wedding Photography is one of these occasions.

You have waited and dreamed about this magical day for your whole life. The day that you were finally getting married to the man of your dreams, your price charming. You have made so many special plans so you would have the perfect ceremony and reception, the most beautiful dress, flowers, etc, etc and etc.

Now it is time to choose your Wedding Photographer. Note that it didn’t say to you to choose just a regular photographer, neither someone like your friend or uncle just because he or she has a camera. Wedding Photography is a very detailed specialty inside the photography business and if you really care about the only memory that you are going to have from that day and that you can show to generations to come, here are some tips:

1- A Good Plan

You need to start planning ahead before you go checking websites for samples, prices and etc. You need to put together all the information that you already have, like; wedding location, date and time, details of flowers, dress, etc.

2- Style

Once you go through some wedding pictures that you’ve found in few different websites and magazines, you will need to start selecting what kind of pictures you would like to have of your special day. Don’t just say that you want a Photojournalistic or Traditional Style, because this is an old way to define Wedding Photography. Today’s Top Wedding Photographers go beyond old styles incorporating some artistic, modern and creative style to their collections creating the most beautiful piece of art.

3- Finding a Wedding Photographer

Do a simple Google, Yahoo or MSN search: “Wedding Photographer in ____________ (name of the city)”. This will bring hundreds, if not thousands of different sites that you can start doing your research. Start filtering all that information avoiding sites that don’t say the name of the photographer on its description. You want to connect with a Top Wedding Photographer, not just another search engine channel or some photography studio trying to get you into their studio without saying the name of the photographer. If the Photographer is good, his name is going to be there.

4- Samples and Testimonials

Once you’ve found few different Websites with pictures that match the style that you are looking for, go ahead and write down the name of the photographer and the phone number. It would be better if the samples that the photographer is showing in his or her website came from at least few different weddings and different areas. The Photographer might not post any negative testimonial in his or her own Website, but it is always good to check what other clients had said about that specific Photographer and how good was the connection between the photographer and the previous clients.

5- The Budget

This is one question that most of the brides get it wrong and most of the Photographers are terrified to explain it to them. There is a simple rule for that; you should spend between 15% and 20% of the total wedding costs. This a general figure that works very well in most of the cases, but once a while you can go a little lower or a little higher. The investment for the Photography Packages of a very basic and simple wedding will be totally different from the investment for the Photography Packages of a wedding were you are investing a huge amount of money, time and expectations. You can expect spend between $3,000 to $30,000 on your wedding pictures, depending on the wedding Photographer that you are hiring, the photography package and/or extras.

6- Contacting your Photographer

Once you check the website samples and prices, it is time to call the Photographer to check if he/she still has the date available and to set up an appointment. It is recommended that you meet the photographer in question as soon as possible, so you can be sure that he/she would still have the date available for your wedding.

7- Signing the Contract

Since you already saw the Photographer’s Webpage, the samples, the testimonials and the prices, the only logical thing to do now is to meet the photographer and be sure that there is a good connection between you and him or her. You also might want to check some more of his/her work, ask few last questions and if everything seems fine, just sign the contract. Remember that Wedding Photography is not a Department Store and that you are not going to find another Photographer like that one. You already did your homework, you know that you came to visit this Photographer because his work, prices, style are exactly what you were looking for. There is no reason to not close the deal.

8- Final Product

Imagine if few years ago, when digital cameras didn’t exist, would it be ok if after you spent a huge amount of your time and money to create the most romantic and perfect day of your entire life, the photographer just gave you the negatives and you would have to develop the pictures yourself? I don’t think so! As we live now in a digital era, most of the Photographers have digital cameras, and most of the cheap photographers will try to make a good deal and give you just a CD with all the pictures from your wedding on it.

Is that what you want?

If you forget everything else from this article, I hope you remember at least this one…

Don’t treat your wedding photographs like the pictures that you took on your last vacation. The ones that you didn’t even had time to print or the ones that you printed in a cheap department store.

The beauty of Wedding Photography is when the Photographer makes the transformation to the pictures and memories that were once captured through his lens, to create the most beautiful and elegant Costume Designed Story Telling Album that you and all your family and friends will cherish for the rest of your lives.

At http://www.paulopics.com, you can check some Photography and Video samples and packages of Weddings, Bar Mitzvahs, sweet Sixteen, etc. But here is a very important article about Engagement Photography:

It is very common to visit few different photographers’ Website to check some of their wedding photography samples and package prices before you select the one that will be your Wedding Photographer. When you are checking their Websites, you might also find pictures and some minor information about Engagement Photography.

The truth is that a lot of brides still don’t know what Engagement Photography is, and most of them don’t know why to have a special Engagement Photography session done is so important.

Here is everything that you need to know about Engagement Photography, and why this session is a must for who is getting married.

What- Engagement Photography is a special photography session dedicated to couples that are soon getting married.

Why- There are few different reasons for having your Engagement Photography done, but two of the best reasons are;

a) Know your photographer better (quality, talent, personality, etc)

b) Have a nice picture of you and your loved one displayed at your Wedding Reception

Where- You can have your Engagement Picture taken at the photographer’s studio, a nice park, or at the beach. You should select the location that reflects the best of your personality. I personally recommend some beautiful open areas with a lot of plants, flowers and etc, or a beautiful beach with clear send, beautiful palm trees and etc.

When- This session have to be done no latter than two or three weeks before your wedding date, so you would have time to select the best picture to be printed and find a nice frame to display the picture at your Wedding Reception. If your intention is to use this session to know better your photographer or just to try a photographer before you sign any contract, I would recommend you to schedule this session at least three to six months before your wedding date (or before sign any contract).

How- Once you selected the location and the date, you and your loved one have to decide about what clothes to wear, makeup, hair, props and etc. Your photographer might be able to help you with some personal suggestions.

There is no reason to you don’t have your Engagement Photography done, other than if your Photographer does not offer that on his or her packages. If this is the case, talk to your photographer about your needs or find another photographer that will work the way that you want.

Paulo Jordao http://www.paulopics.com has been taking Wedding pictures for almost 10 years, and has noticed huge the changes of equipment and styles from when he started.

Wedding Photography is one the hardest areas of photography, if not the hardest of all. If you are already a photographer, understand about composition, light, Photoshop, and you own enough equipment to start adventuring into shooting Weddings, here are some tips to how you could start your own Wedding Photography Business.

1- The Right Equipment

First, let’s check a list of equipment that you need for the job;

- Digital SLR Camera
- Zoom Lens
- Memory Card
- Shoe Mount Flash
- Battery for the Camera
- Battery for the Flash
- Tripod
- Computer
- Photoshop

All these equipment are very basic and you should consider having a backup for each one of them. It is very common, in digital photography, when something goes wrong with the equipment. You could also invest in some little more advanced equipment like; Top of the line cameras, lenses, strobes, Radio Slave Transmitters, Radio Slave Receivers and etc.

2- The Right Start

You probably want to go out and start shooting weddings and make a lot of money as soon as possible. Most of the beginners want to do that, but first you will need to learn the basics of this specific business.

Wedding Photography could be a good way to make some money, but as everything else, you should be a Wedding Photographer because you love to help people to preserve the memory of the most important day of their lives, and not just because you want their money.

As I mentioned before in one of my other articles, Wedding Photography is not just to have your camera and start shooting the wedding. Wedding Photography is an art and you should learn this art from someone that can teach and inspire you to be a better photographer.

Here are some places to start;

- Wedding Photography Conventions
- Wedding Photography Seminars
- Wedding Photography Workshops
- Wedding Photography Coaches
- Photography Associations

One of the best places to start with your Wedding Photography Business is offering yourself to help some experienced Wedding Photographer as his/her assistant. This would give you the experience that you need, and you wouldn’t have the responsibility or the stress of shooting the wedding by yourself. This is so important that I would recommend you to go out and find a Photographer that you like his/her style and offer yourself to be his/her assistant, even if there is no money involved.

After a while helping few different photographers, you would be shooting few weddings as the photographer’s “Second Shooter”. When you get confidence and experience enough you would be ready to start your own Wedding Photography Business, and who knows, somebody else would be asking you to be your assistant.

Yesterday, I was at Shirley Palumbo’s house taking pictures of her daughter’s (Anamarie) 8th birthday.

It was a great party with a lot of food, drink, music and great games to keep the kids entertained.

Here are few of my favorites:

You can check all the pictures from this party at MY PICTAGE.

If you need a Professional Photographer to save the precious moment of your party, birthday, wedding or Bar Mitzvah, please live a comment and I will return as soon as I get it.

For Prices and Packages, CLICK HERE!

If you are a Family or friend of Alison and Albert, and if you want to see their wedding pictures, you can come and register to their PICTAGE website: http://www.pictage.com/579191

If you have any question, please contact me at 954-270-0751

Paulo Jordao

Last Sunday I was shooting Micheliny and Danile’s Wedding. It was a small wedding - just for family and close friends and with a beautiful South Florida weather - perfect for some outside shooting.

We decided to go to T.Y Park - Hollywood, FL to take some outside shots. There we enjoyed to take some couple shots, formals, etc.

From there, we went to their house were the ceremony happened.

I just want to wish the best to Micheliny and Daniel.

Congratulations!!!

——————–HEY PRIMO!!!——————–

I love traditional weddings, where I normaly start shooting in the morning (bride getting ready) and ends late at night (reception - cake - etc).

The wedding that I was shooting today was a little different. Alison and Albert got married at the beach in front of the Marriott Hotel (Hollywood, FL). It was not one of the traditional weddings as I just mentioned - this one was a short wedding but with all the 9 yards of a big one.

To start, it was an early wedding on this beautiful Sunday morning (11:00 am), with a perfect weather for this perfect South Florida Wedding. The ceremony was short but very emotional - specially to the bride that had her tears wiped three or four times.

The reception was at the outside restaurant of the Marriott Hotel, where the guests enjoyed the nice weather with great food and live music.

This week I will be editing the pictures and creating their wedding album, but I wanted to show you few of the pictures of this great wedding.

P.S. - If you are a friend or family member of Alison and Albert, I will be posting late this week the address where you can look or purchase all the pictures of their wedding. You can also contact me: 954- 270-0751

Here are few of the pictures from Today’s Wedding:

Cassy and Luke’s Wedding pictures are ready for viewing at my PICTAGE.

The pictures are carefully separated in few different categories to make it easier to you find the picture that you are looking for. Here are the categories:

- Getting Ready

- Bridal Party

- Family Portraits

- Details

- Ceremony

- Reception

- Friends and Family

- Cake and etc…

Go ahead and and chek the pictures: Click Here

I will be posting Cassy and Luke’s Wedding pictures in few days at PICTAGE. Their Engagement pictures are already there, just in case you want to look at them first.

Anyway…

On September 20, 2008 (Last Weekend of Summer) - I was photographing one of the most beautiful wedding that I have ever been. The wedding was not just beautiful, but the couple (Cassy and Luke) are the kind of clients that I’ve always dreamed of - fun, happy, energetic, etc…

Here is a little sample of their wedding.

I hope you enjoy it.

Cassy and Luke got married on September 20, 2008 in one the most beautiful and to touching ceremony that I have ever seen.

I saw people crying, smiling, laughing, and as I said before - I was honored to be their photographer.

I will write another post letting you know where I am posting all the pictures and I am also preparing a cool slide show to post here.

Today I just want to show you few of the pictures from this fantastic wedding.

Don’t forget…

I will be posting in few days the slide show + the Address with all the pictures. OK?

Please, Leave a Comment. Thanks!!!

Yesterday -09/20/08- was a very busy day. I have to shoot Cassy and Luke’s Wedding wedding form 11:00am to 10:00pm and Fabian (an associate of mine) was shooting Elsa and Marcelo’s Wedding from 7:00pm to 9:00pm.

This post is about Elsa and Marcelo’s Wedding, and I will be writing a Post about Cassy and Luke’s Wedding latter - today. OK?

Elsa and Marcelo’s Wedding was a simple wedding - just for few family members and very close friends. The ceremony happened in a house located in Weston (Florida), and they had the nice pool area and backyard as their background for this lovely and fun ceremony.

I was impressed to see the pictures of this beautiful bride and the always smiling groom.

Here are some few pictures of their wedding.

Congratulations Elsa and Marcelo!!!

Last Weekend I Was invited to Michele’s 4th Birthday Party.

The party’s theme was ARIEL (little mermaid) at the YMCA Fort Lauderdale/ Hollywood area (taff st).

The kids were supposed to use the Pool for 2 hours, but because of our “South Florida” peculiar weather, they had to use one of the Aerobic Classes Room to let the kids have some playtime.

The kids had a blast…

OK… Not just the kids!!! I had some fun also.

at the end… It was a fun party! I Felt like a big BIG KID!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHELE!!!