Here is our Wedding Album.
Our KISS Wedding Album
Okay, I must admit, we have had our Wedding Album for over several months. But with our very busy schedule, finding the time to bring out and show the album around has been low on our things to do. Besides, the next four to six weeks is going to be crazy.
So today, I made the time to use one of the commercial setups to photograph the cover and first inside page.
First the Album it self, we both choose to have one of the finest album builders to create our Wedding Album for us. Many of you in the Professional Wedding Photography world should know this company “KISS”, and for those who don’t know, it’s not the Rock group.
KISS Albums uses some of the finest Italian leathers and is very meticulous in the printing and finishing of each album. They take the time to keep the photographer informed of every step of the album creative process, and the colors are both quite typical yet also an alternative to traditional Wedding Album Colors.
Molly choose a color called “Tiffany” and it is the same shade of Tiffany blue that those special boxes from the Jeweler of the same namesake.
The cover is soft, supple and the imprinting was perfectly embossed. When it come to the construction of the album, the pages are quite thick yet not so thick to make the Album too bulky. More importantly the album is a lie flat style of Album, meaning if you placed the album on the table or in your lap the pages form the apposing side will lie perfectly flat across the album. This is great if you have an album with wide panorama image from your wedding that spans across both pages.
We ordered a 10X10 album for our self’s and a 8X8 album for Molly’s mother. We feature the KISS albums for our Dream Portraits for Women plus we are also looking to incorporate them into next years senior offerings. But please, take a moment to enjoy the pages from our wedding album.
Plus we want to again thank some of the special people who made our Wedding Day even more special.
Liz Martin of Paris Street Studios in Waverly, NE
Larry E Ankeny of LasVegas Nevada.
Rev Daniel Peck and his Wife with the LasVegas Wedding Wagon.
The Formal Bridal is here.
This is a page from an Wedding Album of a Client who's wedding we captured. And today this is still the way most
Bridal sessions are captured during her Wedding Day. The photographer is only allotted a few minutes to capture these
special images, but still the photographer is not really afforded a chance to be truly creative.Years ago, when I was actually shooting weddings, these Bridal Portraits were called the Formals. Looking back at the weddings I have done through the 1990’s and up to my last year as a wedding photographer, I realized that I was not doing my Brides justice with regards to capturing them with their Wedding Gowns.
Formal Studio Bridal Portraits have long disappeared with the emergence of the Photo Journalism Style of Wedding Photography. I am not stating that today’s Wedding Photographers are not capturing the Bride in her beautiful Wedding Gown, but what is being captured is limited due to time constraints, Bride’s own Stress and Locations.
I will give today’s Wedding Photographers some credit and having been a wedding photographer in the past, I know first hand what some of the struggles are in achieving some of the Bridal Portraits a photographer may want to capture. But let’s face it, during that special day of the Brides Wedding, having the time and the freedom to properly capture a real formal Bridal Portrait is more often not fully achievable.
Another burden on the Wedding Photographer is that they have to haul around more equipment that one would deem necessary. But if a Wedding Photographer wanted to capture that perfect Bridal Portrait, he or she would need to have with them a collection of studio lighting and a assistant to help with setting up those lights and arranging the Bride. Then again, all of this falls back on the amount of time the photographer really has, and the ability to control the time during a wedding day. The reality is your time limits have been set and the photographer cannot control it. Worst yet, every wedding is unique, and the best laid schedule and plans never get followed. There is always something or someone who will alter the Brides Wedding Day Schedule.
This brings me back around to the Formal Bridal Session. I got my start working in a portrait Studio in Silver Spring Maryland working for one of the finest Wedding Photographers in the world. Monte Zucker maintained that a Bride must have a formal Portrait Taken well in advance of the wedding for several reasons. First, there was no pressure or wedding schedule that the bride needed to maintain. Second, it allowed for a more relaxed portrait and gave the photographer the ability to capture the bride in a wide variety of classic poses. Third, the photographer is given full control of the lighting and the environment of the studio, and can further control the drama of the portrait that would best suit the Bride and her Special Wedding Gown. Fourth, these formal sessions also gave the Bride a Dress Rehearsal so to speak with her newly tailored Wedding Gown. She will have the ability to sit stand and be positioned in the studio that would in turn give the Bride a true feel of the fit and form of her Wedding Gown. Back in those days, and I am talking the 70’s and 80’s, a bride after having her formals taken more often than not will return to the Bridal shop and request a few more adjustments to the Wedding Gown, so she can be totally assured that she was going to have that perfect Wedding Gown.
Many Wedding Photographers will argue that there is no need to have formal Studio Wedding Portraits taken of the Bride in her Wedding Gown, but maybe they should ask their brides that question.
Well listen up fellow photographers and Brides to be or Newlywed Brides, I am here to tell you that we are going to give the Brides their chance at those studio formals. I am not going to take work away from the local Wedding Photographers, in fact I want to work with you in providing you with a set of fully retouched and ready to use images for your Brides future Wedding Album. Let me say this and I will only say this once. I’m not shooting Weddings, I retired from Wedding Photography several years ago, but what I am offering is collaboration with the local Wedding Photographers to provide for your Bride the Proper Formal Studio Bridal Portraits that may not be achievable the day of her Wedding. In return for the use of my Bridal Portraits, you would give me the proper credit. And with those photographers that I will get a chance to work with, I will fully promote your services with other vendors and Bridal Shops.
To the Bride, I will make the process as simple as possible, and make your Bridal Session an enjoyable experience. We will offer with your session makeup and hair, and will even create an arrangement of your wedding bouquet all in silk for your session. We will primp and pamper you throughout your session and the best part; we both get to spend as much time as it takes to get your Formal Bridal Portraits captured perfectly. We encourage you to bring your mother if she is available and of course some of your brides maids who can help you with your preparation and primping. Also this give you and your brides maids a better idea of how you’re Wedding Gown will come together come the day of your Wedding.
Now I know, not all Brides will want a Formal Studio Portrait taken with their Wedding Gown, but then maybe you should ask your mother about that. Many mothers of today’s brides may have their Formal Bridal Portraits in the Studio I worked at in Silver Spring back in the 70’s and 80’s. And they will tell you that their mothers always wanted that special Formal Studio Bridal Portrait and it would break their heart if you said no to the possibility of the a Formal Bridal portrait for them.
You don’t need to have a session before your Wedding Day. In fact we have had Brides come to us weeks after the Wedding to have their formal Bridals taken. In fact, they even have their new husbands in the formals as well. Many of today Grooms will have purchased their tuxedos rather than renting them. As they see it, they can have a proper formal wear in the closet in the event of having to go to a special charity or party. Formal Studio Wedding Couples are making a big come back in Paris and London and we at Lambert Style want to be on that wave.
So what do we capture during your Formal Studio Bridals. We start with the Formal Full length bridal and depending on the Wedding Gown, we will position the Bride to capture both her and the unique design of her gown. We will turn and position her with a wide variety of poses and standing positions to achieve that perfect view of the stunning bride. Next we move to the three quarter sitting poses that is amongst the most popular with the Brides. The Bride will be positioned in a wide variety of poses that will further emphasize her beauty. We will also fine tune our lighting to punctuate the drama and beauty of both the Bride and her Wedding Gown. From there we will move to the head and shoulder portraits and focus on capturing the Brides Charm and Beauty. All of these portraits are taken in the comfort of a complete portrait studio with some of the finest lighting equipment that is available today. And to add, we work with a wide variety of painted backdrops and cloth backgrounds that can further give the Bride a more personally unique charm to her portrait. Besides having a complete Portrait studio, we also have a full changing room with a full Makeup station. During your session, we will offer you and your special attendants a wide variety of refreshments that will keep you and your attendants cool and refreshed.
If you are interested in learning more about having a Formal Studio Bridal Portrait taken or are a Wedding photographer who is interested in working with me, please call us at:
301-898-2192
We Got Married!
On March 1, 2014, Molly and I had a fun and memorable wedding during our trip to Las Vegas for WPPI. Several of our fellow professional photographers also joined us to celebrate our special day.
Our wedding day was well planned for half the year and the date was a perfect choice having our fellow photographers in town for the yearly WPPI convention and wanting to have a wedding like none other, the day was perfect from morning to our dinner and a great wedding cake.
First Molly had a great makeup session at the Paris Hotel Spa then she put on her beautiful wedding gown by Designer Oscar de la Renta.
We had arranged to take our vows in front of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Hotel Casino by a great couple who own a Company called the Las Vegas Wedding Wagon. After a very brief ceremony by Rev. Danial Peck and taking care of the necessary paper work, we commenced to have some great photos taken by some fellow professional photographers Larry Ankeny and Elizabeth Martin who also were our wedding witnesses.
After some photos of us and everyone involved as well as a few photos with a group of girls having a bachelorette party, Molly and I move on to have our dinner at Mon Ami Gabi.
Thanks to our waiter Shaun, we had one of the most memorable dinners ever. After our main meal Shaun arrived with our petite wedding cake that was exquisitely crafted for us by Maria of Marie’s Gourmet Bakery. Her cake was just heavenly.
Then after a quick taxi ride back to out hotel, we prepared for a week of WPPI.
Again, a very special thanks to these fine vendors.
http://www.monamigabi.com/home/?loc=vegas
http://www.mariesgourmetbakery.com/
Paul and Molly
Need a Vegas Break from the Non-Stop work
And we need a break, a spring break.
Molly and I are all set to head to Vegas to learn some new studio management ideas and get inspired at the print competition.
And there is a big Bonus, Molly and I will be getting Married as well. So who said what happens in Vegas Stays in Vegas, Not this time Baby!
We will share some of our happenings as the week flies by and share some photo as well, as we truly spend the Best Week of Our Life.
Paul and Molly
Three Years ago On this Date
Three Years ago Today
A Wonderful Couple by the Name of
Richard and Brianna Got Married
And today is their Third Wedding Anniversary.
I wanted to give a shout out to the Korb’s and wish them both a Happy Anniversary and may they have many more Anniversaries to come.
Getting Real !
This year started with a few changes with my Wedding Packages, and a lot of couples looking to me too shoot their weddings did enquire. But, I only booked two Weddings and the last wedding I shot was a shocker. One half of the wedding couple during the preview session of their wedding images came out and said “This is not 6000 images”. I responded with “when did I state I would give you 6000 images let alone shoot 6000 images”. The truth be known, I am old school and had cut my teeth with Hassleblads and Rolliflexes shooting 12 exposure roll film. Back then, it was a miracle that I delivered over 300 images for a full day of photography. But this last wedding, I had an second photographer and in the end we did shoot over 600 images between the two of us, but then we pared it down to just over 450 of our best images, and that is mighty good in my book. My client on the other hand was very upset and did not see the quality but only want quantity.
I have learned since, that this person was informed that all wedding photographers will shoot on average of over 4000 to 6000 images on an average wedding day. Even one of the photographers that was competing for this couples wedding told them that she would shoot at least 6000 images just to get the best images. What, are you kidding me. Let’s look at this. This couples wedding day was just over 12 hours from beginning to end. Now if I was to shoot 6000 images for that wedding day then I would need to more than “8“ eight images a minute or 1 image every 7 seconds none stop.
I don’t have memory cards big enough to allow me to shoot that way. Yet there are photographers that will tell a bride this garbage in order to make a booking. Then I was told that these photographers justify these statements because they are shoot anywhere between 5 to 9 images per second in motor drive mode. Ok, so these photographers are doing what we call in the industry “Spray and Pray”. But are these photographers really doing their clients a true service with the delivery of 4000 to 6000 images. Then the couple will have to look through all of these images and after a while they lose sight of the fact that these are images of their wedding day.
Capturing a Wedding is more than the family shots or captures of the cake or the flowers, yes I do shoot those, but real wedding photography is the capturing the story of a couple in love and how they shared that love with their family and their closes friends.
Wedding photography is not a catalog of the wedding day the church, guests, food, reception hall, flowers, the vintage limo, or even park setting. Some of these elements are captured, well most. But my point is this, my work as a wedding photographer is to capture love between a couple and put together a story of the special day that will be the start of their life as a married couple.
Well, I have had enough. I will not try to tell a soon to be Wedding Couple that I am the best for capturing their wedding day because I care and will deliver the true feelings of the love and romance of that Dream Wedding. No, I will not even try to win a contract by offering massive discounts, even if it means I am just breaking even. I am in this to make money, this is not a weekend hobby, I have far too much time and money invested to throw it all away.
But today’s Brides have been wrongly informed about what real wedding photography is and by that fact, I have chosen to not shoot weddings after the month of July. A few couples have inquired just recently but again they are looking for quantity and not quality. And to them I say, book that other photographer and good luck.
Yes I sound bitter but I am not. I started seeing this trend several years ago and when I was told by another photographer that “Spray and Pray” (she did not call it that) was what couples are looking for. She further stated that today’s Wedding Couples want Quantity for their investment. After hearing this from that same photographer who shoots weddings on the side and has over 40 bookings and her average is $500, and she simply hands the couple the CD’s with ALL of the images, I knew that it was time to focus on my Portrait Work.
So if you visit my site at the end of the month and notice that I no longer have a link to my wedding web site, don’t be alarmed, I am retiring from shooting weddings and concentrating on my real love, Portraiture Photography.
Oh, and to those other photographers, If I have offended you, I’m sorry, but the fact is that you need to take a deep look at yourself, your service, and the quality of the work that you offer.
One more thing, if you really want me to Shoot your Wedding Day, and you are willing to allow me to capture your Wedding Day the way it should be captured, go ahead and call me, but remember I will not promise large number of images, but what I will promise is the my best work and quality and images that are meaningful to you and truly capture the true essence of your Wedding Day.
Paul
Mark and Mary Tie the Knot.
This past April, I had been given the wonderful opportunity of photographing the union of Mark and Mary. They did not meet through a dating service or by means of online dating, but at an event associated with their professions. As Mark put it, their meeting was truly meant to happen.
The day of their wedding, the weather showed no sign of any Sun Shine and in fact it rained all day and into the night. But the weather did not dampen either their spirits or the day. The couple took their vowels in the same church that Mary’s parents had gotten married some fifty plus years before. Having Mary and Mark say their vows in the same Church that Mary’s Parents were married in was very meaningful too her parents. Before the start of Wedding ceremony, wedding guests with serenaded by the music of a String Trio provided by famed Oboe Player, Fatma Daglar. The Church pews and alter area adorned with floral arraignments by Tracy Ballenger from Shearer’s Florist.
The reception was held at the Strong Mansion at Sugar Loaf Mountain with the catering and deserts provided by Canapes, Inc of Frederick MD. And despite the rain happening outside the tent that was provided by the people at Strong Mansion provided the perfect shelter for Mark, Mary and their invited guests truly enjoyed the night’s festivities. The evening was filled with fine wine, food and festive atmosphere had the weddings guests dancing throughout the evening to music provided by David DJ’s.
The day and the night may have been long, but it will be one of my top favorite wedding of all time.
A Thank you to the Vendors:
Paul
An April Wedding Teaser
This past April 22, 2012, Mark and Mary Joined Their Love and Devotion for Each Other in a Ceremony of Marriage.
Check back on my blog to see more of the exciting details of this beautiful couple photos as they, together with their families join together in this Equally Beautiful April Wedding.
Thank you for viewing.
P Thomas Lambert
One Year Ago Today.
It was a year ago on January 1 2011 when Teri and Steven got married at the Dutch’s Daughter Restaurant in Frederick MD. The event was mostly family and a few special friends, but still quite memorable for all.
So to Teri and Steven, Happy Anniversary, and may you have more.
How do you Know if your Customers Love Your Work?
Steve and Teri, was my first wedding for the year and a pure joy to work with. They loved my work sooo much, they sent me a thank you card with a little extra.
Thank you Steve and Teri.
Teri and Steven are Hitched.
Teri and Steven Burton were married on New Years Day January 1, 2011 or 01/01/2011 or better yet 01/01/11. Both the Wedding and the Reception was held at the Dutch’s Daughter Restaurant in Frederick MD. Steven and Teri wanted a very small and intimate Wedding, so most of the guest were either family or very close friends. The Brides Gown was from Davids Bridal and the Cake from from Ed’s Country Bakery in Frederick. All of the flowers were designed by Benay B. Osborne, who also assisted in coordinating the Wedding Event.
During the Wedding Teri sister in Law (Sherry Myers) was the Matron of Honor and Stevens dad (Elmore, aka “Burt”) was his Best Man and then his daughter Petra was be the ring bearer.
Again, to Teri and Steven, Thank You for allowing me the honor of photographing your very special Wedding Day.
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