The "stealthy" videographer - 8.12.07
What is a "color select" photograph? - 5.17.07
Essence voted "THE KNOT - BEST OF WEDDINGS" in Chicagoland - 5.3.07
Wedding photography pricing - 4.24.07
Essence completes its Schaumburg studio move - 4.9.07
New, helpful web page on the Essence website - 2.15.07
Essence announces FREE wedding sharing website for all Essence customers
August 21st, 2008 3:04pm
8.21.08 - Innovative web service, My Essence Scrapbook, now included for FREE in the All Inclusive Wedding Package
At Essence, we meet with hundreds of soon-to-be brides and grooms every year. One of our main goals in our initial consultation is to determine what is their preferred style of photography so we can match them up with the right photographer for their wedding. To help us understand their preferences, we ask what they thought of their recently married family and friends wedding albums. Time after time, they tell us they have never seen their album or proof book. We were quite surprised to hear a bride didn't show her sister her wedding album. After a little thought it does make sense. We are all so busy and many times these sorts of things just fall down on our priority list. Se, we thought of how we could make sharing the biggest day of a bride's life easier. We came up with a solution to share your photos, album and video with all your friends and family online.
My Essence Scrapbook is a personalized wedding website created for every Essence customer, that includes:
- Photo Slideshow - All of the photos you select for your album are set to music in a high energy photo montage.
- Album Flipbook - Your wedding album is digitally duplicated with the look and feel of your actual album. Your family and friends will be able to view your album online and turn the pages almost as if the album is sitting in front of them.
- Wedding Story Video - We present The Wedding Story chapter from your wedding video.
In addition, the Photo Slideshow and Wedding Story Video will be downloadable in an iPod compatable .mp4 format.
My Essence Scrapbook makes it easy for brides and grooms to share their wedding memories with anybody who has an internet connection, as well as having it on your iPod.
Visit the My Essence Scrapbook page for more details and to see a demo.
Essence helps newlyweds scammed by an independent photographer
March 25th, 2008 10:41am
3.25.08 - Scammed Copeland Photography customers get wedding albums and other items at near cost from Essence
Unfortunately this happens all too often. At Essence, we get a few calls every month from frantic brides that can't get a hold of their independent photographer right before the wedding or after the wedding has been shot and can't get their album. However, this case is the most aggregious we have ever seen. Copeland Photography left a dozen or more customers high and dry without any photos from their wedding, without the album they paid for, or, in a couple of cases, no photographer to be found for their wedding day. Essence is currently working with a half dozen or so couples to assist with getting a wedding album and other items at 10% above our cost to cover labor. If you were a Copeland customer and would like assistance, please contact 847.923.9800 and ask to speak to Mandy. She has been working with these situations.
Mr. Copeland apparently skipped town and has stopped communicating with his former customers. He has claimed that he has been too ill to produce the items he promised in his contract. However, according to Fox News Chicago, he is still responding to potential brides and they think is still accepting deposits and signing new contracts with customers. Here are the links to Fox's news stories: Story 1. Story 2.
How Concerned Should I Be About My Wedding Photographer Having A Back Up?
October 1st, 2007 12:58pm
10.1.07 - Wedding Photographer Back Ups
The short answer is you should be very concerned. Remember that your wedding photographer is a living, breathing human being; just like you. Sometimes that thing we call "life" throws curveballs at us. Car accident, their mother passes away, they break their wrist, etc… All sorts of things happen to real people in the real world. So, it is a very good idea to be comfortable that whomever you choose for your wedding photography has a good back up system.
This is a challenge for large, medium, and small wedding studios alike; but for different reasons. The independent or small wedding studio is challenged because they simply do not have enough staff for a proper back up system. Many independent or small wedding studios will say they have a close network of friends that they have as back up options. However, it is very common for these back up photographers to book themselves, especially during the busy wedding season over the spring, summer, and fall months. Especially if they are good. Photographers being paid to be a back up pay significantly less than going out and shooting a wedding. That can mean that you are left with a back up who is inexperienced or not qualified to shoot weddings. Or, even worse, there is no back up at all. At Essence, we get a few calls every month from a frantic bride / groom that their independent photographer called them a week or less before the wedding to say they could not come to the wedding. This is not to say that you should never consider an independent photographer, some of them are very good. It is just to say that you should discuss this with them in your initial meeting and make sure you are comfortable with their answer and their system.
For the large and medium size studios it is a challenge to be dedicated to their back up system. It is very tempting to book that extra wedding or two for their best wedding photographers. Nobody likes to tell a customer no. They do typically have a back up, but sometimes the quality of that photographer is less than desired by the bride / groom. Commonly, it is a photographer that is a professional, just not a professional wedding photographer. They can have trouble knowing the “ins and outs” of a wedding.
At Essence, we have developed an automatic back up system that removes the temptation or an honest mistake to book that last photographer or two and throw a trainee or assistant on the back up rotation. We have an internal software system that manages the schedule of all our photographers. The way it works is the software system has an “available” list for every day of the year. All our senior photographers are rotated throughout the year to spend 3-4 dates on the "back up" list and for those dates they will not show that photographer on the available list. Therefore, even if an Essence representative wanted to, they could not assign a photographer on the back up list to a wedding, their name simply is not an option to put on a contract. This prevents not only temptation, but also prevents manual error from leaving us without a seasoned, wedding photographer available as a back up for every day of the year.
Essence
Will My Videographer Stick Out Like A Sore Thumb?
August 12th, 2007 2:12pm
8.12.07 - The "Stealthy" Videographer
We get this question all of the time. Brides/Grooms have seen for years the wedding videographer on the dance floor with a flood light that could land a plane at O'Hare. Fortunately, technology has come a long way. Today, reputable wedding videography studios have invested in technology that has significantly reduced the visibility of videographers at weddings. Now, that does not mean that all wedding videography companies are doing this, but the good ones do.
In using the above example, today’s “stealthy” wedding videographer uses a lower wattage light and diffuses the light so it is a much softer glow. Professional grade video cameras can shoot in lower light now and that bright light is not necessary. However, there will be some light, just not the glaring light that was seen in the 80s and 90s. Most brides/grooms do not notice the videographer all that much, if at all, with the new technology.
More importantly, reputable wedding videography studios, like Essence, have evolved the overall style of their wedding videos to be more documentary style. This means you can have a videographer who is more like a “fly on the wall” than "in your face". Brides/Grooms are no longer asked to perform cheesy skits or ambush your family and friends with an impromptu speech on camera. Today’s wedding video is a much more emotional documentation of your wedding day which requires much less "in your face" shooting. To see examples, visit the Videography Services Page and view demo videos.
It is also very important for Brides/Grooms to know how significant the editing process is to the final look and feel of the wedding video. The greatest videographer in the world can have his fantastic footage ruined by an inexperienced editor. At Essence, we have a full time, in house staff of wedding video editors that have mastered their craft over the years. Be weary of wedding video studios that outsource or pay their videographers a little extra to edit the video by themselves. It is difficult to consistently produce a high quality video under these circumstances.
Essence
What is a “Color Select” photo?
May 17th, 2007 10:47am
5.17.07 - “Color Select” photos
Color Select, also known as Selective Color, photographs have become very popular in recent years in wedding photography. “Selective color (Color Select) is a post-processing technique where most of a photograph is converted to black and white, but some parts are left in color. This is usually achieved by using layers and masks in photo editing software (The GIMP or Photoshop, for example),” from Wikipedia. Below is an example of a Color Select photo:
Essence also has the ability to replace the black and white main section of the photo with Sepia tones. “Sepia tone is a type of digital photo in which the picture appears similar to a traditional black-and-white print toned with sepia. It appears in shades of brown, as opposed to grayscale,” from Wikipedia. Sepia has antique look and has also become very popular. By using both techniques, Sepia Tone and Color Select, we can create very unique and beautiful images:
ESSENCE PHOTO & VIDEO VOTED “THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS PICK”
May 3rd, 2007 09:09am
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
ESSENCE PHOTO AND VIDEO NAMED TOP PICK IN THE KNOT BEST OF WEDDINGS MAGAZINE
Schaumburg, IL (5/1/2007) — Essence Photo and Video is pleased to announce it has been selected as 2007 Top Pick for The Knot Best of Weddings Magazine, a coast-to-coast by-brides-for-brides guide to the top wedding sites, photographers, florists, and more in over 40 key cities across the United States.
The Knot conducted a massive survey of 25,000 recent brides and grooms-the first of its kind-to capture detailed feedback on every wedding business that couples hired for their wedding celebration.
The newlyweds were asked to rate their vendors on multiple criteria, from creativity to professionalism, and to comment on their experiences. The resulting ratings-and detailed feedback-were aggregated by the editors of The Knot to create this one-of-a-kind publication highlighting the best wedding resources in each region according to local brides. The survey was administered by Harris Interactive.
“At Essence, we’ve been working for years to provide the best wedding photography services in Chicagoland. It is gratifying to be recognized so positively by the most widely recognized group of wedding experts in the country, every bride knows The Knot. Since they used the ratings and reviews of real brides, it really shows our hard work is resulting in better photography and service to our customers,” commented Karen Neulander, Director of Photography at Essence.
The Knot Best of Weddings magazine is available for $9.99 on newsstands and in major bookstores nationwide, and at TheKnot.com/shop. To speak with an editor or with brides in your area, please contact The Knot Press Office at pr@theknot.com. High-resolution photos and visuals can be provided electronically or through the mail.
How Much Does A Photographer Cost?
April 24th, 2007 10:56am
4.24.07 - Pricing
One of the first things every bride needs to know is how much each of the services they need for their wedding cost. Then, it is good to know when the payments are due. We all know weddings are quite expensive. According to The WeddingReport.com, the average couple spends $3,688 on their wedding photography and video services. So, one of the first things almost every bride needs to do is determine what is their overall budget and then how much for each category they are going to spend. Of course, price isn’t the only factor in selecting a wedding photographer and/or videographer, but, for most of us, it is an important factor.
When it comes to wedding photography services, it is important to understand the advertised price with most wedding studios isn’t usually your final cost. Many wedding photography studios charge X dollars for a set of services and/or products, but it doesn’t always include all the things you might expect. A couple of examples: Do you get to keep your proof book? Do you need to “qualify” first with $1,000 or more in additional purchases before you get to keep it? Do you get your digital negatives? Do you get the high resolution digital negatives? Do you have to qualify for them with additional purchases? Does the price advertised include the photographer service AND the album, or just the photographer service and you have to pay additional for an album? Does it include posting your photos online for your friends and family to view/order?
Don’t worry if you’re confused, it is quite common. At Essence, we have a much easier system to understand. Essence has “All Inclusive” packages that include the photographer, album, free proof book, free digital negatives, free online posting of images, and many other “extras” that other studios charge for. Oh, and at Essence free really does mean free, there is no qualifying required to get your free items.
Now, even when you understand all of this exciting stuff, it can often times become a challenge to actually get the pricing from the wedding photography studios. Most studios require you to fill out an online form and they’ll email or call you before releasing a price list. Some studios will not even give you a price list until you come in and meet with a sales person. At Essence, we post our price list on our website for everyone to see; no annoying contact forms or meetings required. You can download the Essence price list at: http://www.essencepv.com/pricing.htm.
The last thing you want to know is, “When do I pay what?”. Almost every wedding photography and videography studio will require a deposit. This is paid when you sign a contract with them. However, when the rest of the payments are due, varies greatly from studio to studio. Many studios require additional payments or full payment before your wedding date. Essence does have a deposit, but does not require you to pay any additional payments until after the wedding. You can see the entire process at http://www.essencepv.com/process.htm.
Essence
Essence Photo & Video’s Schaumburg Studio Is Moving The Last Week Of February 2007
February 15th, 2007 01:28pm
2.15.07 - The Move Is Coming Soon!
Well folks, we’ve run out of space in our Schaumburg studio. We will be moving on February 27th, 2007. Depending on the phone company, our phones may be down for a couple of hours or a couple of days. We have spent a lot of time preparing for this, have made all the necessary preparations, but you never know!
Our Naperville/Warrenville studio will not be affected by this move, it will be open normal hours.
Our new Schaumburg studio is going to be over twice as big, >5,000 square feet, as our current studio to serve our customers better. We will also have some great partner companies joining us in the new studio. Show On The Road DJs, www.showontheroad.com, and The Event Gallery wedding planners, www.theeventgallery.com. You will be able to knock out multiple meetings with just one visit. Call 888.777.7011 to schedule one or more meetings.
We look forward to seeing you in our new digs!
Essence
