Most brides have a general idea of what questions to ask a potential wedding photographer. The first (and most important) thing is: What's your style? If your wedding photographer doesn't have the same sensibility about wedding photo's as you do there's no point moving to question #2.
However, even after you have exhausted all the obvious questions about price, etc, there are still two that most people don't think to ask that can be very important:
1. Are you insured?
That's right. Your wedding photographer needs insurance. Let's suppose that old Aunt Edna with the bad eyes trips over the photographer's bag and breaks her hip. Her lawyer will tell her to sue the person with the best ability to pay and you can bet that your $500 Craig's List wedding photographer doesn't have a lot of money.
So she sues you.
Make sure your photographer has liability insurance (I carry a million dollars worth).
2. Do you bring back-ups?
There's no stopping the ceremony because your photographer's camera just died. Make sure he has a backup for every major piece of equipment (camera body, lens, flash, memory card).
The answers to these two questions will tell you if your photographer is serious about his profession or just trying to make some extra money and really, do you want the guy who is taking pictures of the most important day of your life to be doing it because he thinks it's an easy way to make some extra cash?
Booray Perry is a wedding photographer in Tampa
Monday, September 29, 2008
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Just want to show off this cutie!
I had a session with Adia today who is getting ready to be baptized. Her mom is putting wallet sized pictures in the "favors" bag that the relatives will receive at the ceremony. Adia was in a good mood today and talking up a storm. Of course, she had a lot to comment on with me, her mom and Bobbi all hovering over her trying to get her attention long enough for the shot we wanted. We got a lot of great pictures from the session but this one is probably my favorite: 
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pictures for the family
More pictures of "The Most Photographed Children in the World" ©.
If any of my children are ever famous they should have no problem dealing with the paparazzi since Dad may, at any moment, decide to shoot a hundred pictures of them. Yesterday we made pumpkins and bats for Halloween. Bobbi cut out all the pieces we needed so we just had to glue everything together.
Sam isn't always happy to have Dad snapping away while she is trying to watch Dora....
I know it's bedtime but Daddy got new vinyl and he needs to check it and make sure it's seamless. So, everyone in the studio and I don't care that you're in your pajamas...
This picture is a great example of my philosophy with photographing children. Keep it simple, give them something to play with and wait. I love little kids with big clothes...
Booray perry is a photographer in Tampa Bay who exploits his children to further his knowledge.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Beach photography gets grainy
We really have terrible beaches in Tampa Bay. Compared to people in Utah we have great beaches... AWESOME beaches... but compared to a lot of other beaches in the world, not so much. That's why beach photographers in St. Peterburg and Clearwater have to work a little harder.
The problem is the sand. We tend to have this gritty, parking lot, uncomfortable to walk on... stuff at our beaches. Still, we're lucky to have a beach at all so I guess I should shut-up about it.
The thing is, it's not all bad because it lends itself to great black and white photography. It's all about texture and grain... the more you have, the better things look in black and white. With a perfect, smooth beach you just get a huge washed out blob but with the asphalt that we have here, well... it's heaven.
Of course there are other problems too, like the buildings and the people who simply refuse to stay away from the beach on the days that I am shooting there (doh!). That's okay, a little Photoshop magic and everything looks good. Notice that little black square sitting on the sand in the upper left of the shot? That almost looks like a camera bag....... but it's not....... because only an idiot photographer would leave his bag where it could spoil the shot. :)
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Tampa Bay Beach Portrait on sale!
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If you haven't signed up for our newsletter you're missing out on some great specials. Next month we're offering a Family Beach Portrait special for one day only: Sunday, Oct. 12th.
Due to available light and time involved we are only accepting four families for the session.
For just $99 you get 30 minutes of session time on the beach. Plenty of time to get a great family portrait and some singles as well. You also get 25 holiday cards of your choice with the pose of your choice free. This special saves over $200 off the regular price for a family beach session.
Sign up for our newsletter by using the form on the left. Every month we send out news and specials and they fill up fast!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Tampa Wedding Photographer seeks can of RAID
Yesterday I did an engagement session with Tara and Jesse. It had rained earlier in the afternoon and so the humidity was pretty bad. This causes problems in several areas when shooting outdoors because the camera lens can fog up, plus everyone is fairly miserable and wet. Tara and Jesse were great sports about it and we got some great pictures.
I was smart enough to think ahead and bring a towel with me to the shoot. It's my personal rule in life that it's always good to have a towel, no matter where you are. Little did I realize that my rule would be tested yesterday.
After shooting for about 30 minutes, we took a break and I went over to my towel which I had laid on the railing of a gazebo. I picked it up and started to wipe down my equipment when I suddenly got a sharp pain in my hand.
It was a wasp. I had draped my towel over a wasp's nest and they weren't too happy about it.
Naturally, once I realized that I was being attacked I did what any sensible-minded grown man does in that situation: I began running in circles, flailing my arms like a backup singer for MC Hammer. Let me tell you, nothing impresses the clients more than the site of their photographer screaming like a little girl.
Luckily, I managed to avoid being bitten a second time and continue the session.
I let the wasps keep the towel.
I was smart enough to think ahead and bring a towel with me to the shoot. It's my personal rule in life that it's always good to have a towel, no matter where you are. Little did I realize that my rule would be tested yesterday.
After shooting for about 30 minutes, we took a break and I went over to my towel which I had laid on the railing of a gazebo. I picked it up and started to wipe down my equipment when I suddenly got a sharp pain in my hand.
It was a wasp. I had draped my towel over a wasp's nest and they weren't too happy about it.
Naturally, once I realized that I was being attacked I did what any sensible-minded grown man does in that situation: I began running in circles, flailing my arms like a backup singer for MC Hammer. Let me tell you, nothing impresses the clients more than the site of their photographer screaming like a little girl.
Luckily, I managed to avoid being bitten a second time and continue the session.
I let the wasps keep the towel.
Sunday, September 14, 2008
You know they've run out of ideas when....
About two weeks ago, Todd Leskanic from the Tampa Tribune came to interview me for a story.
Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that the last thing you want to do is get me talking about myself. I looooove to talk. Talky, talky, talk talk talk.
So, poor Todd had to listen to me ramble on for about two hours and, despite that, managed to write a really nice story about me for the Pasco Tribune.
The story was originally supposed to run last Sunday but got pushed back (something I discovered at 5:30 in the morning when I woke up and went out in search of a paper like some ego-starved Indiana Jones). This time I managed to stay in bed until 7:30 before giving in to temptation and checking the website. Then, I calmly emailed every person I've ever known, sent Bobbi out to buy 20 copies and ran down the street yelling, "Woo hoo!! I'm in the paper!!"
Seriously, I'm so impressed with Todd. It looked like he only wrote down about three things in his notepad the whole interview (one was: "Please, someone rescue me from this guy. He never shuts up!") and yet the article is dead-on accurate. If it was me I would have misspelled my own name.
(editor's note: The difference between me and Bobbi.... While taking this picture I was concerned about lighting and exposure. Bobbi was concerned that people would notice that Sam is wearing mismatched pajama's.)
Booray Perry is a photographer in Tampa Bay who's famous for 5 minutes
Now, anyone who knows me will tell you that the last thing you want to do is get me talking about myself. I looooove to talk. Talky, talky, talk talk talk.
So, poor Todd had to listen to me ramble on for about two hours and, despite that, managed to write a really nice story about me for the Pasco Tribune.
The story was originally supposed to run last Sunday but got pushed back (something I discovered at 5:30 in the morning when I woke up and went out in search of a paper like some ego-starved Indiana Jones). This time I managed to stay in bed until 7:30 before giving in to temptation and checking the website. Then, I calmly emailed every person I've ever known, sent Bobbi out to buy 20 copies and ran down the street yelling, "Woo hoo!! I'm in the paper!!"
Seriously, I'm so impressed with Todd. It looked like he only wrote down about three things in his notepad the whole interview (one was: "Please, someone rescue me from this guy. He never shuts up!") and yet the article is dead-on accurate. If it was me I would have misspelled my own name.
(editor's note: The difference between me and Bobbi.... While taking this picture I was concerned about lighting and exposure. Bobbi was concerned that people would notice that Sam is wearing mismatched pajama's.)Booray Perry is a photographer in Tampa Bay who's famous for 5 minutes
Monday, September 8, 2008
Military families in Tampa are always a pleasure to photograph
MacDill Air Force base is here in Tampa and so we have our share of military families. Bobbi and I have supported a veteran's organization for years and I also offer special rates to any family with a member serving overseas. I had the privilege of photographing one such family last weekend.
Jules and Heather are sisters. Jules married her high-school sweetheart, Marcus, who then joined the army. Marcus introduced his army buddy to Heather, and soon they were married. So now you have these two beautiful sisters, both married to servicemen stationed in Iraq. Unfortunatly, as is too often the case with a story like this, tragedy struck last April when Marcus was killed.
Photographing these two remarkable women (and Heather's two children, Elyse and Kayne, who were just wonderful the whole time) was a real treat. Despite living through events that would bring most of us to our knees, these two sisters have a love for life and each other that I can only hope to one day see in my own two daughters. They were funny and silly and smart and beautiful and you could just tell that this was a family filled with love.
I will be giving Heather some digital copies from the session to send to her husband in Iraq. I'm sure he realizes how lucky he is to have this to come home to.
Booray Perry is a family photographer in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Jules and Heather are sisters. Jules married her high-school sweetheart, Marcus, who then joined the army. Marcus introduced his army buddy to Heather, and soon they were married. So now you have these two beautiful sisters, both married to servicemen stationed in Iraq. Unfortunatly, as is too often the case with a story like this, tragedy struck last April when Marcus was killed.
Photographing these two remarkable women (and Heather's two children, Elyse and Kayne, who were just wonderful the whole time) was a real treat. Despite living through events that would bring most of us to our knees, these two sisters have a love for life and each other that I can only hope to one day see in my own two daughters. They were funny and silly and smart and beautiful and you could just tell that this was a family filled with love.
I will be giving Heather some digital copies from the session to send to her husband in Iraq. I'm sure he realizes how lucky he is to have this to come home to.
Booray Perry is a family photographer in Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Decisions, decisions...
I have this thing I do where I'll take several prints from a session and lay them out on my desk for a few days. I always find it interesting how my opinions about the photographs will change. I think that it's one of the wonderful things about photography... the way a picture can change over time. I always try to use prints that are different in style.
Currently, I have four prints sitting out from last weekend. We went to the beach to scout a good location for a family portrait I'm shooting on Sunday and while we were there I snapped a few shots of The Most Photographed Children on the Planet©. At the beginning of the week, one picture stood out as my favorite but as the week went on I noticed that whenever I glanced at my desk my eyes were always drawn to a different one.
Now, I'm the father so I'm not totally objective... I can't pretend that I'm judging the pictures solely on artistic merit. If there's one thing I learned quickly when it came to children's photography it's that there's no predicting what a parent will like. One of my first sessions with a 5-year-old I had brought along some simple toys to use as props. I ended up with a precious shot of the little girl hugging an antique teddy bear. When I showed the picture to the parents at the viewing, the father said, "I don't like it."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because it's not her bear, " he explained, "She has no attachment to it."
You just never know...
Anyway, here are the four pictures. Which one do you think is the best and why? I'll reveal my picks later...
Currently, I have four prints sitting out from last weekend. We went to the beach to scout a good location for a family portrait I'm shooting on Sunday and while we were there I snapped a few shots of The Most Photographed Children on the Planet©. At the beginning of the week, one picture stood out as my favorite but as the week went on I noticed that whenever I glanced at my desk my eyes were always drawn to a different one.
Now, I'm the father so I'm not totally objective... I can't pretend that I'm judging the pictures solely on artistic merit. If there's one thing I learned quickly when it came to children's photography it's that there's no predicting what a parent will like. One of my first sessions with a 5-year-old I had brought along some simple toys to use as props. I ended up with a precious shot of the little girl hugging an antique teddy bear. When I showed the picture to the parents at the viewing, the father said, "I don't like it."
"Why not?" I asked.
"Because it's not her bear, " he explained, "She has no attachment to it."
You just never know...
Anyway, here are the four pictures. Which one do you think is the best and why? I'll reveal my picks later...
Booray Perry is a children's photographer in Tampa Bay who takes far too many pictures of his own children...
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