Type A Images: NOW What Do I do | Milwaukee Wedding Photographer

Once your Type A Images pictures are all nicely edited and finalized, and you get your excited little hands on that DVD of proofs, you may be wondering "Well...NOW what?"

The confusing part about commissioning a professional to take pictures for you, whether it is for a wedding, a portrait session, or something entirely different, is that each professional does things just a bit differently. This will account for the wild range of prices you may find out there when looking for a photographer (well...that and....there's that whole "ya get what ya pay for" thing, but we won't go into that!)

A lot of people offer just the "shoot and burn" approach. Shoot...and burn you a disc (some will just hand you their CF or SD cards!). Warts (and bad exposures or out of focus images) and all. That's it. After that, you're on your own. Take it on over to CVS and get your prints. Easy peasy? Sure! Cheap? Probably! Professional and a great experience to rave about....well.....meh. Probably not. It's the drive-thru at McDonald's approach to photography commissions. Serves a purpose, cheap and fast, but McNuggets are probably not going to be winning any Michelin Stars any time soon...and shoot and burn isn't exactly the most high-end or dedicated way of approaching a customer's memories. A lot of newer photographers on the scene take this route for a number of reasons: low overhead (discs are cheap and editing software is expensive) and they think this is what customers want.

Some customers....sure! But, in this case...what kind of unique and professional experience is the customer getting? With DSLRs being so affordable these days, it doesn't take much skill or know-how to simply shoot machine-gun style and burn off a disc.

So, moving on....what CAN you do with your images?

Now, I offer a high-resolution DVD of proofs to my clients. This DVD has tweaked images that have gone through a culling process, eliminating the ones where you look like a goober or the flash didn't fire...you know, stuff of that nature. I painstakingly go through your pics to make sure the ones I hand you are work that I will stand behind...that I'm proud of.

Not every photographer offers the high-res DVD, and that's kind of a personal thing for each photographer. Some are album focused (which is awesome, and I'll get to WHY its awesome in a bit) and some want you to buy physical prints first. I offer the DVD of proofs for a number of reasons: I'm a tech geek and I think its important that you have your files to put on your computer and back up that way and, truth be told, I want you to stick those suckers on Facebook and spread the word of my awesome-ness. : ) Word of mouth, baby.

But, I do think physical prints ARE important...and I do my best to guide my clients in a way that will get them the best results for their hard-earned cash. It makes me a sad panda when I think of my images being printed out at Walmart or Walgreens, in all honesty. Why? Because these are not professional prints. The machines used to print out the images are not going to be able to tell if I wanted the image to BE as saturated (or un-saturated) as the file shows....and the kid running the machine is probably going to assume I want everything jacked up to major-saturation. They won't look at each images as a separate entity...but the batch as a whole, and they will all be processed the same according to the machine's settings. You may get lucky with the drugstore routlette and end up with some halfway decent prints....but I wouldn't count on it.

Type A Images offers professional lab images via your online proofing site SmugMug, and I have to say I continue to be impressed with the quality of printing I get from the professional lab. It's just heads and shoulders above the Fuji machine at Walgreens. Plus, when you commission a photographer to do a sitting for you, you are paying for that photographer's eye...their vision...their take on the subject. THAT is the price you plop down for the 8x10. The image printed on the paper. So, when you question why a Walgreens 8x10 is $1 and mine, well...are more than that, the reason is you are paying for the BEST representation of the image you hired me to make. In the color, clarity, and form I intended it to be in.

To make another food analogy, you wouldn't have Wolfgang Puck make you a steak and then smother it in Hunt's Ketchup, right? Well...you might...but I'm sure Wolfgang wouldn't be too pleased...and you would have wasted the price of the steak, because all you're going to taste is ketchup. Cheap...unappealing....ketchup.

Canvas gallery wraps are another great way to put your favorite images to use. These suckers are GORGEOUS and always a conversation piece. I have several, and I've gifted several to family members featuring my cheeky little Peanut, and they always love them. There's just something to be said for seeing your darling little mug blown up on canvas. I recently ordered a bunch for my office from the lab and I was really blown away by the color quality and sharpness. Just fabulous. So, I do highly recommend picking up a few...especially with Christmas coming because these make awesome presents that are sure to beat the pants off any Snuggie or Slap-Chop you can stick under the tree.

On to albums, I'm a big believer in albums. I wrote a blog about the importance of an album a few months ago and I stick by that sentiment. We never got an album from our wedding and its one of my biggest regrets. Sure, you may say, I'll make my own.....blah blah blah. Let me just share this with you: no, you probably won't. After the wedding is done you're going to move on to other things and that disc of images is going to start collecting dust. If you're not having your photographer build you an album, you're missing out.

I was there...I saw your whole day...typically from start to finish. So, presenting my vision of your wedding day story is part of my job description. Binding this all together in a beautiful, professional album or press print book is a great part of my job. It's presenting you with the final telling of your story...in a beautiful, heirloom way.

I just started offering new album choices and I'm really excited about them. Everything from press print guestbooks with linen paper (GREAT way to show off your engagement session) to leather bound flush mounts.

I know it can be a daunting thought with all of the option out there. So, no matter who you hire to capture your day or photograph your family, sit down and talk with them about the options they offer to get the most from your images. You hire a professional for a reason: to get professional images. Take that all the way to the end of the experience and get professional level prints and products to show off your images. You'll be happier with your experience in the long-run.