Welcome to the new and wonderful world of Anginet Photography: Weddings. From the moment you clicked on the blog, you knew there was a big announcement to follow. (Some of you were sneaky and clicked too early…Michelle! *wink wink*)
This last year huge things have happened for the company and myself. Although I felt the pressure of being a business owner in a bad economy, I have been blessed with great things over the course of the wedding season. I have many of you to thank for that. Without wonderful clients, my success would not be possible. Everything in this business starts with them, and I am eternally grateful they have allowed me to be a part of one of the most amazing days of their lives.
This season I gained the title of International Award Winning Photographer for the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) and the Artistic Guild of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (AG-WPJA). One image was awarded 4th place in the WPJA Emotion category, and the other was awarded 1st place in the AG-WPJA Ceremony category. I feel so honored to be recognized by such a prestige organization. I cried when I was accepted to the association, so imagine my reaction when I placed in two of their contests. Lets just say, there were a lot of tears, goosebumps, heart palpitations, and phone calls.
I feel very grateful for the things this year that have helped me to grow as a photographer and a business owner. It is true that we learn from mistakes, but we also learn from success. This season’s success has opened the door to new possibilities and growth. With growth, comes change. This brings us to the big announcement at hand.
Over the course of the wedding season, I have had the privilege of working with Steve Glass of Glass Photography. I met Steve at a meet-up for the Colorado members of the Wedding Photojournalist Association (Thanks Kent!). I took to Steve right away. He talked about what he enjoyed about weddings, and we swapped stories. Soon, we started meeting to talk shop. It was Steve who told me to go with the whole ‘superhero wedding’ theme (which I wonder if he regrets now), and to change my company name to Anginet Photography. After we got to know each other, I asked Steve to work with me as a second shooter on my weddings. This was probably the smartest business decision I ever made.
The first wedding we shot together was at the Stanly Hotel in Estes Park. This happens to be the same wedding where I won the 1st prize award. I will tell you right now, if I hadn’t been completely confident that Steve was getting the important aisle shots, I wouldn’t have been in any position to take that photograph. Yes ladies and gentlemen, a professional 2nd photographer is worth its weight in gold and beyond.
I was always hesitant to offer a 2nd photographer in my packages for several reasons. First, professional photographers have their own businesses and have to keep their calendar open before accepting side assignments. Which is completely understandable. I was very concerned that I would promise a 2nd photographer to a client and not be able to confirm one. It’s a bit of a risk, and I’m a bit of a worry wart. My other concern was that I would end up with a second photographer with a completely different shooting style. I was plagued with concerns such as, “Are we going to end up being in each others shots?” “What if they don’t expose like I do?” “What if the images aren’t on par with my expectations?” All of my apprehension went away during my first wedding with Steve. Yay for teamwork and communication!
As our business relationship has developed, we have grown into a Super Team. We instinctively know what shots we need to get and where we need to be to compliment what the other is doing. As all of you know, I’m the candid guru. I love getting all those behind the scenes photos that tell the story of the couples wedding day. It’s my favorite part of wedding photography. Steve’s favorite part of the day is…(wait for it…wait for it…) creative sessions with the Bride & Groom.
Where I am ecstatic on getting this:
Steve gets excited over this:
Where the couples surly enjoy the humor behind my image, the 2nd image is more likely to end up on a wall. (I know, it’s a shocker.) Why not have the best of both worlds? The humor, the romance, the candid and the posed. Together I feel we offer the perfect balance for every bride and groom.
Over the past few weeks we’ve been working on how we can merge our weddings and keep our personal companies. We finally have sorted out all the details, and now we introduce the official, Super Team. Keeping with my little superhero theme, I will now be referred to as Paparazzi Girl, and Steve will be referred to as Lighting Boy. It’s pretty obvious why I’m Paparazzi Girl, but why is Steve Lighting Boy? I will tell you. He is a lighting genius!
Bringing both our strengths to the table, we can provide incredible images that range from candid to lit wedding day photographs. This is one example of the types of images we will be offering with our 12 hour wedding day lighting package (Affectionately known as The Super Team Package).
For more of Steve’s work, please visit the wedding portion of my site. It has been completely revamped and updated to showcase both of our strengths. There is valuable information listed throughout (like links to follow us on Facebook and Twitter), so please take a look at each portion of the site.
Beyond the photographs, we hope to really gain a solid relationship with our clients and their loved ones. We are putting events together that will allow couples the opportunity to introduce us to their family, friends and wedding party. These events will be in a relaxed and comfortable environment.
I know there will be a lot of questions from contracted clients, and people we’ve met in consultation. I’m going to try and address the majority of the questions below.
We are really excited about this little merge of superpower. We hope you are too!
Questions & Answers
I have already contracted. Does this change effect anything in my previous contract? Nope, nope, nope. Any contracts that came in previous to the merge will be honored as they were originally negotiated.
I already have a contract with a 2nd photographer. Does that mean I get Lighting Boy (Steve)? Hopefully, but it isn’t guaranteed. Our new price bracket accounts for both of us, which my old price bracket did not. Because of this, Lighting Boy may accept other assignments if they arise on dates not negotiated at the new rates. However, Lighting Boy will be my first choice, and may be confirmed 3 weeks prior to your wedding date.
I don’t like that answer. Is there anyway to change my contract to guarantee Lighting Boy and add the lit portraits? Yes-sir-ee. We are willing to meet with any of you to discuss the additional options available to you.
With the 12 hour package, can I have more groupings of family formals and friends? Yes. When we are hired as a team we are able to move through the traditional formals at a quicker pace. Therefore, more groupings may be added.
I made an inquiry or had a consultation with you prior to the merge. I see that the pricing and options have changed. Will you still honor what we originally discussed? Absolutely. Just be aware that Lighting Boy is not guaranteed at the previous rates.
I already had a consultation with both of you during the transition. I see the packages changed with the official announcement. What does that mean for me? It means you get the best deal. We will honor anything we previously discussed or allow you to change to one of the new options. Whatever works best for you.
I already had my wedding. Why didn’t you do this sooner? Because it took me a while to meet my sidekick. But do not fear! If you would like to book a lit bridal session with Lighting Boy, the option is available to you. Check out the pricelist for details.
Please contact us with any additional questions you may have.
by Anginet
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