DeutschSince certain questions keep coming up – or not, but should or could come up – I have created a small overview of them.
When is the best time for the portrait shooting?
In general, you can take portraits at any time of the day – the question is simple: what do you want and how can your wishes be integrated smoothly into your day.
If you like the warm/soft pictures, it is necessary that there is soft/warm light – and that is in the evening. I prefer the time around sunset. In the beginning you can “play” with the backlight and the warm light of the evening sun and as soon as the sun goes down comes the “blue hour”. At the “blue hour” there is still enough light for the colors and because of the indirect light the pictures become nice and “soft”. That means you can take a lot of different pictures in a relatively short time.
At noon or in the morning the light is “harder” because the sunlight is more direct and comes from “above” – the contrasts are higher and the drop shadows are significant. To get around this, indirect light from a house wall, for example, can be used or the shadow can be integrated creatively.
At night you can also take portraits. By using light that is already there (lanterns for example) – or by flashing light from behind (additionally) – or by using sparklers or…
When is now the best time for the portraits: it depends. If I may make a wish – then please the time around sunset.
How much time should we plan for it?
I like to enter 45 – 90 min. as house number, whereby it depends finally also on your prioritization. We need some time so that you can get away from the camera and get used to the situation – the natural pictures are usually taken towards the end of the portrait shoot. Then we also have time to make 3-4 different sets at different locations and to be creative. It is important to me that in the time of the shooting you can enjoy the time for TWO all by yourself, make yourself aware of what is happening and can breathe a sigh of relief – it is YOUR celebration.
What do we do when it rains?
It’s not raining – think positive. To be honest, in very few cases it really rains all day long. If the weather is mixed we have the advantage that we can juggle with the portrait shooting. Since I’m with you all day, we can also insert portrait pictures after the preparations or if there’s some air in general in a shaky weather situation and thus smooth the “risk” a bit.
How are we doing with the group and family pictures?
Important! Before your wedding, think about with whom you want to have everything in which constellation of pictures. Write it down and put the note in the hand of someone who knows your guests (best man, for example). Then we can take the pictures at your wedding as efficiently as possible and even more important – you don’t get to the point where you say the next day: with Grandma Hilde I would have liked to have had another picture, but she wasn’t there right now and now it’s too late. With group pictures it is important that either the group is a bit staggered or I am elevated so that all guests can be seen.
How’s that going with the reportage duration?
As a rule, I get involved in the preparations and stay until the exuberant dancing. Then the reportage is round. My reports can be flexibly extended in the evening by the hour (not everything always runs as planned and scheduled), so that you don’t have to worry about my concrete planning. Finally the time between the beginning and the end of the reportage is calculated.
What are you photographing?
Everything that comes in front of my lens and appeals to me. Content for a good reportage is available everywhere and I find the moments on the edge and in the background exciting. For me, documentary photography doesn’t mean systematically photographing all static details, but capturing life itself.
How does it work with your PhotoBooth and what’s in it?
A PhotoBooth is a non-standard name for a device that allows you to take unusual self-portraits. Since most vendors build the PhotoBooth themselves, the quality and size of the Booth varies greatly. For me personally it is important that the pictures are enjoyable and well exposed (which unfortunately is rarely the case). They should still be effective after the wedding and not only provide a short wow-effect. Therefore I bring along a professional flash equipment & light shaper, adjust the exposure on site and make sure that everything runs smoothly. The box contains a DSLR camera and an iPad, with which the pictures can be viewed directly and rolled through. I also bring accessories – hats, wigs, glasses, etc. I don’t have a printer, because I will postprocess the pictures after your wedding (picture look) and upload them to your fancy online gallery. From there your guests can download single or all pictures. The PhotoBooth is usually on site as long as I am.
Can we still book you accommodation or how does that work?
In the closer vicinity (up to 100 km) I usually arrive and depart on the same day. What is further away and if the reportage goes into the night, we should discuss it individually; then I stay in the hotel oä after the documentation has been completed. If you are especially far away from Konstanz, an overnight stay in advance might be useful, so that I can be rested and on time with you.
Can you offer us a wedding package?
Sure – “keep it simple” is my motto. I.e. I have a package and everything is in it – only albums and prints are optional.
I still have a list of retouching wishes here, can you do that?
In general, I see myself as a reportage photographer and correct things in image editing that serve my understanding of image homogeneity. I can do beauty retouching or something like that, but I have to calculate it separately, because it’s a topic that can be extended at will.
How does this work with publication rights?
With me there are two tracks – one with and one without publishing rights (with a price difference). If you overload the publishing rights for me it means that I can show the pictures. With it other bridal couples can convince themselves of my performance and are happy if you know what they can expect.
How long do you need for the picture editing or when do we get our pictures?
The house number is 8 weeks, which is also in the contract. Sometimes I am already finished after a few weeks and in rare cases it takes even longer. In the high season the weddings often pile up a bit, because I need longer for a wedding than the time between the weddings is. Furthermore, I would like to finish all weddings with the same dedication and not be put under pressure. I hope this is also in your interest and thank you in advance for your patience! Finally: it is much more work than most people think.
Do you also photograph non-weddings?
Sure. However, it is not in my focus at the moment. I like to take pictures of everything that lives – to cut a long story short. Preferably reportage, where I try to perceive everything at the same time and skilfully capture the living moment as an exciting picture. Otherwise, the interpersonal levels inspire me in portraits – they always try to unite as quickly as possible and pick up the other person where he or she stands in order to create as authentic pictures as possible.
I have an idea but there’s nothing on your blog about it – do you do that too?
Let’s hear it. In general I am open for everything and every idea – especially if it gets a little crazier.
We’re flying to Bali next week and would love it if you’d come with us – do you want to come?
Very much – I love travelling and exotic weddings. In addition to the wedding package we only add the flight and the overnight stays. Since I always like to take pictures while travelling, I’ll add more pictures to the package, which I’ll be happy to add to it for you.
> Further questions simply directly to me by mail or contact form.
Anything else?
“Let it flow”
