What styles of wedding photography are there?

Traditional photographers – also called classic wedding photography.  

   Traditional or classic wedding photographers are those that pour a lot of time, energy and effort into documenting your wedding through traditional posed wedding photos, group formals and the “expected” photos.  These photographers often get a bad name because classic and traditional is “old” but some pose-based wedding photographers take exceptional wedding photos.  Getting great posed formal photos on the day of the wedding is something couples care more about as time after the wedding increases.  Paying attention to groups is an important part of wedding photography but may not be the whole story.  Avoid wedding photographers who are “classic” in the way their photos look dated, old or just plain boring. 

Wedding photojournalism – also called documentary wedding photography or reportage photography.

   True wedding photojournalism means that a photographer is mainly and most importantly focused on the moments that happen at your wedding.  These type of photographers can sometimes be called reportage or documentary wedding photographers as well.  A photojournalist may have little to no experience posing wedding clients except as clients ask them to photograph these groups.  Photojournalists take their approach from news photographers who only observe and do not interact with events.  Documentary wedding photographers believe they are at the event to capture things as they happen, not make them happen, and thus try to use as much of a hands-off approach as possible.  Some of the truly great wedding photographers in the world are photojournalists but many who claim this label are simply photographers with little to no skill in posing and are trying to avoid feeling uncomfortable on your wedding day.   Formal photos are an important part of your wedding where family and friends are involved so please ensure your wedding photographer has some skill with posed photos.

Fashion wedding photography.  

   A new style has emerged in the last three to five years that only existed in magazines previously – fashion wedding photography.  Fashion wedding photographers want to make beautiful photos that look as if you and your groom stepped from the pages of a magazine.  They are concerned with posed photos, like the traditional photographer, but are also focused on the specific aspects of photography that appear in those magazine photos.  Posing is much different for a fashion photographer and a classic wedding photographer.  Fashion photographers take their lead from industry leading photographers who provide incredible art to fill the pages of your wedding planning magazines.  And what bride doesn’t want to look like she stepped from a magazine, right?   To be a fashion wedding photographer successfully, you must normally have a high level of skill or your images will look cheap, unattractive and not interesting.  A great fashion photographer will have galleries of stunning, high quality work and plenty of poses outside the realm of bridal parties jumping in the air.

What style of wedding photography does Best Day Photo produce?

As a small business owner, we have to play to our skills.  My greatest skill is flexibility.  We call the Best Day Photo style of photography “freestyle wedding photography.”  Freestyle wedding photography means I have learned to pose people – both in a fashion sense and a classic way.  I also have and had great second shooters to work with and have also been able to focus on capturing the moments as they happen.  In “real life” I tend to practice what the great martial arts master Bruce Lee called “jeet kun do” – which was a way of learning that allowed you to absorb what is useful and discard everything else.  

If you are being honest with your wedding photography desires, don’t you want magazine style photos?  When your family has dispersed and gone home, and you don’t see everyone until Christmas, don’t you want a great family group photo where everyone looks their best?  And realistically, you probably also want your dad watching you say your vows, dancing moments, events as they occur – everything a photojournalist would cover.

The images linked above are not photos we bury on our site to show clients “once in awhile” when a client needs to see more.  These are the images we show in our galleries and want you to see.  They are who we are.  They are colorful and classic, artistic and posed, thoughtful and spur-of-the-moment.  We are flexible in giving you what I’ve always called “the best possible photo taken in that moment.”  We want to provide great wedding photography and we believe brides want a combination of styles, NOT just one style that will limit what they see in their album after the wedding.

Some words describe Best Day Photo more than others.  If they fit what you’re looking for that’s excellent. We know we won’t fit everyone’s style.  We are fun, colorful, humorous, romantic and professional.  We are serious about the job but we love to have a good time with our clients.  We hope to be your wedding photographers.  If you like what you see in our wedding galleries and engagement images, please contact us today and we’ll be happy to help you! 

As you plan your wedding, you’ll have to sort out many factors in choosing your wedding photographer.  You’ll be looking at many different styles, trying to figure out who are the professionals and who are the pretenders, and of course deciding on a budget and choosing how much to spend on wedding photos.

Every couple’s budget is unique so “low budget” to one couple is “affordable” to another.  Couples search for “affordable wedding photographers” but get results that don’t help them.  So, let’s try to sort out what affordable wedding photography is in the Melbourne area. 

After an exhaustive survey of over 30 Melbourne wedding photographers, here are some statistics:

• 18 of 30 photographers would be considered “professional.”  
• 17 of 18 professional photographers give their clients a high resolution disk of images with their packages.
• 11 of 18 pro photographers post at least some package pricing on their website.
• Their prices range from $1200 to $3600 as a base cost.   
• The average base cost of the 18 photographers is $2450.   

So, what is affordable wedding photography? 

If your budget is under $1000, there are very few professional photographers in your price range.  The only photographers we could find under $1000 were offering a 3 or 4 hour package.  For photographers who customize, this is not uncommon.  In fact, even though it’s an unlisted package, Best Day Photo will offer a 3 hour, disk only package for $995.  We understand that many couples need just a few hours of coverage and we’re happy to help them at a reasonable rate.  If you require a full day of services under this price range, please check GumTree or check with your local college for students who are willing to take some photos for you.  

If your budget is $1200-$2500, you will have choices to make to find an affordable photographer.  Maybe you need to have your photographer for fewer hours than you intended.  Maybe you need to purchase an album after the wedding, not before.  Whatever the choices you have to make, you can find an affordable wedding photographer in Melbourne in this range.  Best Day Photo‘s base rate starts in this range with both an album and high resolution disk.  You will likely be able to choose a style and photographer you feel comfortable with for your wedding.

If your budget is over $2500,  you will have very little trouble finding an affordable photographer.  You will  be able to find full day packages, album and disk included, for $3300 with many photographers.  You are not looking for an “affordable” photographer in this range – you are looking for the one who suits you best.  Many professional photographers have packages in this range, including us.

How does Best Day Photo compare to local photographers?

Best Day Photo has photographed over 150 weddings in the past 8 years.  We have been full time in this industry for over 5 years and when we’re not photographing weddings, we do search engine optimization for other photographers.  We carry industry standard insurance, have the gear to shoot in almost any situation and have handled events from 4 people to 400 people. 

That being said, we aim to please the mid-range client.  Our clients spend an average of $3200 with us.  This includes an album, full resolution disk and 8+ hours coverage.  Typically, our clients allot time for us to shoot formals and what we call “romantic” formals – you and your new husband together, alone, for a little while.  The vast majority of our clients purchase an album up front and that album is typically a 30-40 page magazine style wedding album.   Our packages range from $995 for a 3 hour disk only package to a $4950 full day, flushmount and parent album package with everything you would expect in such a package.

The word we haven’t discussed above is “value.”  When choosing a photographer, the real question is how much value you are receiving for your money.  Whether you spend $900 or $4900, we want to provide the highest value possible – this means the best service and best photography we can possibly manage at the lowest sustainable rates possible.  Our albums are professionally printed and bound and we use only the best vendors in the industry.  Although we want to shoot your wedding, we cannot compromise long term success to shoot *every* wedding.  We are looking for clients who are looking for high value for their money – those are our clients.

Follow Matt Antonino on  

After 7 years I moved home to Maine and worked for just over a year there.  When I first arrived in Portland, again, I needed to learn those locations I could shoot and make my own.  Deering Oaks Park and all the lighthouses provided me a fantastic backdrop to work against. 

So what does a wedding photographer do when they move to Melbourne?  They explore and take photos, of course.  And that is what I’ve been doing in my first 8 weeks here.  Even in 8 weeks my list of to-done is too-long to fully show you.  I’ve hand-fed wallabies and hung out with koalas, cooked an American Thanksgiving feast for my new family, driven on the left side of the road, shopped Queen Vic Market and some of the other smaller, local markets, learned the metro system, bought and ridden a new bike further than ever, lost 20 pounds so far, toured the Great Ocean Road, saw the 12 Apostles (or 7 …) and slept in the Otways at a fantastic animal reserve called Fauna Australia.  We saw the Eminem concert at Etihad Stadium.  I had the best  life a photographer could imagine touring the Melbourne city laneways.  We took photos from the Dandenong ranges overlooking the city, had my first Christmas with my wife and have eaten absolutely amazing Australian food.   I’ve killed a couple of giant huntsmen, planted a new garden.  We took a cruise that covered the CBD and took photos from the 88th floor of the Eureka at the Skydeck.  Saturday we will go take photos at the Australian Open.  I cannot imagine a better start to my new life photographing Melbourne.

If you have great ideas for photos in Melbourne or around our area, please tell me!  I’m loving my new surroundings.  

I’ll get some wedding posts going soon and yes, I’m now available to photograph your Melbourne area wedding or portraits.  Please contact me using the contact page or call me at 0403-515-044 and we’ll talk!

I haven’t had time or the ability to fix my thumbnails problem so these are not clickable, unlike most of my posts.  Please bear with me until I get my system fixed.

Once upon a time …

Gosh, it really makes me feel … old to think about how long I’ve known Nick.  Our families have been friends for about 25 years.  I met this kid when he was … maybe 5.  He HAS a kid now.  Time FLIES.

When Nick asked me if I’d shoot his wedding, I was honored and thrilled. I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it!  Nick and his family are like family.

Amanda and Nick were married at the Palmyra Golf Club.  It was a beautiful place and the weather *barely* held out for some outdoor photos. What a great day!  So good to see everyone I know there, too!

 Once every few years I have a very small, tiny, intimate wedding that is just the highlight of my year.  We had one with Matt and Leslie in 2005, Jacquie and John in 2008 and now Marta & Rich in 2011.

How many people were at this small Acadia National Park wedding?  Me, the officiant, Marta and Rich, her parents and their two children.  Done.  So yes, me, an officiant, the couple and two adult witnesses… sound familiar, Jacquie?

Marta and Rich chose a fantastic place at Acadia for their wedding: Bubble Pond.  Now, you can’t have 100 guests at a Bubble Pond wedding but if you are looking for an intimate, beautiful outdoor spot in Maine you could do a *lot* worse than Bubble Pond.  It was picturesque.  I was thrilled to shoot the wedding and formals for Marta & Rich.

I hope you enjoy the photos of their beautiful Acadia wedding!

A few months ago I was happy to get the chance to photograph my newest niece Mattie.  Her first baby photos were mostly done at the hospital.  I knew I wanted another chance at her so when my sister and her family visited us the other night I thought it was a great time to update her photos.

We photographed little Mattie’s baby photos for about 90 minutes and she was fantastic for us.  She had her moments (all babies do!) but for 2 month old portraits, these were so much fun and easy.  So here are Mattie’s 2 month old baby pictures.

About Baby Photos

If you would like baby pictures done of your child in the central or southern Maine area please contact Best Day Photo soon to schedule a session.  Baby photos are something that won’t wait.

We shoot on location, in home and at the hospital if you require it.  Our baby pictures are the same price as our family portrait sessions so just choose the coverage you want and let me know when you want to shoot! (Please note: if we are going to do in-hospital baby photos, it is your responsibility to clear it with the hospital first. Or tell them I’m family.)

Yes, I realize our family is super-cute.  Mattie is Lincoln’s cousin and you remember how cute Lincoln’s baby photos are.

Many wedding planning tools exist in 2012 to plan a great wedding.  Since it’s my job to be familiar with the wedding industry I thought I’d post up some of the tools I’m aware of.

So where do you start?  Start by being excited!  Make a countdown timer to put everywhere!

For fun

You can get free countdown timers at

Wedding Widgets
TickerFactory

For a little more fun you can design your bridal avatar.

Wedding costs, lists and planning

Once you’ve done that you may want to figure out how much this wedding is going to cost.

To find some average wedding costs in your area try the Cost of Wedding calculator.

(On average, couples that live in or travel to Portland, ME spend between $18,756 and $31,260 total for Average Cost. You should expect to pay, on average, 50% to 100%+ more when choosing well-experienced professionals, designer labels, popular event locations, unique or custom products and services.)

Ok, let’s get down to planning this wedding. First, you can figure out to do lists and such on any major planning site like TheKnot.  If you’d rather doing everything in one place you can also use a site like MyWeddingWorkbook which has some really great features to help plan.  TheKnot and similar sites have great timelines, lists, etc. to use in your planning.

Other wedding planning tools

Three really cool tools are the Sunset Calculator, Wedding Mapper and Kuler’s Color chooser.

The sunset calculator can let you plan for photos, outdoor ceremony times, etc. months in advance of the date.  The wedding mapper creates great local maps of your venues, reception locations, local hotels, places to eat for guests, etc.  Kuler is  used by design professionals to create color schemes.  Why not use a professional tool to design your wedding color scheme?

Wedding website design

So you want to design a site?  If you are going to use a simple page on WeddingChannel or something, I can’t help you much there.  The tools they have are all they have.  But if you want somewhere to put that countdown timer, embed your weddingmapper maps and let guests and wedding party know info about the event, you may get creative and setup a WordPress blog.

If you do, here are a few themes, plugins and tools you can use:

Wedding Themes

More wordpress wedding themes

Countdown plugin

RSVP plugin

Google docs RSVP guestlist

Want something simpler?  Try creating a free wedding website at EWedding.

In my Thank You post last week I mentioned glass photo prints and obviously more than a few people wanted to know what glass photos are.  I have two 16×20″ samples from a couples portrait session and wedding I photographed so I thought I’d take some photos of those and show you what glass photo prints are.

The first few prints show how they arrived and were packed.  We take the safety of your products very seriously and obviously we want our suppliers to do the same.  This is fantastic packaging! The rest of the photos show the quality of the glass prints both with a white background and see-through. Both look fantastic and the mounting options for these are excellent, although not shown.  You can do them on stands, wall standouts, special framing or with a lightbox.  Best Day Photo would love to talk more with you about your specific situation and options for display.

Glass print pricing is very similar to our canvas selection.  You do need to call or email for pricing and a full price list is available to clients only.  You must have done a session with us or be scheduled for one.

Enjoy the photos!  I tried to capture how incredible these images are although they are so much better in person.

I recently had a chance to do both newborn photos and baby photos at 3 months with Lincoln.  I can’t believe how much he has changed in just three months from his newborn photos until now!

It’s not every day I post personal things on Best Day Photo but today is an exception.  I’d like to announce the birth of Mattie Jo Small, 6 lbs 15 oz born on 11/15/10 to my sister Ashley and her fiance Kevin.  Mattie is the newest Antonino clan member and brings our total to 22 including my parents, siblings, significant others and children.  My IMMEDIATE family is 22 people, yes.  (Thanksgiving is HUGE here.)

Anyhoo – Mattie Jo was named after me so I feel like I have to do her and Ash justice with some photos.  I hope you enjoy these – I really did my absolute best under *far* less than ideal circumstances.  The first few photos were taken with a point & shoot (*GASP!* I KNOW!) and the second day stuff with my own gear.  Thanks for looking!