"Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful." Samuel Johnson

It’s another afternoon, I’m clicking away at my desk on any one of a variety projects I have going on at any given time. My dachshund Buster, is snoring in the chair next to me. We keep the office pretty dim throughout the day,  often the only light of any significance is the soft light of my dual monitors spills across my keyboard and desk as the only light.. I just ate lunch and that groggy food coma is just starting to set in.

The silence is interrupted by the ringing of our office phone. I reach for the rattling device which is dancing across the desk flashing lots of lights and numbers.

The caller ID number is one I’m not familiar with. I answer. It’s a local number…

My post-lunch sleepy affects are shaken off. There’s instant anticipation. You see, it’s a lonely job being a wedding and portrait photographer especially when you love people. My excitement to speak with yet another potential client is half excitement of possibly beginning a new relationship and the other half just being able to chat with someone and learn a little about their story.

As the conversation starts, my heart sinks… she’s a bride, but her voice is small and you can hear the pain in her voice as she begins to tell her story. “Oh no…. it’s another,” I say to myself.

She’s already had her wedding. The dress is dry cleaned and gently stored in the attic. The flowers - once so beautiful - are wilted. The top of the cake is in the deepest corner of the freezer to be thawed in a matter of weeks for the first anniversary. “I do” is now “we did.”

Sadly, sometimes a grandparent that stood with the bride and her husband at the altar, for some joyous family portraits is now gone. At least she has professional photography to remember this romantic, joyous day….

But that is just it. The photography is a disaster…

She shares her story with me. The calls are all so similar.  She hired a family member or friend to do the photography. He or she had a nice camera and some decent shots in their portfolio and the photographer’s price was going to help her and her groom save some dough. Little did she know what she saved in money in the end would cost her so many tears.

She explains that her photographer took six, seven or nine months to even deliver the images. When he or she finally did see the photographs they were so poorly lit, badly composed, unflattering and out-of-focus the bride was crushed.

Her one chance to beautifully record the romance, emotions, personalities, family generations and amazing details of her and her husband’s big day is gone forever. My heart breaks. I’m not a told you so person. I didn’t want this to happen to her or anyone else for that matter.

The bride has called me trying to rekindle and salvage what she can from the sorry set of images, “can you fix these for us? Can you make them right?” she asks choking back the tears, pausing to collect herself. “Can you make an album for us from the ones you fix?”

“I’m sorry…. we can’t,” I gently tell her, “it’s just too hard.”

We can’t make good photography out of bad original images… the time and effort required to make something passable would destroy our ability to serve our clients with their own amazing images that they will love forever.

The problem is these calls keep happening more and more.

Technology is rapidly changing our world, my industry of wedding and portrait photography is no exception. My industry has seen all barriers to entry into the professional ranks wiped out with affordable, high quality cameras, YouTube tutorials and being able to see the images instantly on the back of the camera.

Putting together a nice, memorable wedding is hard… so it is seductive to entrust your memories to a photographer with only a couple of years of experience who is offering heavily discounted prices and “sweetheart deals.” But like a lot of things, what saves us a little money is often the most costly.

But here’s what too many folks are learning in the most heartbreaking ways… the cameras don’t make the artist no more than a good knife makes for a good surgeon. Wedding photography is hard. It takes practice, passion and personality to walk into someone’s wedding day, record beautiful images while making it fun and adding to the enjoyment of the entire wedding experience for you, your groom and everyone. There’s no reason someone should wait more than month to see her wedding’s images.

It’s a terrible price to pay to learn this lesson. Please don’t wait until after the wedding to realize how important your wedding photography is to you.

All the best,

Chris Cummins, chief photographic artist/owner Glow Imagery

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You found the love of your life. She’s the one and now it’s time to make it official. All you have to do is find the ring that will melt her heart. Don’t worry. This quest doesn’t have to be as baffling as it sounds. Have fun, get excited and take deep breathes. There are few moments as exciting as unveiling the ring and springing the question of all questions.

First things first, educate yourself on five of the most popular ring designs. A woman’s personality and lifestyle will tend to dictate which ring she will prefer. Fret not, dear groom-to-be! She loves you and you love her, and when you find the perfect ring for her, you’ll just know it.

The Most Popular Rings For 2012

As daunting the task of shopping for an engagement ring can be, It may help to narrow your search to five of the most popular ring styles for 2012. These are the Solitaire, Pave, Halo, Colored Stones and Tension Set rings. Before you begin your pursuit, you may wish to familiarize yourself with these latest trends and styles.

Solitaire

The most popular and the most traditional style is the Diamond Solitaire. First introduced in 1886 by Tiffany & Co , the diamond solitaire is as it sounds, a simple band with one perfect diamond. This style is soaked in symbolism. The ring is the unbroken bond between two lovers, and the single stone signifies the one life that the two will share. The single gemstone is also a symbol of one love existing between two people. The Solitaire never goes out of style for the simple fact that it is both elegant and traditional. Women with a classic and timeless approach to fashion find that this ring best matches their tastes.

Pave

Second in popularity only to the diamond solitaire, the Pave (pronounced pah-vay) appeals to a woman who desires a little more sparkle to her ring. The Pave style has many small diamonds encrusted on the band with a large centerpiece diamond. Contrary to popular belief, the extra diamonds don’t always add up to a higher price tag. The added bling of the Pave diamonds lets the jeweler use a slightly smaller center stone to balance out the cost. A Pave ring has more gemstones, therefore it will sparkle more than a Solitaire. This ring will be preferred by women who look towards the vintage and Victorian styles.

Halo

Imagine giving your perfect angel her much-deserved halo. The Halo setting showcases a single diamond surrounded by a halo of smaller diamonds or gemstones. This is a rather new style and one that is quickly catching attention. Similar to the Pave, this is a very glittery and flashy ring. However, the halo causes the eye to be drawn to the single stone and less to the ring’s band. A halo of small diamonds around the large diamond causes the center diamond to look twice as big with three times the sparkle. This style is made for the woman who prefers sparkle as well as timeless elegance. It is the perfect blend of elegant simplicity and storybook treasure.

Colored Gemstones

With the royal wedding of Kate Middleton and Prince William, the demand for colored gemstone engagement rings has soared. The most common choices for colored stones are rubies, emeralds and sapphires. Many women say they feel like a colored gemstone gives a ring more caliber and magnetism. In addition, if you know your sweetheart has a special affinity for a particular stone, this is a perfect chance to show her how cherished she is and how you know her heart’s wishes. With some designs the colored gemstone is the centerpiece of the ring with small diamonds surrounding it. Other designs have the diamond as the main attraction and the colored gemstones play back up.

Tension Set

The latest cutting-edge design is the ultra cool “Floating Diamond”, or “Tension Set”, style. As it sounds, the ring holds the diamond through pure tension of two ends of the band. There are many different ways to achieve this setting-free look. Usually the band does not meet to form a circle, but wraps around either side of the diamond to hold it in place. The diamond is completely visible and appears to be floating in air. Whether it is intended or not, this style is very symbolic. The diamond appears to be free and unencumbered yet, still protected by the strength of the band. This can be likened to a love that is unchained and visible to all.

The fashion forward and lover of modern styles will deeply appreciate the Tension Set style. To her, the ring will be like a fantastic sculpture that astounds the perceived technical abilities of the artist. The Tension Set ring is truly a work of art to behold.

About the Author: Lynn Carson blogs at “Everything Princess Cut“, and writes about Blue Sapphire Engagement Rings, Princess Cut Diamonds, Wedding Rings and other fine jewelry.

Sapphire Halo Ring image courtesy of Gemvara.com.

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There are so many important things to think about when planning for your wedding day - a venue, outfits, a colour scheme, what sort of food to serve, what music to play music, table settings, decorations, flowers and so much more that it can all become totally overwhelming rather quickly. Here is a short guide to help with selecting one of the very important features of your special day - your wedding favors.

Wedding favors are one of the things that many couples often leave to the last possible moment, believing them to be not as important as many other larger elements of the wedding day. While this is essentially true there are other factors which are far more important such as the venue, it is finishing touches like your wedding favors that will add to the overall quality and yorur guests’ impression of the day and thus reflect upon you as a couple.

Wedding trivia boxes are a classic wedding favor and are shown in the photo above.

Your wedding favors should be good quality and should also match with the colour scheme which you have chosen for your wedding. UK Wedding Favors is an excellent online company which specializes in wedding favors and has done for over 15 years, making them well qualified to assist you with making choices and picking favors for your wedding day. Their website is very user friendly and allows you to personalise your wedding favors if you so desire.

It is important to think of your guests when choosing wedding favors. Do you wish to have unisex gifts that both male and female guests would like or do you wish to have separate gifts for the sexes? Do you wish to have special wedding favors for the children present at your wedding?

An example of a Children’s wedding favor, featuring Disney characters.

Having special wedding favors for any children who will be attending your ceremony is a very thoughtful touch, and shows you have really thought about your guests. Special wedding favors for children could be some delicious sweets, which they are sure to love or perhaps a small toy as a gift which will keep them amused and take their mind off what is sure to be a long day for them.

Personalized wedding favors are another great idea as again this shows your attention to detail and serves to further improve the quality of your day. Personalised favors could be anything from ribbons with your married names and the date of your wedding day tied around other gifts or gifts which mean something special to you as a couple and have your names printed on them which you wish to share with your guests.

Good quality wedding favors can be that added final touch which sets off your special day, the biggest day of your life. In order to make this as easy as possible make sure you get exactly what colours, finish and quality you want. The wedding favors you choose will leave a lasting impression on your guests and you will be able to enjoy your day more fully if you know everything has been taken care of in advance.

This article was written by Emma Gray, to read more articles from Emma visit her travel blog, Emma’s Travel Tales.

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Alan Jacobson is a man I want to be when I grow up. He’s been living the curious and gratifying existence of a photographer for many moons.

Jacobson believes what I believe: you do a job once and you do it right. You approach business as an opportunity to serve others. Your professional improvement is a never ending obligation not because it sounds good as a marketing slogan but because a good night’s rest depends on it.

Jacobson also happened to write the single best article I’ve ever read offering a bride and groom advice on how to search for their wedding photographer. Check it out!

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This blog is now a Do-Follow comment blog with CommentLuv. The vast majority of our clients reading this will not understand a word of the previous sentence nor do they need to. Those who do, be advised: We aggressively filter for spam and require all comments be moderated before being published. YOU MUST ADD TO THE DISCUSSION IN A SUBSTANTIVE WAY. Comments such as “Nice work” or “great pictures” from people I don’t know will never see the light of day. Put a little bit of sincere thought into your comments and we both will enjoy the benefits. Publication of comments are the sole discretion of the administrator… that’s me.

Thank You,
Chris Cummins
chief photographer - Glow Imagery

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Last year we wrote a popular post about Glow Imagery’s 10 favorite engagement shoot locations in Kansas City. We have long felt such a post about our favorite places could be enjoyed even more through an interactive map.

Click on the pins and markers to see a description of the location with a sample of our pictures from the various locations. You can download, print or email to your friends! You can also view a larger version of this map inside Googe Maps.

View Glow Imagery’s 10 awesome engagement picture locations in Kansas City, MO in a larger map

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Here’s an excerpt from a recent review one of our brides shared about us on Kudzu:

“I look at my wedding album today, and I can’t believe that every moment could possibly be captured in still, but its all there. I felt like a princess that day, and all my great memories are preserved forever thanks to Glow Imagery.” Read the rest of the review.

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With so many choices, where in the world should you have your Kansas City wedding? We have some experience with many, many churches in the area. There are many good ones - more than five we can tell you about. But for brevity’s sake we picked five. These were chosen based on a variety of criteria including but not limited to beauty of sanctuary and church grounds, amenities for the bridal party and the overall quality of experience there. Last but not least was the church’s lack of fussiness towards photographers. That’s a big deal in our book.

• Asbury United Methodist Church 75th & Nall in Prairie Village, KS 913-432-5573 We’re suckers for wedding ceremony sites with great light. Boy, does Asbury have it! It’s not as close to downtown reception venues as other churches but the distance is manageable. The upstairs dressing areas are spacious with magnificent circular windows that provide plenty of light to help with make-up. The windows provide some fun portrait possibilities for your photographer, too.

• St. Elizabeth Catholic Church 2 East 75th Street, Kansas City, MO 64114 816-523-2405 When we shot our first wedding at St. Elizabeth we were amazed at the enormous sanctuary. From the exterior it just doesn’t seem possible this church could have such an expansive sanctuary. Not only is it huge but it is beautiful with a wonderful bright white interior that makes it seem even larger than it is. The church coordinator was a delight to work with and sought to make everyone’s experience - including the photographer’s experience - worthwhile.

• Redemptorist Parish 3333 Broadway St., Kansas City, MO 64111 816-561-3771 We do a great many Catholic weddings every year (hmmm…. future blog post about our favorite Catholic churches? Stay tuned.) Redemptorist is the show stopper. This space brings a ton of Kansas City history to your event. It is centrally located in Midtown Kansas City, making this site convenient to the downtown reception venues that are so popular. The church features ample room for the bride and her retinue to get ready in the next door church offices. We’re not sure the grooms and groomsmen have the same niceties. The church administration are good to work with and have common sense and reasonable restrictions for photographers during the ceremony.

• St. John’s United Methodist Church 6900 Ward Parkway, Kansas City, MO 64113 816-523-6788 This place is pretty much a closely related sister to Asbury United Methodist Church in Prairie Village. Good light, spacious amenities and a great location that is an easy ride to the Country Club Plaza and downtown Kansas City. There’s a garden area just to the north of the church ripe with picture potential. The church is surrounded by plenty of colorful foliage during Spring, Summer and Fall.

  Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish 4503 Frederick Blvd. St Joseph, MO 64506 816-232-2847 O.K., so it’s not in Kansas City. So what? Great stained glass, lots of space and a wonderful, wood-carved altar are big positives at this church. With those wide hallways, the post-wedding exit won’t make your guests feel like sardines. We like churches with gardens, too. Our Lady of Guadalupe has ‘em.

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Personal recommendations? Pictures you love at the right price? They are all relevant factors. Here’s what I would look for:

1. Experience: An enormous amount of photographers and studios out there have only been shooting “professionally” for less than five years. There’s been an incredible saturation of the wedding photographer market of people who bought a decent camera at Best Buy with no other experience and are now “professional photographers.”

Photographers with many weddings under their belt as well as shooters with experience in daily newspapers or magazines are wonderful choices for wedding photographers.

2. Integrity: Check their references and make sure they live up to their promises. Make sure they deliver their product and service on time. Is their second photographer truly qualified? The husband and wife photographer “team” you are considering is often nothing more than one photographer plus another person who is little more than a camera holder with virtually no qualifications.

Too many photographers get in over their head and start hosing clients due to a lack of integrity or a lack of experience or a lack of both.

3. Likeability: The right photographer for your wedding will make great pictures AND do so in a way that makes your wedding day even better. Are they courteous? Do they seem interested in you enough to ask questions? How do they handle pressure situations? You need someone who works efficiently, stays calm and polite and can deliver a professional result in situations that are often less than ideal.

4. Education: The vast majority of wedding photographers have no formal training in photography. Look for photographers with some kind of education in photography.

5. Price: Hey, it matters… especially these days. But ten years after your wedding you’re not going to be concerned how much you spent on photography, you are going to concerned about the quality of your pictures. With that in mind, don’t you think it is better to pay more than you expected rather than less than you should?

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