Posts Tagged ‘chicago’

What is wedding Photo & video fusion (hybrid) and why do I want it for my wedding day?

Wedding Photo & video Fusion is a very new buzzword in the area of wedding services. photo & video fusion is when one person shoots BOTH wedding photos and wedding videos, using the SAME multi-media camera to shoot BOTH types of media. New HD DSLR technology is what enables one person and one camera to capture BOTH still wedding photos and moving videos BOTH at full resolution without any degradation of either format. If done right, the customer receives  great full resolution wedding photos, and a short form wedding video with a 1080P High Definition  video highlight edited to music. The picture quality of today’s HD DSLR’s (short for high definition, digital single lens reflex camera)  that shoot video, is far superior to the quality of  conventional video camcorders even more expensive High definition camcorders. There are some high end wedding videographers who use these high tech cameras just for video. Milestone also uses them for BOTH photo and video on the same wedding by the same “fusion artist” !

Advantages and disadvantages of photo & video fusion (hybrid)

There are a quite few advantages for the wedding couple when they get photo & video fusion (done by an experienced Fusion artist), They include:

• Wedding couples pay less than getting photo and video services from a separate photographer and videographer (with a similar price range for other services)
• It is less obtrusive to have only one person doing both services.
• The new HD DSLR technology gives a better picture quality than a conventional video camera, because of the huge image sensor on today’s DSLR photography and videography cameras. DSLR cameras have image sensors that are between 10 and 15 times larger surface area than conventional video cameras.
• HD DSLR cameras can use a variety of cool photographic lenses to give a different “look” to the video, this advantage was only available to photographers before HD DSLRs could record incredible 1080P high definition video.
• Since HD DSLR cameras have the ability to get a “shallow depth of field look”, so that the wedded couple could be in sharp focus and have everything in the background out of focus. This yields a great “cinematic look” to the video.
• Since HD DSLRs get better low light performance than conventional video cameras,  the “fusion artist” will either not need a video light, or a use a video light that is of a lower wattage than would be used for a conventional videography
• Since the “fusion artist” is shooting photos and videos at different times, the flash that the photographer uses wont be used (during video recording)  and there will be no annoying flash during the wedding video. (except when a guest takes a photo with flash)
• Since there is only one person recording media, there is no problem with another media person (photographer or videographer) getting in the other person’s way.
• Only one person to feed at the reception and one person who takes up less space at a small reception or in a small limousine.

Some of today’s latest technology Digital single lens reflex cameras (HD DSLRs) include the Canon 5Dmark II, Canon 7D, Nikon D7000 and Nikon D5100. These hybrid cameras look exactly like regular professional photography cameras, These Photo cameras can shoot incredible High definition 1080P video at better quality than any portable video camera available today.

The drawback to using an DSLR versus a regular video professional camcorder is the DSLR can have limits to the record time (of individual clips). The Canon 5Dmark II can only shoot for 10 minutes at a time per clip. The Nikon D5100 and D7000 has a limit of 20 minutes per clip. Once the 20 minute clip is shot, the camera’s recording must be stopped in order to record more 10 or 20 minute (or shorter length) clips.  With conventional video cameras, most cameras can record as many (longer than 20 minutes) clips until the tape or other media is filled. This means that shooting video fusion means shooting shorter clips and not shooting an entire ceremony, just the important parts that a wedding couple would want.  However if there is also an unmanned professional High definition camera used that camera will record the whole ceremony. Milestone Photo and Video uses a separate HD camcorder for longer record times.

Another small disadvantage of shooting HD video with a DSLR is that they get lower sound quality than conventional video camcorders. Also since the “fusion artist” is also shooting photos and is rotating the camera to shoot verticals and horizontals makes it difficult to hook up wireless microphones to the HD SLR for better sound.

Milestone understands both the pervious disadvantages and they can be eliminated by using a separate unmanned High definition conventional video camera that records continuously. These cameras use better audio circuitry to record the sound for the wedding video.  By using a separate conventional  camcorder to record the sound and using it to get the longer (longer than 10 to 20 minutes) record time, the customer gets the best of both worlds. They record longer footage than HD DSLR’s alone, and they get better sound recording quality on a camcorder made for that purpose. Milestone Photo and video uses this technique to make a video with the picture quality of a HD DSLR and better record time and sound quality of a conventional HD professional video camcorder.

What to look for in a company offering photo & video fusion.

Milestone Photo & Video is one of the first companies in the USA to offer Photo & Video fusion.  We did our first photo & video fusion wedding video in December of  2008 upon the introduction of the first DSLR camera that also shoot video, the Nikon D90. The quality of the video that DSLRs shoot has come a long way since the D90 and Milestone has grown with the technology and has purchased the best in fusion HD DSLR equipment. We now use an unmanned professional High Definition  camera on a tripod and wire the groom for sound feeding that camera. We can also use additional high definition mini camera mounted in strategic locations to get other angles of the ceremony on occasion.  The customer receives all the photos taken on DVD, a video DVD of the wedding video. This consists of a short tightly edited wedding video edited to the couples chosen song. They also receive all of the footage that the “fusion artist” shot edited in order with chapters on the DVD. The customer also gets a photo montage of the best wedding photos. Also they also get an outdoor engagement photo session, 13″x19″ print and leather 60 image album.

All of Milestone’s “fusion artists” have successfully shot many, many, wedding videography and photography jobs. We are not just a photographer who shoots a little video from time to time. Or a videographer who shoots a few stills. We pay attention to both medias and shoot video  candid events and switch between photo and video constantly.  We have the capability to shoot 16 megapixels of great photo detail and flip a switch and shoot great 1080P video in incredible quality. While shooting photos the fusion artist must me thinking “what video shots am I missing by shooting photos. While shooting video the fusion artist must also be thinking “what photos am I missing?” The work of a fusion artist is never done,  Both photo and video can not be done at the same time but can be switched in a split second. Some still photos are also incorporated into the wedding video. We do shoot full resolution still photos of all posed shots. The number of photos shot by our “fusion artists” is similar to the number you would get with a conventional wedding photographer. The length of the total video footage ranges from 25 minutes to 75 minutes depending on the length of the ceremony and number of events in the day.

Previous wedding videographers shooting fusion?

There are some companies who previously shot wedding video only, who have purchased a DSLR (for video purposes)  and want to offer photo & video fusion as well because their camera can shoot photos too. I have seen their work, and I was disappointed with the still photos they shoot.  These companies do not know how to pose the bride and groom like a still wedding photographer, and they usually make the still photos from moving video. These generated stills are only 2.5 to 3 mega pixels and can not be blown to 4″x6″ without degradation. These videographers do not understand how to use flash, shutter speed and great photo lenses (or how to correct all the photos in photoshop) as well as a certified Milestone fusion artist. Only a professional Milestone photographer and videographer who has shot many photo AND video jobs can properly shoot a photo and video fusion wedding.

Previous wedding photographers shooting fusion?

There also are some companies who previously shot photography only and now have a DSLR that also shoot High definition video and they think they can do photo video fusion as well. I have also seen their work. Although their photos look great because they are a wedding photographer, and know how to pose. In this case the video is lacking, these previous photographers forget to get the great candid moments on video and shoot more photos instead. They do not have a second unmanned camera with high end wireless mics to get great sound. Additionally  they do not have the video editing experience (or equipment) to do an incredible job on editing a great video highlight. Milestone has edited over 1000 wedding highlights over the years, and we know how to evoke emotion with our creative editing style.

Why Milestone?

Only Milestone photo & video’s “fusion artists” know how to properly balance shooting photography and videography keeping in mind the advantages as well as limitations of this new HD DSLR technology.  We know how to get great still photos and video without sacrificing anything. Milestone’s photo & video fusion customers get the “best of both worlds” with our fusion package. This package is $1899 and is quite a deal when you consider all you get. It is only $500 more than just getting wedding photography from Milestone photo and video.

Long Form Edited V.S. Short Form Edited For Chicago Wedding Videos. (There are advantages and disadvantages to both forms.) A Short form wedding video is usually from 15mins to 1 hour long in length. The unedited version is sometimes supplied separately for viewing in its entirety. The wonderful advantage is that, you don’t have to sit through all of the boring parts of the video footage. It is like watching a movie of your wedding day, capturing the drama and beauty within a tightly edited form. The music is usually mixed in with the ambient audio. Typically, short form videos are out of chronological order of the wedding day. There are there are some companies that put all the scenes in chronological order. Short form videos take longer to edit than long form and are generally more expensive. Long form wedding videos are usually between 1 to 3 hours long. All of the scenes are edited in chronological order. It starts with a pre-ceremony section. The selected music mixed in with the ambient audio. The ceremony is in its entirety. There are chapter points to the processional and vows that make viewing more efficient. The post-ceremony section is set to music and ambient audio .The contents of the post-ceremony consist of the picture session on the altar, park footage and cocktails at the reception. The reception includes all of the speeches and important dances.Interviews with the bridal party can be included because some people still like interviews. Long form videos can have a highlight, which could make up for the fact that it’s a long video. The highlight can be watched on Facebook  for everyone to enjoy. Which is better? It depends on the creative work of the videographer. It is advisable to hire a videographer with outstanding reviews, and finally, a videographer with a good personality to get along with everyone and the wedding photographer.

 

Chicago wedding video highlights

Milestone Photo and video includes an outdoor engagement photo session (in the western suburbs extra charge for downtown engagement photos $100) with the full day 10 hour (or less) Chicago wedding photography package. This package is $1399, you get to keep all the photos on DVD (in 2 resolutions) that the Chicago wedding photographer takes regardless of how many, an  8″x10″ leather photo album,photo montage DVD that shows the best photos that the photographer took, a 13″x19″ engagement photo print. The following photos are examples of photos we took at Adler Planetarium: Adler  is an awesome place to shoot photos. Check out Milestone ‘s wedding website.Adler is awesome for the Chicago wedding couple who want their photos shot if front of the Chicago skyline. This is an awesome location to shoot engagement photos for the Chicago skyline. This day it was hazy making the Chicago engagement photo session a good one.

The "dip" pose in front of the skyline

Loving arms pose in front of the skyline

A great shot in front of Shedd Aquarium

Fisheye shot of the grassy area and the skyline in the background

Milestone Photo and video includes an outdoor engagement photo session with the full day 10 hour (or less) Chicago wedding photography package. This package is $1399, you get to keep all the photos on DVD (in 2 resolutions) that the Chicago wedding photographer takes regardless of how many, an  8″x10″ leather photo album,photo montage DVD that shows the best photos that the photographer took, a 13″x19″ engagement photo print. The following photos are examples of photos we took at Churchill woods: Churchill woods is an awesome place to shoot photos. Check out Milestone ‘s wedding website. Churchhill has the rustic look of a camping trip and a lake. It is awesome to do engagement photos of the outdoors minded engagement couple.

A great prom pose on the bridge near the water

A great place for a photo, the 2 trunk tree

A fun pose with a fun couple!

A cute innovative pose in the grass of Churchhill

A great romantic pose on the 2 trunk tree

A great fireman's carry pose in the middle of the woods!

A fun pose in the grass

Milestone Photo and video includes an outdoor engagement photo session with the full day 10 hour (or less) Chicago wedding photography package. This package is $1399, you get to keep all the photos on DVD (in 2 resolutions) that the Chicago wedding photographer takes regardless of how many, an  8″x10″ leather photo album,photo montage DVD that shows the best photos that the photographer took, a 13″x19″ engagement photo print. The following photos are examples of photos we took at Lilacia Park: Lilacia Park is an awesome place to shoot photos. Check out Milestone

Fisheye engagement Photo

Action Shot at Lilacia Park

A great Backlit photo at lilacia

Enjoying a park bench at Lilacia Park

There are great flowers at Lilacia Park

There are a lot of great places to shoot at Lilacia

Tying the knot at Lilacia

Cafe La Cave Banquet hall.

Milestone Photo and video has done many wedding at the Cafe La Cave Banquet hall.  Randy Sutter has been instrumental in making his couple’s dreams come true. We at milestone Photo and video share that vision in satisfying our customers. We received the wedding wire brides choice award for 2011 based on being in the upper 5% in customer satisfaction. We are highly experienced Chicago wedding photographer and videographer.

One of the most popular and celebrated wedding locations in all of Chicagoland, La Cave banquets truly provides a beautiful and sophisticated setting for your once-in-a-lifetime event.

With a stylistic decor and setting of unmatched beauty, La Cave banquets is the ideal place for your enchanted wedding reception and intimate dream ceremony. With the unique attention to detail La Cave banquets can customize your wedding in many different ways.

Cafe La Cave Main Ballroom

Main Ballroom daytime setup Head table near windows

La Mere Room

Come experience our exquisite hospitality.

We promise to make your wedding unforgettable.

As a family owned business we would like to extend our most gracious welcome to the La Cave Banquets, located in the Chicago land area. Here you will take a magical journey into a fairy tale era of utter opulence.

La Cave Banquets has stood for the very best in cuisine, service and the attention to every detail for a successful celebration. Our guests have come to appreciate and expect the personalized attention, cordial service and quality of food La Cave is well known for.

You will experience the glamour from the moment your guests make their entrance into a soaring gilded lobby that recalls all the splendor of Versailles. Feast, dance and romance among ballrooms resplendent with our sparkling chandeliers and exquisite detailing.

Let us make your dreams come true.

• Gus Sutter
• Randy Sutter
• Kimberly Sutte

A happy couple in stylish oval lobby.

The following wedding video highlight has the reception at the Cafe La Cave.The package at Milestone photo and video that give you a highlight is $1399 Check out our prices for video at: Milestone

The Wedding of Tom Galazka & Karen Wuich By Milestone video from Bob Busch on Vimeo.

The Following wedding highlights are “Fusion” highlights. This means the Milestone photographer actually shoots video at the same time as photos and he can make a wedding video highlight while the same photographer is also shooting video as well. We charge $1899 for shooting unlimited photography and you also receive a highlight wedding video as well as the rest of the footage with chapter points and menus, Check out prices here.

A collage photo.

Questions for engaged couples to ask a Chicago wedding Photographer.

1. Does your wedding photographer allow you to keep and own (on DVD) all the photos he shoots? Milestone does with every package (even short day). Some wedding photography companies have hidden charges or have minimum orders (some as high as $3000) for the couple to own the photos on DVD.
2. Does your wedding photographer correct in Photoshop all the photos he takes? Many times the photo a bride likes best is considered a reject by the photographer. Milestone does not assume what you will like and they correct AND provide all the photos that the Chicago wedding photographer takes.
3. Does your wedding photographer create Jpeg files in 2 RESOLUTIONS? Having your photos in 2 resolutions has the best of both worlds. Use the large files for making prints that are over 8″x10″. Use the smaller files for quick viewing, archiving, emailing, slow computers, situations where hard drive space is at a premium. Milestone gives you photos in 2 resolutions, no one I know of else does.
4. Does you wedding photographer make you order all the wedding photos off their website? (TRICK QUESTION) When you order from THEIR website the wedding photo company can charge any price they want for reprints. Check their price range per photo (8×10′s for $8-$12)  and compare with the completive prices at Wal-mart (8×10′s for $2)  and Shutterfly.  Milestone Photo and video allows the bridal couple to post the photos anywhere they want for the most completive prices for reorders. We require that you list Milestone as the photographer on your shutterfly page to give us photo credit.
5. Does your photographer include a video photo montage on DVD of the best 150 to 300 photos set to music? Milestone includes a wedding DVD of the best photos that the photographer took during your wedding day set to music with chapters and menus.
6. Is your Photographer experienced with taking wedding photos at your particular church or reception hall? Check out our photo gallery, it is arranged alphabetically by reception hall.
7. Is you wedding photographer capable of shooting different styles of photography? IE: Traditional posed,  Avant-garde posed, corny/cheezy posed, semi-posed, still life, Dramatic/deep focus, photojournalist.
8. Does your wedding photographer charge extra for stops along the way between the ceremony and the reception? Milestone will go to up to 7 locations through out the day.
9. Does your photographer experiment with all types of lighting techniques? Many other photographers use just one lighting technique for all situations. Basic flash for all photos makes for boring and flat looking photos. Or I have seen some who shoot with existing light for all photos, which looks cool and natural sometimes, but at other times can be grainy and unflattering on older people. Milestone uses many types of lighting techniques, IE: on camera flash (with diffuser), bounce flash, existing light, existing light with fill flash and Flash backlighting which has a halo of light surrounding the bride and groom.
10. Does your photographer allow your guests to shoot their own photos during a wedding photo session? Many of the largest companies in Chicagoland (that charge extra for wedding photographs) do not allow guests to shoot over the photographer’s shoulder. Milestone will allow other photographers to shoot the same poses.
11. Does your photographer do research on the internet to find out what are the newest, cutest and most innovative poses out there? Milestone does this research and we bring examples with us printed up to show the bridal party how to pose on some of the more innovative and complicated poses that we do.
12. Does your photographer use flash diffusers to mellow the harsh flash and make wrinkles, pimples and lines look less noticeable? Milestone uses the Gary Fong Lighsphere light diffuser and the Lumiquest 80/20 diffuser.
13. Can your photographer take extra shots of young children while they are behaving, and photoshop those children’s photos into group shots for posed shots that the child was not present for? (or was misbehaving during a photo session) Milestone does this often and this can be seen on our website galleries
14. Does your photographer have a super-wide fisheye lens that can take ultra-wide 180 degree photographs or entire rooms? Milestone is equipped with several of these lenses that can distort reality, let leave people looking normal and not fat. We have a gallery dedicated to this type of extreme creative wide angle shot.
15. Does your photographer have the ability to bring different height stools to layer people for photographs of large groups. This is important at reception halls that have no stairs. Milestone has these stools. Just let us know if there is no stair case.
16. Does your Photographer know the area with (26 years wedding experience) of your wedding or reception an will he be able to suggest a cool outdoor photo location between the ceremony and reception?
17. Does your wedding photographer shoot the posed altar photos in “Camera RAW” for better quality? This enables his pictures to have more dynamic range, ability to blow up and crop, and the ability to change exposure by a full 3 f-stops.  Milestone uses camera RAW for posed altar photos.
18. Does your Chicago wedding photographer give a large discount when you also book videography from the same company? Milestone discounts combining photo and video by $100 off the top. Then Milestone video will include a free unmanned second video camera a $150 value!
19. Does your wedding photographer shoot a free OUTDOOR engagement photo session? an outdoor engagement photo session will look more natural and modern than an old fashioned portrait in front of a background in a studio. We shoot these at Lilacia park in Lombard or Churchill woods forest preserve.
20. What is the size of the provided print of the engagement photo that the wedding photographer makes. The bigger the photo the better. Milestone prints the largest engagement picture and mat for signing at the reception . Our print is 19″x 13″ and the black sign able mat is 20″x30″.
21. Is your Photographer equipped with plenty of back-up camera bodies, lenses and flashes?

Copyright 2011 By Robert M. Busch and Milestone Photo & Video All rights reserved. No Part of this article my be used without written permission from Robert M. Busch.

Olympic Fields country club

Tips on how to plan a time efficient and cost cutting wedding to get the most our of your time and money.

1. Make an itinerary on what is happening on your wedding day, make this schedule realistic and make sure there is enough time to do all the things on the list. This schedule should be given to all your vendors. If you can’t keep to the schedule don’t fret it is just a guideline to know what activities are important to you.
2. Find a reception hall that is somewhat close to your church and possibly also near an outdoor photography location too (see our other blogs). This way all the locations will be quick to get to and a lot of time is not wasted on traveling from one place to another. This will same on some gas and limo service as well.
3. Don’t cut corners with your only two records from this most important wedding day. Wedding Photography and wedding videography are your only record of the day.
4. Do a (practice) drive from one location to another on the same day of the week as your wedding day. This will give you a guideline for how long it takes to get from one location to another. Use this information in your itinerary and invitation.
5. Consider hiring wedding vendors that offer multiple services. Many companies offer big discounts on booking multiple wedding services on the same day at the same location. Milestone offers $250 in savings a for couples who book BOTH wedding photography and wedding videography on the same date.
6. Shop for your reception hall on a Saturday during the normal wedding season. Dress properly for a wedding and you can check out these halls like a guest. Take a look in the rooms and see how they are decorated and how the food is served.
7. Have a tasting at the hall on an actual wedding day to see how the actual food will taste. Bring others to have then give their opinion on the taste of the food.
8. Consider writing and printing your own invitations. You must  use expensive paper or parchment to give an expensive look.
9. Wedding consultants and planners are great for organizing your wedding day, however they can be expensive. Some consultants require a “kick-back” from the vendors that they recommend. These “kick-back” consultants should be avoided because they should recommend vendors based solely on the vendors service quality not a “kick-back”.   Consider hiring a less expensive “day of” wedding consultant. They will help with making an itinerary and getting things to run smoothly on your important wedding day. Another idea is have a friend who previously had a well-run and memorable wedding be your guide. She will  make YOUR wedding day just a well-run and memorable. Friends have some great suggestions.
10. Make a note of what romantic songs are important to you. That way you can make good suggestions to your DJ, band or videographer on what music to use on your most important wedding day. DJs play an average of 45 songs during an average wedding reception, so choose wisely.
11. Make sure your wedding photographer allows you to keep and own your wedding photographs on DVD. Some wedding photography companies require that the couple order a certain amount of photographs (sometimes $3,000 worth) for the couple to have full rights and a DVD of the corrected wedding photographs.
12. Consider having your wedding on a Sunday or Friday instead of a Saturday which is more popular. Also consider having your wedding in a slow month between November and April. Having your wedding on these less demanding times will earn you 10% discount for an off season or Sunday/Friday wedding. To save even more have your wedding on a weekday. This can save you up to 40% as well. Also your guests will have less conflicts when your wedding is the only one on a certain day.  Milestone Photo and Video has offered may discounts for this in the past.
13. If you are having trouble affording Limousines, consider hiring the limo starting AFTER the ceremony and having them just drive you to the reception and the service would finish at the beginning of the reception. Limiting the amount of time of the limo service (and the mileage) will lower the price of the service. The photographer will still have to limo for photos after the ceremony and at the reception.
14. For a great way to entertain your guests at the reception consider showing a photo montage of old photos of the bride and groom growing up over the years at the wedding reception. This can be presented on a monitor during the cocktail hour or projected on a big screen during dinner. Milestone can do a montage and show it during the reception
15. Send a “save the date” pre-invite card out before the actual invitation. This will make sure that your guests will reserve your wedding date BEFORE they receive your formal invitation. These “save the date” cards consist of a 4″x6″ photo usually an engagement photo of the couple and the date of the future wedding they should be sent about 9 months before the wedding date. Milestone Photo and video has made some great “save the date” cards in the past for a nominal charge.
16. Consider picking out bridesmaids dresses that don’t look like obvious bridesmaids dresses. That way your bridesmaids will feel more comfortable and they can wear their investment on another occasion saving your bridesmaids money on clothing.
17. Don’t plan your wedding on Super bowl Sunday or other day that may distract your guests or cause them not to show because of a date conflict.
18. Instead of an expensive photo booth, have your photographer bring a separate photographer who only shoots portraits and group shots all over the reception and prints the photos at the reception just like a photo booth. Milestone can provide this service as well.
19. Portillo’s makes great chocolate Chicago wedding cake.  This cake is much less expensive than other wedding cake alternatives. You will need several Portillo’s chocolate bunt cakes depending on the number of guests at your wedding.
20. You do not need to pay (directly) for a meal for your wedding vendors (photographer, videographer, DJ). You need to tell you hall that you have 2 or 3 vendors that need to eat but don’t include them in your guest count. On the wedding date these vendors will take the meals or places of your no-shows. In the event of all people showing the hall should still be aware that these vendors need to eat and they should be able to accommodate these vendors.
21. A lot of time is wasted getting guests from ceremony to the reception. Consider moving the wedding ceremony to the reception site. This is especially good for couples who do not regularly attend church or are not very religious or are short on time for their wedding.   Rev. Phil Landers, of I do weddings a professional wedding reverend, can be a perform a scripted and personalized wedding ceremony that the guests will remember.
22. For your honeymoon trip, book an all inclusive package so there are to surprise charges for room and food.
23. DJs charge much less than Bands, and do a better job of keeping the wedding well structured. Bands offer a more personalized service, but choose one that gets things done according to your itinerary.
24. If the couple likes the look of chair covers that cost as much as $6 per chair. Try to find a reception hall that will throw it in as a bonus.
25. To save money on a sign in book; hire a photographer who provides a free sign in Engagement photo that the guests sign around the edge of the engagement photo. Milestone makes an 19″x13″ engagement photo mounted on a 20″x30″ black matt that guests sign with gold and silver pens.

Milestone photo and video signed engagement photo

Copyright 2011 By Robert M. Busch and Milestone Photo & Video All rights reserved. No Part of this article my be used without written permission from Robert M. Busch.

How to look your best in your wedding day photographs.

1. Have the photographer shoot posed photos in the shade because the direct sun can give extra wrinkles. On a sunny day shoot wedding posed shots with the sun behind you or in the shade. “Milestone Photo” photographers always look for shade or create it with a fold up diffuser.
2. Don’t have a friend do photography or videography at your wedding. You want them to enjoy themselves and they will be distracted by all of their friends at your wedding. If they do not do a good job, it may also get in the way of your friendship. Always trust a professional who does not know people there and won’t be distracted by your guests.
3. Have the photographer shoot the posed photos in “Camera RAW” (instead of using Jpeg for posed photos) which enables the photographer to have better dynamic range and exposure. Milestone photo and video shoots posed photos in camera RAW whenever possible for the best quality wedding photographs possible.
4. Do not chew gum in photos. You will look like you are chewing gum in photos.
5. Do not over tan yourself for your wedding. You still want to look like YOU.
6. Find out the rules of the church before you book them for a wedding. Churches that do not allow flash to be used during the wedding, or restrict the amount of time for photographs after the wedding, should be avoided.
7. Look through bridal magazines and websites and determine what types of wedding photos you like most. If you like corny-cheesy posed shots or modern avant-garde shots or traditional old fashioned posed photos, (or just candid) tell (and show) the photographer what types of shots you like best. Photographers don’t always know what you like till you tell them.
8. Have a professional makeup artist and Hair stylist for your wedding day for the bride, bridesmaids, mother of bride and others who would benefit. Give extra time for this because stylists can be late. They will give you a more dramatic look than the everyday look you get when doing your own makeup. Covering tattoos and zits is a specialty of many makeup artists.
9. Have a bridesmaid armed with matching makeup to do touch ups through out the day.
10. Do not have too large of bangs that hang down on your face. This is because this can cause shadows on your face that are not seen when you look in the mirror. Check your hairstyle and makeup in all types of lighting.
11. Hire a wedding photographer who a variety lighting techniques. You don’t want all your photos to look the same. Get a photographer who does bounce flash, existing lighting, flash assisted existing light, direct flash, flash backlighting. If all the photographers photographs look flat and don’t have a natural look, he is using direct flash only. There are some photographers who shoot without a flash at all (existing light only). This is not a good idea because while some existing light photos look great. However taking only existing light photographs can be grainy and can be unflattering in harsh light. You want a variety of lighting techniques like Milestone Photo and video. We use many different flash techniques all day long.
12. Do your makeup under the same light as you will be seen. I.E. If it is a daytime wedding with a lot of natural light at the reception, you would apply makeup under similar lighting. Having a night time wedding you would apply makeup under indoor looking lighting.
13. Do a practice of how to bustle the wedding dress before the wedding day. I have seen dozens of brides who did not know how to bustle the dress until the wedding day and it wasted an hour of the wedding figuring it out . If the bride and friends cant figure it out the bride will have to carry the train around the whole reception.
14. Have a sewing kit with scissors/needles/safety pins on hand with both Black and white thread (and bridesmaid’s color too) to fix last minute wardrobe malfunctions in your wedding photos.
15. Carry “Tide” or “shout” stain wipes or even baby wipes to get any stains out of dresses and tuxedos. Be careful getting in and out of the limo watch for door grease.
16. If pictures are shot at the bride’s house before the wedding, make sure the flowers are delivered to the brides house (not the church) so the photographer can use the flowers for the bride’s photos at the house.
17. The tradition of the groom not seeing the bride before the wedding is outdated and is an Arabic tradition. Shooting photos of the bride and groom together before the wedding, gets things out of the way and makes more time for enjoying the celebration of the party after the wedding. There is a lot of things that can get done sooner when this old and foreign tradition is ignored.
18. Get a dress that matches and flatters your figure type. Consider buying a custom dress made just for you by a quality company like Priscilla of Boston in Oak Brook Terrace IL. (On 22nd street 2 blocks west of Oak Brook Mall)
19. Pick a bridesmaid dress color that is flattering to a majority of the bridesmaids. If some don’t look good in that color, consider multi color brides maid dresses.
20. Do not concern yourself with things you can’t change like the weather or who shows up. Just relax and enjoy the day. When you are happy, you will look happy in the wedding photographs.
21. Don’t get distracted during photos sessions. If you try to micromanage during the photo session, you might be looking elsewhere instead of looking at the wedding photographers lens.
22. Consider a reception hall that has stairs to layer people for large group photographs. Stairs can layer up to 100 people in one great photograph.
23. Hire a photographer who shoots engagement photos. You need to practice the various poses for your wedding day. Your photographer will instruct you on the poses during your engagement shots. After looking at the engagement shots you will know which poses look best for you and your future spouse. Milestone photo and video shoots engagement photos with all full day packages.
24. Hire a photographer who corrects and provides ALL the photos he takes. You may prefer one of the photographers rejects. Milestone corrects and provides all photos. Couples get to keep all photos with all packages with Milestone!
25. If there is time and weather permitting, consider going to an outdoor location that is designed for wedding photography. See our other blogs to find a suitable outdoor or indoor wedding photo location.
26. Consider a reception hall that has a gazebo or small picturesque outdoor area so you won’t have to go elsewhere for cool outdoor photographs during the reception.
27. DO not schedule your wedding on super bowl Sunday, or other date when your guests may be distracted by the game.

Copyright 2011 By Robert M. Busch and Milestone Photo & Video All rights reserved. No Part of this article my be used without written permission from Robert M. Busch.

Worth Metro Water Reclamation District.

Worth Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, Worth IL. It is located at  115th & Harlem just of the bridge on the east side. This place is awesome, it is free to use for wedding photographers in Chicago, you just need to call 312-751-5600 and get permission to shoot there. There are several bridges, several layers of water falls, and many weeping willow trees. There is also a building that has posts and a cool vanishing point in the shade. PROS: Free use, waterfalls, not used as much as other places, it ahs many places to shoot with waterfalls, lakes, trees and bridges as scenery. This is a great place for a Chicago wedding photographer to shoot wedding photos in the sounth Chicago suburbs. Cons: none Check out: http://milestonedigital.com/photogalleries/Georgios_Orthodox/ and  http://milestonedigital.com/photogalleries/Garden_Chalet/

Oak Lawn City Hall Gazebo

Oak Lawn City Hall (Gazebo), Oak Lawn IL. Oak lawn city hall is located just north of 95th street at 9446 South Raymond avenue, Oak Lawn IL. The actual Gazebo is right behind the City Hall. Please call 708-636-4400 for info on permission to shoot here. I love this place, though it is not very popular so you won’t have to fight the crowds to shoot here. I took this picture around Christmas and it looked awesome. There is a large field lined with bushes and at one end, a huge gazebo, decorated with Christmas lights! PROS: Gazebo is great for shade, Located right by 95th street, Christmas lights lend a mood for night shots. I do not think there is a fee to shoot there. CONS: Not alot of shade aside from the gazebo: check out the photos athttp://milestonedigital.com/photogalleries/

Lake Katherine

Lake Katherine Palos Heights IL, It is located off Route 83 at:7402 Lake Katherine Drive Palos Heights, IL  For permission to shoot there call (708) 361-1873 there is a $75 fee to shoot there. Lake Katherine is a great place to shoot Chicago wedding photography in the south Chicago suburbs. It features Gardens, a great multi-stage waterfall, wooded areas. a bridge and some nice shady areas. PROS: Shady, waterfall, beautiful flowers, grassy areas. CONS: It costs $75 to shoot there. Chcek out Milestone photo and video’s photos there http://www.milestonedigital.com/photogalleries/g114/

Fabyan Forest Preserve Geneva:1925 S. Batavia Ave. (RTE 25) Geneva IL. Fabian Forrest preserve is on the eastern banks of the scenic Fox River in Geneva. This pretty yet Unknown park features Scenic views of the Fox River and mini lighthouse, trees, shade, huge lawns, a bridge over the river and a beautiful restored Windmill built in 1875 and (featured on a famous stamp) that really works and you can even explore its workings. Pros: Shade, River views, Beautiful Lawns, Windmill is one of the nicest in Chicagoland, Undiscovered site has very few others taking pictures (no waiting) Cons: Long walk to picture area.

Philips Park Aurora

Philips Park is located at 901 ray moses drive Aurora IL. Philips park is a multi use park that has a zoo, golf course and sunken gardens.Thease sunken gardens are beautiful and are quite famous. However there is no shade there, so shooting on a sunny day can be tough to put people in the shade. This park can be better on a cloudy day. Pros: Cool location for photos with great flowers. Cons: no shade, possible fee for shooting.

Boy Scout Island, Saint Charles IL. It is located on the east side of route 31, about a half-mile north of North Avenue in Saint Charles IL. Boy scout Island is a peninsula that is used to launch boats on the Fox River in Saint Charles IL. This peninsula juts into the water to enable some great River views with the pretty and scenic views of the town of Saint Charles in the background of the river. This spot is beautiful at dusk as the lights of downtown Saint Charles glimmer and dance in the reflection on the water. Hotel Baker a beautiful hotel just south of the peninsula, it has similar views with a tiny Gazebo right on the edge of the water. Pros: Great river and city views, no fees, Cons: Small parking lot, not a lot of versatility with just the river view.

Island Park, Geneva Park District. Is located at Routes 25 & 38 in Geneva IL. Island Park is a peninsula that extends south of Roosevelt road and is between two tributaries of the Fox River. This park has many trees, flowers, ducks and beautiful river views. And there is a view of the Roosevelt avenue waterfall north of the bridge. Pros: Versatile place with many views of river, flowers, trees,; Lots of shade. Cons: park on Roosevelt and walk quite a ways to the pretty places for photos.

Copyright 2011 By Robert M. Busch and Milestone Photo & Video All rights reserved. No Part of this article my be used without written permission from Robert M. Busch.