Corey Talks: The Wal Mart State of Mind
Posted on July 31, 2008
Corey Talks: The Wal Mart State of Mind
Oftentimes I will read on bridal forums and blogs that “I can get that printed off the disc at Wal Mart for 57 cents. I am not paying my photographer $20 for the same thing! That is a rip off!” What many people do not understand is that Wal Mart and a true photo lab are two entire different animals. You will get what you paid for when you bargain hunt with photo labs. Today I hope to help you understand WHY your photographer charges more for prints from a lab and why Wal Mart can’t compare.
Wal Mart, Snapfish and all those other ‘bargain’ type photo labs have their place in the world. For the prints from your Mom’s birthday, snapshots of your kids making silly faces and the like. Sometimes the image is just something that you don’t mind if it isn’t perfect – you just want a hard copy of a moment or a memory that is special to you. That is all perfectly fine. I’m not here to tell you that Wal Mart and the other photo sites are evil and you should never use them.
One problem with the bargain photo sites is that the colors are often not true to what your photographer intended them to be seen. I had a good friend of mine recently use Snapfish for some prints of a picture for her daughter’s 2nd birthday and they all came back orange. Snapfish did reprint them and the same thing occured. They told her that it was an error in her image file and refused to comp her for the costs. I had the images reprinted with my lab and the colors were true to what was seen on the monitor. This happens more often than I can tell you. It can be due to various reasons, most often that the printers have not been calibrated recently and/or correctly.
Another issue with the bargain photo sites is that the actual ink and paper used is not the same quality of ink and paper that you will find being used at the professional labs. It may sound like a lot of mumbo jumbo geek photo talk but basically the higher quality of ink and paper you have, the longer your colors will remain true and the longer the image will last. Pictures aren’t forever. I have some images that I had printed off at Kodak online that are already fading and it hasn’t been much more than a year. When it’s just a simple snapshot it’s not that big of a deal if the color fades but you want your wedding images to remain true a lot longer than a year – especially when they are going to be displayed where sunlight will hit them. Most photography labs also can add a UV coating that will help prevent fading even more and oftentimes that cost is built into the price of your print.
Another problem with most bargain labs is that they do not offer anything beyond the standard color print in either matte or glossy. Professional labs will not only offer color, but true black and white prints (there is a difference!), metallic prints, pearl prints and so forth but offer just as many finishes as well including luster which is hard to find at most bargain stores. Choosing the right type of paper for your image is almost as important as choosing the right frame for the image. Sometimes, your image can come to life with the perfect finish and paper.
Finally there is the attention to detail. A bargain lab is pretty much computer run and then put into an envelope and let go to the customer. With professional labs, there is someone checking everything every step of the way to ensure that your print is exactly how you ordered it and that it is perfect when it finally touches your hands.
I hope that this helps clear up why photographers do charge more than Wal Mart when it comes to printing. I promise you, you aren’t getting a Wal Mart print with the end cost jacked up – there is a higher cost involved when using professional labs but the end result is so worth it. Most labs do not print to the public, but I do highly reccomend http://www.mpix.com which is a professional lab that does allow the public to print. It is the only lab I reccomend to my brides whom are planning to self-print.
Whitney Plantation
Posted on July 29, 2008
A few weeks ago, I was invited to visit Whitney Plantation in Louisiana by its owner John J. Cummings III. As most of you know that have been following my blog, I really love plantations. This was a huge deal because as of right now, Whitney is not open to the public and it is very hard to see from the road. The main house is one of the only plantations left (if not THE only) with frescoes painted on the exterior walls. I had also heard about the amazing things that Mr. Cummings has in the works for Whitney and I really wanted to see the house and hear about his plans. So I booked my trip and went down to Louisiana which was HOT HOT HOT!
I also met up with two other gentleman for this mini-tour, Jacques and Mark. Jacques’ family used to own (and still lives on the land) of a plantation across the river and Mark is a historian that has wrote a few books on plantations so I was in very good company. I am still quite glad to have met them!
Mr. Cummings showed up and took us over to the church which he recently had moved and rebuilt on Whitney’s land and told us the backstory on how he came to own Whitney. He is another history buff and when he heard about Whitney’s possible demise at the hands of yet another chemical plant, he decided to buy her. After reading books upon books about plantation life, Whitney and all things he could possibly find he decided that what was missing on River Road was the gods-honest-truth about slavery. So he decided to change that – and changing that he is!
One of the first things we saw when coming into the church were these amazing statues of slave children scattered about the church. With their glass eyes, they are almost frighteningly real. They are being created and placed in random places about the plantation site to constantly remind people that it wasn’t just adults that lived, worked and died on plantations – children also died here as well. His viewpoint is that children are innocent and seeing slavery from the eyes of a child may help people get drawn into the horrors that slaves suffered easier than an adult’s story would.
Mr. Cummings has amazing plans for Whitney and how to bring slavery to life for people of today to understand and learn from the past. He is planning to have an area for college students to stay and live on the plantation and have access to all sorts of resources to be able to write papers about plantation life and slavery. He is currently in the process of trying to find the names for every single slave that was brought into the south and is having the names engraved onto granite and will have them displayed in an area behind the church. These granite slabs will also have quotes from the slaves about their lives on the plantations. Finally he is also planning a “Field of Angels” in memory of the slave children that didn’t live past the age of two. This is no small undertaking!
There is no firm date of when he hopes to open Whitney’s doors to the public but I hope it is soon because I think the tales that Whitney wants to tell are ones that need to be heard. When it is open, it will be one of the stops along the Louisiana African American Heritage Trail. Enjoy the pictures below of a plantation that is rarely photographed. Thank you Mr. Cummings for allowing me to hear the tales you are about to tell and letting me capture some images of Whitney on film. I hope to be permitted to come down again and capture more images of the grounds. I was far too interested in hearing the stories to take pictures as well!
Lake Erie Trip
Posted on July 27, 2008
At the beginning of July I met up with Rob and Nancy and their friends for a long weekend in Port Clinton, Ohio. Rob and my Dad were best friends growing up and remained close throughout their lives, I’ve known Rob since I was born. When my father passed away two years ago, Rob and his wife Nancy have really stepped in and included me in their family. My mother and brother died when I was young and the rest of my extended family is gone so I consider myself very lucky that I have someone like them in my life 
. The first day I spent the entire day by the poolside soaking up some rays which resulted in my pale self getting burned in spots (sunblock failed me – or I missed – who knows!) so Chris and I took the day and went up to Put-in-Bay. I hadn’t been there in about 10 years so it was nice to be back. I really enjoyed being able to finally taste some samples of wine! It was a nice time!
I took some pictures on Put-in-Bay so I though I would share them! I highly reccomend the day trip to Put-in-Bay even for the non-drinkers. It really reminds me of Key West in a way up there!
My father and Rob often bought exact copies of the same thing. The first SLR camera I used, an old Canon, Rob and my father bought at the same time. They also both had the same canoe so when I saw the canoe on the lake I had to take a picture of it because it brought back many memories of being on the lake with my father and Rob as a kid.
Elizabeth Anne Designs Library
Posted on July 27, 2008
One of my favorite wedding blog sites, Elizabeth Anne Designs, has now expanded to include a library to make finding vendors even easier for brides! I am very honored to be listed as one of the vendors in their amazing library! I know as a past bride that it oftentimes was not easy finding certain vendors or ones that offered the style that I was looking for so this idea really excites me for my future brides!
Click on the logo below to go to their library! If you are a past bride, please (pretty please?) submit a review as well!
Corey Talks: Feeding the Monster
Posted on July 22, 2008
Corey Talks: Feeding the Monster
It’s your wedding day! Yippie! You’ve got everything on a list, down to the minute, you spent hours planning this wedding and finally – after 3 (THREE!) days of agonizing work, you have your seating chart ready to go and perfect. There’s one little thing you forgot that will screw up your works. That’s me, your photographer. How is that? Not in the way you are thinking but because you didn’t plan for a place for me to sit. Nor did you plan on having me eat with the guests. So now you are in a pickle and wondering what to do and I feel like a goober for asking if there is a place for me at the reception. So here’s this post to hopefully get you to remember your photographer when the time comes to plan your reception.
I don’t currently write it into my contract that I get food – as many photographers do. I used to be a Knottie (got married last year!) and I remember a pretty vibrant post where a bride was very upset that a photographer DARED to want to be fed. Since then, I’ve been very cautious about adding it to a contract because I do not want that to be a dealbreaker like I saw it was for her. This being said, I am human. I am going to probably be just as starving as you are going to be 6+ hours after we started especially when that food starts rolling out. At that point, without a seat and a plate of food, I am going to have to excuse myself to some other room to chow the food I brought and take a moment to get a breather as NO bride wants pictures of her chewing and it’s my first time during the day (and the only most likely) that I’ll get a chance to use the restroom and sit down for a moment.
If you think ahead and plan me in your seating arrangements, things will go a lot smoother for both of us. More often than not, I take the place of Great Aunt Edith who couldn’t make it that day due to her cat being ill, there is always someone that doesn’t show up last minute but rarely are there MORE people than you expected at the reception. Sometimes I have heard of venues comping vendor meals and/or having reduced rate meals if you are uncomfortable with the idea of not paying for me in advance. Not only will I be eternally grateful, but then I’ll be able to capture any moments that happen during the dinner hour that I wouldn’t be able to capture if I was in a different room.
Don’t think that I take my “time off” lightly. In a perfect world I am seated close to the bride and grooms table so that when dinner is served, I’m one of the first to get fed so I’m done before most of the guests. I then take that time to take all the fun detail shots that many of you brides have requested. I like to do this while you are eating dinner because rarely are people asking to see your rings at that time but the rest of the day they are wanting to see them and a lot of times I do not have the time or the rings before the ceremony to do much beforehand. So I usually wolf down my food and then run off into the batcave with the rings and take shots that will have you asking “when did she do THAT?” later. I am usually done playing by the time you are done eating and have your rings back just in time to go socialize!
I end this with telling you that I love cake… and especially wedding cake. So either way, paid meal or not… at some point after the cake is cut you will find me with cake breath. That’s the only reason I do this job. I just happen to have a talent to get me closer to the cake… 
Steve + Kerri 07.05.08
Posted on July 21, 2008
Steve and Kerri were such a fun couple to work with. I met Kerri back at the beginning of the year and have been looking forward to this wedding ever since. Kerri has to be one of the most relaxed brides I have ever seen! She got dressed on her own and then was helping others finish up getting dressed and fixing them up to look perfect! The ceremony was an intimate gathering in front of Shady Hollow Country Club in Jackson Township and then the reception was attended by all at the same location. They ran into the reception to the OSU fight song and the laughs never stopped (even though there was some tears from the amazing toasts from Kerri’s brother and Steve’s good friend).
Thank you both for having me be a part of your amazing day!
Vacation!
Posted on July 11, 2008
Until Wednesday, I will be out of the office. I will try to be in contact the best that I can but please understand that I may not be able to get back with you until I return and I will address all issues at that time.
Have a wonderful weekend!
John + Stacey 06.28.08
Posted on July 8, 2008
I met John and Stacey last year at Anna + Adam’s wedding in September. John is Anna’s brother and stood as her Man of Honor at her wedding. I had such a wonderful experience with Anna and her family so I was super excited when I got the call from Stacey’s Mom inquiring about shooting their wedding this summer. I was even MORE over the moon when I found out that the wedding was to take place at one of my favorite spots locally, Stan Hywet. My father worked there for a spell when I was really young and then we had a field trip there in the 6th Grade and I was hooked on that place! It has such a charm, it’s really beautiful! I also had the added bonus of having a photographer friend, Kelly Niemann, fly in from Texas to second shoot for me.
The tears did not stop flowing once Stacey started walking towards John behind Stan Hywet. They were SO in love and so perfect for each other it was plain to see even to me, a virtual stranger. The service was performed by Stacey’s father and was beautiful and so personalized there was not a dry eye in the house. Each of their families stood with them (Stacey’s parents and her sister Amy and her husband and then John’s parents and his sister Anna took her turn as Woman of Honor with her husband and new son Aidan with her). The immediate family read readings from books and poems instead of the standard verses. Just simply beautiful! Afterwards we did some formal pictures with family and friends and then I swept John and Stacey away into the gardens for some pictures of just the two of them.
The reception was another tearful event at first with the toasts almost trumping the ceremony for tearjerking moments and then the fun started with the dancing. It was such a relaxed day with so much love for the couple and each other – SUCH a beautiful day to compliment such a beautiful day!
It was also so wonderful to meet up with a past bride and groom and see how they are still completely in love with their new sweet bundle in their lives. Their son is adorable and such a good baby for only 2 months!!! I can’t wait to shoot his wedding
Thank you SO much John and Stacey for allowing me to be a part of your special day!!!
Vendors
Ceremony: Stan Hywet West Terrace
Reception: Stan Hywet Carriage House
Catering: Acme Fresh Market
Cake: West Side Bakery
Florist: Vendor from the Haymaker Farmers Market in Kent
Aaron + Katlyn 06.21.08
Posted on July 5, 2008
What a busy summer it has been so far! I have another wedding today but I’m trying to get caught up on blog posts before I leave for my trips (Port Clinton, OH for the next couple days and then I’ll be heading to Louisiana at the end of the week). Hope everyone’s 4th of July was fantastic!
Aaron + Katlyn got married on June 21st in the picturesque Kirtland, Ohio. It is absolutely beautiful there and I really want to go back in my “off” time and just shoot for fun there. I have NEVER seen so many churches in my life!! Religion is a big deal here (the city was the headquarters for the Church of the Latter-Day Saints) and it is still a big destination for Mormans (I nearly got hit on the way to the wedding by a van-bus from Utah!!!). It is just the neatest city and I ADORE all the historic buildings.
They got married at Aaron’s father’s church and the service was beautiful! It is always that much more special when the person marrying you is a relation or friend. This is my third wedding where a father has married the couple and they’ve all been wonderfully special.
As with almost every day in June, it was raining off and on but we got super lucky and were able to get some pictures outside with the bridal party after the ceremony. Aaron and Katlyn had searched the area for a beautiful place for pictures that didn’t cost an arm and a leg and we ended up at the local library which was perfect! We didn’t have a lot of time but we were able to work with what we had and it was perfect!
Enjoy their pictures!
