so, NZIPP huh? what's in it for me?
If you're looking for a wedding photographer you might hear people talking about the New Zealand Institute of Professional Photographers. And they might even tell you that you should choose a photographer who is a member.
So, why? What's in it for you? Well here's my two cents worth :-)
Qualification
There is currently no qualification requirement for calling yourself a professional photographer. There is no exam, no license required...anyone with the inclination can buy some gear, get a website and viola, they're competing for your hard-earned wedding dollar. NZIPP is the only professional body that has a qualification standard that must be reached in order for a member to advertise their membership. If you see "NZIPP Qualified Wedding Photographer" you know that person has been judged on a full wedding album from a single wedding and has demonstrated a high standard of composition, lighting control, creativity and technical expertise. Many photographers are unsuccessful on their first attempt. So this is a big deal! Of course it doesn't mean that non-members are not good photographers, of course some of them are. But you can trust that 'NZIPP qualified' means a photographer has been measured against a high standard.
Ongoing Improvement and Professional Development
The NZIPP places a huge emphasis on education and professional development. The annual Iris Awards offer all NZ photographers the opportunity to show off their very best work. It's no surprise that the best of the best are almost always NZIPP members. What's in it for you is a photographer who cares about the latest developments in technique and technology.
Who's got your back?
NZIPPers look out for each other and each other's clients. If one of us can't make it to a wedding through illness or injury the NZIPP community swings into action to do everything possible to ensure you have a suitable qualified photographer on the day. Of course this isn't something we can guarantee but we do our very best (and in four years as regional secretary I know of this happening twice, and both times the wedding was photographed by another qualified member and everyone was happy).
Dispute Resolution
In the (very) rare case that something goes wrong the NZIPP will organise mediation between client and photographer to ensure a fair and equitable resolution. This is in addition to your statutory rights of course.
So, what's in it for you? More than anything it boils down to confidence in your decision and some valuable peace of mind.
how long have you been doing this? how did you get started?
I love hearing how people choose their work, especially when their work is their passion so I like this question! I've been photographing weddings professionally for five and a half years now. Before that I was a primary school teacher. I absolutely loved teaching but with the imminent arrival of sprog number three I was finding the hours too demanding and I couldn't be the kind of teacher I wanted to be.
Photography had been a hobby for ages and I'd photographed a bunch of weddings for friends and friends of friends. I'd also been involved in the wedding industry before, creating and running a portal directory site for brides back in 2000 (which we later sold). Armed with that industry knowledge and a fledgling portfolio of work I booked a stand at the 2004 Wedding Expo and started booking paid gigs. It quickly snowballed, by 2006 I had a fully booked wedding season and had gained the status of NZIPP Qualified Wedding Photographer.
So now I have three beautiful children and out youngest has just started school. I get my teaching fix four afternoons a week working as a teacher aide in my middle son's class and we take our family holidays in winter!
what camera do you use?
I have 2 Nikon D700s and a D300 (and assorted 'backups' ie older ones that don't see a lot of action). I freakin LOVE the D700, it has amazing dynamic range (ability to record light and dark simultaneously) and it's low light performance totally rocks. I used to shoot with the D300 and Rach had the D700, now I have one too and I'm in luuurve :-) BTW, how nice am I to give my second shooter the best camera? I think I deserve some extra brownie points for that.
And while these cameras are pretty amazing pieces of technology they are only part of the story. The lenses are pretty important too, my fav on the D300 is the 17-55 because I love wide angles. I'm currently looking for a wide angle option for the D700. My current fav on the D700 is the trusty 50mm 1.4 or 1.8 (Rach and I fight over who gets which one each week). Oh actually, I also love my now ancient 80-200 (aka the BIG zoom)...perfect for getting intimate images without being in-your-face.
Ok, to be completely honest the most important question to ask about cameras is not about the cameras per se but about backups. And I am a bit anal on this one (and I don't think it's a bad thing). I want to know that as soon as something goes wrong with my camera or lens (and puh-leeze, it is definitely 'when' not 'if') I have a backup plan in place. Usually within arms reach. And you, the bride or groom will never know because we'll go to plan B without skipping a beat.
So for all my waxing lyrical about which lens I love more the most important question is really 'How many backups do you have?' And the short answer is that at any given wedding we have 4-5 camera bodies with us and usually around 6 lenses. Do we ever need them? Yup. Have we ever needed all of them? Nope, and I hope it stays that way!
how does 'print credit' work?
The idea of print credit is to give you flexibility when choosing enlargements. Everyone is different and wants different things so print credit aloows you to choose. You might use a $500 print credit to buy a 16x24 stretched canvas or you might opt for several smaller, unframed prints. Probably the most popular thing people do with it is add more pages to their album!
how fabulous are Queensberry albums really?
They really really are very fabulous. If they were a car they might be a Mercedes SL 500, if they were shoes they would be Manolos. If a Queensberry album was a house it might be this one and if Queensberry was a dress it would look something like this. Queensberry are all about impeccable styling, handmade quality, individual touches, attention to detail...I could go on!
I love that they are made in New Zealand by a New Zealand company who are world leaders. I love that they know who I am when I ring up and that they will ring me just to check details before going ahead with the printing. And I love that the one time I had a problem (that was my fault BTW) they fixed it within two days and got the album straight back to me and the repair was invisible.
But mostly it is just that emotional reaction when you see something gorgeous...like the SL500 or that Givenchy dress..you know fabulous when you see it :-)
how many images do you shoot?
The short answer is 'a truckload'. But realistically you can expect to end up with around 100 per hour of shooting. I'm never sure whether this question is asked because people worry that they won't get enough or because they worry there'll be too many. But no one has ever commented that they wish there were more. Most times people wish there were a few less to make choosing easier!
what if it rains on the day?
If it rains it will clear...I am a total optimist about this! It WILL clear though because it can't rain forever, right? And in the mean time we will rock some umbrella shots, we'll find shelter, we'll photograph inside...we will make it work for you! And the whole time we'll be grateful to not have to contend with harsh shadows. You'll probably think we're just saying it to make you feel better but the truth is that the light is nicer on cloudy days, and nice light means nice pictures. Whatever happens we'll work our tails off to make sure you have awesome photos that you will love.