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Stuff in the ‘Maryland’ Category

Will You Marry Me?

— 12/06/2017 by Monika Wertman —

Will you Marry Me?

We are about to enter the season for proposals. All over the globe one half of a couple will decide to get down on one knee this holiday season and pop the question:

“Will you marry me?”

Here at Wertman Photography we love this season. Since the answer “yes” leads to new brides-to-be who we will get to meet with over the next few months, during bridal shows and consultations at our studio, I thought I would point out a few things a newly engaged couple should look for when interviewing a photographer.

Do not focus on price alone. Some studios will have a low entry cost, but itemize every product, leading to a higher price tag in the end. Ask what is included.
Look over several websites. Are the images consistent, do you notice a style? If you love the style, call to set up an appointment to talk to the photographer.

3. Set up an in person consultation with the photographer whose style you like. If they are not willing to meet in person, do not hire them over the phone. You should develop a relationship with the team you hire to capture one of the most important days of your lives. This relationship starts during the in person consultation.

4. Do not get scared of by a higher entry cost. If a starting price is listed and seems outside of your budget, call the photographer anyway to talk to them. You may find that many things are included in this cost and that they are willing to work with you in terms of payment plans and that the starting cost is lower as the overall cost at a studio that is not all inclusive.

5. Find out if your chosen studio works as a team or flies solo. A wedding is a big job and if you hire a photographer who works alone, he/she will likely miss something.

6. During the in person consultation you will get a sense of who you will be working with. It is important that you click with your photography team. They will record memories for you that are unretrievable. It is important that you feel that you can trust them.

We worked with some great couples this past year, both during weddings and engagement sessions. I have included some of our favorites from these sessions and we are looking forward to capturing the weddings of these engagement session over the next year and beyond.

Here is to a great Holiday Season, filled with Love and many who will answer “yes”.

A One Year Old Birthday Shoot and Taco Bash

— 06/15/2017 by Monika Wertman —

A One Year Old Birthday Shoot and Taco Bash

Miss Lucy is one of our favorite little ones and we have loved and have been honored to be a part of her family’s development from the beginning. We captured her parent’s engagement, their wedding, her growing presence in her mommy’s belly, Lucy’s birth and now her 1st birthday.

Lucy is a little cutie pie with lots of personality just like her mommy and daddy. She was also very patient with the many clothing changes her mommy put her through and loved playing with the toys I put out during her session.

We shot for about 1.5 hours, an unusual length for this age, as one year olds tucker out quickly, but Lucy was a trooper and with several snack breaks and a change in back drops and scenery every so often, she continued to be a delight.

The session culminated in a Taco Bash, an idea her mommy had as Lucy loves tacos. So instead of doing a cake smash, we gave Lucy tacos to destroy.

She began by eating the sour cream and eventually got the hang of smashing the rest of the food. This was a messy endeavor, but paid off with cute photos.

We are sharing a few here to clue you in on the fun we had.

We also decided that we should continue the tradition of putting Lucy into her mommy’s wedding gown, something we started when she was first born. Lucy was not too sure what to make of that as you can tell by the two photos we are sharing here.

Call us today to schedule a consultation so we can plan your special one year old photoshoot. One year olds are lots of fun and totally unpredictable. We love working with them.

301-693-3021

Busy with Babies

— 04/19/2017 by Monika Wertman —

We have been busy with Babies

Over the last few months we have had several maternity sessions and newborn babies. One such session even had us going to the hospital within the first moments after this little one was born. Below are a few of our favorite images from these sessions.

Here at Wertman Photography we customize each maternity and newborn session to what you would like to get.

We even come to you if you want the life style approach. The families featured within this post chose to do it all at the studio.

We played with a few new ideas, such as silhouettes and simulating a bedroom setup, featuring the baby with the parents softly in the background.

We also incorporated rings and tiaras. They were all fun sessions and we are looking forward to a few more already on the schedule for later this month.

Whatever you preference and whatever it is you would like us to capture, we will be sure to accommodate your wishes. We discuss it all in your pre-session consultation, taking notes and preparing the studio accordingly. We also make sure that its is nice and warm in here to baby does not get cold.

We use our constant lights for added warmth for baby and have also found that the constant lights do not make baby flinch as a flash system may.

Please vote on your favorite image so we can enter our families in a drawing for a portrait. You will also be entered into a drawing for a family session up to 5 people for voting.

Indian Wedding Shoot

— 02/17/2017 by Monika Wertman —

In October it was suggested to us to participate in a styled wedding shoot, Indian style. Several venues were bounced around and after a while it was settled that the Kamran Center close to Frederick would be the place to do this.

We worked with three models, one male and two females, one of which we worked with before. It was fun to experience the differences in wedding attire and to see first hand how long it takes to get wrapped into a Sari.

While the guys are much more comfortable and it seems carefree in their wedding attire in the Indian tradition, the girls have it much harder, as the Sari tends to slip off the shoulder when they move and restrict they way they can walk etc.

I can not even imagine dancing in one.

After this experience I will forever appreciate the ease in which a western bride gets into her gown and can move pretty freely depending on the style she chose.

All in all this was an interesting experience and we did get some great shots from our great models. Both ladies are gorgeous and witnessing them being transformed into fairy tale creatures was fun.

We are currently organizing a western wedding shoot for March, again working with JB Bridals and if you are interested in participating in that, please read last week’s model call posted here.

Model Call

— 02/03/2017 by Monika Wertman —

Model Call for Bridal Shoot

We need two female and two male models for a stylized bridal shoot. The shoot will take place at the Chambersburg Country Club on Tuesday, March 21 2017.

2 clothing changes (Gowns and tuxes provided by JB Bridal), hair and make-up services (Bella Salon and Spa) provided. All work is for trade and each vendor is participating to receive images and new promotional material. Trade for models will be fully edited portfolio images from the day of shooting.

Female models need to be 5’8″ to 5’9″ and need to bring heels with them, either white, cream or silver evening shoes to match the gowns. size 8-10 wedding gowns need to fit, which translates to regular dress sizes of 6-10. I am looking for hour glass models. We want these images to look real, yet fantastic.

Male models should be a size 40 regular with an inseam of 34.

Please contact us no later than February 28 to be considered for the opportunity.

We will schedule a fitting at JB Bridals in Chambersburg during the week about 1 week prior to the shoot. Hair and makeup will likely start at 9 am and shooting will start at 10:30am. Please plan on a 4-6 hour day. Only serious, committed models need apply and we will meet in person before the fitting day.

This will be fun day creating amazing images while we showcase the newly renovated country club and play with new ideas.

Please contact the studio directly through email if you are interested: info@wertmanphotography.net

What to ask when you interview Wedding Photographers

— 01/31/2017 by Monika Wertman —

What questions should you ask when you interview a wedding photographer?

This week we will focus on what you should look for in a studio while you are looking at who will be the best fit for you.

Whether you found the list of photographers in front of you through a Google search, a bridal show or recommendations from friends, look over the studio’s website before you call to see if you like their style.

If you do, reach out to them either through email or a phone call and set up an appointment to talk to them. Whether they list a starting cost or not, whether the starting cost seems outside of your budget or not, set up an appointment. You never know what they include in their price until you talk to them, and you may be surprised to find that they include it all, making the cost a practical one.

When you meet with them, make sure that you and your fiancé both go if at all possible.

When meeting with a wedding photographer, pay attention to the following:

Is the photographer you are meeting with friendly and approachable?

If you meet them at their studio, what does the artwork hanging on the walls look like? Studios hang their best work on their walls.

Is the person you are meeting with at least one of the photography team or a sales person?

Do they listen to you and ask you questions, or do they launch right into the sales pitch.

What do they include in their price? Is it just a few hours and a CD, or are products such as an album included?

Do they shoot alone or do they use a team? If they use a team, do they charge extra for the second shooter?

Do they offer to help you plan your wedding day and work with your vendors, or will you sign with them and not see them until your wedding day?

Are they pushy and demand you sign now or you will loose them, or do they give you time to think?

Feel free to take this list with you to help you remember what to look for when talking to photography studios.

In our next email, we will give you some tips on what questions to ask before you sign on the dotted line.

Thank you for a great year

— 12/23/2016 by Monika Wertman —

We had a great year working with so many of you! It was fun and exciting and sometimes a bit more challenging than expected, and we got awesome images.

Here is a quick look back over the last 12 months, highlighting some of our favorite shots from this year.

This year we got to play with newborns, expecting moms, brides, fun seniors and awesome families. Several of you were repeat clients and we love you for it! Some of you were new to Wertman Photography. We want to thank you for putting your trust in us!