On Thursday, February 16th, 2012 I was lucky to join Amy, her team and guests for a Sugar Flower Cake Shop tasting and I truly enjoyed the vibrant event. Amy presented a few different flavors of cakes and they were astoundingly fresh and delicious. I embarked  on an unforgettable culinary adventure, learned about seasonal ingredients, and can proudly state that Amy’s cakes taste every bit as delectable as they look.

As always, I could not resist the urge of capturing the beauty of Amy’s sweet creations and snapped a few pictures of the sweets & action!

Learn more about Amy and her wonderful cakes at http://www.sugarflowercakeshop.com/

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A few weeks ago I was approached by a benchmark publishing group representative with an interview request for a wedding guide their agency was putting together. I was asked fifteen questions about contemporary wedding photography and I’m happy to share those questions and my answers.

1. What are the advantages of hiring a professional wedding photographer as opposed to having a friend or family member take the pictures?
Good professional photographers have mastered the techniques and logistics of weddings and are better able to focus on you and your event.   Experienced photographers will work with you, understand your vision of the event, and then capture your most precious memories and not get caught up in the celebration and lose shots or be caught without backup equipment and lose entire segments of your wedding.

Professional wedding photographers say: “If you see a great moment, it means you have just missed a great moment.” Pros always anticipate and capture the most expressive split second at the right time. They also know how and when to crop the picture to focus on an important detail, keeping everything else out. It is a pro skill to always set a correct exposure and preserve all the details in the picture and keep all the important objects in sharp focus.

Moreover, a pro knows how to make your event look awesome regardless of your wedding budget.

2. What is a proof and what are the advantages of the different types of proofing?
A proof is a low-resolution digital image or a small-size print that provides a client with an idea of what their pictures look like after they are extracted from a memory card. Usually photographers do not retouch all the pictures they shot at an event. Instead, they print or create a low-resolution version of all “open eyes and in-focus” photographs for a customer to view and select a handful of very best pictures for further post production and bigger prints.

3. What are the pros and cons of hiring two wedding photographers to take pictures at a wedding, as compared to only having one photographer taking pictures?
The pros of hiring two wedding photographers instead of one are the ability to receive all “must take” shots along with a bunch of amazing photojournalistic images that capture those precious and fleeting moments. Usually one photographer in a two-photographer team is assigned as a main photographer — he is responsible for taking all the important pictures.

He has a list of “must take” pictures and makes sure that all the family pictures are done right, all the posed pictures are taken, that you will have all the clean shots of the most important moments of your wedding.

A second photographer is on the lookout for the great emotional shots that usually take place outside of the lens scope of the main photographer. Second photographer will capture that random tear in your mom’s eye when she watches you and your fiance posing for the main camera.The only disadvantage in hiring two wedding photographers is a higher price of the wedding photography package due to the extra cost of production and post-production.

4. Is it better to book a wedding photographer who uses film or digital equipment?
In today’s digital world we have fewer and fewer quality film developing and printing labs, a lot of well-known brands discontinued photo film production. The reason for this is simple — digital photography has advanced enough since the technology has been developed that the digital result is faster, easier to manage, more flexible, and gives unlimited creative opportunities for photographers and graphic designers. Unless you have very specific sentimental values or preferences, go digital.

5. What types of wedding packages do photographers typically offer?
A typical wedding package includes up to 9 hour of photo coverage by one or two professional photographers, a few hundred printed proofs, a password-protected online gallery for sharing wedding digital pictures with the loved ones. Sometimes wedding packages also include enlargements such as 11×14” or 16×20”, wedding albums for the bride and groom and two sets of parents.

6. What is the customary deposit to put down, to reserve a photographer for a date?  When is the balance typically due?
A customary deposit for a photography package is at least 10% of the entire package price. Some photographers prefer a 50% deposit. There are some wedding photographers who want a 100% of payment delivered upon contract signing.

7. Why is there such a large price range among different wedding photographers?
There are a few reasons why there is such a large price range among different wedding photographers. As it is known, to become a wedding photographer one is not required to have a special degree or pass any specialty tests.

This fact gives  aspiring photographers an opportunity to try themselves out while still working full- or part-time. I know a few people who decided to become wedding photographers and started out offering their services for free or for a very low-price in order to put together a presentable portfolio. While still working full time and not having to worry about their finances, they would price their services considerably higher than average and just wait for a random customer to misinterpret their high prices as a sign of a superior quality or talent.

This strategy can be very successful, especially for aspiring photographers with numerous helpful personal connections.

Another reason for a large price range among different wedding photographers is a result of different positioning strategies for selected full-time wedding photographers. The cheapest segment of wedding photographers consists mostly of amateur or low-skilled photographers who are just starting out and are trying to break into the market. Moderately priced photographers usually work with a very selective part of the market which consists of people who are looking for the optimal balance between decent quality of pictures and affordable price. The more sophisticated, skilled, creative, and business-oriented a photographer is, the higher his wedding package prices are.

For instance, if a photographer is skillful and creative enough to produce amazingly striking images and business oriented enough to market his skills to an audience that appreciates the artistic part of his photography, he can gradually increase his prices getting more and more involved into hi-end demanding sector of the market.

8. At what point in the wedding planning process should a couple book a wedding photographer?
I would recommend to start looking for the right wedding photographer as soon as a couple decided on the date of their wedding. Great photographers accept bookings years in advance so in order to get the best chance in receiving the best value, book your wedding photographer right after you found that great match of vision, skills, personality, and price that suits your requirements.

9. What should a couple look for in a wedding photographer?
A couple should look for the right combination of personal and professional qualities that will assure smooth flow of their wedding day and great pictures after their big day is over. First, try to understand a photographer’s personality — is he passionate about weddings? Are you comfortable discussing your vision and requests with the photographer? Does he listen to you when you talk? Do you like his portfolio and has he shown you a few weddings from the beginning to the end and not just a collection of a few best pictures that he took over the years? How many years has he been in the wedding photography business as a full-time professional photographers? Has he won any awards? Does he have more than five testimonials?

Can he share contact information of some of his former clients with you so that you have an opportunity to communicate with people who experienced your photographer in action?  Does your prospect photographer give you hi-resolution pictures and reproduction rights on them? Will your pictures get any post production and if yes, what kind? What are the delivery terms for digital files, printed proofs, and albums? Does your wedding photographer have a reliable backup plan in case it rains or snows on your wedding day?

10. What should a couple beware of with certain wedding photographers?
A couple should make sure that they saw a few weddings that the photographer shot from the beginning to the end, preferably as a main photographer. A lot of wedding photographers start out as second shooters for well-established studios and, aspiring to book their own jobs, they post the second-shooter pictures in their portfolio. Even if those pictures are great, you as a client cannot be sure that the photographer has what it takes to withhold the pressure of being the first or, especially, the only photographer at the wedding.

One other thing to be on the lookout for is whether the photographer is willing to give you reproduction rights after the job is done. Withholding of reprinting rights is the main source of hidden additional costs for the clients. For example, a photographer can offer you a very low price for his photography services and after the wedding he can inform you that the only way for you to get your pictures is to pay $6.99 for each 4×6 print. A professional photographer takes between 1000 and 3000 images per wedding!

One more thing to consider, have you been in your photographer’s office or studio or do you at least know your photographer’s physical address? Does your photographer have a studio to take pictures at  in case it is going to rain or snow on your wedding day?

A few customers of mine told me that before meeting with me they had a few appointments with wedding photographers in hotel lobbies. I could not help but asked what would have happened if one of those photographers had taken a generous deposit and simply disappeared afterward?

11. How should a couple determine their wedding photography budget?
There is no formula for determining how much money to spend on a wedding photographer. The best strategy is to keep in mind that pictures and video will be the only reminders of your wedding day after it is over. Pick a great photographer and try to come up with the money that he asks for his services.

12. What equipment should a wedding photographer have?
A professional wedding photographer must have at least two Nikon or Canon SLR cameras with a few different lenses. He also has to have at least two on-camera professional speed lights and a few of off-camera big photographic lights with portable photographic umbrellas.

13. Do prices typically vary for off-season or weekday weddings?
Prices for professional wedding photography do typically vary for both, off-season and weekday weddings. Having a winter wedding on a weekday can save up to 30% of a regular photography package. If you would like your package to include albums, the discount will probably be much smaller because the cost of album production is fixed and baked into the photography package price.

14. Is it possible to get black and white photographs as well as color photographs, or do couples typically have to decide between one or the other?
It is fairly easy to convert a color photograph into a black and white one so the couple does not have to worry about making this decision in advance as long as they agreed on color photography.

15. Why do wedding photographers copyright the pictures they take at weddings?  Is this common?
A lot of people confuse transfer and reproduction rights for photographs with copyright. The copyright is granted to any photographer at the time a picture is created. Copyright does not need to be claimed, documented, or registered by an author, it is his by default.

If you want to reproduce the images that your wedding photographer took for you, all you need is a reproduction release put together in writing and signed by your wedding photographer. For more information on copyright, visit www.copyright.gov. It is common, however, for a wedding photographer to retain the original hi-resolution files to be able to maximize their profits by making additional money on prints. Retaining of the hi-resolution photographs is very common in the United States except for some urban highly populated  cities such as New York or Los Angeles — the fierce competition among wedding photographers forces a lot of professionals to give up the reproduction rights to make their photography packages more competitive.

© Tatiana Valerie

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A Free Engagement Photo Session Offer from ArtVesta Studio. Your Engagement Photo Session is FREE with a purchase of any wedding photography package from 01/07/2012 till 04/15/2012. One great reason to book your wedding photographer early. Call 212.300.3897 for more details.

Here are some samples of previously taken engagement pictures:

Also, don’t forget to visit our GIVEAWAY page – we are giving away a FREE Brand New Panasonic Digital Camera. More details at http://artvestastudio.com/awp/brand-new-panasonic-lumix-digitial-camera-givaway-for-new-facebook-fans/

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for the US, Canada and the world. Sign up for the Daily Contest Update to
enter to win prizes just for being a subscriber.
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We are a team of awesome wedding photographers and videographers and we are offering you to participate in our camera giveaway!

Bring more creativity into your life with this advanced point-and-shoot camera. Being lightweight yet powerful, this baby is perfect for getting crisp quality images in auto or manual modes.

Entry 1) Visit ArtVesta Studio Facebook fan page and “Like” us at     http://www.facebook.com/artvesta
This is your first entry, each additional step is optional.

Entry 2) Share the giveaway on your personal Facebook page.
Once done, make a comment below for another entry.
Leave the link to your  status so that we can verify your entry. 

Entry 3) Tweet, blog, or post about the giveaway on other social networks.
Leave a comment below with a link to where you shared it, otherwise it will not count as an entry.

Entry 4) If you are recently engaged and looking for a great photographer for your wedding, please mention this in a comment below.

*After completing each task, please come back and leave ONE comment on the blog PER item you’ve completed! These comments will count as your entries.

A winner will be chosen using an online random selection service.

PLEASE DO NOT FORGET to include YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS leaving your comment below. Your email address will NOT be published and will be seeing only by our marketing team. We will use your email address and NOT your Facebook  account to notify you if you are a winner.

**If any fraud is detected a person who committed fraud will be disqualified from the giveaway  and all their entries will be dismissed. Be honest, it is good for your karma

Good luck!

Hosted by ArtVesta Studio, New York, NY

• Manhattan at night photo by Tatiana Valerie

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  Manhattan at night photo by Tatiana Valerie

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• Max and the groomsmen

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Find out about more contests at http://www.contesthound.com/

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Outdoor family photo shoots are so much fun! Fall is a great season for taking family pictures. Beautiful autumn colors and gentle sunlight make this time of year perfect for getting amazing vivid images. I think the best strategy for getting great outdoor family portraits is to let the family play together and have fun.

Only mom and dad know how to make their child smile and they better have all the tricks ready for a photo shoot like this! Running and chasing each other, blowing soap bubbles, playing with colorful balloons — it all helps reflect a family’s natural interactions with one another.

Before taking small children for a photo shoot, it is a great idea to make sure that they had their mid-afternoon nap and are not hungry. Bringing along some of their favorite food helps tremendously! For instance, in case with Josh, the adorable boy in the pictures below, a single banana (his favorite snack) held next to my camera’s lens made the child stare at the camera and laugh — exactly what was needed to snap a few precious photos.

In the end we decided to try taking a creative final picture and the parents were trying to draw a red-and-blue heart with light. After a number of not very successful attempts, we agreed that good enough was good enough and called our photo session a success!

© All images are copyrighted by Artvesta Studio

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Professional photography in New York has always been a very competitive field with hundreds of emerging photographers trying to break into business every year. One can find a wide variety of style and price offerings. In the current digital age, professional digital cameras and free or next-to-free website solutions are widely available. This digital technology boom has created a chaos in what is supposed to be a highly professional industry. Browsing the web, a potential client can no longer fully trust a photographer’s portfolio because nowadays it has become too easy to put together a few “best shots”, leaving aside tons of overexposed out-of-focus poorly framed photographs.

In today’s sluggish economy consumers face a tough pressure to settle for budget friendly merchants, taking a huge risk of compromising their one-in-a-lifetime occasion’s precious memories. In my opinion, no matter how tough the economy is and how ubiquitous the technology has become, more often than not one gets what she pays for. 

Every time I see fairly low priced wedding video and photo packages, I ask myself how the studio that is offering such prices can afford to deliver a quality product.

For instance, Artvesta Studio never delivers any photo or video product without prior post production. The process of post production involves use of professional software and takes a decent amount of time. Think about it, a professional photographer takes between 1200 and 2000 pictures per wedding. How can a studio be able to touch up over a thousand pictures if it does not have a post production budget? How can the studio afford to use assistant photographers and lighting crew?

How do people find great wedding photographers in this digital turmoil? First, wedding photo and video shoppers probably want to be clear on what they are looking for. Is it the quality of the final product that matters? Is it the entire experience, including excellent customer service and outstanding products? Or is it the price that matters the most?

If you are a potential shopper, you might want to look for a combination of a great product, good customer service, and reasonable pricing policies. Figure out how efficient the business is, for how long has it been staying in business, whether it has more than one photographer and if yes, who is going to be documenting your special day?

I find the word of mouth to be very helpful in the search for a reliable, creative, and experienced wedding photography team. Ask your friends and relatives if they can recommend someone who has already earned their trust. Also always ask your potential photographer for references. Well established businesses have at least three names and phone numbers handy for you to call and speak with the business’s former clients.

Would you like to leave your feedback or ask me a question? Please leave your comment below or contact me via our CONTACT US page.

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Brooklyn Book Festival Gala Mingle, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, NY

Tatiana Valerie, the owner of Artvesta studio, was the photographer at Brooklyn Book Festival gala event hosted by Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, the Brooklyn Literary Council and Brooklyn Tourism.

Each year, the Brooklyn Book Festival “BoBi” Award is given to an author who has had a broad impact on the field of literature. This year’s recipient is Jhumpa Lahiri, who was celebrated at the Brooklyn Book Festival Gala Mingle on Saturday, September 17, hosted by the Green Building in Carroll Gardens.

Marty Markowitz and Jhumpa Lahiri at Brooklyn Book Festival

Lahiri also participated in this year’s Festival program, in a conversation with book critic Liesl Schillinger at St. Ann and Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn Heights.

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Jhumpa Lahiri was born in London and raised in Rhode Island. Her debut collection of stories, Interpreter of Maladies, was awarded the Pulitzer Prize (Annual awards by Columbia University), the PEN/Hemingway Award and The New Yorker Debut of the Year. Her novel The Namesake was a New York Times Notable Book, a Los Angeles Times Book Prize finalist and was selected as one of the best books of the year by USA Today and Entertainment Weekly, among other publications. Lahiri’s most recent book of short stories, entitled Unaccustomed Earth, received the 2008 Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award (the world’s largest prize for a short story collection) and was a finalist for the Story Prize.

The BoBi Award was established in the Festival’s second year, with previous recipients including John Ashbery (2010), Edwidge Danticat (2009), Walter Mosley (2008) and Paul Auster (2007).

The Brooklyn Book Festival is an initiative of Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz presented by Brooklyn Tourism and the Brooklyn Literary Council. It presents an array of literary stars and emerging authors representing the exciting world of literature today. One of America’s premier book festivals, this hip, smart, diverse gathering attracts thousands of book lovers of all ages.

Official Brooklyn Book Festival Website: http://www.brooklynbookfestival.org/_blog/Press_Room

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Artvesta studio is happy to share a few pictures of a recent video and photo shoot with Brooklyn-based Progressive Electro/Dark Psytrance producer Andrei Lanes who is now busy promoting his latest release, Chrysaora: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/chrysaora/id441594624?i=441594650

The extensive cinematic qualities of Lanes’ music turned out rather helpful in suggesting a vision as to what kind of surroundings might fit the character of the tracks. After having heard both tracks presented for the shoot, the idea to use a city rooftop for the set has come up quite naturally.  We instantly managed to create a great rapport, so no wonder the work flow was seamless and smooth. Forming a creative photographic vision on the set is always our top priority and this shoot was one of the best examples of how high can it blossom when coupled with the solid drive coming from a proper audio environment.

The shot footage is now in production for Lanes’ music video, “Watch Your Heads”, coming out this fall.

Lanes’ official website: http://lanespro.com ;

Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/lanesmusic

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Tatiana Valerie, the owner of Artvesta studio, was the photographer for Brooklyn Borough Mayor’s office on Sunday, July 24th, 2011, the first day when gay marriage became legal in New York state. All together, 659 couples were married in New York City on the first day the new law went into effect.

Jamie Markowitz, Marty Markowitz, and Tatiana Valerie

On Sunday, July 24, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz opened historic Borough Hall to host more than 60 couples—more than half of them having their ceremonies performed here—and celebrate the first day of marriage equality in New York. The newlyweds were treated to free champagne, sparkling water, cake and photographs to celebrate their nuptials.

Pastor Ann Kansfield, City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, couple Linda Wilkins and Annette Fisher of Sea Gate, BP Markowitz, Jamie Markowitz

The first couples to be married at Borough Hall were eight-year partners Stacey Minondo and Barbara Tremblay of Downtown Brooklyn,

Stacey Minondo and Barbara Tremblay - the first gay couple married in Brooklyn Borough Hall

followed by Clifton Murdock and Paris Fields of Park Slope, together for 24 years.

Clifton Murdock and Paris Fields wedding at Brooklyn Borough Hall on July 24, 2011

For Barbara Pilgrim and Geraldine Whitsett of Park Slope, today meant the culmination of 48 years together—and after getting married at the Brooklyn City Clerk’s office, they stopped by Borough Hall to celebrate.

BP Markowitz, Jamie Markowitz, and newlyweds Barbara Pilgrim and Geraldine Whitsett of Park Slope

The exterior of Borough Hall has long been a popular choice for wedding photographs of couples who are married at the Municipal Building across the street.

Brooklyn Borough Hall Exterior

During this rare Sunday opening of the 163-year-old Greek revival Borough Hall—Brooklyn’s oldest public building—couples were able to be officially married by a judge, rabbi or minister and enjoy the grand Rotunda, historic Courtroom and the newly renovated Community Room as a backdrop for their special day.

Tatiana’s pictures were published all over the world in local and international publications, including online portals, such as:

New York City 1st TV channel’s website NY1.com: (http://www.ny1.com/content/top_stories/143554/marriage-equality-comes-to-the-city)

New York Public Radio’s website: (http://empire.wnyc.org/2011/07/new-york-city-officials-record-breaking-first-day-of-same-sex-marriage/)

BroadwayWorld.com: (http://broadwayworld.com/article/Photo-Flash-BP-Marty-Markowitz-Opens-Borough-Hall-For-Marriage-Equality-20110724)

Turkishny.com: (http://www.turkishny.com/new-york/60-new-york/61147-markowitzden-ecinsel-ciftlere-surpriz)

GreenPoint Gazette: (http://www.greenpointnews.com/news/3596/borough-hall-opened-to-dozens-of-couples-on-first-day-of-marriage-equality)

SheepsHead Bites: (http://www.sheepsheadbites.com/2011/07/open-thread-mondays-they-legalized-it/)

Read more at: http://www.brooklyn-usa.org/press/2011/july24_FR.htm

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