Creative, contemporary wedding and portrait photography serving Cleveland, Akron, Canton, through Northeastern Ohio. » Small Talk

Should You Hire a Second Photographer for Your Cleveland Wedding?

Elizabeth — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 04:05:38 +0000

Here’s the scenario — You’ve done the research and found a Cleveland wedding photographer who does gorgeous work (hopefully it’s me — wink, wink). You click with them, and their photography style perfectly dovetails your wedding vision. But you wonder, “Will one photographer suffice? Should I hire a second to capture everything?” I’ve heard this question often, so I thought I’d write about it. Please note — These are my thoughts, based on my experience working as a photographer specializing in Cleveland wedding photography for five years, and photographing 90+ weddings.

Second Photographer? Or Assistant?

Working in the Cleveland wedding photography industry, I’ve heard about a situation that’s more common than it ought to be. It’s completely unethical, yet continues to go on. The client requests an additional photographer, and has paid for services, yet they’ve received one photographer and one assistant.

How does this happen? Wedding Photographers often bring an assistant to help carry equipment, pose wedding party members, field guest requests, and to generally lend a hand. The assistant will use the primary photographer’s backup equipment and pose as a second photographer.

Potential issues:

Assistant won’t be experienced in photography, leaving the client with duplicate, carbon-copies of the same moments.
Assistant may get in the way of the guests’ view, as they may not have a background shooting with telephotos lenses from distances further away (behind guests).

How can you avoid this? When you meet with potential second photographers (if you have opportunity to), ask the same types of questions you’d ask to the primary photographer. Ask to see individual portfolios. Ask about their style. Just keep in mind, that if you truly have hired a full-time, professional second photographer for your wedding day, you’ll probably invest several hundred dollars for their services. A true professional, second photographer will never be “free” or added as a promotion.

300+ Guests = Hire a Second

Bottom line — If you’re having less than 300 guests, one professional photographer (IMHO “professional” means that the photographer has years of experience and training, and should specialize in wedding photography) will do an absolutely wonderful job recording the day’s events. However, if you’re having 300+ guests, I do recommend hiring a second photographer to capture everything.

The benefits of having two photographers will be:

Ability to cover different locations at the same time, providing unique perspectives.
Ability to be in the “right place at the right time”.

Once you’ve done the research and found a Cleveland wedding photographer to hire, take some time to consider whether you should add a second photographer. Hiring a professional second photographer will add depth to your wedding day photographs. Just make sure they’re a true professional photographer — not an assistant.

If you’d like more info, or have questions, please email pruitt.elizabeth@gmail.com. (Below: That’s me — Photographing a 2011 wedding)

Elizabeth Pruitt Photography: Seeking part-time editor!

Elizabeth — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 01:03:37 +0000

Elizabeth Pruitt Photography is looking for the perfect person to come along as we grow! We are currently seeking a part-time photograph editor. This position’s responsibilities include editing photo sessions in Lightroom and Photoshop on a part-time basis, working from home. Hours will vary, but you should expect approximately 5-10 hours per week. A background in photographic editing is a must.

In addition, it is essential that you have the following:

Strength in meeting deadlines
Follow directions accurately
High level of attention to detail
Ability to work efficiently
Adobe Photoshop CS3 (or newer), Adobe Lightroom 3 (or newer) and have high speed internet connection
Proficiency working with FTP

The following is a plus (the position may expand into work as an assistant photographer):

At least 1 year experience working in the photography field
Canon or Nikon SLR body and backup camera
Wide angle and zoom lenses, both at least a 2.8
Strobe flash

Interested? Send your resume and cover letter email with “Photo Editor” in the subject line to pruitt.elizabeth@gmail.com.

Albums, Albums, Albums!

Elizabeth — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 19:00:40 +0000

I’m frequently designing albums yet they never end up on my blog. Since so many of my clients ask to see them when we first meet, I thought I’d add a blog entry with some album info.

85% of the time I shoot horizontally, so I offer square albums. My albums have 100% leather covers with 13 colors to choose from. Clients can also upgrade for additional cover options. Here’s how it works:

If you’re interested in services, please click on the “Contact” link at the top of this page to set up a consultation so we can talk further about albums and you can see some samples! Or, email me directly at pruitt.elizabeth@gmail.com.

Elizabeth Pruitt Photography’s Wedding Vendor Friends

Elizabeth — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 20:13:31 +0000

Preferred Vendors:

2010 has officially rolled in, and with it being a very busy time for wedding planning, I thought I’d offer up a blog posting on vendor suggestions.

The following is a list of people I’ve worked with, network with and/or personally know and trust for their professional abilities:

Wedding Coordination:

DJs:

Bands:

Videographers:

PhotoBooths:

PartyPix PhotoBox

Florists:

Bakers:

A Cookie and a Cupcake
Becker’s Bakery
Michael Angelo Bakery
Sweet Melissa’s
Sugar Me Cakes & Cookies (Chagrin Falls) 440-292-5250
West Side Bakery
White Flower Cakes
Wild Flour Bakery

Caterers:

Decor & Stationary:

Makeup Artists:

Westside Salons (conveniently near Cleveland if you’re having a wedding Downtown):

Marengo Luxury Spa 401 Euclid Avenue Cleveland, Ohio
Dino Palmieri 1388 West 6th Street Cleveland, Ohio
Charles Scott Salon19025 Old Lake Road, Rocky River, Ohio

Northeastern or Cleveland Ohio Wedding Venues (I’ve either photographed at the following locations, or have upcoming weddings booked):

Last Minute Mini Holiday Sessions: $99!

Elizabeth — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:38:00 +0000

Mini Holiday Sessions are a great opportunity to get unique, custom photograph gifts for family and friends, and to celebrate the 2009 holiday season.

Mini Holiday Session Details:

Each session will be $99 and includes an online gallery of images, and (1) digital file of your choice
Will be held On-Location in the evenings and on the weekends.
Each shoot will focus on group pictures and will last up to 30 minutes, and will be quickly turned around to get those last minute Holiday cards out!
Discs of the entire session are available for $75 and prints are available through my online ordering system.

Please contact me ASAP if you’re interested in a session by using the Contact link at the top of this page.

Small Talk:: Elizabeth Pruitt Earns Acceptance into the WPJA!

Elizabeth — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 18:08:28 +0000

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:
Elizabeth Pruitt, Owner
Elizabeth Pruitt Photography
216.789.5343
pruitt.elizabeth@gmail.com
www.elizabethpruittphoto.com

Elizabeth Pruitt Earns Acceptance into the WPJA

Elizabeth Pruitt, Ohio – August 28, 2009 – Elizabeth Pruitt today announced her celebrated acceptance into the Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA), an International, membership-based organization representing professional photographers skilled in the documentation of weddings and events in a candid, unobtrusive style. As a WPJA member, Ms. Pruitt joins the ranks of some of the most talented wedding photojournalists in the world as judged by their technical, creative and visual aptitude.

Elizabeth Pruitt will be held to strict membership standards regarding image quality and content, technical and creative technique, website and marketing professionalism, business ethics and communication. In turn, she gains prestigious affiliation with one of the industry’s top professional organizations. Ms. Pruitt can further gain admittance into quarterly competitions, where her work will be judged by some of the world’s most respected and accomplished award-winning photojournalists.

“I’m both honored and elated to earn membership acceptance into the Wedding Photojournalist Association,” states Ms.Pruitt, owner of Elizabeth Pruitt Photography. “To have my work alongside the WPJA’s esteemed collection of professional wedding photojournalists is a monumental accomplishment.”

Elizabeth Pruitt Photography offers engagement and wedding coverage to clients throughout the greater Northeastern Ohio area plus select destination wedding coverage on a case-by-case basis.

To learn more about Elizabeth Pruitt, view her portfolio, request a media kit or schedule an interview, visit www.elizabethpruittphoto.com or email pruitt.elizabeth@gmail.com.

About Elizabeth Pruitt

Elizabeth started photographing from an art background, after first using an Old Pentax camera her father had given her while studying in college. She believes her background in art has helped her approach to shooting weddings. According to Elizabeth, “I believe weddings are prime terrain for creating artwork and I like to challenge the assumption of what wedding photography can be.” She provides her clients with a mix of creative, fun and candid photographs in their wedding collections, and her goal is to capture images that feel modern and unique, yet absolutely timeless.

When Elizabeth is not photographing weddings, she enjoys speding time with family, photographing her son, dining out, visiting with friends, listening to radio, art, shopping, or enjoying a good glass of wine.

This is Elizabeth’s third year photographing weddings, and she credits some of her creative influences to David Jay, Dane Sanders, Jessica Johnson, Sarah Q and Zack Arias.

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Small Talk:: Cleveland, Ohio Reception Venues

Elizabeth — Fri, 10 Apr 2009 02:13:55 +0000

I’m on our high school’s Reunion Planning Committee, and was asked to gather possible locations for our next reunion (which happens to be this year). I thought this would be a wonderful opportunity to share with anyone looking for a reception location! Here’s my list with links: