Information: Interview with Glen

We hope this interview will help you better understand Decisive Moment Photojournalists:

How did you become a photographer? I came to photography through my passion for journalism and desire to tell stories. I have spent fifteen years chronicling peoples' daily lives with my camera, and with it I simply illustrate stories. I am fortunate in that my passion is my career.

Why weddings? Simple--because I am an artist and a storyteller. Weddings are one of the best opportunities for a visual artist to really create art, and c'mon the storylines are never boring. Just think about it for a second, everyone looking and feeling their best, a dramatic mix of many people combined in a spectacular venue to create one powerfully visual and dramatic event.

We love your photography, and we want to know what sets you apart from other wedding photography studios? That is easy. We are true photojournalists who document Life as our every day passion. We are story-tellers and this is the style we use to document the moments that will instantly become lasting memories for our couples. We are used to being unobtrusive while maintaining a sense of flow and calmness, and this is very palpable especially on wedding day.

In addition to our vast training and experience as photojournalists, the personal touch customer service is another aspect that sets us apart . Our Director of Business Operations, Asha Ramakrishna (my wife!) takes the utmost care in creating an experience that is seamless for our clients.

So, what exactly is a photojournalist? A photojournalists is a journalists who uses photos to tell a story. As a wedding photojournalists, my role is to capture the story without intefering. However, during formals and artistic photos of the wedding couple, some direction may come in. This is something we would discuss ahead of time to better understand your preference.

When you do the formal photos (our families, the bridal party and us), does it take a long time? This a loaded question but the simple answer is, "It doesn't have to." This depends on your preference.

If you want to have formal photos, we usually like to have at least 45 minutes with a medium sized group (10 - 20 people) and at least a half hour for just the couple.

If you are attracted to the photojournalistic style and choose to limit or omit formal photos all together, we will accomodate that as well!

Typically couples are really glad they spent the extra time with the bride-groom session, as they tend to be their favorite images.

How many pictures do you take at a wedding? We are completely digital using the best high-end professional cameras on the market which allows us to make about 3,000 images from each one-day wedding. These are then edited to about 500-700 finals that go online for you and your guests.

One thing to remember is that more is not better. I have been an editor, for most of my photography career, and from my experience the scrupulous editing (or as I call it, "ruthless editing") is what gives the best results. Let me explain, when photographers include weaker images, it waters down the really great images. When you, as a client are not invited to feel the effect of a powerful image, you can walk away feeling that your photos are mediocre, at best.

I want you to be in love with your photos, and I want you to revisit your wedding day through the images and feel as moved as you did that day.

Will you shoot in "raw" format? I am told this is the best and most flexible format in which to shoot digital photos as you can make detailed and "true" changes to images easier. We use only RAW images. These images have all the information included, and allows me as an editor to be flexible with enhancing a photo.

Do you retouch photos? Yes, we retouch them when it is called for or if we want to create an artistic enhancement (ie. convert to BW,colorize, add a filter, or vignette to the image).

We’re getting excited already. How soon after the wedding can we see the pictures? Depending on the time of year this could be as early as two weeks, but about one month seems to be the usual. At this time, your images will go on-line, and your friends and family can also view them.

What kind of packages do you offer? Our boutique-style approach to building packages is tailored to each couples' particular desires.

Please contact Asha (info@dmpj.com), to schedule a Get Acquainted in 15-minute phone call. During this phone call, you will have the opportunity to discuss your wedding, and walk away with an idea of your investment.

Can you work with my wedding planner? Of course, we love wedding planners and have great relationships with many in the area. Please don't hesitate to have them contact me to discuss the details.

What kind of equipment do you use? We use high-end professional Canon and Nikon cameras and lenses. Our toolbox consists of: Canon Mark III's , Canon 5D's, Nikon D3's, D2x's and D300's as well as a full assortment of professional lenses and portable strobes. All our editing is done on the latest Macintosh computers loaded with all the current editing software.

Do you do other kinds of photography besides weddings? We photograph selective Day In The LIfe Sessions on location (ask us about this fun way of capturing your family). We are also available for editorial work. Some of our clietns include New Balance, Puma, Marie Claire, Hard Rock Cafe, to name a few.

The range of experience and work each photographer brings to your wedding, allows us to come to each wedding with a fresh perspective.

Photographing Paris Hilton and then days later a homeless man reminds me of the uniqueness of humanity, and so I photograph you with the same curiousity.

What if you are booked on my wedding date? Can your studio still photograph my wedding? Yes, I will be your main contact and will be the one editing your final images regardless. We work primarily with our Senior Associates Photographers, (see "Associate Photographers" on our web site for a sample of their work). These photographers represent some of the best local photojournalists, and are people who we trust, value and respect their extensive experience and work.

Each Associate Photograher brings a unique approach to their story-telling ability, and we will work with you to select the photographer that is best suited for your needs.

At weddings I have attended, I noticed sometimes there are two photographers. What’s the benefit of having two and why is that important? Two photographers help us cover the wedding from different angles simultaneously. The added benefit is the obvious help in logistical support for organizing formals and to get that shot from the balcony or from across the lake.

The quality of the work is dramatically enhanced when as an artist, I have the space to capture beauty, rather than when I focus on covering every moment on my own. When a couple has two photograhers, you know all the items on the "must-haves" are covered, and each photographer has room to take beautiful images. So everybody wins.

We've heard that you actually show the pictures of our ceremony at the reception on a slideshow. How is that possible and can you do that for us, too? This can be arranged ahead of time. See a sample here!

We’re having a destination wedding in the Caribbean and we want to have really great photography. Do you travel for weddings? We certainly do and have photographed weddings in Cuba and Guatemala as well as various states in the US. All travel expenses apply and we can book our own reservations or go with your group. Usually a day on either side of the wedding is required.

This sounds like everything we’ve been looking for. What happens next to start the process? Simple. Call 617-869-5000 to schedule a Get Acquainted in 15-minutes conversation with Asha. At that time you can schedule an in-person meeting.

OK, what comes after that? The next step is to build your custom package. A $500 deposit holds your date with your photographer of choice. We will contact you for an engagement session, if applicable.

May we contact some of your former clients to see what it’s like to work with you? I have a list of client accolades on my site and will be happy to supply you a list of email addresses from past clients.

One more question. Some of your photos have very bright, vibrant colors, almost painterly; why is that? We employ HDR (High Dynamic Range) imaging. These are a set of techniques that allows for a greater dynamic range of exposures. The camera can only detect a limited range of exposures, but when we use HDR, we can, in some instances, more accurately represent the wide range of intensity levels found in real scenes.

A good deal of HDR photography uses several images combined, but most of our HDR imaging comes from only a single RAW image file.

We have a couple more questions before getting started, can we give you a call? While email is certainly the best choice for just about any question I can be reached directly at 617.970.7270 so don't hesitate to ring me up.

I look forward to creating images that are...

Real. Beautiful. Creative. Fun.

-GC

Photo credit: Christopher Gagne