How long have you been photographing weddings
professionally?
Colwell Photography was started in Fort Collins in 1992. Prior
to that Michael worked in Southern California shooting weddings for another photographer. What is your degree in? Michael holds a Bachelors Degree in Photo Communications from California
State University at Fullerton. Why do you insist on shooting film when almost
everyone else has gone digital? Several reasons but the first and most important one is QUALITY. Film has
a great range to it. It can capture the details in a white wedding dress,
including the folds of the fabric and the small beadwork and lace that made
a bride fall in love with her dress. It also captures the details in a black
tuxedo. Our photographs show the fine differences between black ties,
lapels, vests and jackets rather than one black blob. Even the best digital
camera cannot guarantee to capture the same range as film. There are great
things about digital and perhaps some day we will make the transition, but
for now, we truly believe that film captures more details than digital. The
second reason is that digital exposures are very tricky to get perfect,
especially in a situation such as a wedding where you cannot control every
lighting situation. The exposures and white balance can easily be goofed up. We do offer some of the great products you can get with digital images. We
have a very high quality negative scanner that we can scan all of your wedding
images to CD. With those digital files, you can create coffee table books, web
sites, galleries of your wedding so family members can see your images. The
possibilities are endless. For more details on our additional products, check
out our package list. What is your opinion on the table cameras at the
reception? Table cameras are great to be used as a supplement to an official
photographer, not as a replacement. Kids usually get a hold of the cameras
and you will get 27 photos of silly things you didn't really want to see.
The disposable cameras only have a flash range of about 10 feet, yet we
still see people taking photos from 50 feet away of the cake cutting and
dancing. Since we own the lab, we have numerous Brides and Grooms bring
their table cameras to us for developing. They are continually surprised at
how many just didn't turn out because of being underexposed or blurry. If
you are on a budget and cannot afford our services for the whole reception,
put one good camera into the hands of a trusted adult. Ask them to shoot the
events that occur after we leave. Your photos will turn out much better than
a dozen disposable cameras with plastic lenses. Do you recommend doing all photos of the Bride and
Groom before the wedding ceremony? Yes, we do with good reason. This is not just our opinion, this is
practical advice after years of seeing weddings run seriously behind because
of the Bride and Groom not wanting to see each other before the ceremony.
Please note that not seeing the Bride before the ceremony was an
ancient tradition because young Brides didn't even know the men they were
going to marry and their parents didn't want them to run away once they saw
who they were betrothed to. The following are the reasons you should consider
taking all of your formal photos before your ceremony. Your flowers are fresh and have not wilted, especially in the summer. The bride's hair and make-up are still fresh and perfect. After the
ceremony the make-up has been "cried on" and the hair has been
"hugged into a mess" during the receiving line Your guests do not have to wait for you to arrive at your reception. This
allows them to shower you with birdseed or rose petals outside of the church
after your ceremony. This also allows you, your family and the wedding party
to enjoy the reception longer. When the bride and groom see each other before the ceremony, they have
quiet time to spend together and to enjoy each other's company. Couples who
see each other for the first time during the ceremony sometimes don't have a
chance to tell each other how wonderful they look. They are pulled away from
each other throughout the day for one reason or another and are not allowed
to spend their day together as they had dreamed. Having photos taken gives you something to do, rather than sitting around
worrying Before the ceremony photos saves you money regarding our time. We set up
the lighting on our own time prior to the contracted time for the
photographer to begin. When the photos of the bride and groom are taken
after the ceremony, we have to re-set all of the lighting during the time
that you have booked us. If you have children in your family or wedding party, they are much more
cooperative when they are fresh and excited. After the ceremony, they are
physically and emotionally drained and usually not happy to pose for
pictures. They delay the flow of getting your photographs taken quickly and
efficiently If it is important for you to make a grand entrance, that can easily be
arranged. We have often photographed the groom at the altar with the bride
walking down the aisle as she would walk during the ceremony. We are able to
get photographs of the groom's face when he first sees his bride. We have
also photographed the bride carefully placed at the altar with her train
laid out perfectly when the groom walks in. These photographs are followed
by a few minutes of quiet time in the sanctuary for just the bride and
groom. Colwell Photography is happy to honor your wishes,
whatever you choose. We like to provide this information for couples before the
wedding day so you can make the decision that is right for you. We have heard
several comments when couples and their parents have come to pick up their
photographs regarding the wedding day. Most say that if they were to do it over,
the only thing they would change is when they took the formal photographs. They
did not realize how they would feel knowing that their guests were waiting for
them. Some even point out their facial expressions in the photographs,
remembering that they were worried if everything was prepared at the reception
site before the guests arrived.