Have you ever been frustrated because you take a photos and the colours don’t seem to be even close to what you see when you take a picture?

White balancing allows you to get the colours you see to be translated in your photos.

There are many ways to white balance, many different product on the market, but for myself I only use one product.

I use the Expodisc 77mm neutral filter.

They are very simple to use and will work for any camera with a custom white balance setting.

I recommend to buy the 77mm filter no matter the filter size of the lens(es) you have because you can use the same filter to white balance all of your lenses. There are very few people who own lenses that have a bigger filter size then 77mm. So if you own an 77mm Expodisc you can use it on any lens with a 77mm filter size or less.

Expodisc’s are not the only good quality white balance system on the market, but I find they do the best job and keep things as simple as possible to white balance. They are definitely worth the price and will save you a lot of frustration in Photoshop trying to fix your white balance in post editing.

 If you want to try making your own pictures like these it is very simple. This is going be the first of many mini side projects. Stay tuned for more simple set up photo shoots. If there is a type of photo you always wanted to try to do but just couldn’t figure out how to do it feel free to suggest a topic through our contact page.

mal pictures. I have been very close many times, but thankfully everything has always worked out. I am never asked at the time of booking a wedding where is a good place to take pictures incase it rains. It makes sense when you think about it. When you day dream about your wedding day it isn’t the first thing you think about.

The reality is there is some nice indoor locations that are open to the public, but in many cases a couple’s venue is nowhere close to them. Most of the nicer indoor locations tend to be museums. Over this past year it has become apparent to me the 3 best ways to deal with pictures if it rains on your wedding day.

The first one is the most obvious. Going to a public place indoors like the Nature Museum or National Art Gallery in Ottawa. They are 2 of the nicer indoor locations.

The second option which is nontraditional, but gives you great results is to do your formal pictures before or after your wedding day. This idea made a lot of sense to me after a couple requested to book myself again because they always wanted pictures at a location that was over an hour away from their venue. It didn’t rain at all on their wedding day, but there was a place that meant a lot to the both of them where they wanted pictures together at. The huge benefit too is if I wasn’t the photographer at their wedding it would have been next to impossible for me to tell that their wedding photos were taking on 2 separate days. In other words all your friends looking at your photos won’t even know it was a different day unless you tell them.

The third option is book a venue that has nice places to take pictures indoors as well as outdoors. That way you insure no matter what you do you will at least get some nice pictures at your wedding. Cost of course is always a factor while planning a wedding, but if photos are important to you it is also important to book a venue that is capable of taking creative indoor pictures as well as outdoors. If you book a great venue you can relax knowing your photographer has a great backdrop to take pictures with. Who ever you decide to book as your photographer they are there to help guide you to alternative locations if requested. It is your job as the couple to check the spots out to make sure you like them and make proper arrangements to insure you are able to take photos inside a backup location. Save yourself some stress on your wedding day and think about a backup plan incase of bad weather well before your wedding day and in many cases before you even book your venue.

Some of the indoor locations in Ottawa to take wedding pictures I have used in the past are:

National Art Gallery (call in advance normally a fee)

Museum Of Nature (call in advance typically no fee)

Chateau Laurier (must have your wedding booked there to take photos inside)

Civilization Museum (call in advance sometimes a fee)

Bank of Canada (call in advance normally no fee)

Ottawa Convention Center (call in advance sometimes a fee)

Q = Question

W= Why you should ask

A = My answer

As a Wedding photographer I go to many meetings with potential clients. Whether a client decides to book me or not I want to make sure they are well-informed and book a photographer they can have confidence in and will create a great product that they will be happy with.

Wedding photos are one of the few photos that will always be on display in your house no matter if you move or completely change your decor. This makes picking a photographer an important part of you special day.

There are a few questions that I think every bride and groom should ask a photographer before hiring them.

Q: Do you watermark your photos are force us to buy out our photos?

W: There are still photographers out there that will watermark all the photos and give you proofs of your wedding. Even though you have already paid the photographer to shoot your wedding they will also charge you to remove the water mark from your proofs.

A: I don’t water mark my photos or my proofs.

Q: How many photos do I receive?

W: Many photographers will limit the amount of photos they give you. I have heard as little as 10 photos before they start charging you extra for more photos.

A: For myself I believe you shouldn’t limit the amount of photographs a client receives for their wedding. The average amount of photos a client of mine receives for their wedding is 400-600 photos.

Q: How many photos do you edit?

W: Even though a photographer might say they will give you 100 photos it doesn’t automatically mean they are going edit all of them.

A: Any wedding I am the photographer for I edit all photos I give to the client and if there is anything you want edited further or converted to black and white I will do at no extra charge.

Q: Are there any hidden costs I may run into if I book you as my photographer?

W: This is a very blunt question to ask a wedding photographer, but is definitely an important one. By asking this you will ensure you don’t run into any hidden surprises on your wedding day.

A: I only offer one wedding package to keep it simple and straight forward with no hidden costs.

Q: Do I have the rights to my wedding photographs?

W: If you were to go to a professional lab to get your pictures printed they may ask you if you got permission to print the photos. Believe it or not some labs may refuse to print your pictures. This would force you to get your pictures printed through your photographer. Make sure in your contract that the photographer gives you the rights to your photos. The only restriction there should be on your photos is to have the ability to enter them in a photography contest or make money off of them since you didn’t take them.

A: For myself you have I give full permissions to use your photographs however you like with the only restriction being you cannot enter the photos into a contest or sell the photos without my permission.

Q: What Camera and gear do you use?

W: Even if you don’t know anything about cameras this is one of the most important questions to ask.

A: I am going to simplify the answers to this question to make it easy to understand a photographers response to this question.

Q: Do you use a full frame camera?

W: This is a conversational question that not all photographers agree on but a full frame camera allows a photographer to get the best quality images possible in low light and  circumstances that are less than ideal for taking photos. If your wedding ends up being ideal conditions for taking pictures a photographer could get away with a camera that is not full frame. Reality is most times there are always parts of a wedding that is not ideal for taking photos, but you have to make it work as a photographer. A full frame camera gives you that edge you need.

Q: What is the F stop ranges on your lenses.

W: Do most or all the lenses you use have f/2.8 aperture or lower. A lens in most cases is not considered a professional lens if it does not have a f/2.8 aperture or lower. There are a few exceptions to this. If you don’t use professional gear a photographer should not advertise themselves as a professional photographer. Even though a great photographer will be able to take a good photo with any camera they are given they will take the best photo if they are a great photographer and use professional gear. It isn’t just about the photographer it is also about the gear they use.

A: I personally own close to 15k in camera gear and I take pride in what I own knowing I have the proper tools to do the job right. All the gear I use is professional gear.

Q: Is there a time limit on how long you will take photos on our wedding day?

W: Many photographers will limit how long they are at the wedding for. Some will also offer different packages with different time limits. There is nothing wrong with a photographer giving a time limit. The issue many brides and groom run into on their wedding day is if they are going over their time limit they are going be forced to pay the photographer extra to stay longer.

A: I do not give a time limit. I tell bride and grooms that there is no time limit within reason. What I mean by this is I don’t mind shooting the whole day assuming there is something to take photos of. So if you’re starting to get ready at 11am it doesn’t make any sense for me to be at the place you’re getting ready at for 9am. I don’t give a time limit because it makes your day a little less stressful. If your running a little behind you don’t have to stress that the photographer is not going be able to get pictures of something that is important to you.

Q: Is there going be a second photographer?

W: This is not likely to happen, but if your photographer were to get into a car accident or extremely ill on your wedding day the benefit of having a second photographer is the odds of both photographers not being able to make it to the wedding is slim to none. Even though the main photographer you booked couldn’t make it at least you have a qualified photographer there to take the photos. Also if one photographer were to run into equipment issues during your wedding, frantic trying to figure out what is wrong or grabbing a second camera the second photographer is still capturing all the important moments of your wedding day. It just gives peace of mind for the client and the photographer in case a rare event like those happens on your wedding day.

A: For all weddings I shoot I strongly recommend the bride and groom allow a second photographer to be there. I personally do not even change extra for one because that is how important I feel it is.

Q: How long will it take to receive my photos after my wedding?

W: Most photographers will give you a timeframe of when they will give you the photos back by but make sure that in your contract it states when you will receive your photos. Most photographers will give you a timeframe of when they will give you the photos back by but make sure that in your contract it states when you will receive your photos.

A: For myself for any wedding I shoot it normally takes 2 weeks to get the photos back to the client. In my contract it states 3 weeks to give me a buffer incase something comes up or takes longer then expected.

Q: How will the photographer be dressed?

W: Might sound silly, but if you don’t ask some photographers might show up in ripped jeans and a t-shirt. If you don’t care what they wear you don’t need to ask this question.

A: I personally as a minimum wear dress pants and a dress shirt. If requested in advance I don’t mind wearing whatever the bride and groom feels is appropriate for their wedding day.

Hopefully This helps make your search for a ottawa wedding photographer or a wedding photographer in general a little easier. If your reading this as a bride or groom to be congratulations and I wish you all the best on your special day!

I can only image how beautiful a wedding would be in the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal. It is hard to get parking in Montreal so prepare to have to walk a little bit to get to the church.