Glossary

Photography Terms to Know

Archival Quality

Photo paper which displays a long shelf life through fibers that are of high quality reproductive content. They are known to maintain color and luster for the life of the photographs.

Associate or Assistant Photographer

A mini version of the pro photographer, who acts and assists the head photographer with any number of necessary tasks, such as bag & equipment carrying, preparation, foresight and in some cases, taking separate pictures at different angles to be later combined with the lead photographer.

Bridal Album

Unlike a proof album, the bridal album is a selective assortment of images from the wedding that have been carefully hand selected by the bride and the photographer. Typically the bridal album hosts an assortment of reprint sizes, page and cover textures and coffee table style options. There are hundreds from the elegant to the simplistic.

Bridal Session

A photo shoot with the bride alone, sometimes right before the wedding or a few months prior. The purpose is to illustrate the beauty of the bride. It serves as an accurate test run to see if the hair, makeup and gown are complimentary before the big day occurs.

Coffee Table guide

Also called a Flush Mount Album a coffee table guide is a timeless storyguide style presentation of your wedding day. Each page is a borderless collage of photos, lettering and panoramic scenes.

Digital Camera SLR

A digital camera captures images using a sensor and digital memory chip or card. It is the new-age technology, replacing film as the preferred choice of pro photographers. Digital cameras provide sharp print quality, instant review of images, color and black & white ability, easy safekeeping on CDs for lifetime storage, and unlimited storage capacity.

Digital Negatives

Much like film negatives, digital negatives may be taken to a photo lab for printing. All images are stored on a CD or DVD for high-resolution.

DIY (Do-it-yourself)

When a couple decide to put the albums and photo orders together themselves, as opposed to the photographer or studio doing it for them.

Engagement Session

A pre-wedding photo session with the photographer in which the couple take photos to celebrate their upcoming nuptials. These sessions are typically informal and may be done outside with one or two outfits. They can be used as displays or gifts on the wedding day.

Equipment

The tools the photographer uses to capture images including the camera body; lenses; flashes; tripod; filters; and gadgets. Having high-quality equipment and backup is essential for a pro.

Flush-Mount Album

A contemporary alternative to traditional mattes in a wedding album. Each page is a borderless photographic print that can include multiple images, backgrounds, words & sayings, and montages.

Lenses

A photojournalist must have an assortment of lenses, which are snapped on to a camera body in order to zoom in and out to the desired subject. Lenses come in a variety of sizes, from the wide angle to the telephoto, which enables him to get shots in a wide array of close-up or faraway ranges.

Montage

Usually referring to a digital collection of between 100 250 pictures on a DVD, with background music and lettering applied. It feels much like watching a video with a compilation of photos blended harmoniously together. Montage also represents any blend of photos that are collectively implemented in an album, frame, etc.

Negatives

Depending on the type of film and equipment used, negatives come in sizes from 35mm to medium and large format. The larger negatives produce high quality photographs, whereas the smaller ones produce a grainier resolution. Negatives are dying as a form of photography as digital sweeps the world as the preferred means of photo capture.

Online Proofing

Your wedding proofs posted to a password-protected website in which you can view, share and instantly review all of your wedding day events.

Parent Albums

It used to be called a Mothers Album but is now popularly referred to as a Parent Album. A mini clone of your primary bridal album, the parent album is a unique gift idea for those special folks in your life who raised you. There are many choices from leather, bonded leather, with or without mattes and acetate pages.

Photojournalism

The art of documenting an event or situation without affecting the events outcome, which is a behind-the-scenes approach to photography filled with loads of candids and treasured moments when the subjects are not physically posing or smiling at the camera. The goal is to use artistic and creative ways to unobtrusively capture live emotions, as opposed to fake or obviously manipulated intentions.

Proofs / Previews

Preliminary prints from which the bride and groom may select photographs for the main album and enlargements. Proofs are ALL of the pictures from the wedding day, rather than a selective handful. Most photographers shoot 2 3 x the number of actual pictures that would be chosen for a bridal album or coffee table guide.

Reprints

Extra prints ordered in addition to the main package. They are usually ordered by friends and family as gifts, or by the bride and groom as wall hangings. They come in a variety of sizes: Wallets, 3x5; 4x5; 5x5; 5x7; 8x10; 8x12; 11x14; 11x16; 16x20; and large wall prints.

Unlimited Photography

No time limit or picture limit. This means you will receive complete coverage of your wedding day and can expect anywhere between 400 1000+ images of the event. Plenty to choose!