Glossary of Wedding Photography Terms
- Archival-Quality Prints
All Bella prints are made on archival-quality Kodak paper and will last a lifetime and beyond with basic care.
- Associate Photographer
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A Bella Associate Photographer has passed a rigorous portfolio review by our photography coaches, and is authorized to shoot weddings alongside a seasoned Bella Certified Photographer. Only 1 in 5 qualified applicants is accepted for an associate photographer position.
Adding an Associate Photographer to your package is an affordable way to expand your coverage and can open up possibilities a single photographer simply can't offer. It's highly recommended to have this second photojournalist at your wedding – especially if the wedding is more than 75 people. Your Associate Photographer will work under the direction of your Bella Certified Photographer to help capture every special moment of your wedding day.
- Bella Certified Photographer
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If you hire Bella, your wedding will be shot by a Bella Certified Photographer. Our photographers are highly skilled and trained photojournalists. Before gaining Bella Certified status, each photographer undergoes a rigorous screening process, shooting several weddings under the tutelage of a Bella Certified Photographer. Only the top 10% of photographers who apply to Bella eventually become Bella Certified Photographers.
Bella photographers are the most award-winning in the wedding industry. Our accomplished team is comprised of photographers who have won Pulitzer Prizes, had their work featured in major publications, won industry awards like PDN Top Knots and have shot for celebrities like Tom Cruise, Oprah Winfrey and a number of other Hollywood names. In addition, our photographers are consistently recognized by magazines like Brides and Marie Claire and organizations like The Knot and Here Comes the Guide for their phenomenal work.
- Bridal Session
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The bridal session is a photography shoot with the bride alone. It typically takes place a few months before the wedding. The purpose of the bridal session is to illustrate the elegance and beauty of the bride, in a private, relaxed setting. Many brides choose to wear their gowns for this session and use the session as a "test run" to verify that the accessories, hairstyle and makeup that they've chosen complement their dresses.
If you would like to display your bridal photos at the wedding, you should plan to do the session no less than three months prior to your wedding day.
Your bridal session includes a one-hour photo session at the location of your choice, a DVD of the session's photos, and a $50 print credit. You may apply your print credit to any number of prints in any size. All Bella prints are made on archival-quality Kodak paper and will last a lifetime and beyond with basic care.
- Design Services
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Bella provides personalized design support with every album. Our album designers work with you to customize every aspect of your album, from photo selection to page layouts, so you can be sure that your album will tell the unique and lasting story of your special day.
- Digital Camera
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Bella photographers rely on digital cameras to tell the story of your wedding day. A digital camera uses a sensor to capture an image, and a digital memory card instead of film to store it. There are many advantages of digital over film. Here are some of the main ones:
- Crisp, clear print quality
- Quick turnaround time and easy image sharing with friends and family
- Images can be easily processed in both color and black and white
- Digital retouching can be performed to make your photos look their best
- Easy safekeeping: digital negatives on CD will not fade over time
- No additional processing costs and high-capacity digital storage media allow for unlimited photography
- Digital Negatives
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Digital negatives, like film negatives, can be taken to the photo lab of your choice for printing. All photos are provided on a DVD in a high-resolution industry-standard file format without color correction, scaling or cropping. That way, you'll always have complete control over your wedding day photos.
- DVD Photo Montage
Some packages offer DVD photo montages, a DVD that features a photo montage of your best photos, beautifully arranged to music. You can choose up to 150 images to set to your choice of two songs from our music library. Photo montages are usually 8 to 10 minutes in length.
- Equipment
The quality of the photojournalist's cameras, lenses, flashes and other tools is absolutely paramount if they are to flawlessly capture the story of your day. All of our photographers use the latest equipment, and maintain it in impeccable condition. Even so, every Bella photographer carries a backup camera.
- Engagement Session
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An engagement session is a photography session with the couple that usually takes place a few months before the wedding. Usually shot in a casual setting, an engagement session is a unique opportunity to capture the romance and intimacy of the couple, without any of the pressures of the wedding day.
If you plan to display the photographs from your engagement session at your wedding, you should plan to do the session no less than three months prior to your wedding day.
An engagement shoot is a one-hour photo session set at the location of your choice, and includes a DVD with the digital negatives and a $50 print credit. You may apply your print credit to any number of prints in any size. All Bella prints are made on archival-quality Kodak paper and will last a lifetime and beyond with basic care.
- Flush-Mount Album
A flush-mount album is a contemporary alternative to a traditional matted wedding album. Each page of the album is a borderless photographic print that can include multiple images and backgrounds. All of our flush-mount albums, also known as magazine-style albums, are hand crafted with the highest quality materials. We offer flush-mount album options in two of our album collections: Our Classic Collection and Modern Italian Collection
- Lenses
The photojournalist has many tools at his disposal to ensure that he doesn't miss a moment at your wedding. He may use a telephoto lens to snap an intimate moment while remaining unnoticed, or a wide-angle lens to capture a large group dancing the night away. All Bella photographers carry a selection of lenses in their bag.
- Mini Albums
Mini albums are a scaled-down version of your wedding album. They offer an attractive and affordable way to share lasting memories of your special day with family and close friends.
- Online Proofing
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Once your photos have been posted to a password-protected area on our web site, you can view all of the day's photos and order prints instantly via our easy-to-use online ordering system.
You'll be given a separate code to share with friends and family so that they can also view and order photos directly from Bella Pictures. You'll have the option to share 100% of your images, or choose specific photos to share.
- Parent Books and Gift Albums
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Parent books and gift albums are a scaled-down version of your wedding album. They can be clones of your primary book or they can be unique. They offer an attractive and affordable way to share lasting memories of your special day with family and friends.
Parent Books are hardbound books with flush-mount pages. Albums have leather or simulated leather covers. They can have flush-mount or matted pages.
- Photojournalism
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At Bella Pictures, we use a photojournalistic approach to capture unique, memorable moments from every wedding we shoot. Photojournalism is the art of documenting an event or situation without affecting the event's outcome. Unlike traditional wedding photography, which relies on extensive posed and formal shots, our goal is to unobtrusively document the spontaneous and heartfelt moments of your day.
Photojournalists who work in the newspaper and magazine industry must use a wide variety of techniques to capture pictures that tell a story. Most of the time, these pictures are candid photographs of fleeting moments, often in very sensitive or emotional situations. Other times, a photojournalist must create an insightful and unique portrait. To successfully accomplish such a wide range of assignments, a photojournalist must have unparalleled versatility and technical skills, in addition to outstanding people skills.
- Unlimited photography
Unlike most photographers, we don't limit the number of photos you receive with your package. Our photographers are trained to constantly look for unique, creative pictures. You can expect to receive as many as 100 photos per hour of coverage!
Read more wedding photography guides:
- How to Choose A Wedding Photographer
- Wedding Photography Styles
- The Latest Trends in Wedding Photography
- Wedding Photography Etiquette
- Designing Your Wedding Album
- An Explanation of Digital Retouching
