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Your 2016 Guide to Quinceanera Photographers

manager — Thu, 21 Jul 2016 18:28:00 +0000

For a fifteen-year-old girl fortunate enough to celebrate one, her Quinceanera celebration is nothing short of magical. Clearly, she’ll want to look at the fabulous photos of her fairytale day for years to come. For this reason, it’s crucial to hire the right photographer for your Quinceanera!

To help you in your search, here are some tips on what to expect, how to find the perfect Quince photographer and some helpful hints on getting the most beautiful must-take Quinceanera photos possible.

What Quince Photographers Do

The role of the Quince photographer starts several weeks—or at least several days—before the celebration day. There are also relatively standard formats to follow when it comes to photographing this type of major celebration.

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1. First up is a photo shoot that’s similar to an engagement session but this time with the focus on the young Quinceanera. The objective is to capture her beauty and elegance and may be done at a location of her choosing. It also may include planning for fancier clothes, hair, and makeup.

2. Next is the Quinceanera day pre-celebration preparation. The photographer will arrive a few hours before the event and take pictures of the celebrant being dolled up, photograph her ceremony articles—tiara, shoes, Bible, etc.—photograph her family, her court, and usually take some photos of meaningful things around the home such as favorite toys or pictures of the celebrant growing up.

3. After the home picture, he or she will photograph the Quinceanera Mass including the guests, the Quinceanera and her court making their entrance and then their exit, and highlights of the celebration itself. There may also be some formal poses taken inside and/or outside of the church.

Note: The photographer may have to abide by certain restrictions set by the church so some poses of the Mass may be recreated after the ceremony but before the celebrant and her court depart for the reception.

4. The photographer will then either travel with and take pictures of the entourage en route or go on ahead to the venue to be there before anyone arrives. He or she will take photographs of the venue and its decor, the arrival of the Quinceanera and her court, and photograph the guests trickling in and settling down.

5. Finally, the photographer will be busy capturing precious moments of the party itself, and also take a few more formal photos of the Quinceanera, her family, and her entourage. Of particular importance are program elements such as the Last Doll, the High Heeled Shoes, the father-daughter dance, and the speeches, among other things.

You can expect your Quinceanera photographer to focus on you, the celebrant, and your family during the formal photo shoots, giving direction to people to move around a bit or shift position to get the best angles to make everyone look attractive. Come party time, though, he or she may seem to fade into the woodwork so that everyone can focus on the fun. From time to time, again he may pop in and ask you to pose a certain way to get a beautiful shot.

Most of the time, however, your photographer will remain in the background shooting as much as he can in an effort to capture beautiful stolen moments of people having fun and loving each other.

Where to Find a Quinceanera Photographer

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Since the skills required for good Quinceanera photography don’t diverge that much from wedding photography, any skilled photographer that you know or that comes highly recommended should be good. If presented with the choice between a regular events photographer and one who has had specific experience with Quinceaneras, of course, choose the one with Quince experience. He or she will already know what to expect and may even make helpful suggestions that make your photos and setups even better.

Should You Hire a Pro Photographer?

Of course, we know a Quinceanera is already quite costly. However, it’s important to hire the best photographer you can afford and have these precious photographs taken professionally, specifically because they’ll be cherished forever. Additionally, while anybody can take a picture, a professional photographer will know the angles and lighting that best highlight the subject. There’s also the added element of post-production when the photos are edited, things like adjusting the lighting, removing blemishes, etc.

You might be considering asking a friend to do the photography. If that’s your very best option, then, by all means, go for it. It’s still better than nothing. However, choose a friend whom you think has the best potential to come up with great looking photos. It’s also a plus if he knows how to do post-processing and has his own pro equipment. If you can, offer to pay for his services—perhaps half or at least a third of a professional fee—because this will help his motivation to be as professional as possible. If he refuses payment, though, give him a generous token of appreciation after the event.

Regarding cost, photography rates for a Quinceanera aren’t far from what you’d spend on a very formal Sweet Sixteen or Debutante party—generally either $50-$300 per hour or a package price including a basic number of finished photos. If you wish, ask if the photographer has discounted packages and then choose the one that’s closest to what you had in mind

Prepping for Photography

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Here are some suggestions on how to make the photo shoots—whether pictorial, ceremony, or reception—go more smoothly:

Provide a list beforehand. Things will go faster if he knows what photos you want and if there are any particulars that you want him to pay special attention to.
Have everything ready. By the time your photographer arrives, make sure that the venue is ready and that the preparations for you and your family are well underway. If she’s billing by the hour, you don’t want that time to run down with her waiting too long for everyone to get ready.
Be cooperative. When he asks you to smile or look a certain way, just do it! He knows what he’s doing, so relax and trust him.
Make suggestions. The photographer will appreciate knowing if there’s something that you want that’s not “the usual” such as a photo of the Quinceanera with the beloved family dog. She wants you to look at your pictures, over and over for years to come, so she’ll welcome your suggestions.
Offer refreshments. The polite thing to do is to provide the Quinceanera photographer and his crew with some type of simple food and drink, even before the reception. Photography can sometimes be exhausting, and some snacks can help keep both energy and spirits up to do an even better job.

Tip: When it comes to modern Quinceanera photos, there are definitely some must-have shots. Here’s a guide to get you started so you won’t miss anything and can help you make suggestions for your photo pro.

http://www.quinceanera.com/photo-and-video/must-take-quinceanera-photography-video-checklist/

These tips should help you find the right photographer for your Quinceanera. Here’s hoping you have lots of beautiful shots for framing, posting on social media, and much ooh-ing and aww-ing over you, the celebrant!

The post Your 2016 Guide to Quinceanera Photographers first appeared on Q By DaVinci Blog.

The 411 for Quinceanera Videography

manager — Fri, 17 Jun 2016 12:00:05 +0000

A day as important as your Quinceanera should definitely be captured in sound, in photos, and on video. While most of your guests will be snapping and videoing the night away courtesy of their smartphones, many Quinceanera celebrants still opt for a professional videographer for the big day.

Precious Moments Caught on Film

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Videography is standard for important occasions like weddings, graduations, and birthdays, especially if it’s a milestone birthday like a Quinceanera. You may remember the food and many other details of your party for weeks or months after, but as the years go by, these memories will not be as vivid. You’ll want to rely on the video of your Quince to illustrate the genuine fun of that special day and it will be something that you’ll watch yourself or show your children and other loved ones in the decades to come.

Should You Make the Investment?

Professional videography for your Quinceanera is definitely an important part of the budget. Rates can run up to a few hundred dollars per hour depending, so it’s fairly obvious why, despite its many advantages, some people still hem and haw over hiring a pro. If you have the budget for it, that’s great! If you think you need to reduce or eliminate other things in order to afford a good video, that’s something worth thinking about. If all you really need to do is to simplify the giveaways so as to budget in a professional videographer, go for it! Giveaways are a sweet touch, but you need to remember that you’re throwing a party, not just for yourself, but also for your friends and family. The giveaways need not be swanky or expensive, and they will be impressive if you DIY from the heart!

However, if videos aren’t really your thing, then perhaps you can do away with a professional and simply assign a cousin or a friend to take videos of the night. This alternative really is a good idea in case you end up feeling sentimental down the road and wish you had a video of your Quince. Better safe than sorry, so either hire or assign someone for sure!

Finding a Quinceanera Videographer

Luckily, it’s not that difficult to find and hire a good Quinceanera videographer. Just start with recommendations from friends and family who might happen to love a particular videographer’s work even if it’s not necessarily a Quince. A good wedding videographer would be perfect. These professionals often have their own websites and upload the work they’ve done for other clients which makes it easy for you to decide if their style suits your personal tastes All that’s left to do then is to get in touch regarding rates, negotiate to the best of your abilities, and hire the pro that you feel most comfortable working with, both with regard to skills and personality.

What’s Next?

Once you’ve secured your Quinceanera videographer, the next step is a meeting to discuss the particulars of your celebration. While the pro will usually know when and how to get things done at a major event in general, there are some Quince details that you need to ensure are recorded so that you get as much personalization as possible. Expect to be asked about the schedule of your Quince, the venue particulars, and whether you want any particular aspects or elements of the celebration covered. You can give as many helpful details as you want, but remember to allow some creative space for your pro to come up with a beautiful surprise for you when it’s time to show the final footage.

Videography Walkthrough

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A videographer may arrive at the venue while you’re still getting ready, early enough to get their equipment set up. Then he or she will come to take videos of you getting all dolled up, plus some good footage of the family as well. Don’t be surprised if you find the camera directed to objects and areas around your house, panning here and there to get a nice sweep of interesting things to incorporate into the video later on. (We’re talking about close up shots of your childhood toys or a quick focus on those growing up pictures of you that proudly line the hallway).

He’ll keep shooting all the way to the church, during the ceremony, and well into the night as you party with your friends. Sometimes your pro will be discreet, and sometimes you’ll be given specific instructions to look or move a certain way in the name of creativity or artistic framing of the shot, or even to make you look just a little bit better. Come dinnertime, the pro and his team will most likely be busy cobbling together some footage to give you a short, minute-long video clip of how the day and night have progressed thus far. This is similar to what’s shown during weddings, except this time the focus is on the young Quinceanera and not the newly married couple.

After the Quinceanera

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The short video isn’t the only thing you’ll get from your Quince videographer. In the days that follow your celebration, he or she will be working on a much longer video that shows more detail, starting from the time you were getting ready up until the last few guests have left the venue. It will be magnificently edited, with all the right lighting and with beautiful background music as well—and often, you get to choose the background song or songs. This fabulous video will be one of the best keepsakes ever of your most important day!

It can’t be stressed enough, but once more, hiring a professional videographer for your Quinceanera—or at the very least having a friend dedicated to videoing the event—is really the way to go. He or she will serve as your eyes and ears for the merriment—especially moments that you didn’t get to see yourself because you were busy with other things—all immortalized on a CD or other digital medium for you to play over and over as many times as you wish. Of course, the photos taken by your photographer will be equally breathtaking. But you have to admit there really is no substitute for seeing yourself and everyone you love—live on film—partying the night away!

For the very best collection of great ideas for planning your Quinceanera & adapting to circumstances that may have delayed your big day, Click HERE or on the image below for Q by DaVinci blog:

The post The 411 for Quinceanera Videography first appeared on Q By DaVinci Blog.