Why Select Dwight Smith Photography For Your Wedding?

Dwight holds both the PPA Master’s of Photography and Photographic Craftsman degrees – less than 3% of photographers have these credentials!  He is a member of the PPA, WPPI, and a founding member of the AAWP Professional Photographer’s Guild.  Dwight has won numerous awards for his images including “Photographer of the Year” and is on the cutting edge of current trends through attending seminars and conventions each year.

1.       Experience:  Having photographed over 1200 weddings gives Dwight & Debbie the ability to work with any situation at your wedding with calm confidence.  We’ve done location weddings in Hawaii and all across the country, and ceremonies of every religion from Christian to Jewish to Hindu.  Dwight has photographed many famous people including:  Crosby Stills & Nash, Bob Dylan, Rod Stewart, President Bush, plus other politicians, astronauts, and celebrities!  He has also photographed the weddings of several sports stars including Rich Aurelia, Nate Burleson, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Anthony Clement – the list goes on and on!

2.       Preparation:  Being prepared is essential!  Dwight & Debbie will usually arrive early to scout out the best locations on your wedding day for the photos, bringing four cameras (so there are backup cameras).  Dwight also helped form the AAWP – a group of photographers who know each other’s schedules and have an agreement to cover for each other in case of an emergency.  You can relax knowing that in all the weddings Dwight has done, he has never missed one!  Then at the event Dwight keeps his memory cards on a belt-pack so they’re safe (it’s sad to say there are thieves looking for cameras at weddings!)  After the wedding, your images are backed up several ways, including the usage of archival gold DVDs.

3.       Personality:  You’ll be spending a lot of time with your photographer on the day of the wedding.  It’s important for you to be comfortable working with them.  Take the time to visit and be sure that you’ll be happy with the choice.  Another thing to do is look at the expressions of people in all the sample photos – do they look like they’re having a good time or instead are they being stressed?

4.       Creativity & Efficiency:  Not everyone has an eye for composition and the ability to comfortably and quickly pose people.  You can see the difference in our images.  Dwight even brings a camera converted to do the Infrared effect – very artsy and unique!  Being creative doesn’t mean you have to be away from your guests for a long time.  Family and wedding party groupings take less than 30 minutes, and we can do sunset photos in only five to ten minutes! 

5.       Unobtrusive:  Dwight had to chuckle at a comment made by a recent bride and groom who came over to pick up the images from their wedding.  They said that on the honeymoon they were worried that not many images had been taken during the reception, because they had hardly noticed Dwight.  Then they looked through over 300 images of just the party!  Being unobtrusive is so important for a wedding photographer.  Dwight’s goal is for you to remember at the end of the day how much fun you had with family and friends celebrating the wedding and by the way, you posed for a few photos too!  Low-key, Dwight still takes more images than most others – between 500 and 1200 images!

6.       Quality:  Almost all photographers are using professional digital cameras for weddings now.  Most send their images to a lab that quickly adjusts the color and makes prints.  Dwight is more particular about having excellent color – he goes over each and every image in Photoshop before you’ll even see the images!  And since he does it that way, the images on the CD are ready for printing when you receive them.

7.       Retouching:  The images in Dwight’s finished albums are touched-up, without appearing “fake.”  This corrects “shiny” complexions on a warm day, softens crow’s feet, bags under the eyes and facial lines.  He’ll also incorporate special effects of your choice – the romantic diffused look, black and white, and b&w with flowers in color.

8.       Delivery:  Dwight has recently streamlined his production so that for upcoming weddings he’ll be able to provide the proofs or CD of images in just two weeks after your wedding.  You’ll have a month to decide on what images to have in your book, and then the finished album will take less than 8 weeks.

9.       Value:  Being the most expensive does not make someone the best, it just means that they are charging a lot for what they do!  A good value means charging a fair price and providing a combination of everything above that makes your wedding day a fantastic experience!

Long after the sweetness of low price has been forgotten, the bitterness of poor quality will be remembered.  Your wedding photography is an investment in the memories of a lifetime – the right choice will make it a fantastic experience!