Best of Craigslist

I found this ad on Craigslist. It’s hilarious, it was obviously written by a professional photographer to try to get the point across about the value of having an experienced, professional photographer as your wedding photographer. Too many brides seem willing to trust their once in a lifetime memories to a "GWC" or "guy with camera". Producing images that make your jaw drop takes time, experienced, equipment and dedication. Read on...Maybe this photographer is for you...

Hi there! My name is Lindsay and I’ve just got a brand new camera for Christmas but haven’t even taken it out of the box. I really want to get into the wedding photography business because I see so many people in Springfield are getting married and it looks like easy money. I can’t guarantee that even one photo will turn out looking good but I sure will try. Some pictures will be used for my portfolio and my future website. I start booking appointments this week! I am now booking for Spring and Summer of 2011.

I specialize in all types of Lifestyle photography including:

Weddings – You’ll have to pay $15 for gas money outside of Salt Lake City
Bridals
Engagements
Families
Children
Portraiture
Fashion

My style is classy, elegant and artistic. I would be honored to be part of your special occasion or photography needs considering I have no professional experience. I would love to capture those beautiful moments for you and your family.

I have so much passion for being a pro wedding photographer! All my friends and family tell me I take great pictures at all our outings and picnics. I’m putting together a web site of all the flower pictures and sunsets I’ve taken so you can see how good I am. I even have a few pics of my pet dog which turned out really great!

But I don’t have a business license, liability insurance, flashes, extra batteries, or even more than a kit lens that came in the box. If something goes wrong, you’re out of luck. To keep things cheap for you, I won’t even back up any of your images. Less cost for me means less cost for you. Just passing the savings on. I expect to be paid in cash or personal check because I don’t plan on claiming this income on my taxes.

I know many fun and beautiful locations. I really care about making brides look beautiful! I add glow and selective color to all of my images, giving them the best look possible. No need to hassle with computer programs.

Bridals and Engagements are only $100. Please trust me to do your wedding. I’ll do it cheap just to build up my portfolio. I will only charge you $250 for your entire wedding day. This is a deal. My camera cost me $700 brand new. All sessions include a Hi Resolution CD with FULL copy right release included, which means you get to print your pictures at Wal-Mart! Here’s the BEST Part! I offer 100% guarantee on ALL my sessions! Don’t pay a cent until you are 100% happy with your pictures!

I own a camera therefore I can take photos like the pros, who charge a lot more. Most brides in Utah spend $2,500 on professional wedding photography. Since I have no experience I’ll only be charging $250 (90% off regular wedding photography prices) to shoot full day wedding coverage.

Think about it: Pros charge a lot of money because they have a lot of expenses. I don’t.

Pros have:
-a business license
- multiple cameras
-thousands of dollars in lenses and flashes
-hard drives to back up the images
-insurance
-experience
-people skills
-color calibrated monitors
-professional print labs
-professional albums

I have none of this stuff so we’ll keep it cheap, just for you!

Planning Your Wedding at Work?

Hey brides - Did you plan your wedding at work? Post your comments and funny stories below!

90 percent of soon-to-be brides plan wedding at work
Planning a wedding is so time consuming that nearly nine out of 10 women surveyed confessed to using company time to plan the big day. The survey also revealed most women believe they did more wedding planning than their partner.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38385192/ns/today-weddings

Weddings Costs Up but Our Prices Steady

According to a recent survey by WeTV, in the first half of 2010 the average cost of a wedding increased 21.9% from $19,581 (2009) to $23,867. Click here for the report. 45 product and services saw gains in spending while 26 saw declines. Planner/Consultant A La Carte Services (up 84.2% at $1,171), Gift/s for the Bride (up 53.1% at $253), and Planner/Consultant For Getting Started (up 50.4% at $920) saw the biggest gain in spending. Other Jewelry (down 61.7% at $304), Reception Accessories (down 55.3% at $200), and Ceremony Accessories (down 49.7% at $207) saw the biggest decline in spending. The biggest difference was the increase in demand for products and services. 53 products and services saw gains in demand, 4 saw no change, while 13 saw declines. Other Travel/Transportation (up 178.6%), Musician/s, Soloist, or Ensemble (up 66.7%), and Other Jewelry (up 65.2%) saw the biggest gain in demand. Facial (down 15.2%), Manicure & Pedicure (down 8.4%), and Teeth Whitening (down 8.1%) saw the biggest decline in demand.

The good news is that Apple Studios has not increased prices during 2010. According to owner Craig Heidemann, "Just because there's inflation in the industry doesn't mean that our client's have more money to spend." To schedule a consultation or to receive an email copy of our 2010 packages, call the studio at 833-7751.

Julia Diller Senior Session

Julia came down from St. Charles for her Senior Session Sunday. We had a blast in the studio and at Jordan Valley Park. Now I can say I've had the pleasure of the senior pictures for both of the gorgeous Diller girls! Take a look at her video. Hope you enjoy.

Wilcots/Williams Destination Wedding - Cozumel, Mexico

Here was a fun gig, shooting this wedding and spending the week with this great couple Skey and Vanessa and their fun wedding party of ten. We were all limo driven from Dallas to Galveston and got acquainted on the way down. From there we cruised to beautiful sunny Progresso and shot some on the beach. Then we journeyed back on ship and sailed to Cozumel, Mexico to shoot their beachfront wedding at the beautiful Aura Cozumel Resort. I flew Missouri photographer Colton Salmons to Texas to assist and did a fantastic job shooting and assisting - thanks Colton!
The whole gang was a blast, full of great energy as we bounced around the beach in Galveston for a day. We ate and had drinks and went back on the boat for some fun at sea. We played mini golf on the boat, hot-tubbed and kicked around a lot on the ship. We all sat together for dinner every night as Colton and I got to know the group well and had great food and drink every night. The couple were so well dressed many strangers approached us and thought we were shooting celebrities - we ate that up.
Check out the highlight in this video slideshow:



Congratulations Skey and Vanessa, we wish the best to the both of you!

Radio Interview About Upcoming WPPI "Law School for Photographers" Platform Class

Check out my radio interview by Scott Sheppard from January 8th about my "Law School for Photographers" platform class in Las Vegas on March 9th from 3:30 to 5:00. Click here! We're going to have a fabulous time. Thanks to Millers for sponsoring me. We're going to have a high energy class with amazing give aways from my friends at Kubota Actions, Tafota websites, Triple Scoop Music, Totally Rad Actions and Animoto. I look forward to seeing my photographer friends, old and new there! The 30th anniversary WPPI convention is going to be the best yet. I'm looking forward to it. Don't forget we'll have products available containing all of the most up to date, relevant legal forms for wedding and portrait photographers available for purchase before and after the class.

Craig.

Apple Studios Receives Bride's Choice Award

WeddingWire, the nation’s leading wedding technology company, just announced Apple Studios Photography has been selected to receive the WeddingWire 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards™ for Wedding Photography!

The annual Bride’s Choice Awards recognizes and celebrates excellence in quality and service within the wedding industry, as determined by recent reviews and extensive surveys from over 500,000 newlyweds.

Apple Studios Photography is among the top five percent of all vendors in the wedding wire community, which includes over 100,000 wedding professionals across the US and Canada. Awards were given to winners across 19 different service categories, from wedding venues to wedding photographers.

“We are excited to recognize and honor the success of the top wedding professionals within the wedding wire Community” said Timothy Chi, WeddingWire’s Chief Executive Officer. “The annual Bride’s Choice Awards program has given us the unique opportunity to highlight the best wedding professionals in each region as reviewed by brides and grooms who have utilized their services in the past year.”

We are happy to announce that Craig Heidemann and Steven Landis of Apple Studios are of the very best Wedding Photographers within the WeddingWire Network, which includes WeddingWire and Martha Stewart Weddings. We would like to thank our past newlyweds for nominating us for the 2010 Bride’s Choice Awards.