Who Is Widdis Photography?
Monday through Friday you'll find Kathy running the photo department at the Detroit Free Press while Brian is busy shooting assignments for the Wall Street Journal or doing a commercial job for clients like Powerade. But come Saturday (and even some Fridays and Sundays), the couple is busy with weddings. With over 40 years of combined experience in wedding, editorial and commercial photography, the Grosse Pointe Park duo is one of the most experienced photography teams in Michigan.
Brian's work has appeared in countless national and international publications, including Rolling Stone, The New York Times, NPR, The Guardian, Time, Hour Detroit, the Detroit Free Press, and the Wall Street Journal. Brian’s personal work can be seen on his website, www.brianwiddis.com.
Kathy has been a working photojournalist, editor and educator for over 25 years. In addition to being the visuals director at the Detroit Free Press, she is also the co-founder of the Freep Film Festival, a documentary film festival in Detroit, and a documentary film producer. Kathy has won four Emmys from the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for her documentary work at the paper and in April 2018, she part of the team that won the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Journalism for a series of multimedia stories/videos that examined the difficulties and unintended consequences of fulfilling President Trump's pledge to construct a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico.
What’s Your Style?
Our approach to weddings is rooted in the traditions of documentary photography. The principles are the same for both disciplines – composition, capturing moments and sensitivity to light – all elements that serve the goal of telling a story through pictures. Every wedding day is a story. It’s a story of two people meeting, falling in love, and deciding to get married. It’s a story of two families uniting, and a story of months – sometimes years – of planning a day filled with moments and emotions. Wedding photography should capture all of that.
How Much Do You Charge?
Our wedding collections start with a 5-hour package which includes one photographer, online proofing and print ordering along with a comprehensive selection of edited and toned images provided to you via Dropbox or a thumb drive beginning at $2,600. You can get our complete price guide by contacting us here.
Why Should We Hire You?
Wedding websites and blogs are filled with a plethora of wedding photographers and sometimes it is hard to discern who is the best fit for you on your wedding day. What sets us apart is our experience and our commitment to service.
Experience: You've heard of the 10,000 Hour Rule, right? Writer Malcom Gladwell surmises that a person needs 10,000 hours of "deliberate practice" to become the best in their craft or profession. Well, if we have our math right, we became the best a few times over. Seriously, we have dedicated our lives to telling stories through photography.
Service: For us, service is listening. Each wedding is unique and an expression of the couple’s personality. We want to hear about your wedding details and traditions. We want to learn what’s important to you and your families. We want to capture it in a way that tells your story. When we listen, we learn your story and that translates to photography that captures the most authentic representation of your wedding day.
How are Wedding Photography and Newspaper/ Editorial Photography Similar?
Whether it is a newspaper assignment or a wedding, the goal is to tell the story. Daily assignments in the editorial world are great training for shooting a wedding. We’ve photographed presidents, movie stars, small town news and big-time sporting events and in most cases, you are under pressure to get "the" shot in often less than ideal circumstances - limited access, bad lighting, tight deadlines. The need to be keenly attuned to events as they unfold is essential. Being able to anticipate, react and capture the moment is a skill that is finely honed with years of shooting a variety of subjects under a variety of conditions. With a wedding, a lot of those hurdles don't exist. First, we usually have unfettered access, we have a beautiful settings and everyone is happy and looks their absolute best. We just need concentrate on making beautiful pictures that tell the story of your day. For a photographer, you couldn't ask for anything more.
How Many Pictures Do We Get?
No two weddings are alike, but on an average 8 hour day, we will shoot 3,000 to 5,000 photographs. Don’t be overwhelmed. That is a lot of photos to wade through. We also do an edit of the best photographs and that edit is usually 10-15% of the total shot – about 400 to 600 images.
Do You Tone and Retouch the Photos?
Of the edited photos, Brian meticulously tones each and every one. Retouching can be tricky and we usually look to you for guidance. We would never suppose that your Aunt Clare hates her mole, but if you tell us she wants it gone, then we’ll make it happen. With the toning and retouching, we ask for your patience. This is the most time consuming part of the work we do for your wedding photography and Brian works really hard to make you look your best.
Who Owns the Copyright?
As the creators of the artwork, we own the copyright. This protects us from magazines and blogs using the photographs without our permission. We give you a DVD with all your high resolution photos and a release that allows you to use the photos for personal, non-commercial purposes. So feel free to make prints or albums and post the images on your Facebook page.
How Far in Advance Do You Book Weddings?
Couples typically reach out to us anywhere from a year to nine months before their wedding date. Obviously, the closer we get to your day, the less-likely we are to be available. That being said, some brides only book one photographer leaving one of us potentially free, so it is always good to inquire. You can contact us here.
How Do We Secure Our Date?
To secure your date, we ask for a 50% deposit. The remainder is due the week of the wedding. We accept check, cash or Paypal.
Can I get Black and White?
Yes, of course! We provide black and white images on request so if it’s something you’d like, just ask.
How are the Photos Delivered?
You’ll receive the toned and edited photos on DVD along with a copyright release. That gives you permission to make prints, books, whatever you like, as long as it’s for personal, non-commercial use. We also host a photo gallery on our website.
How Do I Get Prints?
The toned and edited photos are also uploaded to Queensberry hosting site, an online printing service. Viewing and ordering couldn’t be easier and the print quality is amazing. Queensberry is also a convenient way for guests and family members to order prints, so the bride and groom can avoid having to take everyone’s print order.
Do You Do Family and Group Photos?
Absolutely! We call those photos of record – the record of your family history. The wedding day is a time when everyone is together, looks their best, and what better time to make some wonderful family portraits? We like to plan ahead – this means making a list and allotting enough time to accomplish all that you want to accomplish.
What Happens if You are Sick?
In our many years of wedding photography, we have never had a situation where we weren’t able to photograph a couple’s wedding. That being said, we still plan for any foreseeable problem. We have a solid network of professional photographers to draw from, many we’ve worked with or hired for weddings and editorial jobs.
Do I Need a Second Photographer?
You may or you may not. It really depends on your day, your package and your expectations. A second photographer is often a good choice when you are having a larger wedding or want more extensive coverage. When there are two photographers, we can cover two different portions of the wedding at once – one of us can be at the cocktail hour, while another works on portraits or one can be with the bride and the other with the groom while they are getting ready.
Who Is The Second Photographer?
Often, Brian and Kathy work as a team. If we need to bring in another photographer as a second, we dip into our extensive pool of professionals. Most of the photographers we work with are award-winning photojournalists with years of newspaper and editorial experience.
That’s It.
If there’s something that we didn’t cover or you’d like to talk about the details of your wedding, please give us a call or email. We’d love to hear about your day.
BRIAN
517.281.7769
BRIAN@WIDDISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM
KATHY
313.244.2438
KATHY@WIDDISPHOTOGRAPHY.COM