Thumbtack is a killer service to get your business listed on. And it is totally free! It is tied in with Google, so you can just search around you for different business that might be able to meet your needs from photographers like us to plumbers, electricians, singing lessons, housekeepers, massage, and oh so much more. So start checking Thumbtack if you have some sort of service you need. And if you have your own business, list yourself. It can never hurt!
Check out our Wedding Photography and Videography list now!

Through the end of this month, D and R Weddings is offering a 20% off special to all couple who book their wedding photography with us, D and R Weddings. This offer ends on March 1st, so please reserve your date now to secure the discount! We are booking now for 2010 weddings as well as into 2011. Wedding season and summertime is just around the corner. Doesn’t that sound so fast? Well, it is! Time flys. We hope to be a part of your special day. Contact us at info@dandrweddings.com

We came upon a great resource about choosing a wedding photographer. It basically lays out the 10 mistakes a lot of people make when looking for and choosing a wedding photographer.

A quick summary:

1. Not all photographers are equal. Everyone has their own style, so look for the one that suits your needs and desires best.

2. Don’t pick your photographer based on price. Some charge a lot, some charge a little. And just because someone charges a lot more than other, doesn’t mean their work is great. And visa versa, if someone charges really low, their work may be amazing. The key is to find someones work you like and determine if that works best for you.

3. Just because someone wears Michael Jordan’s shoes, doesn’t mean he plays like MJ. Same with photography. Just because someone has the top of the line gear, does not mean they know how to use it. Again, check out their work and see if it’s what you like.

4. Leave the photography to the professionals. Maybe you have someone in the family who likes to take photos and they offer to shoot your wedding. Well, maybe they don’t have the experience necessary to get all the shots you want or they don’t know how to facilitate getting family and group photos. It is a special day and you don’t want to chance anything.

5. Make sure you leave time for the photographer to get all the shots that you want. Weddings move fast, and it is very easy to get caught in the whirlwind and lose track. Therefore, if you need to get some family and group photos, plan for this in your wedding itinerary. It always takes a bit longer to gather everyone up, so be conservative with your time management. Your photographers will be happy!

6. Don’t get caught up in over-searching for your photographer and shopping the ones you really like. Most are established photographers and will not change their prices due to you shopping them around. Photographs are important, and in our opinion, WORTH IT!

7. Like anything, read over contracts, ask questions, and stay in contact with your photographer. It is always good to keep copies of your correspondence between each other.

8. Trust your instincts. You know what you like better than anyone else. If you think something sounds weird, look into it a bit.

9. Stick with those who are professional. You want to make sure your photographer is a pro, behind the camera and intermixed within the wedding. They should look good and act good.

10. Check out their work. Ask to see some prints if you are thinking about ordering prints or a completed album if you are planning to get one.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-10-Biggest-Mistakes-Made-When-Choosing-a-Wedding-Photographer&id=2791697

D and R Weddings believes that there is not one set way to do things. Yes, weddings are an age old practice, dating back somewhere beyond what I can even fathom. And there are traditions that have remained over the years, some varying from culture to culture, family to family. Much like the old traditions of the wedding ceremony, wedding photography and videography have fallen under that same realm. We respect all of these traditons and practices that have gone on long before we even got into this business, let alone shooting photos and videos.

But….

There are old ways to do things and there are new ways. We like to combine a bit of both, by shooting some traditional style photographs during the wedding and reception. However, we do find ourselves straying from that norm, and actually utilizing our god-given gifts of creativity. We try to look at it through eyes of those who are in love. Eyes of those who can’t stop staring at each other. And through our photojournalistic style, we are able to capture some of these “lovey” moments that stand out and really do “last a lifetime.”

So on this track of new ways to do things, we have just invested in a cutting-edge piece of equipment. As a technology geek, I love seeing what is the latest and greatest. Whether I get that latest and greatest thing is another story in itself…but this time around I went for it. While most videographers are going to say that you need to make sure that your videographer uses a 3CCD video camera (this basically means 3 sensors…one for reds, greens, blues)  for optimal quality and resolution, I say think again. It is 2010 now folks! Yes, in the past these 3CCD were the only way to go. But technology is advancing and we are with it!

Well now, Canon, has yet again revolutionized another aspect of the camera world with their 5D Mark II and now 7D, which both shoot Full HD 1080 quality video! And we just upgraded to a 7D, which we will be integrating into our video production for weddings and more. Believe it or not, but you are going to start seeing a lot of independent filmmakers out their investing in these cameras (a lot of them already have made the switch…http://www.cinema5d.com) as opposed to a Panasonic HPX camera. I mean, Red cameras (the elite in the cinema industry) had to go back to the drawing board on their newest model, Scarlet, once Canon released the 5D MKII, because they realized they couldn’t compete with this camera at it’s price range.

So with the use of DSLRs for HD video, the industry has been shaken up. And we are right in there, helping to shake it up a bit more in the wedding video business!

Not only do we love to shoot weddings in San Diego, Southern California, and beyond, but we also appreciate good surf when it is available in these parts. With the “El Nino” conditions speculated this winter, San Diego has seen a great run of surf along the coastline for weeks now. Here are a couple of shots we got last week during an afternoon at Swamis in Encinitas…

Inside tube ride! Yeeeww!

Swami's Lineup

Wipeout!