What is the difference between “reportage” and “classical” photography?

Typical classical wedding photography tends to produce an album consisting of a series of posed photos… group photos, the mandatory exchanging of the rings and cutting of the cake, and some romantically posed photos of the bride and groom. Reportage photographs are taken in a journalistic style. The aim is for the photographer to be a fly on the wall, to capture real, honest, spontaneous moments. The end result is a Wedding Story Book Album which tells the story of your day as it really happened. I start working from the moment the Bride and Groom are getting ready, I shoot the bride, the tears of pride of the bride’s parents, the groom waiting anxiously at the church… and capture each moment until finally the cake is cut, the speeches made, the guests are all dancing and the night is coming to an end. I aim to capture it all, so that you can remember every moment of your special day in it’s entirety. 

I like the idea of reportage photography, but also want to ensure we have good representation of more standard/traditional photos such as family group photos. Is this possible?

Of course! While I aim to take spontaneous, intimate photos, I understand the need to take some formal group photos. Groups are essential but don’t have to be painfully boring. I work quickly and try to keep them fun, even if they are formal, so as not to kill the spirit of such a happy day. I recommend to my clients to put together a list with the essential groups photos you would like to have taken and to nominate a person, who is familiar with the guests and family, who can organise everyone into the groups when the time comes. The point is to get it over as quickly and painlessly as possible with the best results.Will there be any posing for photos? 
I do not pose my clients into over-romanticised, traditional poses for photos. I may offer a few suggestions e.g. looking in a certain direction or trying not to smile for a few “serious” photos, but my usual instruction to my clients is to “act natural and try to pretend I’m not here”. This can be difficult initially, but believe me, after half an hour or so you will get so used to me snapping photos of you, that you will almost not notice me any more.Do you work alone?  
I always work with an assistant photographer who will help me in the lighting.

What kind of camera do you use?

At “Photo Weddings in Italy” we only shoots digitally, using the Canon Cameras, which can produce up to an 25 million pixel image. In my opinion this cameras are the best in their’s bracket and job description. A photographer is only as good as their equipment… quality is everything.

Why digital?

For many reasons…

1. I don’t have to limit the amount of photographs I take, so I usually shoot around 1000 shots per wedding. This means the chance of getting great pictures is much better.
2. I can change the light sensitivity, colours etc. in a blink of an eye. This gives me absolute freedom to read the situation and adapt. I don’t have to stop and change film every time I want to swap from colour to black and white or every time the light conditions change (e.g. walking out of a dark church into the blazing sun). I simply turn a dial, press a button and there you go I am ready to shoot… no making you wait for me to change film, it’s a dream!
3. I never miss a shot, considering I can shoot hundreds of shots one after the other before needing to change memory cards.
4. I can immediately check that the image is there and exposed correctly.
5. The quality is just the same as film and I have to say in some cases much better.
6. It allows me to work on each and every picture afterwards, perfecting them, taking away that untimely spot, giving subtle colour effect… generally doing what they do in magazines. That is why traditional wedding photography does not look like the images you find in magazines. The only way to touch up photos shot from film is to scan each image… however this results in loss of quality so the quality still wouldn’t match that produced by my camera.
7. There are fewer risks with digital. There are very few ways you can loose the images, with film, well this list is endless… a bad batch of film, the film doesn’t load, gets fogged, lab messes up development, film gets scratched or dusty and the list goes on… I just find it much too risky for such a special day and since I shall be responsible, it’s my job to make the best choices from my experience.
8. In short, I haven’t used a film since 2000 and I will never go back.
   

   Colour versus black and white…

This will depend on your preferences. Usually, I shoot in colour. I then choose the colour of each photo based on the mood of the photo. The beauty of digital is that I can change photos to black and white back at my studio, if I think this works better.

What does touching up photos mean?

When I “touch up” an image, I use a computer program to “bring out the best” in a photo. I may make a number of alterations from covering up any skin blemishes or imperfections, to improving the light and enhancing colours e.g. bringing out the blue in the someone’s eyes. This is done very subtly so that you would never know the image had been touched-up unless you looked at the original photo.

What are your charges?

My price list is available by request. Please contact me

 I will forward a copy of my price list to you.

How do I make a booking?

I can be contacted by telephone, at +39 393 9981916 or via skype by looking for the user giannifantauzzi or perhaps more easily by email to confirm availability, prices and answer any questions you may have. If you then wish to make a booking, I will hold the date for you. The booking will be confirmed once I receive a signed copy of the contract and a deposit.

You say you will shoot around 700/1000 photos on the day, and your range of package offers are from 80 to 140 photos in the album. What happens to the rest of the photos?

For your Wedding Story Book Album, from 80 to 140 of the most fabulous photographs will be selected. I will let you choose a sequence of photos which will tell your story, the story of your wedding day. I also give my clients the option to buy a CD which contains 350 of the best images of the day.

Why not all 1000?

Well with reportage photography, because you are not posing for photos, there are always a lot of funny faces, closed eyes etc. I will place only the best 350 on the CD.

Can I choose the photos for the album myself?

Yes you can, considering that a wedding album is a very personal thing, and some clients like to choose their own photos. However if you like i will choose for the couples the pictures to place on the Album as with my experienced eye i will certainly choose the best photos.

If I want to order additional prints?

Copies and prints of all the images taken at the wedding, are available to order on the web. Should you desire, they may be protected from public viewing with a secret code. If you choose to purchase the CD with the 350 best images of the day, you have my permission to print and reprint these photos, but you may not print or copy proofs (these are watermarked to prevent copying/printing).

Do we get to keep the negatives?

As I shoot digital, the negatives are essentially a digital file. As mentioned above, if you wish to purchase the CD with the best 350 images of the day, this will act as your set of negatives/digital files which you can use to print and reprint as you wish. I also retain copies of the photos on CD. This acts a back-up both for myself as well as for you.

How will I know how long I need to book you for on the day?

It really depends what you are wanting and what kind of wedding you are having. For a most weddings I arrive a couple hours before the wedding ceremony to capture the bridal party getting ready and then to take a few portraits of the bride and groom before the ceremony.
Most people then like me to stay for speeches, cake cutting and a little bit of dancing at the reception. However, every wedding is different and I work to suit what my clients want.

Do you only work in Italy? 90% of my jobs are in Italy.

However, depending on my availability, I do consider jobs elsewhere in Europe.

Which cities, towns and special places have you worked in?

I have done weddings in Italy;

Tuscany; Cortona, San Gimignano, Florence, Siena.

In the Lazio region; Rome, Tragliata, or Tagliata, as someone by mistake called it,

And in Umbria; in towns as Todi, Spoleto, Orvieto, Spello, Perugia, Terni,

I have also done weddings in Europe such as in London and in Ireland by the sea at Galways. 

What can I do to help ensure that my photos will be great?

It is important to realize that my level of photographic skill remains the same for each wedding. What makes the difference for me between taking “good” photos and “great” photos is when my clients have gone the extra mile, when they put in as much effort as I do on the day to ensure that I have ample time and inspiration to take “great” photos. I love it when my clients “play” with me, rather than trying to hide from the camera. It is also very important to give me ample time to take photos. The more time I have, the better the photos will be. The worst thing is to be running late and for the day to constantly be a huge rush. It helps to set aside ample time to take photos. The best time is in between the church and the reception. At this time we can take any group photos you like, but also time some time just with the bride and groom. This can be a great time to catch your breath and enjoy spending some time alone on the day of your wedding.

How do I know if you are the photographer for me?

Have a look at my website to see the weddings displayed from beginning to the end. This way you can be sure I offer what you are looking for… it may not suit everyone. It is important to realize that the images, album etc are only part of what I offer.

I also pride myself on offering the best kind of personal service. I understand the importance of such an occasion.

The photographs will be all that remain after the cake has been eaten. Each and every wedding is important to me and I spend a lot of time and effort on every detail before, during and after the wedding. I encourage you to discuss all your thoughts and concerns with me. Tell me everything. To get really good pictures you need to feel there is a friend who has an idea of who you are and what you want on the day of your wedding. I consider it part of my job to go this extra mile… “Photo Wedding in Italy” as the word says is specialized in weddings in Italy.

Italy weddings have become very popular over the last few years. Like all destination weddings, Italy offers the opportunity to limit the amount of guests and add a wonderful holiday feel to the event. Italy has a wide selection of wonderful venues. Choosing a wedding photographer in Italy can be a nerve racking experience for a Bride. The personality of the photographer is so important and then there is the language barrier and not to mention the cultural divide. “Photo Weddings in Italy as been created by Gianni Fantauzzi who has spend over 10 years in UK during the 90’s working in the photography business so speaking English language for Gianni is as speaking it’s mother language: “The Italian”.