Michele + Marcelo , Valparaiso, Chile 23 Oct 2010

I think this is the most images I have ever posted from one wedding from Chile and believe me I felt like posting 20 more. Michele and Marcelo are a very cool couple and I was so happy when we met again last week at their chosen location for Micheles bridal preparation , a fantastic little hotel in Valparaiso called Hotel Acontraluz. Meeting Michele there at 3pm started off the beautiful sunny day perfectly.

So...time to get ready.......

I always love the eye work shots but it scares the pants off me...pokey things and eyeballs...yikes !!



While Michele is occupied its a great time to steal the dress and shoes and get busy in this very funky location

I just know I am going to get my usual shoe fettish comments on my FACEBOOK but hey...what can i say..

NOW thats enough Gardner !!!...go get the dress........

The multiple balconies and staircases in this location made for some great lines

Return dress to Michele and its time to get the wheels turning...I'm sure this was a quick call to Marcelo  

" Don't forget the rings !! "

A quick walk down 2 sets of stairs and then we hit the street...Its Valpo...Its the Law when shooting weddings here.

 Nearly there Michele....watch those heels....just before going out I wanted to catch a quick shot of the wonderfull bouquet on the fantastic old piano in the hotel lobby

OK no more time for this...gotta get some street shots done before tearing off to Vina del mar to catch some shots of Marcelo getting ready at home....so to the street...

Michele just looks amazing...so deal with it...

I know Michele loves Valparaiso...but I think Valparaiso loves Michele too

To the Church !

A wonderfull ceremony as the sun sets through the doors..with the deal sealed...

.....and a few more besitos....we're off to do some portraits

It got really windy and cold...we had to move fast..

Returning to the cocktail then onto dinner where one of Micheles friends made a short but touching speech.

Now it's time to get on with the show...first up...Girls...time to take your pick !!

All the single ladies......Solteras....get on the floor!!

I wishI had time post more but I have to keep some private for the novios right?... Great wedding  thanks and have a great honeymoon

Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056) 9-992 9508
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Elizabeth and Cesar

While is is over 15 months until Elizabeth and Cesar tie the knot here in Chile, the need to send the "reserve the date cards"was pressing due to many invites having to plan the trip to Chile from the USA so Elizabeth asked if we could do a little session together and create a few shots to use with her invitations. A great idea and what fantastic fun we had.
Elizabeth ( Washington DC, USA) and Cesar (Chile) drove through just after lunch to meet with me in Vina where we headed for a coffee to wait on the sunlight softening before hitting a local park/garden area.

Since the plan was to have photos that would have a primary use on invitiations I thought I would mix it up a little with some photoshop fun. Then off into the gardens to look for a nice spot on the grass under the trees.

I love the way Elizabeths eyes are looking at Cesar in this shot...I am sure there will be a lot of this at the wedding.

Time for a quick kiss as the sun starts to set then walk along the main boulevard towards the beach.....

On route to the beach I spotted this little casual photo-opp

So ...we arrive at the beach..time to sit and relax, enjoy the view, enjoy the moment. I took a chance on the post production of this image by not lifting the light as much as I normally would and by keeping the horizon af ew degrees offset, also leaving the natural lens flare...i liked it ..

The last kiss of the day before we head off for a couple of Coronas and a laugh at the Enjoy Vina Bar.

This was a very short session but a huge laugh, Elizabeth and Cesars wedding will be a hoot and NO ELIZABETH , I will not be wear my kilt lol...well, not until the party starts lol ....thanks guys...this was a whole bunch of fun !!!

Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com/
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056) 9-992 9508

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Getting Married in Chile

www.weddingphotochile.com


If you are in Chile or coming to Chile for your wedding I have now started my long and over promised resource site for connecting brides to good quality and reliable service providers for weddings in chile.
The link to the resourse site is

http://weddingphotochile.freeforums.org/index.php

at this time is does not contain data for all services but throughout the winter I will be adding to it as I search on your behalf.

Other service providers feel free to post your company. If I have heard any bad report (even 1) from clients in the past about your product or service your post will not be published. If I have worked with you at an event and did not find you to be professional or provide high quality product/service your post will not be published. Successfull posts will remain published until and be open to positive and negative feedback from clients after their event.


Contacto
Gardner Hamilton
www.weddingphotochile.com
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056-9) 9-992 9508
Facebook “Gardner WeddingPhotographer Hamilton”

Fotografo boda santiago chile fotografo matrimonio santiago chile fotografo casamiento santiago chile
Fotografo boda vina del mar chile fotografo matrimonio vina del mar chile fotografo casamiento vina del mar chile servicio fotografia Gardner Hamilton weddingphotochile wedding photographer santiago chile wedding photographer vin del mar chile destination wedding photographer chile fotografo britanico photography services www.fotografobritanico.com

Off to Pucon

So its confirmed, another Austrailian client conirmed. This time its a national destination shoot in PUCON. Truely a spectacular place for wedding photoraphy in Chile. Here's the deal !...2nd Dec 2009...Drive to santiago airport, park car, fly to Valdivia, bus to Pucon. 3rd Dec...Shooting. 4th Dec...bus pucon to Valdivia..fly to Santiago..Drive home to Vina..5th Dec..Wedding shoot Vina del mar. My question is...how Coffee will I have to drink?

I am hoping all the flights and connections run smooth, this being chile we never know right!

in the last few weddings I've encountered some unbelievable delays, for example, a full coach (bus) of 58 guests 45 mins late for a wedding as the driver decided to take a detour on route to get his particular brand of cigarettes in a specific store while on route to the wedding, this not only nearly caused the groom to have a stroke but lost ultimately 1 hour of available shooting light for me and my team. ONLY IN CHILE...well mabe PERU also..

Contacto
Gardner Hamilton
http://www.weddingphotochile.com
info@weddingphotochile.com
Tel (0056-9) 9-992 9508
Facebook “Gardner WeddingPhotographer Hamilton”

Fotografo boda santiago chile fotografo matrimonio santiago chile fotografo casamiento santiago chile
Fotografo boda vina del mar chile fotografo matrimonio vina del mar chile fotografo casamiento vina del mar chile servicio fotografia Gardner Hamilton weddingphotochile wedding photographer santiago chile wedding photographer vin del mar chile destination wedding photographer chile fotografo britanico photography services www.fotografobritanico.com

Wedding Forum

For all things wedding and Marrage visit this FORUM
http://weddingphotochile.freeforums.org

Leave and take information to and from others for all things wedding

Dress yourself to Impress yourself

Attention all brides to be....If you are in Chile, Vina del mar and santiago specifically or, you are getting married in Chile...this place is worth traveling to no matter where you are During one of my weekly marketing walks I stumbled onto this place NUPCIART by Denisse Mora www.nupciart.com Santiago 093374274 / 074982913 Vina del mar 32- 2682521 These are some of the most unique wedding dresses in Chile...I would love to shoot a wedding where the bride has used this dress maker. Check it out !

Event Organisers

This is an excellent reference for an event organising company in Santiago. www.milproducciones.cl Contact them and ask to speak to Mauricio

Price Wedding Photography / Precio de fotografia de boda

For a quotation click here
Cotizacion clik aqui

Looking for the finest wedding dresses in Chile...look here

http://www.lasadrianas.cl/

If your looking for unique and finely crafted wedding dresses..you need look no further. These people produce the best I have seen in Chile...in fact...South America...a few of my clients have had dresses from here and they are a pleasure to photograph.

Working with so many brides over the years, I to apprieciate the differences between nice and amazing wedding dresses. Thes are just flat out amazing...the materials are excellent as the light reacts perfectly with them for photography.

Locations for Weddings in Chile

Hi there,
So your thinking about getting married in Chile ??...well theres a few locations and companies Ive worked with lately and they really impressed me. I will list them at the bottom of this post.
If you already live in Chile then sourcing good locations is easy as you have the means to go and physically see the place to check it out. As a fotografo de matrimonios (wedding photographer) in Chile I also feel obliged to do the same and actively have been. For me it is very important to know the location before the event, know the hot spots and the pitfalls of each location to ensure I bring the best equipment to cover the shoot for the client and also to pre visualise how and what I will use on the location to create the images, ie backdrops, gardens, lighting, reflect, shadows, stairs, architecture etc etc.
It still saddens me that so many chileans have all these wonderfull scenic locations for weddings and choose to perform the ceremony so lte in the day missing out on so much good lighting...with summer coming soon that will change but the last 11 weddings I have covered have been after 7pm in winter...flash flash and more artificial light...if you have the choice brides to be...change the time to suit the sun!!!
So, where do I like to shoot and why.......well as you have probibly gathered by now, any location has its good points but for me...its all about daylight to make you look amazing... If I had to state some preferences for locatios in the Vina del mar city area then it would be

Castle Ross (Vina del mar)
Hotel Radisson (concon)
Sheraton Hotel (Vina del mar)

These three locations have amazing ocean views which also contain some landscape in the backgrounds creating great backdrops for sunset photography. Castle Ross also has the element of architecture within the building and some nice features in its gardens.
If you are looking for a very regal backdrop of a wonderfull old white stone building with mosaic tile floors and stairs and also beautiful gardenrs then, the fine art center in "Quinta Vergara" in Vina del mar has amazing architecture for wedding backdrops and can be availlible for wedding photography with a simple permission from the municipalidad de vina del mar. You can see some sample portraits (retratos) at this location in the Galleria at www.gardnerhamilton.com , select Portraits/Retratos. These images were taken from 2pm to 5pm and the lighting changes can be noticed.

OK Other locations I feel are special...other than the listed above you should look at "Sporting Club Valparaiso" it is actually in Vina del mar about 5 mins drive from centre of town. This old race track has a beautifull old building attached to it with several event rooms all very regal with magestic views and oak panelled walls floor to ceiling. i was photographing a wedding there a couple of weeago and was very happy with the results as the elegance of the bulding amplified the elegance of the event.

Prefer the countryside.....I have one thing to say http://www.indomita.cl/

This is without a doubt in my mind...Thee place to get hitched! the vew, the look, the service...oye oye oye...Located 45mins drive from Santgo and about the same from Vina del mar it is the greatest location no matter where you event. As you can see on their website the location is second to none, both for your event and for the purposes of wedding phontography. The sunset in the valley, the low light beaming down through the rows of vine rees, the mountains, the clean fresh air, the bloody amazing vino...beautiful....romantic...its everything a wedding photographer dreams of.

Event Planners in Chile.....well...its different from say USA for example but hey, their trying!!!...but seriously I ve woed on several occations with a company called CASA EVENTOS ( house of events is the nearest translation) www.casaeventos.cl These guys blew me away, after working in other countries over the years and seeing a lot of styles...these guys I consider to be the masters of their craft in Chile..there food is just down right great and with great presentaation and originality. The visual presentation is beautiful but most of all what stood outo me is something not much found down here at the end of the earth, attention to detail...these guys nail it wonderfully, and to me again this is important as photographs and more so wedding photography is all about details.

so in short here is my list for the Vina del mar area..I will post the same for Santigo soon although....Vina is way more picturesque to begin.

Location (City)
Castle Ross, Vina del mar
Hotel Radisson, Concon
Sheraton Hotel, Vina del mar

Location (out of town)
http://www.indomita.cl/ (I'm not giving you a choice here as I want the best for you lol)

Event Production
www.casaeventos.cl

Contact me if you would like info on other location and even from other cities in Chile and I will try to help you...thanks

FREE COUPLES PORTRAITS

This week I have decided to start the free monthly portraits for couples who are getting married. How does it work? ok...all the clients who book with me each month...their names are put into a monthly draw and one couple wins the chance to do a free photosession for couples portraits consisting of around 3 hours of phototime from which they will recieve a CD containing minimum 10 images all full size files, without copyright and ready to print and send. The final images will be fully edited in Photoshop and of full pro quality.

On average I get 8 to 10 weddings per month booked so theres a good chance of winning...Good luck and look forward to hearing from you.
Saludos
Gardner
www.weddingphotochile..com
www.fotografobritanico.com
www.gardnerhamilton.com

Pro or Hobby Photographer....whats the difference?

I remember when I first started out in photography, what seems like 2 lifetimes ago..and I remember asking a seasoned Pro " what's the difference between a pro and a hobbiest photographer? " he looked DOWN at me and replied in almost a whisper, as if it were top sectret " a pro will keep less than 10% of what he shoots, a hobbiest keeps them all."

At the time i was 17 years old I did not realise the significance of this statement but over the years it has became more and more prevelent and has always almost haunted me. Do I count my total shoot images to ensure I keep less than 10%..NO..but after I do my first cut, second cut, edit then final cut...im always testing myself to see what % I do keep.. While not to satisfy the old man watching over me from somewhere today, but more as a guide as to how accurate I am performing when I pull the trigger. I like to assess myself in this matter.

The reason for my assesment is in my understanding there are two Schools of Photographers, one school of photographers know what they want, create and capture...the other school is the school of shoot and hope...the gaurdians of post production!!!.. While both can create fantastic images there are two very different mind sets..one of pre creative vision and one of post creativity..to have both is the key. So...back to my assessing of me...I assess my keep image volume because if i shoot for example a wedding and with 600 frames i keep 100 then for 500 frames I have not been thinking...while during moving events like dancing etc I may run a sequence of frames at high speed this maybe accounts of another 100 of the 600 said possible shots...so now I say for 400 frames was i guesing and hoping...the very thing I despise?...NO longer the case because after the first 3 weddings I ever photographed I realised that the point and shoot at everything and hope to catch is what the untrained, unqualified, and non pro photographers do....spending many many hours in post production. By putting the thinking head on I can reduce my shoot and strike rate to a 35%-40% keep rate.

Now, what does this mean for the client...in reality..nothing...this saves me time and makes my work more profitable....The only possible gain for the client is they get there images faster and the image contant is less random and more composed. Where possible, taking 2 seconds to think before shooting can save hours of trawling through hundreds of images containing silly errors and can save hours of photoshop time.

So other than the fact of a pro photographer making a living from photography and hopefully being qualified to some level or having a natural abillity I think the difference between a pro and hobby photographer is how your mind is thinking before you press the button or, not thinking. When filling your refridgerator counts on pressing the button at the right time it changes the thought pattern..if it doesn't then enjoy your hobby!!!