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JoAnne Dunn and her team of wedding and fashion photographers create beautiful, contemporary photography throughout Italy and internationally. Wedding photography has undergone a revolution; from “over posed” traditional images to something more natural and reportage. JoAnne became aware that each and every couple are individual with their own special fancies, tastes and photographic needs. Some brides have poured over fashion editorials and secretly would love an album, which is done similarly. Others hope to be disturbed as little as possible. Most couples have parents who hope for something a little classical. We as a team can offer you a service, which really suits you and we will do our best to keep everybody happy with the minimum of fuss. All of our photographers have years of commercial experience and are competent professionals. With our studio you will always know whom you are booking. We have a complete set of portfolio’s available on the website for each photographer. Each photographer has been hand picked by Jo herself and trained in her multi styled way of shooting. We capture the spontaneity, the emotion and the detail of each wedding we photograph. Images of this unique day are bound together to tell the story of your wedding day. Images, particularly those chosen with care, can unlock memory. We provide the key to your memories of a once in a lifetime event/one of the most important events in your life. Our Style & Philosophy A wedding is one of the most treasured and special events in a person's life…filled with emotional, meaningful and candid moments. These spontaneous moments are often missed by traditional photographic techniques. Contemporary wedding photography captures each significant moment of your wedding day as it occurs, honestly, spontaneously. These captured moments are bound together in your Story Book Wedding Album…a sequence of those special instances, preserved for a lifetime. Photographs, which are a sensitive artistic representation of a unique experience. Your story. Your day. A day that slips by so quickly it seems to become a blur. How precious it is then, to open your Story Book and crystallize your memory. One image can tell many stories. It can even reveal the moments you missed. As artists, we have the privilege of capturing one of the most important moments of your life…with intimate attention to detail, to tell the real story. Pictures, which reflect the emotion of the day, the human experience. Where possible, we slip discreetly into the background…become invisible observers. We capture those important little details. We realise the time effort and the emotional investment a bride makes in order to create her perfect day. It’s our job to capture that perfect day and create visual memories. It is important that you are comfortable with your photographer. The photographer needs to understand and respect the moment, not dictate and pose the protagonists into a false over-romanticised shoot. The photographer should have the ability to be invisible, but occasionally willing to be the fool. Fly on the wall and catcher of smiles. Technically sound to catch those moments before they fly away. Less formal photographs keep the wedding flowing and fun. Recording the day as photojournalist reflects it more honestly. However, we do understand that most people also like to include a few formal shots. Classic doesn't have to be dull though! A couple of formal portraits are always a good idea but rather than in an eighties soft focus version, we do a portrait which reflects who you are. And we do it quickly. We work fast, with precision and fun, ensuring you have plenty of time to mingle with your guests and celebrate. We take as many photographs as we have opportunity for. A little suggestion here or there, but we avoid traditional over demanding posing. This means you can relax and trust us. We take naturally flattering pictures. We all deserve beautiful photos of ourselves to show the grandchildren. All our photographers have commercial experience, from journalism to fashion. This experience has been applied to our philosophy. We tackle each wedding album the way we would any commercial assignment. We ask you to fill out a brief, which in turn helps us to understand you better. Get inside your head, as it were. Once we have your list of most important ingredients we are ready to shoot your wedding the way you hoped. After the wedding we spend hours working on each and every image. Just the way they do in all the magazines, we touch up our images. Unnoticeably, we remove that untimely spot. Gently lighten bags under the eyes and so on. We do not however change the way people look or make them into plastic people. We do know how to take a very flattering image, which are still you. In some images we subtly suggest the mood of the day. Ever been disappointed with a roll of film you have shot? Perhaps the exposure was right but it lacks that sparkle. The way you remember it. Our brains have a strange way of remembering things; we seem to remember with sparkle. Jo and her team find that working on the images helps bring back that sparkle. We hope to achieve a fine art look to the images. So along with reportage, fashion editorial and formal portraiture, we would like to add a fourth style of wedding photography, Fine Art wedding photography. We consider each and every image in your album important. We are not simply wedding photographers. We are Artists who makes who create fine images. Each image and album is unique, reflecting you and your day. Natural, fun, flattering, fast, unobstrusive and sensitive wedding photography. Reportage, fashion editorial, formal portraiture and fine art wedding photography are the styles by JoAnne Dunn’s Photographers. Creating images which are as unique as you are. 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 early in the morning, I shoot the bride getting ready, 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. We 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 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, I will become part of the furniture. Do you work alone? I always work with an assistant photographer who will also take photos on the day. This ensures that we never miss a moment. When I am shooting the bride entering the church, my assistant is able to catch the reaction of the groom and guests. Working together, we miss nothing. In addition to this, both my assistant photographer and myself have two different approaches to photography which adds interest and contrast to your album. What kind of camera do you use? My company only shoots digitally, using the Fuji S3 Pro, which can produce up to an 12 million pixel image. In my opinion this camera is the best in it’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 1999 and I will never go back. Colour versus black and white… This will depend on your preferences. Usually, I tend to shoot a good mix of black and white and 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, 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 shoot around 1000 photos on the day, however your packages offer only up to 100 photos in the album. What happens to the rest of the photos? For your Wedding Story Book Album, only the 100 most fabulous photographs are selected. I 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? Usually my clients request for me to choose their images. This is because I have an artist’s eye and I am able to carefully construct the storyline and album with themes and colours. Not to mention that this is a painstaking and timely process. However having said that… a wedding album is a very personal thing, and some clients like to choose their own photos. I am able to offer my clients’ the added option of digital proofing. This means I send you 350 images on CD-ROM (in small format, 300px by 300px, the same size my large images appear on my website). You can select from here the images you would like in your album. The 500 images will not be touched up yet and so will look quite different from the finished product. However, I will include a few touched up photos on the CD just to give you an idea of the difference! What 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 CD-ROM. 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 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. I don’t want my photos displayed on the internet, is this a problem? I retain copyright of the photos, however I will not display your photos on the internet or use the photos for my own advertising without your permission. 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 1.5-2 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 and abroad. Which cities, towns and special places have your photographers worked in? We have done weddings in Italy ; Tuscany ; Saint Gimignano, San Marino, Florence, Siena, Cortona, Castello di Gorgonza, Luca Italian South coast ; Ravello, Villa Cimbrone, Hotel Palombo, Postano, Amalfi, Capri, Palazzo Sasso, Sorrento, Salerno, Rome, Venice, Verona, Dolo, Lake Como, Umbria Europe ; Germany; Colonga, Greece; Santorini, Scotland; St. Andrews, Africa ; South Africa; Cape Town 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… JoAnne Dunn and her team of wedding photographers specialize in weddings in Italy but they also work worldwide. 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. All of Jo’s photographers have been hand picked by Jo. When they do not speak English, there is an interpreter to translate and all of them are unobtrusive.