People get married in Bloomington-Normal everyday. With every wedding comes the need for photos to capture the special moments of the "Big Day". Capturing these moments is not at all difficult. You just need to know the right time and places to do it. Bloomington-Normal offers many beautiful backdrops for wedding portraits. With the number of lakes, old (OLD MAKES IT SOUND LIKE IT'S FALLING APART. DIFFERENT WORD?) architecture, wooded areas, even farm land to choose from, it will almost be harder to find a place to not take the photos. And if you don't want to do the work yourself, there are plenty of professionals in town that will record all these moments for you.
Using a Pro vs. using an Amateur Photographer
Professional Photographers are the way to go if you have the money and want to save some time. Most pros in Bloomington-Normal have many years of experience, with numerous amounts of weddings under their belts.
Professional
Pros:
• Camera experience- Cameras are very complex machines that with just one minor adjustment can completely change the outcome of the photo. Professionals have the ability to adjust the cameras internal parts (MORE THAN JUST INTERNAL PARTS... WHAT ABOUT SETTINGS?) to get the required outcome in any lighting condition.
• Wedding experience- A good photographer knows the one secret for good wedding photos. Making the woman happy. (...FOR GOOD WEDDING PHOTOS: MAKING THE WOMAN HAPPY) That day is all about the bride. An experienced photographer knows how to make the bride look her best.
• Ideas- The more experience the photographer has the more ideas they will probably have for unique photographs. They know all the best hiding spots that will make for a good picture. They also know the best poses to make the pictures memorable.
• Copyrights- Even though the picture is of you and your family. The rights to the photo are owned by the photographer. Meaning if you want more pictures printed, you have to purchase them from the photographer. Also the photographer has the right to publish his work. (ISN'T THIS A CON? WHY IS IT UNDER PROS?)
Cons
• Price- You get what you pay for. Just like anything else, the best photographer is going to charge the most for his/ her services. (AND WHAT'S THE RANGE?)
• Schedule- Bloomington/ Normal is ever expanding bringing in more and more people (COUPLES? IT'S A MORE SPECIFIC WORD). With more people bring more weddings and more work for each photographer. This could cause scheduling conflicts with your wedding plans and your photographer.
Pros and cons of letting a friend or family member take the photo's (PHOTOS. NO APOSTROPHE)
Pros
• Inexpensive- A friend would (WILL?) usually take your photos for free or maybe (FOR) a case of beer. An amateur like an art student will likely also do it for free or very cheap so they can get experience under their belt.
• Imaginative- Some professionals will usually stick to what they know best and not stray to far from that. An amateur would possibly be more willing to experiment with different poses and development techniques
• Copyrights- You own the work, and can make as many prints as you want.
Cons
• Inexpensive- You get what you pay for. The less you pay, the lower quality of work you might get in return. A friend with a camera who knows nothing about lighting can ruin all your photos and not know it until well after the wedding. (Cited from experience) (SO HOW DOES THIS WORK IF THERE'S NO AUTHOR TO THE PAGE?)
• Imaginative- Sometimes a funny pose may seem like a good idea, until your so called friend makes you look like an idiot and then post the pictures on the internet. (Also cited from experience)
(WHAT ABOUT MISSING BIG MOMENTS? LIKE A FRIEND MAY NOT CAPTURE THE KISS OR THE CAKE OR MAY GO TO THE BATHROOM AT SOME KEY MOMENT)
Local Professional Photographers
Photographers Here is a sample of package prices from some of the professional photographers in town. This is just one example, prices and packages will vary from photo to photo. (I'M CONFUSED. FROM PHOTOGRAPHER TO PHOTOGRAPHER?)
FORMALS (only 2 hours of coverage. Not Available in all seasons) 50 to 100 proofs included. Additional time is $75.00/HR This package must be paid for in full at the time of booking in order for studio to honor the contract...........................$950.00
Add Black and White Photography to any package..............$450.00
TRADITIONAL 12 PAGE PRE-DESIGNED ALBUM- (Albums in leather)......................................................$2200.00 Add two 10 page parent albums with 20 5x7's in each........$3100.00
CLASSIC 16 PAGE ALBUM- (Albums in Leather) include 1- 11x14 of your choice...........$2700.00 Add two 10 page parent albums with 20 5x7's in each.........$3600.00
CLASSIC 24 PAGE ALBUM- (Albums in Leather) include 1- 16x20 of your choice...........$3700.00 Add two 10 page parent albums with 20 5x7's in each.........$4600.00
Where to get the equipment
(ADD SOME TEXT HERE) Best Buy Location http://stores.bestbuy.com/49/ Reviews http://stores.bestbuy.com/49/reviews/ Camera Corner (ADD LINK HERE?) Location http://www.thecameracorner.com/Contact_information.html
Good backdrop for wedding Photos
Lake Bloomington
Lake Bloomington not only offers a scenic background with the wood lines and shore lines. They also have “Davis Lodge”. Davis lodge is a Log Cabin type of building that is commonly used for weddings and other ceremonies. (COMBINE THESE SENTENCES)
Miller Park is another good location for wedding photography. 
The Lodge has two large stone fireplaces and stacked log walls that would make great photographs. Not just for the wedding party, but for guest also.
There a several lakes and state parks in Mclean County that would make excellent photographs. The link below is a map to all of them. http://www.mcleancountyil.gov/Parks/pdf/Comap2003.pdf (THAT'S IT? ANYONE IN PARTICULAR THAT WOULD WORK?)
Wedding Photography Tips
Create a “shot list” – The first thing you want to do as soon as you know you are going to be photographing a wedding create a list of photos to capture. Get with the couple and get any ideas they may have of places or family members they want in the pictures.
Scout the location – Visit the different locations you will be shooting before the big day. Make sure you go there around the same time of the day you will be actually taking the photos. It is important to know what kind of lighting condition you will be working with.
Be prepared – So many things can go wrong on the big day. So it is important to be ready for anything that can arise. Have spares of everything. Extra charged camera batteries. Blank memory cards (if using digital). Extra rolls of film in different speeds. (Avoid using Black and White film. Color photos can be made Black and white easily, but not made back into color.) Try to attend the wedding rehearsal so you can have a good idea of what to expect.
Turn off the sound on your camera – You do not want to distract anyone with the sound of your camera during the kiss, or the vows, or any other speeches. Turn the sound off before hand and keep it off. (LIKE THE SHUTTER SOUND?)
Shoot everything – Take as many pictures as you can. Fill up your memory cards and use all rolls of film. Photos of the small details are just as important as the kiss. Things like the rings, back of dresses, shoes, table settings etc – help make a good wedding album. Use two cameras, with different lenses. Also it would help to have a second photographer, capturing reactions to the big moments.
Where to get the Photos printed
Just like having your Wedding photos taken professionally. You can also have your photos printed professionally. Professional printers can edit your photos removing any blemishes. They can print a greater variety of sizes and surfaces. They can also help you build albums, collages, or calenders. Of course all these services come at a higher cost and longer print time.
Professionally Printed JMC Photo http://jmcpds.com/ Location: http://jmcpds.com/storelocations.html
If you are short on time and money, many stores have instant printing stations. These printing stations take all types of memory cards. Some even let you attach your camera cable up to it. All you do is select which pictures you want printed and how many, and it prints right there. However the quality of these prints are not as high as you would get from a professional printer. And are limited on sizes they can print. Usually 8"x10" is the max. However the stations are usually located right next to the photo departments in these stores, so if you are in need of a larger or higher quality print, the associate there can help you.
Do it yourself Walgreens Longs Drugs CVS Pharmacy
Links to photography websites
Wedding Photography Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wedding_photography
Mike and Frida Photography http://mikeandfrida.go.to
Gavin Photography Tips http://www.gavinphotography.com/wedding-photography.html
Photography by Howard's End http://www.howardsend.com/
What is working: (Kayla) I think the lay out of the whole page is done very well. The way the page flows works very well and listing the pros and cons to everything was a smart idea. By adding where to go for a good photographer then adding where to get them printed. It start from the beginning to the end and that was a very smart and creative way to go about doing this.
(alan) page looks good overall..good links..good information..i think the pros and cons list is alright.
What is not working: (Kayla) As i said above I do like the idea of the pros and cons but listing them may not be the best idea. Like Adam said, but there is not a lot of listing so it might work. Posting some links to photography websites would be very helpful too! Adding headers and bolding things such at the Do it yourself for the pictures would also be a good idea. You want those kind of things to stand out.
(alan) add more pictures, since it is about photography..add a table of contents..maybe a conclusion? sum it up. indent the bullets on the pros&cons list so it doesn't look like you're reading a book.
