Jeff Babineau

Hello , Just put together a little promo video on my blog . Please check it out and let me know what you think. Thanks view it here : Babineau Photography Wedding promo on Vimeo Babineau Photography Wedding and Portrait Blog Photography in Halifax, Truro, Cape Breton, New Glasgow

Quote: Originally Posted by missgomes I'm here.. May 2011 in Jamaica... I have started a budget... picked out bridal party dresses.. we are on to shoes.. started my website.. although I havent published it yet... hmmmm.. in the process of creating my STD's...have an itinerary of events for guests on the trip... I am having fun!!! Now in the process of picking photography!! Congrats to you ladies!! Will have some samples from mexico in a few weeks for you guys to check out. Playa del carmen at the Gran playa del carmen. Will keep you posted.

welcome to the site. The peopel on here will treat you right and help you make the right choice.

A trash the dress session is included with some photographers if they are there at the resort for a week.

Quote: Originally Posted by Mishka Designs I'm so sorry you didn't like your pictures!!! All the photos on my gallery were taken by Pau and she also, over the years, has taken some of me and other brides I've worked with and she's always done a great job. I've also seen photographs she's done of other weddings (bride and groom, family and guests) and they've turned out really amazing. I feel so bad for you that you had such a bad experience with her! I will definitely make a comment to her (without mentioning you directly!!) about what you said so that she can see what she can do to improve her communication with brides. I have heard from many brides that the language barrier can be a big thing. If your photographer cannon connect with the couple directly. how can you make magic? Just my $0.02

Glad to hear you got a good photographer. Have a blast guys!!

I am photographing a wedding there on April 29 2010. I will post photos when i get back home. Jeff

Let me know if you have any questions about photography. Welcome to the forum.

Welcome!!! You are gonna love this forum. Any questions please feel free to ask.

Paradisus Varadero looks awesome. Anything by Iberostar looks great as well. good luck in your decision.

Great resort. Have an awesome wedding!!!

I will soon have photos to post from the same resort . I will keep you posted. Congrats on your wedding.

This guy is the bomb . His work is fantastic. BOOK this guy for your wedding and you will not be sorry.

Quote: Originally Posted by duprk452 I am getting married at the royal and we are bringing our own photographer with us. (It's a friend of ours who is staying at the royal as well.) They told me that as long as she was a guest of the resort that it was fine she could take as many pictures as she wanted with no outside vendor fee. Not sure how it works since you are staying at the Real, but I really dont think it would be too different. She should check with her WC. Also, if you are staying at another REAL resort, you should not need a day pass for the day of the wedding. This is what I was told. Any other day you will, but not for the wedding. Yup got the info from the bride. All is good. We had to upgrade our room at the Real Playa del carmen to a master room to get full access to the other resorts. No vendor fees or day passes needed. thanks for all your help guys.

It was kind of last minute. We are staying on a sister resort for a week. She is haveing a hard time with her wedding coordinator getting info. Jeff

Hello , I am attending a friends wedding in Mexico and the resort is The Royal playa del carmen. We are staying at another REAL resort up the street and I think we have to pay for a day pass to get in. I am taking my camera (pro camera) with me and was wondering if this resort has a policy about off resort photographers/ guests shooting. I know that the bride has declined the services of the resort photographer. any help would be cool. thanks Jeff

Might see you down there. I will be photographing a wedding on April 29th at the Royal. Best wishes !!

Quote: Originally Posted by dianep i'm getting married in may at the gran porto real in playa del carmen. it's looking like the person i thought was coming from home to do the photography might not work out, so i'm exploring options. the resort contracts funever photography for their weddings. has anyone had any experience with their work (either good or bad)? thank you! Im gonna be there the week before . at the same resort.

Anyone getting married between April 25 and may 2 in Playa Del Carmen??

Does this resort let photographers as guest take photos? are they required to stay on resort or the sister resort. thanks Jeff

Quote: Originally Posted by Tlseege For $3500, you should be able to get WAY more!!! No idea which Palladium you're going to... and travel prices for 2011 aren't out yet. But it looks like it'd cost less than $1500 for two people to fly and stay at any of the Palladium resorts (according to 2010 prices). You should definitely be able to find a photographer who will give you full day coverage of your wedding plus a trash the dress for $3-3,500. Definitely start with the photographers on this site. Send them an email, check out their work. Never hurts to ask! +1 I agree. although most prices are not out yet for 2011 you can find people (hint) who can knock your socks off for the whole day and a trash the dress for $1500is with DVD of images and travel fees paid. It can happen!! Jeff

If any of you brides are intersted in photos my services are avaibale for destinaton weddings. check out our latest on our blog Babineau Photography Wedding and Portrait Blog Photography in Halifax, Truro, Cape Breton, New Glasgow Any questions about how to plan for photos please email or PM me. Best wishes on your weddings. Jeff Babineau Babineau Photography Truro NS 1-902-890-4421

Here are a few photos from our last wedding at the Barcello Marina Palace in Varadero Cuba! I will post more from our trash the dress session at a later time. email me if you need to see more. Jeff

Some food for thought. Something I read and think every Bride should read this. Credit author Heather Crosby-Gionet First ask yourself: 1. Why are photographs important to you? Why do you want a wedding photographer at your wedding. Besides the fact that just about everyone who gets married has one…why do YOU want photographs ? Why are they important to you? 2. What are you hoping for with your wedding photographs? Maybe take a look through your family photographs from growing up, or of you and your fiance… and ask yourself, which photos do you like and why? Are they all images of people laughing, candid shots when no one was noticing or casual portraits where everyone looks like they are relaxed (ok so can you tell what my favorite shots are??) Maybe yours is something completely different or very specific. Maybe you love all the shots where your now fiance is looking at you? Why do you like those? Is it because it shows you that he is thinking of you even when you’re not looking, or because he has that grin that you love? It wouldn’t hurt to take those favorite photos with you when you meet with your potential photographer, to show them the kind of images that make your heart soar. 3. What is your wedding photography budget…and why? Now don’t get me wrong, I understand that weddings are expensive and that budgets are important. HOWEVER I know that some people can get stuck on something they read somewhere (like that you should not spend more than 12% of your total wedding budget on a photographer…which I did read somewhere…but I also read somewhere that you can expect to pay 25% of your total budget…) so you can use information you find as a guide but you need to evaluate how important your photography is for you. I know I am a bit of an exception to the rule since I am a photographer myself, but when I booked my wedding photographer I had only photographed 3 weddings myself, so not exactly seasoned! However photography was (as we learned early on) a huge priority for me, and roughly 30% of my wedding budget went to photography. The budget calculator told me I was wrong, but I knew I was right, and I never regretted it for an instant. I still managed to stay pretty close to my budget by cutting out things that weren’t important to me, like having a limo, string quartet or crystal champagne flutes. Bottom line: it’s your wedding and if photography is important to you, don’t let a magazine article or website dictate the quality of photographer you can have. So, its ok to have a budget, and its ok to want to stay within it, as long as the budget reflects what you are passionate about and what is important to you! 4. Dream a little dream. I often ask my clients to share with me what they would like to see when they look back at their images in 5 or 10 years. What do they want to see? Is it important for you to see images of all of your family displayed on the wall in an organized fashion? Or do you want a storybook album that tells the story of your day, capturing details, moments, memories and emotions (along with a few to help you remember exactly who was there)? Do you dream of looking back and crying? Or laughing? Dream a little (or big) dream and then start the search for your wedding photographer. Here are a few questions for you to ask YOURSELF (I know a lot of self reflection here) when looking for your wedding photographer. Task 1: Make a list of your top 5 photographers . Who would you want to photograph your wedding if money was no object. Make the list FIRST and then get their pricing (and find out if they are available) you’ll likely find that the photographers that you love are often in the same price range, so you may just need to adjust your budget a bit to allow for it and then go through the steps below to make your final choice! 1. Do you LOVE what you see? Chances are if you are getting welled up, excited or can’t tear yourself away from a website…you’re loving what you see. If you’re liking every 5th or 6th shot, and are thinking “well they ARE inside my budget” chances are you’re liking what you see. If you skip past the photos all together to look at the price, you may be missing the mark a little bit 2. Do you like the photographer as a person (not just their work)? or better yet, do you connect with them? Take the time to meet with potential photographers for your wedding. They’ll be your paparazzi for the day so you don’t want to choose someone who rubs you the wrong way! Even if you LOVE someones work, it may not be worth it to have someone you can’t stand take the photos, its your call but if you meet them at least you will be mentally prepared! 3. Are they invested in you? Are they willing to take the time to answer your questions, to ask questions about your day and about what you are looking for? Do they get back to you in a timely fashion, and in a way that works for you? 4. Are they passionate? Is wedding photography a small tab with 30 images on a website with 500 images of corporate work? Some photographers are great photographers, but are passionate about another style of photography. I mention this because someone who is passionate about weddings will be keeping on top of their game, always learning, growing and trying new things. If having unique photography is important to you, you’ll want to find a photographer who is passionate about weddings. 5. (Cheesy drum-roll please) Does it feel RIGHT? Your gut is usually a pretty good indicator. I have had friends say (when they got their photos back, and weren’t happy) that they had a feeling from the beginning that they weren’t going to love it…and gosh they wish that they would have made a different choice (and hey if that’s you…we can still do a Rock the Dress shoot and make it happen!) and it seriously breaks my heart. I don’t want you to think that I wrote this article so that you would book me as your wedding photographer…because that is not the purpose. I want you to book the right photographer for YOU so that you can have the experience, photographs and passion that you deserve, on and after, your wedding day. If its me, great! But there are a lot of great photographers around that would do an amazing job ! Just make sure that you select a photographer that you will be happy with, and I’ll be happy for you! Thank you Heather for your great aritcle. Jeff Babineau

Awesome photos !!! glad to see so much talent here in Canada. if you ever need a second shooter let me know.!