Ron Martinsen and his Blog

Monday, October 31, 2011 Posted in Education, Photographers, Photography, Tips

I wanted to write up a post to help promote and further educate others on a friend and his photography blog. He’s been working on this for years, I kid you not. And it’s a GREAT resource for anyone who is starting out in photography, loves reading about professionals in the business, or needs some help knowing what to invest in. I highly recommend you bookmark his site and pass it along to others when they ask about the latest in photography gear and how to go about buying the right equiptment for their budget.

I have a collection of posts on his blog and definitely enjoy reading it and refering it to others from time to time.

Go check it out and pass it along: http://www.ronmartblog.com/

 

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HISTORY: Photographer Found for Wedding Reunion

Thursday, September 22, 2011 Posted in Life, Photographers, Photography, Weddings

Orginally posted here.

Photographer found for wedding reunion

A woman reorganizing her wedding album from 48 years ago tracks down the photographer in St. Petersburg for a special gathering.

By PHINDILE XABA

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 25, 2001

ST. PETERSBURG — As a young photographer, 84-year-old Jack Swenningsen had taken wedding pictures of newlyweds named Gleason. He was stunned recently when the phone rang and it was the couple, now married nearly half a century.

“A few months ago I was transferring our wedding pictures from an old disintegrating album to a new album when I noticed the stamp with Jack’s name and address,” said Marjorie Gleason, who is 75. “I looked his name up the phone book and I called to arrange for a reunion. He and his wife were very receptive.”

So the Gleasons — Marjorie and 74-year-old George — became reacquainted with their wedding photographer. He hadn’t yet opened a studio when he took their wedding pictures on Aug. 25, 1953.

“He used his home stamp on the back of each picture he took as a form of advertising,” Mrs. Gleason said.

He prides himself in having done a good job with the Gleasons’ wedding album and credits his wife, 82-year-old Amelia, for the chance.

“If it wasn’t for my wife I don’t think I could have met the Gleasons. She is the one who got this job for me. She used to work with Marjorie at the City Hall back in the ’50s and had heard that she was looking for a photographer for their wedding when she recommended me,” he said.

The Swenningsens, who have been married for 60 years, were easy for the Gleasons to find — they have lived in the same house for 51 years, 3831 49th Ave. N, St. Petersburg.

The meeting was also simple because the Gleasons — who had lived in Atlanta for 46 years — moved back to the area, the Mainlands in Pinellas Park, a few years ago.

Mr. Swenningsen said wedding pictures are a great responsibility.

“You have to be diplomatic with the family. Know family members, and look professional. That was a fun job.”

He said this is the first time a satisfied customer called after so many years.

“I was thunderstruck when the Gleasons called. I had learned that satisfied customers don’t call, I only got called when there was a problem with some photographs. I didn’t anticipate such a surprise. This left me feeling fulfilled and content that the black-and-white prints I produced then were good quality because they were still intact after so long,” he said.

As a young photographer, the multi-award winning Swenningsen sold his services to the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce, newspaper travel sections and magazines.

And he worked for a start-up tourist magazine called Florida Speaks. He doubled as a photographer for the Griffith Advertising Agency, which used to market Florida tourism news to communities abroad.

He grew up in New York and discovered that he was a man of many talents after earning a degree in advertising art before moving to Florida. He was known for his commercial artwork and then took on photography as an interest.

Although he is retired from actively taking pictures, he still gets together with his professional photography friends every Thursday.

“We meet on 66th Street North at the Luby’s restaurant. We show each other old-time pictures and slides and talk photography,” says Mr. Swenningsen.

Mr. Swenningsen, whose living and dinning room walls are adorned with his work, has taken on a new interest: music. He plays an accordion.

“I love bringing joy to people’s lives. I have performed at a number of retirement homes.” He just had a gig at the Gulfport Senior Center last Friday at lunch. He proudly pulls out a picture he made of his band.

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Portrait—Jackie

Tuesday, August 16, 2011 Posted in Family, Life, Nikon, Photography, Portraits

A couple weekends ago, I had the pleasure of photographing Jackie. She was an entertaining one for sure. We had a lot of fun with her mom, the camera, and Bella, her Rottweiler. Thanks again to her mom for letting us shoot her daughter and have some fun.


To see more photos, please visit Flickr.

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Shooting Weddings: Hardware, Software, etc. (BONUS)

Thursday, August 11, 2011 Posted in Apple, Design, Nikon, Tips

So, I was thinking to myself after writing the last five entries over the weeks, I didn’t really cover what I use within my studio. Therefore, this is going to be an extra special bonus post about all things I use within my studio to keep my files in order, backed up, and safe, as well as software and other things I have as a part of my business to keep productive and everything running smoothly.

HARDWARE

13-inch MacBook Pro / “The travel companion”

The 13″ MacBook Pro is a great workhorse for its size and allowing a lot for a little. I also prefer to carry 2 external G-Drive slims (500GB model) to act as backup for the photos. While I do have CrashPlan to be a cloud system, I know storing photos on two drives is going to help ensure I have my work backed up appropriately from a client’s event before I get back home and can properly drop the files onto the other G-Tech drives. Other than travelling, the MacBook Pro isn’t really touched beyond being a personal laptop at home. All my photo editing, etc. is done on the Mac mini.

Mac mini with 23″ Cinema Display / “Basecamp”

While an iMac is a great alternative, I chose to invest in the Mac mini because I already owned the Cinema display for linking to my MacBook Pro. While the hard drive is small (only 300GB), it gets the job done. I don’t store photos on the computer itself. All my photos are on external hard drives. I do have my personal “current year” library for Aperture on the mini, but all the images are referenced, so if I loose the library or it becomes corrupt, I won’t have fear of loosing any images from the year. I don’t really see a need to have a Mac Pro (the tower system) as photo editing* is not requiring a lot of “power” compared to an everyday workhorse that might jump between multiple programs requiring a lot of RAM and speed.

*If you’re offering video as part of your package or have a space to use studio lighting and an office, a Mac Pro might be a good investment so you can tackle the 1080p editing, capturing the photos wirelessly, and appreciate that extra boost when you need it.

1TB and 2TB G-Tech Drives / “Security”

As I follow Chase Jarvis and have been inspired by him for years, he has introduced me to a lot of great products for my business. G-Technology is one of them. I have used multiple brands of external hard drives over the years (LaCie and Western Digital), and have found that G-Tech has been the most consistent and reliable over all of them. I currently use the G-Drive (up to 3TB of storage) to back up my photos.

I will write another post regarding my thoughts on how best to network your backup routine, etc. but if you want to learn more about how Chase does it, read about it on his blog here.

Wacom Intous4 Tablet / “The fine tuning”

I love having this at an easy reach if I ever need it. I am an illustrator and artist first and foremost, so the tablet is really used when I am illustrating or creating something that is more artistic in nature. I have found that it has it’s benefits for fine tuning the cloning and/or masking out parts of a photo that might be hard to remove otherwise, but it’s definitely an “as needed” tool in my book.

SanDisk Card Reader /

I never download my cards directly from the camera. Two reasons for this. First, I am usually swapping my cards during a shoot. So, the first card I shot is never the last card in the camera. The other reason is for security. I ALWAYS keep my cards on me. The camera body, the lenses, other accessories—they are the least of my worries for a client. I have two Pelican cases that store eight (8) Compact Flash cards. When I am done with a shoot, I take my final card out of the camera, flip it upside down, and put it in the Pelican case. (There’s a great side story to my approach to storing the cards they way I do… that might come later.)

SOFTWARE

CrashPlan

I have used the service for the last four years now. I love it. While the initial backup may take months (or years in some cases), I have found a few tricks that help improve the speed at which your files are backed up. For example, if you’re using your computer only between the hours of 8-5, you can set up CrashPlan to back up during that time, but once 5pm hits, you can have it increase the backup performance while your computer is not being used by other programs. While the initial backup is not going to be quick, the daily syncs will greatly increase in speed by doing this after the fact.

Aperture

I have used this since day one of launch. And I think because Apple was first out of the gate with their professional photo software, I have found to stay with Aperture over Lightroom. While Adobe has done some great things with their application, I haven’t seen that feature that is going to make me jump ship yet. I guess it’s a lot like debating to leave Nikon and go with Canon.

Nik Software

While I own the full plug-in suite, I really only dabble with the software when I am looking to work on a select piece for printing and framing, or if I generate an album for a client. Like I noted above with the Wacom tablet, I have found that a lot of the mass editing can be handled by Aperture. Each of the applications has a great use of pin-point control on color adjustments and can help make some minor adjustments that Aperture or Lightroom might not be able to focus on.

Photoshop*

While a lot of photographers might recommend investing in Photoshop if you’re a beginner, I am one who wouldn’t recommend it. The reason I say this is because it’s really what I refer to as a “refining” tool. Like I mentioned with Aperture, it can handle A LOT. Including a great approach to batch processing, and if I was just starting out, I would prefer to invest in a non-distructive PIE-based (Parametric Image Editing) software application over a tool like Photoshop.

*I really only use this application when I need to stitch together panoramas.

TRAVEL SETUP

My wife and I love to travel. And when we do so, I make sure I have certain things with me to collect and back up photos. Especially when we’re on assignment with a destination wedding. The camera gear is one thing to note when traveling, and it really depends on the shoot for what will be in your bag as far as the “glass” goes. In regards to what I would pack for photo management, I really only see the following being the best.

MacBook Pro – Great, compact, and powerful. With the 500GB drive, I can easily store the shoot on the drive temporarily if needed. And it can run Aperture without any issues.

G-Tech slim drives (2) – I carry two because I try and follow the old addage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket”.

SanDisk Card Reader – The reader I have is VERY compact and easily travels with us.

Pelican Cases – Not only are they great for storing the cards in one location and keeping them on me. They are tough, durable, and are waterproof.

AA Batteries (8) – As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, I do have the battery grip attached to my D300. While it does house a lith-ion battery, the grip comes with a AA battery drawer to swap out if needed. I always bring this along with me on the chance that a lith-ion battery fails or I am unable to charge them after they’ve been drained.

So, beyond the camera gear, make sure you define you’re needs when travelling and don’t assume that you’ll be able to get X, Y, or Z where you’re going.  I hope this helps you with your decisions towards hardware and software for your studio.

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Shooting Weddings: Contracts & Business Practices

Thursday, July 21, 2011 Posted in Education, Photography, Tips, Weddings

This is for everyone who has invested in a DSLR over the past few years and has either thought of shooting weddings or has been asked by a friend or family member due to their thought of either saving money or because the bride or groom isn’t aware of what goes into shooting a wedding.

There are plenty of questions that should be running through your head and asking not only the bride or groom, but yourself.

  1. Where is the wedding? Is it in a church? Is it an outdoor wedding? If it’s outside, is the wedded couple under a trellis or something that will produce shade?
  2. What are the expectations of the photographs? Doe the bride and groom “just” want the typical list? Is there a photographer that they love his or her style, but don’t have the budget for them?
  3. What can be expected of the event? Is it a quick ceremony on a beach? Is it a full day from sunrise to sunset and into the night?
  4. What equipment do you have in your bag? Do you need to rent any additional gear?
  5. Are you getting paid for doing this? If so, how much is your time worth to you? Are you thinking of this being a start to your wedding photography business, or is it going to be a one-time only offer?

Asking yourself these questions, can help you decide one of two things. Either you’ll move forward and step up to the plate, or you’ll play it cool and kindly decline.

Due to the details and complexities of shooting a wedding, I will be having a five-part series to cover:

LOCATION

EXPECTATIONS

THE DAY OF…

INSPIRATION

GEAR

CONTRACTS & BUSINESS PRACTICES

CONTRACTS

I want to take this last part of my Wedding Photography overview to discuss contracts. I am not going to just copy and paste a contract to review it and hand over the content needed… that’s too easy. A lot of what I have learned and refined over the years is thanks to a workshop I took under Mike Colon back at the WPPI conference in 2010.

To start, there are a few things that you should always note when starting to put together a good contract for weddings.

PRICE STRUCTURE

I’m listing this category first for a couple reasons. The first being, I want to stress that you charge for your services. I have never done a wedding for free–never. Yes, I’ve done one on a budget for $300, but that was not only my first wedding, but by charging for the wedding, I felt confident that it was something I could continue doing at a reasonable cost and not feel like I’m not charging what I feel I should be.

To start, I always ask for 50 percent deposit, remainder due on or directly before the wedding. Why? This might seem odd to not have even done the service yet, and still get paid the full amount. I grew up being a Boy Scout and have found that with the timeline of post production, etc. you have this notice to yourself (voice in your head) to finish the work on the photos and get them into a gallery for your client to view and buy.

Next, don’t sell yourself short. Before presenting your first contract, make a list of everything that you might need to be covering for that day. Gas for traveling, any rented gear (I’ve used Lens Pro To Go), any services you might use (ie web hosting), or memberships you might belong to (ie WPPI). By doing this, at the end of the wedding and handing off the photos, etc. you’ll see that you’ve succeeding in making a profit. The first handful of weddings I shot, I was putting half of the cost of my services into renting equipment and lenses for the wedding. And while it was well worth the cost of doing so for the quality of the images, if I was to go back to those, I would probably have a separate fee just to cover the cost of the rented gear and/or charge more per wedding to start.

TIMELINE (Day of)

No matter your cost, make sure you structure it in such a way to allow your client to understand a per hour cost if that helps them understand how the cost of a photographer is justifiable for a full day. You don’t have to directly note $200 per hour in the contract, but if you’re wanting to charge $200 per hour, make sure to that you base a 4-hour or an 8-hour day off of it.

Also, make sure that you monitor your time. If you’re shooting an 8 hour wedding and it goes into the 10+ hour evening, you want to have a clause that states something similar to “…15 minutes after the agreed end time, we will start to bill hourly in 15 minute increments at a rate of $200 per hour…”. Now you can be kind and if you see you’ve only had to spend an extra 30 minutes at the wedding, it’s probably silly to charge them, but if you’ve continued to capture images (per the clients request) beyond the end time, you’ll definitely want to get your money’s worth.

POST PRODUCTION (Day after)

I typically tell my client that I need 2-3 weeks (closer to 3) for editing. By doing this you help your client know that to expect the photos the next day isn’t going to happen, but at the same time (if you can manage your time well), you might be able to deliver earlier than expected.

First thing. Take a break. Ok, maybe go ahead and back up your cards, etc. to your hard drives or DVDs. But honestly, don’t dive into post production for a day or two. Let yourself rest from the event. Even though you know you’ve captured some great moments and want to view them immediately, I’ve found that I am more in tune with post production when I’ve mentally rested from the task of shooting for 8+ hours in a day.

The next task item is what I refer to as “please the bride”. I quickly go through the images and find 30-50 shots I think are worthy of my portfolio. I edit those, export them at a limited resolution with a watermark and upload them to Facebook, Flickr, the blog, and any other social web site I choose to help with marketing later on.

On to doing the work… I shoot upwards of 2500 images (if not more) during a wedding. Fortunately, my wife is a second shooter when we’re doing these gigs. The first step I take is importing (referencing) the images in Aperture. I add meta data such as the names of the clients, venue, subjects, city, state, etc. that will help add to the library. I then go through all the images and break them into “albums” to relate them to the post wedding, getting ready, portraits, ceremony, reception, details and anything else I find is a chunk of the day. This helps the editing process seem less daunting. From there, my wife will help me throughout the first week to narrow down the images per category and we finally end up with 500 images or so.

After doing the detailed adjustments of color, etc. I upload them to Pictage and it will usually cover a two-week editing process which results in a happy bride because I’ve delivered earlier than expected. Yes, this is an “ideal” structure. If you’re doing a 40 hour job on top of this, I would easily predict 3 weeks will be needed as I have been there myself.

DELIVERY

I have a few options the client can use. Pictage is a great online gallery with ordering services. There are multiple plans to choose from and based on the sales per wedding or portrait session, they will cut you a check for a percentage as well as cover the cost of the monthly dues if you’ve made enough in sales that month.

I will upload the selected photos via categories to allow the client to better sort through them this way. When you send you client the invite to Pictage (which I tend to do months before the wedding), they can invite friends and family to sign up for a notification and a small discount off their order.

Another service is album design. I have a great company out of New Zealand that I use. Queensberry has a very high quality structure as well as being archival with cotton pages and a great leather backing along with multiple sizes to your liking. While they are not cheap, the cost of them is very apparent. With a one-time investment, the company sends you sample albums to show off what the client will be gaining by investing in an album through you.

And finally, assuming you’ve built this into the cost of your contract as well, always be willing to provide your client with a CD of the images. This is the most common request, and don’t be offended by it as they have paid for them. The only thing you might suggest or recommend is either having them go through a professional printer and frame some of the select shots to hang in their home. On that note, at the very least, if they choose to only display them on Facebook to request they link them to you via a copyright notice or displaying your web site below the images.

FINAL NOTES…

Remember, these a more or less guidelines and things to remember when piecing together a contract. Even if you’re shooting your family members wedding or a long time friend, always have a contract to protect yourself from unwanted requests and needs. I have shot all of my weddings knowing that I have a contract in place to allow me to feel I have done a service and can continue with my life after the job is complete to not have random requests coming from a bride I shot 5 years ago for an 8×10 image.

IN ADDITION…

While I was piecing this series together to help educate photographers on the wedding industry, B&H announced a microsite dedicated to Wedding Photography as well and it goes into further detail on some of the subjects covered to help you understand more about the industry and what works. Feel free to check it out here.

 

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Shooting Weddings: In The Bag

Thursday, July 14, 2011 Posted in Cameras, Lighting, Nikon, Photography, Profoto, Tips, Weddings

This is for everyone who has invested in a DSLR over the past few years and has either thought of shooting weddings or has been asked by a friend or family member due to their thought of either saving money or because the bride or groom isn’t aware of what goes into shooting a wedding.

There are plenty of questions that should be running through your head and asking not only the bride or groom, but yourself.

  1. Where is the wedding? Is it in a church? Is it an outdoor wedding? If it’s outside, is the wedded couple under a trellis or something that will produce shade?
  2. What are the expectations of the photographs? Doe the bride and groom “just” want the typical list? Is there a photographer that they love his or her style, but don’t have the budget for them?
  3. What can be expected of the event? Is it a quick ceremony on a beach? Is it a full day from sunrise to sunset and into the night?
  4. What equipment do you have in your bag? Do you need to rent any additional gear?
  5. Are you getting paid for doing this? If so, how much is your time worth to you? Are you thinking of this being a start to your wedding photography business, or is it going to be a one-time only offer?

Asking yourself these questions, can help you decide one of two things. Either you’ll move forward and step up to the plate, or you’ll play it cool and kindly decline.

Due to the details and complexities of shooting a wedding, I will be having a five-part series to cover:

LOCATION

EXPECTATIONS

THE DAY OF…

INSPIRATION

GEAR

CONTRACTS & BUSINESS PRACTICES

IN THE BAG

So you’ve bought your first DSLR camera and you’re thinking of shooting a wedding or two, or making it something you will turn into as a business or side job because you’ve uncovered your passion for photography and see that it’s a great way to earn some extra cash.

In this post, I will inform you of why wedding photographers have the gear they do. It’s not as much as you think.

NOTE: I am a Nikon shooter, but most everything is also available via Canon or another camera manufacturer.

BODIES

Today, there are plenty of models to choose from within each make of camera. However, this doesn’t mean that the body will be suited well for shooting a wedding. Similar to sporting events, a wedding is comprised of a variety of moments. Ones that are fast (dancing and the bouquet toss), ones that are time consuming (portraits and the ceremony), and moments that only happen once in the whole day (the first kiss and placing the rings on the finger). Each of these are something that you need to take into consideration not only as a talented photographer, but with the idea of “will my gear handle capturing that moment?”

ENTRY LEVEL (Nikon D5100)*

While these cameras are amazing with their technology (16.2 Megapixel and 1080p movie functions), they often are not ideal for shooting weddings because they don’t have a fast enough frame rate to cycle through a specific moment in a wedding.

I do think that if you’re looking to have a second body on hand, this is a great option though. Because of its movie function, you can easily promote this as part of your contract.

PROSUMER (Nikon D300s)

Here is where you can start seeing some serious results in photographing a wedding. The D300s allows you to gain 6-9 frames per second (FPS) depending if you have the MB-D10 battery pack on it. Not only does this type of camera offer a fast frame-rate and some other features that the lower-end models don’t, but it is also commonly built with more durable materials, including a magnesium body to improve weather sealing.

These bodies are also considered “cropped”. By this, it allows the sensor to increase the distance the lens covers when mounted on the body. Most often, a cropped body will have a magnification of 1.6 times what a full-frame or 35mm camera will display in the viewfinder. So, a 50mm lens on a 35mm camera will actually read at 80mm on a cropped body.

PRO (Nikon D3s)*

While they aren’t required to shoot weddings (in my opinion), a D3s (or full-frame camera) is a great asset to your bag. Shooting the weddings I have over the years, I have moved from just using a D300 to a D3, and now a D3s. The advancements over the years with this body has made my enjoyment of shooting a wedding that much more fun. The reason I say this is due to the high ISO/low noise combination and the fast frame rate (up to 11FPS). And while I don’t use the video function on the camera, the fact that it can do video has improved the recycle of image capture greatly over the D3.

Know your camera well. Quickly adjusting ISO, bracketing, etc. You want to be able to move fluidly throughout the day without looking back and thinking “I missed the first kiss!” Another critical note is the always have two bodies with you when shooting a wedding. Not only does it allow you to have multiple lenses at a quick access, but if one fails (knock on wood) you have another as backup.

*While the D3s is the top full-frame body, if you prefer a more compact version feel free to check out the D700.

NOTE: It is said that the D4 and D400 will be announced in August 2011, so if you’re able to wait until then, I highly recommend doing so.

LENSES

While you can spend thousands on a set of lenses based on what you see the professionals carry around, I have found that this is what you’ll really need:

Nikkor 24-70mm f/2.8 (35-70mm f/2.8 D)

Nikkor 70-200 f/2.8 (80-200mm f/2.8 D)

Nikkor 105mm f/2.8 Macro (60mm f/2.8 D Macro)

Nikkor 85mm f/1.4 (85mm f/1.4 D)

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 (50mm f/1.4 D)

There will be other alternatives to this list, and I have added the D-Model in parenthesis to show less expensive options that are just as great.

Even though having a photographic eye is a main key to shooting a wedding, the glass is VERY important as well. I am an Aperture Priority shooter and all my glass is f/2.8 or faster (and it’s needed).

KIT LENSES (18-55mm, 55-200mm)

While I am not going to promote these lenses as a good option to shoot a wedding, I will mention where they can be used if you choose to do so. If you’re shooting all day, the 55-200 will be great for you to keep your distance and take some candid photos during the ceremony and other times when you don’t want to be “in their face” with the lens to capture an intimate moment. The 18-55 might be something you can use for the portraits, but throughout the wedding, I don’t advise using it (beyond the portraits).

The reason kit lenses aren’t really something you want to be using is due to a couple things. They aren’t as sharp as the other lenses mentioned above, the quality of build isn’t rugged enough, and they aren’t considered “fast glass”. The aperture ratings on these are listed with an f/3.5-5.6 structure usually that means at the closest (18mm) you can only open up to 3.5 and at 200mm you can only read out at f/5.6. These are reasonable, but not an ideal choice for shooting weddings that tend to be set in low light environments.

Fast glass refers to lenses that not only can focus quickly, but more importantly have a single aperture rating (ie 1.4 or 2.8) across the length of a telephoto lens (ie 70-200mm).

PRO (24-70mm, 70-200mm)

These lenses are what make or break a wedding photographer. Without the focal length or the aperture, you’ll be doing a lot more post-production than you’ll want to spend after shooting for 12 hours.

PRIME (50mm, 85mm)

I personally love prime lenses. Not only do they offer a wider aperture, in some cases they are sharper than telephoto models. Both of the primes I have listed above are great. My one note though is pertaining to cropped sensors. If you’re shooting with a D300s (or similar body), the 50mm is going to be 80mm compared to the 85mm on a full-frame camera. I only own the 50mm at this time for this reason and use it mostly for close portraits of the bride and any detail shots where I want a great bokeh on the image.

MACRO (105mm)

This is a must-have lens for weddings. The rings, dress details, food, and other parts of the wedding that make it unique to the bride. This is where this lens comes in handy.

OTHER GEAR

FLASH

If you can, avoid using the on-camera flash (get a TTL cord) and add an off-camera flash (SB-900) to it. I have a Stroboframe that allows me to swing the flash in multiple directions for bouncing the light off walls, etc. so the light isn’t harsh and directly on the subject. And while do have this ability, since 2008 I really haven’t used the flash or mount system during a wedding. I prefer a very relaxed and candid style with my photography and a flash is just calling for “look at me”.

LIGHTING

During the portraits and other formal gatherings of the family and wedding party, it is nice to have a portable lighting system, but isn’t necessary for a wedding. If you simply remember to find a well lit space (outdoors or not) that will give you good lighting on the party, you’ll be able to get some great shots. I personally use Profoto for my lighting equipment, but don’t use it during a wedding.

MEMORY CARDS

My general rule of thumb on memory cards is anything larger than 8GB is unnecessary. The reason for this is two-fold. One, I can shoot 600+ images (RAW) on one card. I typically cover 2500-3000 images per wedding. And the other is due to DVD backup and fear of a failed card. One DVD can house 360 (RAW) images. So it’s pretty easy for me to quickly split an 8GB card in two and burn two discs. I currently use the SanDisk Compact Flash cards. The day before every shoot, I reformat the cards in camera. This helps restore the cards to their default structure and clean out any “hidden” files. Don’t be afraid to buy these whenever you find spare money to spend. You can NEVER have enough.

You might wonder, how do you keep track of what you’ve shot so far? I use a Pelican CF card holder (2 of them actually). One contains my 4GB cards, and the other 8GB. I start out with all of my cards face-up. Then, when I’ve filled up a card and eject it from the camera, I place it face-down in the Pelican case. The first wedding I shot, I just kept them in separate cases and had to juggle through the LCD viewer to see if I’ve used the card yet. The Pelican is well worth the $20 to save the time frantically going through cards during the wedding.

To conclude… if you are wondering about the gear mentioned above, you can see the full list online at B&H. Also, if you’re not sure about investing in the lenses and equipment right from the start, please rent it. Read more about rental services here as I rented my gear for years until I was able to amass a collection that covers what I need to shoot a wedding.

IN ADDITION…

While I was piecing this series together to help educate photographers on the wedding industry, B&H announced a microsite dedicated to Wedding Photography as well and it goes into further detail on some of the subjects covered to help you understand more about the industry and what works. Feel free to check it out here.

 

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Event–Lakeside Golf Tournament

Friday, July 8, 2011 Posted in Events, luskSHOT, Nikon, Paul Dudley, Photography

Back in late June, Lakeside School hosted their annual Claude Johnson Memorial Golf Tournament. Shot out in Arlington, WA at the private course of the McCaw family, Caledon. It was a great honor to shoot the event as a favor to my mentor, Paul Dudley. Thank you for the opportunity.


To see more of the event, check them out on Flickr.

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Shooting Weddings: Inspiration

Thursday, July 7, 2011 Posted in Career, Chase Jarvis, Education, Mike Colón, Paul Dudley, Photographers, Photography, Tips, Uncategorized, Weddings

This is for everyone who has invested in a DSLR over the past few years and has either thought of shooting weddings or has been asked by a friend or family member due to their thought of either saving money or because the bride or groom isn’t aware of what goes into shooting a wedding.

There are plenty of questions that should be running through your head and asking not only the bride or groom, but yourself.

  1. Where is the wedding? Is it in a church? Is it an outdoor wedding? If it’s outside, is the wedded couple under a trellis or something that will produce shade?
  2. What are the expectations of the photographs? Doe the bride and groom “just” want the typical list? Is there a photographer that they love his or her style, but don’t have the budget for them?
  3. What can be expected of the event? Is it a quick ceremony on a beach? Is it a full day from sunrise to sunset and into the night?
  4. What equipment do you have in your bag? Do you need to rent any additional gear?
  5. Are you getting paid for doing this? If so, how much is your time worth to you? Are you thinking of this being a start to your wedding photography business, or is it going to be a one-time only offer?

Asking yourself these questions, can help you decide one of two things. Either you’ll move forward and step up to the plate, or you’ll play it cool and kindly decline.

Due to the details and complexities of shooting a wedding, I will be having a five-part series to cover:

LOCATION

EXPECTATIONS

THE DAY OF…

INSPIRATION

GEAR

CONTRACTS & BUSINESS PRACTICES

INSPIRATION

Today, almost every photographer in the wedding business is required to have a website, blog, Twitter account, and Facebook page just to get their names out there and compete against the others.

Mike Colon, Chase Jarvis, Paul Dudley, Laurel McConnell. These are just a few photographers I got to know early on that inspired me to further challenge myself and develop a style that is unique unto myself and what I can offer my clients.

Chase Jarvis | chasejarvis.com

He is Seattle-based and has been involved with extreme sports and outdoor companies for years. I first stumbled upon him in 2007 with a random interest in finding some creative iTunes podcasts to further my understanding of photography. Since then I have kept him in my sights for inspiration. While he has no wedding references (to my knowledge), I still like referencing his stuff to seek out new ways to compose my clients and the photos themselves. Even when something has no relation to a particular subject, you can still draw inspiration and adapt it accordingly.

Mike Colon | mikecolon.com

I refer to as my “Arnold Schwarzenegger” of the wedding photography world (in a positive way). The reason for this? He was the first wedding photographer I really knew of that made me think “this would be fun to do”. Along with his fresh look at shooting weddings and having the high-end clientele, it was easily a way for me to learn from a “great” in the business.

Not only does he shoot Nikon, like me, which helped me understand what kind of gear to invest in for the purpose of shooting a wedding, but his approach to shooting the wedding was exactly how I wanted to do so. That being said, I have had the pleasure of taking a workshop from him and learned a lot–not only about shooting, but how to manage the business at hand and getting the right clients.

2010 WPPI Las Vegas Mike Colon Workshop

Laurel McConnell | mcconnellphoto.com

I know Laurel through a school friend of mine who had her photograph her wedding back in 2009. She’s got a great personality and definitely makes the bride and groom feel comfortable for the occasion. While her style of shooting is a great reference to get some ideas on how I should approach a similar shoot, I think knowing her personally has been a better benefit to my business and how I go about a day of shooting.

Paul Dudley | pauldudleyphotography.com

I consider Paul a great inspiration, friend, and my photography mentor. And for anyone who is looking to get into the business, I recommend finding a mentor to help guide you through the proper steps to start marketing yourself to the right clients. He has actually taught me more about photography in general over the last four years than I could have even thought of grasping if I took a class or attempted to earn another degree.

Slattery Wedding - Second shooting for Paul Dudley, July 2010

So, to take this chapter to the next step I wanted to give you some tips on what I have learned from these photographers.

Chase Jarvis / While it is said that “a picture is worth 1000 words”, make sure they are the right words. What I mean by this is that with Chase’s work I have found that while you might be able to get the story right with a simple portrait, think about all the options of how you can approach the shot before you release the shutter. You’ll be amazed at what can come from an additional minute or two analyzing your surroundings.

Mike Colon / High quality, high end approach. Photography is an art. It is subjective. Everyone has their own opinion about what is good. You have to be ready for criticism. While Mike might shoot weddings for nothing less than $25,000, I still approach the job with the same mindset even though I am making only a fraction of what he charges. If you’re looking to grab a high-end bride as a client, make sure your photography reflects this. How so? While a wedding can appear to cost into the six figures, a lot of times weddings might come in around $10,000-$15,000, and that’s if the bride and groom aren’t paying for it themselves. A bride who comes from a wealthy family is usually well educated in fashion and trends to know whether the photos from the previous weddings you’ve shot are on a budget or have spared nothing for every detail. In short, when you look through the viewfinder, ask yourself “is this the million dollar shot?”

Laurel McConnell / Network. Network. Network. Knowing Laurel over these past few years, I have seen her go from a social butterfly with a shutterbug attitude, to someone who is now networking with the likes of Nikon and Junebug Weddings. Even though someone might see this as a “sellout” when it comes to being a wedding photographer, it is actually a HUGE plus for a photographer to start making connections like this for the latest in gear as well as gaining a name in the industry as one to know.

Paul Dudley / Cater to everyone and feel comfortable with introducing yourself. Another part of being a good wedding photographer is to adapt to the needs of your client. Make sure you’re very comfortable with your gear as well as your approach to the way you want to shoot the event. Adapt and make the most of what you have. Sometimes you’ll expect that the environment will be ideal due to rumors and what you’ve heard about the venue. Other times you’ll be in cramp quarters just to make sure you can get the shot of the bride putting on her dress.

OTHER NOTES OF INSPIRATION…

Even though you can search through books, blogs, and numerous other reference guides that are specifically about wedding photography, remember to look to other subjects and themes to draw inspiration. Yes, it’s great to have a site like Flickr where you can uncover the EXIF data of a photo taken by someone else, but in the end it’s all about what your eye sees, not what the camera is setup to do.

If you’re one who would like some tips on magazines and blogs to start referring to, the one I want to stress most is part of the Wedding & Portrait Photographers International (WPPI). Visit www.rangefindermag.com and www.aftercapture.com to sign up for their FREE publications. Beyond that, check out magazines that are local to your community, such as Seattle Metropolitan Bride & Groom or Seattle Bride. From those magazines you can tend to find local photographers whom you can follow from their blog to gain further inspiration and see if there are any tips and tricks that might become useful the next time you book a wedding.

To end, if wedding photography is something you’re serious about and want to make a career out of, make sure to start networking with everyone. Make sure you find a niche that can sell yourself as the photographer every bride desires. Make sure your work speaks for itself and can stand alone. And, above all else, be yourself. While you can look at these photographers’ work above and get some ideas, you should never copy someone’s work with the intent of selling it off as your own.

IN ADDITION…

While I was piecing this series together to help educate photographers on the wedding industry, B&H announced a microsite dedicated to Wedding Photography as well and it goes into further detail on some of the subjects covered to help you understand more about the industry and what works. Feel free to check it out here.

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Shooting Weddings: Expectations & The Day of…

Thursday, June 23, 2011 Posted in Education, Photography, Tips, Weddings

This is for everyone who has invested in a DSLR over the past few years and has either thought of shooting weddings or has been asked by a friend or family member due to their thought of either saving money or because the bride or groom isn’t aware of what goes into shooting a wedding.

Due to the details and complexities of shooting a wedding, I will be having a five-part series to cover:

LOCATION

EXPECTATIONS

THE DAY OF…

INSPIRATION

GEAR

CONTRACTS & BUSINESS PRACTICES

EXPECTATIONS

Ok, so you’ve booked a meeting with a potential client. What next?

Make sure when you meet with her (and her mom, most likely), you find out what details they might have in mind regarding the day’s event. One thing to note is that the client (unless they are a photographer), might not have the first clue on what it takes to compose a shot, capture that moment, or what kind of time post production can consume when the day is over with. I will go into further details in a post specifically about the contract you should have with your clients.

Commitment of Hours / Depending on the time of the ceremony and reception, you can expect to spend upwards of 12 hours shooting a wedding. If the client is on a budget, make sure to work with them and that they understand what you’re offering. It can end up being that the bride says the event is starting at 2pm and should be done by 10pm. While the latter end might be more true to the timing, expect that you’ll be arriving 2+ hours before hand to take pictures of the place settings and other displays that relate to the event.

Some shots are on "the list", others just happen.

Photographs & Desired Captures / Everyone, not just the bride, will have input on what they are wanting to get out of the wedding from a photography perspective. Friends, relatives, certain poses they think are memorable. The one thing you have to be careful of is not making the client feel like you’re a know-it-all. Typically, a wedding has a certain structure. Therefore, it also has a certain “to do” list of what to capture throughout the day. As a photographer you have one of two ways of going about this. Either memorize the “checklist” and have a paper or notes in your phone to help you remember the other custom shots the client has requested, or just add everything to the list. I personally do the latter, not because I can’t retain all of those things to check off, but because it helps me refer back to my list now and then due to the times throughout the day that it might be slow and you can capture some details or casual and candid shots that you might have not remembered to do. Even though it is a list, it won’t be in order.

A list for me will be broken out as follows:

DETAILS

-       Cake

-       Tables / Settings

-       Gift table

-       Rings

-       Brides shoes

-       Brides gown

-       Flowers/bouquets

-       Programs

-       Trellis/Ceremony location

PRE-WEDDING

-       Bride getting ready*

-       Bride/mom/maid-of-honor interaction

-       Bridal party getting ready

-       Groom getting ready

-       Groom/dad/best man interaction

-       Groomsmen getting ready

-       Guests arriving/sitting down

-       Family Portraits

-       Wedding Party Portraits

-       Bride/Groom portraits

-       “First look” shots/interaction

CEREMONY

-       Bridal party entering

-       Family entering

-       Bride entering (follow down aisle)

-       Pastor

-       Bride/groom holding hands (close up)

-       Emotional shots (bride, groom, parents, guests)

-       Flower girl

-       Ring barer

-       Singers

-       Speakers

-       Groomsmen line

-       Brides maids line


RECEPTION

-       Drinks

-       DJ/Music

-       Dancing

-       Food/buffet line

-       Candid guest interaction

-       Father/daughter dance

-       Son/Mother dance

-       First Dance

-       Bouquet toss

-       Garter toss

-       Toasts

-       Cake cutting

-       Entertainment (jugglers, magicians)

-       Send off

*NOTE: Being a male photographer, brides tend to shy away from the request to get pre-wedding photos taken due to the dressing of the gown. I am fortunate to have my wife with me to help take these photos, and the bride feels more comfortable by doing so. So, if you ever have the opportunity to bring on a second shooter and you’re a male photographer, look to find a female to help with the day. You’ll get some fun and memorable photos by doing so.

THE DAY OF…

Ever heard “the early bird gets the worm”? This is very true when it comes to weddings. I have found that when I get to a wedding earlier than expected, I feel more accomplished with what I am assigned to do for the day. I can get shots out of the way early, and in some cases can get extra shots of the bride getting ready or any family involvement with getting the event set up.

Be prepared / The day, from the very minute you get to the site of the wedding, is going to be insane. The bride, while on a schedule, will most likely be confused and scattered, with a drink in hand or trying to figure out where her bridal party is at this very moment. Just go with the flow and know that you’re there to tell a story at the end of the day and from my experience, some of the shots I have taken outside of  “the list” are some of my favorites.

Even when you think you've go "the shot", keep looking. It pays off.

There are going to be a lot of guests who will come up to you and ask to go take a photo of someone or something that they think is impressive. My advice: do it. It will appease them and if you prefer not to show the bride and groom later, they probably won’t recall it. It is very important to remain polite throughout the day. You never know who else might be attending the wedding that will be getting married in the next year or a set of parents who like you’re work and know their daughter would love to have you shoot their wedding.

And even though I will cover this in the gear list, make sure you have multiple cards and batteries for your camera. While I have never had to change a battery during the day, I have started out shooting too many photos during the pre-wedding and ceremony where I had to switch to only shooting JPG to allow enough room for portraits, toasts, the reception, and dancing into the night. But this also brings up another approach of “be prepared”. Know your camera and know it well. You don’t want to be shooting a wedding and have the camera start to act up on you to where you don’t think about the ISO or the aperture you’re set at could help the camera perform better.

Uncle Bob Encounter / Today, everyone has a P&S, and it’s gradually getting to the point where a lot of people are choosing to upgrade to a DSLR. This results in, you guessed it… wedding guests bringing their DSLR cameras to the celebration. While they might have a kit lens on the body, some of them will have lenses similar to what you have in your camera bag.

So what do I do in this case? Two things. If they are not a threat, you’ll know right away and don’t need to worry about them interfering with the job you’ve been paid to do. If they start to crowd your space, I was taught a great trick from a fellow photographer, Christopher Becker. He says that while the D3s with a 70-200 f/2.8 might outdo your setup at the moment, to offer some ways to improve their shots. Different angles, settings on their camera they might not know about, or anything that will make them feel more confident about what their trying to shoot. The idea behind this is to allow them to feel comfortable with you and that way you can kindly ask them to move aside while you capture the shots you need.

Wrapping up / Once the ceremony is done, this is where I feel most relaxed. I have covered most of “the list” and the photos from there on are typically candid and you won’t have to worry about key pieces like the first kiss or something that will only occur once during the night. During the reception, you’ll have to focus on toasts, dancing, cake cutting, garter and bouquet toss, and the first dances. These all will be something where you can choose the approach you want to take with it. It is also a great reason to have a second shooter. You can get different angles and make sure that that moment is really secure in the card. I always tend to have a 70-200 f/2.8 on my body, and then my wife has another body with the 24-70mm f/2.8 or an 85mm f/1.4. This way we can get some different angles as well as a different view of the moment–close-ups and as a whole.

Be approachable during the end of the wedding. If you feel you’ve missed something or need to capture some final shots of guests, do it. Talk to the newlyweds and make sure they understand you’re taking some last minute pictures before you call it a night. Committing to this will make the bride feel that you’re really focused on her and making sure that every detail is covered. Only when the bride says thank you or you know that they are finally sent off for the night, you can properly collect your gear and head home for the night. Job done.

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Shooting Weddings: Introduction & Location

Thursday, June 16, 2011 Posted in Education, Photography, Tips, Weddings

This is for everyone who has invested in a DSLR over the past few years and has either thought of shooting weddings or has been asked by a friend or family member due to their thought of either saving money or because the bride or groom isn’t aware of what goes into shooting a wedding.

There are plenty of questions that should be running through your head and asking not only the bride or groom, but yourself.

  1. Where is the wedding? Is it in a church? Is it an outdoor wedding? If it’s outside, is the wedded couple under a trellis or something that will produce shade?
  2. What are the expectations of the photographs? Doe the bride and groom “just” want the typical list? Is there a photographer that they love his or her style, but don’t have the budget for them?
  3. What can be expected of the event? Is it a quick ceremony on a beach? Is it a full day from sunrise to sunset and into the night?
  4. What equipment do you have in your bag? Do you need to rent any additional gear?
  5. Are you getting paid for doing this? If so, how much is your time worth to you? Are you thinking of this being a start to your wedding photography business, or is it going to be a one-time only offer?

Asking yourself these questions, can help you decide one of two things. Either you’ll move forward and step up to the plate, or you’ll play it cool and kindly decline.

Due to the details and complexities of shooting a wedding, I will be having a five-part series to cover:

LOCATION

EXPECTATIONS

THE DAY OF…

INSPIRATION

GEAR

CONTRACTS & BUSINESS PRACTICES

LOCATION: WHERE IS THE WEDDING?

CHURCH / If the wedding is in a church, it can be more challenging than shooting a mid-day wedding out on a beach with a constant wind. Churches all have different restrictions on what is allowed during the ceremony. You’ll have to be certain that you can respect the church and what is asked of you. Some churches might allow you to move where you wish, and it will be no different than shooting at the nearby park.

Even when you're restricted, you need to make the best of a moment.

I’ve had the experience of shooting at St. James Cathedral for a wedding. This was a great example of a very strict environment. Not only are you not allowed to use a flash of any sort, you can only move about in certain areas of the church. When the bride enters, you usually follow her down the aisle and then move off to the left or right to let her continue up to the groom. Not in the church. Because the path of the bride is considered sacred, the photographer is to remain on the left or right of the aisle in the back of the church. Beyond that, and once the ceremony starts, the photographer is to choose one location within the church from which to shoot. For this reason, it is not only smart to have a long lens (70-200mm f/2.8), but it is even more beneficial if you have a second shooter with you who can stand on the other side and help capture other angles.

PRIVATE VENUE / If you shoot at a location such as this, you don’t have to be so worried about restricted movement during the ceremony. You do have to be worried about lighting. Whether it is the lack of, too much, or the possibility of fluorescent or a mix of different lighting, you’ll want to pay attention to this so you don’t shoot a set of images that result in green skin or something that isn’t flattering for the client. NOTE: I personally shoot in Auto White Balance and RAW (NEF) so that I can make the appropriate choice on lighting in post-production. I will be going over this stuff in a later post as well.

Using an Nikon SB-800 flash, I was able to create motion to better tell the story.

The best way to approach a private venue is to know what you’re getting into. Beyond knowing where the wedding will be, I would recommend (if you haven’t been there before), to just swing by the venue sometime before the wedding to check out the space and what you’ll be working with.

OUTDOOR / Here in Seattle, it might be rare to find an outdoor wedding, but the benefit to Seattle is the common weather patterns that will allow an overcast day—or nature’s diffuser. Because weather is so uncertain here in the northwest, I have had experience with the mid-day wedding (harsh sunlight), the rainy wedding that redirects to a makeshift indoor aisle and ceremony, and the late afternoon “golden hour” wedding, and even snow.

With each of these, you need to know what to do to help prepare yourself for the situation at hand.

The Mid-day Sun: Because this light is so harsh you have a few things that are going to be your enemy. First, the sunlight is going to result in some serious shadows that will cause group portraits and detail shots to feel hard and uninviting. The next issue that is going to be your enemy is squinting eyes and/or sunglasses in the portraits. TIP: If your subjects are facing the sunlight, ask them to close their eyes before you take portrait. More often than not, this will result in their eyes being open to their natural pose instead of squinting.

To avoid this situation though, scout out locations with shade. Using a heavily populated tree area will work great. This will not only help diffuse the light, but it can also provide some great textures and lighting effects if the sun is positioned right.

Sometimes the shadows can work to your advantage.

The Rain and Snow: Unless the bride and groom are prepared with a tent setup for the aisle and the seats, expect the unexpected. While a drizzle will probably keep the wedding as planned, the minute a downpour happens, the guests, the wedding party, and your gear are not going to be cooperating with you. When this happens, remember to deal with what you can work with. The groom and especially the bride are going to be scattered and thinking that the event is ruined. Most of the time, if you act calm and collected, it will help the bride not feel flustered.

You’ll need to go with the flow and make the bride feel like nothing has changed (from a photographer’s perspective). What do I mean by this? Remember that you can quickly adjust yourself for the weather with your gear. Lens hoods not only help with the sun, they can protect the lens from rain drops. NOTE: Most camera bodies used by wedding photographers today have a weather seal on them to help with the electronics and ever changing conditions of the climate. This will be covered in further detail during the Gear posting.

Regarding snow, here are a couple things to note. Usually, if snow is in the environment, you’ll have one of two things happen. This is because you’re mid-winter and it’s common, or your clients are bad ass skiiers and enjoy the adventure (mine being the latter) in this case. When you’re in conditions with snow, you need to be careful with your cameras. Not only can they take a beating due to the snow itself, but extreme temperatures can harm them as well–lithium-ion batteries taking the brunt of it, sometimes reducing their life by half when at certain elevations.

Make sure you can capture the moments that tell the story.

Into the Night: While a lot of weddings these days are timed for a late afternoon or “golden hour” ceremony, this will most certainly bring on the evening hours with the sun setting and no natural light available during the reception. For this reason, there are a couple things you’ll need to be prepared with. Make sure your skilled with using an off-camera flash knowing how to bounce the light and avoid the harsh shadows and overly bright light directly in the eyes of the subjects. Another way to save yourself during an evening wedding is to have studio lighting set up around the dance floor and gathering location(s) of the guests. The final thing to have is “fast glass”. Lenses that offer an aperture of 1.2-2.8 are the norm for wedding photographers these days. There are exceptions, but I can almost bet every serious wedding photographer who runs their own business owns at least one 70-200 f/2.8 lens. Without one of these three options for evening weddings, or a combination of them, you probably won’t capture the moments you want or you’re going to spend A LOT of time in post-production trying to save the image of the bride dancing with her father.

Using light from the outdoor hot dog vendor to my advantage.

Framing the couple in such a way to work with the late day sun.

Stay tuned next week for information about the expectations of the bride and groom, their parents and what will happen throughout the day of the event.

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