OK I’m not a Sprint or Blackberry user, but all work and no play is no fun and this ad is perfect for us photographers. It actually got me thinking though. What crazy cool things could I pull off if I had a stunt groom. Here’s a few images that came to my mind…..
“No, I want the jacket actually in flames. It’s looks hot! Oh and this is HDR. Keep it still”
“That’s perfect. Now when the Chopper flies over, hold the roses in one hand and swing up with the other”
“OK look like the groom is feeling. Scared”
“No it’s actually four stories, but the trampoline is solid. Jump into her waiting arms.”
“Hey do we have a stunt bride around here…?” Gavin Seim
Get the essentials: Thinking outside the box works, Just remember to get the MUST have's. Walking down the isle, standing at the alter, the first dance and many more. What's important to each couple can vary, so communication is important.
Where to start, how to get there, how to stay there. Secrets for professional and aspiring wedding photographers from Gavin & others.
by Gavin Seim:How do I handle my first wedding? How do I become a pro? I get these type of questions fairly often. Weddings aren’t for everyone but most aspiring and pro photographers will photograph a wedding sometime in their career. There’s much to be learned from what’s demanded of us at a wedding. While this article is aimed at those getting started, seasoned pro’s will get ideas too.
Today I’ll give some I’ll talk the basics of how I see and think when I photograph a wedding. Tips 1-6 will focus on getting great images. Then we’ll talk a bit about a post production and business (which is every bit as important). As we go thru them I’ll post some favorite images and share some thoughts.
The first wedding is daunting. Let me say that I won’t be talking about extreme photography basics in this article. If you’re at that stage there’s no shame in it, but you should gain some experience before tacking a wedding on your own. It’s a one time event and if you get it wrong you will be, at best, a sore spot in the eyes of your client. That’s not good for getting new clients and both you and your client deserve better.
If you can, second shoot aside an experienced photographer it’s a great way to learn, gain better portfolio and get more confidence. In my case that never happened. Though got serious about photography at age 12, my first wedding was cold turkey. I photographed for fun at a wedding and the couple loved them. That pushed me forward and my first paid wedding came awhile after. The rest is… Well the rest is below.
Try new things: This shot is the result of the first time I used off camera wireless flash (with Radio Poppers) at a wedding. I was just learning them, but made the choice to push myself to get great light in this scene. It paid off and my final image has a neat cinematic feel that fits my style.
Before my first wedding I absorbed the information in at least three wedding photography books. That helped me get a feel for what should happen. Without that study I would have missed a lot of important things. Resources like this are great (I wish I had had them) but a book can help you get perspective and have a reference to review. I’ll list few good books to get you rolling at the bottom of this post.
My first paid gig was back in the film days. I was about eighteen. Armed with my Canon EOS3, a cheap flash, a cheap zoom lens and an old monolight strobe handed down from Doug Miller, a real local pro, I became a wedding photographer. Was I good? No, but I was enthusiastic.
I’ve been making a point to attend more workshops and sessions this year. There’s just so much to learn and I owe it to my business, my clients (and you readers) to absorb information. We should all take the time to learn expand and share. Speaking of which I twitter favorite tips while I’m at sessions. You find my twitter feed here. In person workshops just have something more than you can get online.
Last night I attended David Ziser’s Digital WakeUp Call. David is the legendary photographer who writes Digital Pro Talk. He’s also a great salesman and presenter and seeing him in person was a real treat. He talked marketing, workflow, lighting and more. Wow, it was a load of information and tips a short time. Not to mention that the extras you get make the low cost of admission more than worth it and that there were loads of great door prizes.
I also met some of you listeners there which was super cool. Afterwords David, myself and a few others who had helped David and his wife LeDawn (what a hard worker she was) with setup lounged around and talked shop for awhile. It was a fun evening.
If you can get to the WakeUp Call don’t miss it. You can get in for $59 if you sign up with promo code ZGSDWC09
Then last week I also attended the legendary Wall Portrait Conference lead by Ken Whitmire. It’s more spendy, but a six day INTENSE workshop focusing on taking your portraits and sales to the next level.
All I can say is WOW. Ken was such a neat old guy, and all week we had great speakers Like Bruce & Josh Husdon, Sam Gardener, and many more, filling our professional quiver with more arrows. Any photographer who’s not selling large portraits from their sessions as a norm needs to attend this conference.
The WP Conference is only once a year. I’m going to try and work out a discount for PPS’ers with Ken, so stay tuned.
I’ll be talking about workshops and all I’m learning more on the podcast, but the bottom line is get out there. Their worth the time and money. There’s even my own 3 day HDR workshop coming this fall where you’ll learn how to use HDR properly, avoid overuse and take images to the next level. Check it out here.
Kodak Gallery is one of the older photo hosting sites. While most people are using Flickr and Photobucket, there is still a healthy number of subscribers at Kodak Gallery. Unfortunately, Kodak Gallery is forcing those who have free accounts to spend money yearly.
On Todays Show:Gavin Seim – Trey Ratcliff.This week I talk about attending workshops, the new Pocket Wizards and join HDR legend Trey Ratcliff for a great talk about the world of photography and HDR.
