Full-scale Detail: Let the Little Things Shine

Weddings offer a smorgasbord of photojournalistic opportunities. From emotional moments to minute details, to capture an event like a wedding means your eyes always have to be open and searching! So often wedding photographers share the emotional, documentary moments or romantic posed portraits. Today, I want to share how much the details can say about the event without even including the bride and groom.

Following is a collage I put together of images including the aisle decor, bridesmaid bouquet, cake toppers, and groomsman's bow tie from a single wedding. Shown together, these tell the story of the day and give an idea of the sweetness that surrounded this particular celebration. From soft blues and sea foam greens to baby's breath in painted vases, these details were all carefully thought of by the couple. It is images like these that provide context for an album, both online and in print.

Are you a fan of detail shots? You can practice your compositional techniques and play with different types of lenses at relaxed events like birthday parties and holiday gatherings. If you love the idea of shooting a wedding, get in touch with pro photographers in your area to see if you can assist or even second shoot with them (make sure you have portfolio-worthy examples of event shots first so they can see your style). When I use a second shooter, I look for someone who can take care of many of these detail shots while I interact with the couple and guests. In fact, the examples here were taken while I was the second shooter, seeking out the elements that set this wedding apart to remind the couple of all the decisions that came together on their wedding day.

Happy shooting, and don't forget the details!

-Friday Ambassador

Make Your Movie-Night Inspiring!

The relentless schedule of courses and homework can often make you feel burnt out on studying photography, but I have a list of five movies and a television series for you to catch that might help you feel a little more inspired as a professional as opposed to student in your downtime.

1. "Capture With Mark Seliger"

I have this show set to record on my DVR.  It airs on the Ovation channel (on DirecTV for me) on Sundays at 4:00 and 4:30 p.m.  Seliger, the host, has some very famous guest photographers come talk about their experiences and he also has some famous actors who might surprise you as being photographers and enthusiasts!  They discuss iconic photos as well as have a Q&A at the end.  I highly recommend checking into this series.

2.  "'Fur' – An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus"

Starring Nicole Kidman and Robert Downey Jr., this movie does not portray completely accurate truths about the life of Arbus, but it does tell the story of her transformation from lonely housewife to iconic photographer.  This would be a nice drama to watch for some much-needed downtime while staying sharp on all-things photography.

3.  "Annie Leibovitz 'Life Through A Lens'"

I have seen this movie before and I think it's great to learn about the experiences of such an esteemed, highly-sought-after portrait photographer and listen to the testimonies of those who have had a chance to work with her.  

4.  "Henri Cartier-Bresson 'The Impassioned Eye'"

Another big name in photography, Cartier Bresson's life and career are illustrated in this movie.  

5.  “Guest of Cindy Sherman”

A truthful depiction of Sherman's creative mind and artistic process.  "She made her debut in the art world with “Filmstills” – 69 black and white images that show Sherman herself in different situations that resemble scenes from famous movies." (Behrmann)   Intrigued?  Check it out!

Tuesday's Personal Pick:  "The Bridges of Madison County"

I know, I know, I'm a sucker for romance and dramatic cinema, so it should be no surprise that I would feel compelled to sneak in one of my personal favorites...  "What does this movie have to do with the list," you might be wondering?  Well, Clint Eastwood plays Robert Kincaid, a National Geographic photographer on assignment in Iowa to document the covered bridges.  (I bet it makes sense now why I put it on the list. *wink*)  It is not as educational as some of the documentaries here but it doesn't stray from the central theme of all-things photography.  

There are many, many movies out there about photography and famous photographers, but I thought I would keep the list short and sweet.  Do you have any recommendations on movies or television shows that discuss our central theme?  Please list them below in the comments!  Thanks for reading today!

Works Cited

Behrmann, Kai. "The 10 Best Photography Movies." topphotographyfilms. Top Photography Films, Inc., 18 July 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://topphotographyfilms.com/videos/the-10-best-photography-movies/ >

"Capture With Mark Seliger." ovation. Ovation, n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://www.ovationtv.com/series/capture-with-mark-seliger/ >

"'Fur'--An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus." Photograph. topphotographyfilms. Top Photography Films, Inc., 18 July 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://topphotographyfilms.com/videos/the-10-best-photography-movies/ >

"Guest of Cindy Sherman." Photograph. topphotographyfilms. Top Photography Films, Inc., 18 July 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://topphotographyfilms.com/videos/the-10-best-photography-movies/>

"Henri Cartier-Bresson 'The Impassioned Eye.'" Photograph. topphotographyfilms. Top Photography Films, Inc., 18 July 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://topphotographyfilms.com/videos/the-10-best-photography-movies/ >

"Life Through A Lens." Photograph. topphotographyfilms. Top Photography Films, Inc., 18 July 2013. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://topphotographyfilms.com/videos/the-10-best-photography-movies/>

"The Bridges of Madison County." Photograph. rottentomatoes, Flixster, Inc., n.d. Web. 8 Sept. 2014. <http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/bridges_of_madison_county/ >

Sunday Spotlight On: Portfolio Options

Have you ever wondered how you are going to present your photographs to people?

As photographers, the way that we present our work can make us look either professional or like a hobbyist depending on the final product. Have you thought about self-publishing with Blurb? If you are deciding to self-publish, Blurb is a perfect tool that allows you to control the look and layout of your own book. Sizing, layout, paper choice, turnaround and cost is something that you should know before you invest in this sort of outlet. Although I have printed with Blurb numerous times, now it has merged with programs such as InDesign and Lightroom making it easier and less complicated to export from.

Undecided on what you should do? No Plastic Sleeves is a wonderful site to find inspiration from. Since photography is an open market, almost everyone would either settle on a digital portfolio or a physical portfolio. No Plastic Sleeves displays tons and tons of portfolios, postcards, mailings, and out of the box concepts that inspires photographers to be different. 

No Plastic Sleeves. 

No Plastic Sleeves. 

Think outside the box when you begin to search for options on presenting your portfolio. See what has already been done and do something different according to your brand. No Plastic Sleeves has some really great inspiration but not everything is for everyone. Let your brand have a voice and you will find what works for you.


Photo Credit:

Currier, D., "Custom Portfolio Design for Karyne Bond." No Plastic Sleeves. 23 January 2013. Web. 6 September 2014. <http://blog.noplasticsleeves.com/custom-portfolio-cover-design-for-karyne-bond/>

Know Your Gear, Save Your Shot!

I vividly remember my very first maternity session, which I shot for friends. It was so exciting to capture a special time in their lives, but even though they were friends I wanted to execute the session perfectly to make them happy and begin a new portion of my portfolio. Well, we did capture images that I adore, but there was a moment when my "oh crap" poker face came in handy. Finger on the shutter button, I pressed down and nothing happened. Nothing. My screen showed a dreaded error, but I'd not yet learned everything I should have about my camera body. FEE kept flashing at me, taunting me when all I wanted was the shot below with my 85mm. Luckily for me and my friends, I also had my 70-200mm on my other camera body for nicely compressed portraits. It only took a few seconds to switch cameras, but my heart was beating so quickly with the thought that my expensive lens or camera might be broken. A quick Google search when I got home relieved my worries, but I couldn't help but wonder what I would have captured if I'd only known I had to simply move the aperture ring on the lens and reattach it.


Being a student allows you the freedom to experiment and push your gear to the limits. To get the most out of it, though, you need to learn everything it's capable of. Read your manuals, look at reviews to learn how each piece excels or falls flat, and definitely memorize those error codes so you don't end up in a situation like I did!

Do you have any anecdotes about times when you wish you'd known your gear a bit better? Leave them in the comments so we can learn from one another.

Network, Network, Networking…….

One of the biggest things I have learned so far is that you better network. Without networking you are pretty much out on your own with no help what’s so ever. If you network then you have peers to ask questions, talk too, and hopefully work with. You might be just starting out and not knowing where to secure some work. If you network with people they will know they type of shots and quality of work that you do. If your work is up to there standards and they know of up coming jobs they may ask you if you want an opportunity to do the job.  Personally I have joined many Facebook groups and also a camera club just for the simple reason of networking. Some of the Facebook groups I joined are strictly my home area alone. Sometimes the people in the group put together meet ups to go out and shoot. During these meet ups you get to chat with peers and see what type of work they do. I have met photographers that shoot for magazines, some that do product photography, sports and others that are strictly Fine Art.

The Sports photographer has asked me to shoot with him many times so far. Sometimes it has been a paid shoot and a few it has been a volunteer opportunity. I have done both, while I rather get paid and who wouldn’t. Its also good to shoot a volunteer shoot every so often so that you can for one give back, and then also add to your portfolio. My first time shooting with the sports photographer it was a volunteer shoot. We had to shoot a race that a church was hosting. Now he knows my capabilities and he calls me when he see things come up. He also emails me other events that he can’t make because he’s shooting at other places. I hope that some day the magazine photographer knows of an opening and helps secure me a position shooting that type of stuff also. I probably wouldn’t have any of these jobs if I wasn’t putting myself out there and hanging out with other peers.

You might not know many people yourself right now but search for groups you can join in your area. Another good place to find that is meetup.com they have tones of different photography groups you can join. Once you have met some new friends make sure you hang out and do some shooting. This way they get to see your style and you also get to see theirs. I try to shoot something every week. I also try to invite peers to join me. It makes the shoot less boring and then you have someone to talk with during and after your done.

TBT

Thursday Ambassador


Works Cited

Photo Credit
Virtual Social Media. Web. 4 Sept. 2114.

Now & Then: A Personal Retrospective

I'm sure at some time or another you have heard that one of the great things about photography is that there are endless things to learn--we are always learning.  I know that after being enrolled in the Art Institute of Pittsburgh Online Division for over two years now I still have such a long way to go in terms of knowledge/wisdom still to be acquired, but I would like to take this time to reflect on how far I have come.  Maybe you can relate  ;-)

Before I started school I had almost no knowledge of photography but I just knew it was the path I wanted to take--we all have to start somewhere, right!?  It is so thrilling to be able to have random, advanced conversations with new people about photography, cameras, and other related topics.  I even remember my first shooting class before I had my first DSLR.  I was using an old point-and-shoot to capture images for my assignments in Digital Image Management.  (Keep in mind, this was two years ago!)  I had to choose four different categories for images in which to build my collection.  

Without much insight as to what made great photos at this point I chose what I felt would be fun and still a little challenging: Line, Pattern, People, and Nature.  The first time I went out to photograph people was the first time I realized that I did not want to be a portrait photographer!  It was difficult, intimidating, frustrating, and just did not feel like something I could ever be comfortable doing even in a studio.  I couldn't even get Line and Pattern straight in that class, I was always submitting the wrong kinds of subjects.  I just didn't get it and didn't understand photographic design at all.

Move forward two years to present day and I have a whole new outlook on my skills and abilities as a photographer, I have actually exclaimed that I feel as though I was born to be a photographer!  Working with people now feels like second nature and even though I don't always know what I am doing when I use my "fancy" setups, I have definitely improved in technique as well as developed my mind's eye and artistic observation.  Now I did get better after that first shooting class, especially after I learned more about how to use my DSLR, but, as embarrassing as it is, I will post some of my own work today to illustrate how far I have come and to give you inspiration about never giving up and working hard to pursue your dreams.  (By the way, I just recently began considering staying in school to pursue a degree in Journalism!) 

Going from thinking I would only ever be a Nature photographer to feeling like I could do absolutely anything with a camera (career-wise) gives me such pride in my journey thus far.  In two years I will probably look back and grimace at my work now, but in the meantime I will just keep learning.

Now & Then: People (candid)

Now & Then: Line

Now & Then: Nature

The thing that has changed the most in the last two years is my comfort zone.  I went from a shy, awkward, stalker-like person with a camera to approaching people and asking if they would mind me photographing them, making phone calls to get access or permission to do something, and feeling more confident with my presence--I don't feel like I look like a stalker, I look like a photographer now.  

I think I get turned down about 1% of the time when asking to photograph people candidly so there really is no need to fear rejection when faced with an opportunity to break out of your comfort zone.  In my experience, I have found that people are very willing to be photographed or even to let you have access to something.  A lot of it has to do with personality.  I am approachable, engaging, polite, and respectful when I talk to new people but I also give cues with my facial expressions while I'm shooting if I haven't had a chance to speak to them yet.  I will smile a lot, give the appearance of satisfaction after previewing some of the exposures I have captured, and linger around a bit rather than abruptly walking away.  

So, what qualities do you have or do you think need improvement as you progress as a photographer?  Do you have a story you would like to share about breaking out of your comfort zone, how you have developed, or maybe some examples of your work that show how far you have come?  Leave me some feedback in the comments or post your questions, I would love to hear your experiences!

Consider/Re-Consider Your Product Delivery

If only being a photographer was as easy as people tend to think it is; we are glorified button-pushers or something of the like so it comes as no surprise that clients would rather receive their images on a disc thinking that this is the cheaper route, especially because it should be "inexpensive" for us photographers to put it all together, plus, "anyone can do it".  It's unfair for people to use that expression though because most of them will probably pay for dining, cleaning, and entertainment services that can also be done by "anyone".  The real deal though is getting what you pay for.   

No matter what kind of photographer you are you have probably had to consider the type of media to deliver to your client.  

I have read that the DVD-R is the better choice for delivering large files and large quantities of images especially because it has less compatibility complaints.  Many of us provide this product exclusively as an option to our clients because it's generally fast, easy, and they want to be able upload them to a device for social media and send them via email.  High-resolution digital files are not the answer for this situation/solution.  Also, with the rise in popularity in devices such as iPads, a disc is not the best option for delivering files; this is where USB flash drives are becoming a more popular method--it is also my preferred method.  Nonetheless, who's to say where technology will take us in 10 years, 50 years, even 100 years?  Discs and USB's will inevitably become obsolete as well as misplaced, broken, and damaged over time but a high quality print will last indefinitely.  

There is a stunning difference between what we see on a computer screen and what we see in a high quality professional print.  With the right steps and consideration taken during output and how it will be rendered, a photograph can impress your clients beyond technical proficiency.  They can actually hold and closely inspect the photo and have it in their immediate physical possession.  Oftentimes, those who only want a disc will have good intentions of printing off the photos at the lab of their choice but more than likely the images will end up on social media and sitting in a forgotten computer folder. 

 

This is why it is important to consider, or, re-consider your product delivery.  A disc, in my opinion, should be a separate product for low-resolution files that clients can use for sharing on the Web, high-resolution images on a disc or USB can be purchased a la carte, and print packages should be your biggest service product.  I would even suggest helping them choose the best printing options, help them put together and design an album or photo book, and even go so far as to help them get it framed as part of your service package price because, as a professional, you should still make the effort to ensure the quality of your work.

Recently I had an experience where someone wanted to hire me to take a few photographs and go get them printed off at Wal-mart for them since they wanted these in a rush.  I flat out told them that I would love to be their photographer but I will not voluntarily print any photos from anywhere that is not one of my trusted professional printing labs.  If they wanted a disc to take and print off themselves I would have been happy to do that.  Needless to say they went with a "cheaper" photographer and although this situation upset me a little, I can look back and be proud that I am not a "cheap" photographer.  I want my work to be cherish, relished, and displayed with pride, don't you?  There is a difference between a good photo and a great photo, strive to always be great.

So, does any of this change the way you will delivery your product?  What is your current method or what do you anticipate doing?  Do you need advice?  Leave me some feedback in the comments and thanks for reading today!  You can read the whole article here.

Works Cited

"Compact disc in a computer CD-ROM disc drive." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/132_1311364/1/132_1311364/cite>

"Couple signing mortgage paperwork." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/154_2880728/1/154_2880728/cite>

Fitzpatrick, Alethea Cheng. "Please Don’t Just Give Your Clients The CD or DVD!" tiffinbox. Tiffinbox, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 25 Aug. 2014. <http://tiffinbox.org/please-dont-just-give-your-clients-the-cd-or-dvd/ >

"Girl taking picture of three girls." Photograph. Encyclopedia Britannica ImageQuest. Web. 25 Aug 2014. <http://quest.eb.com/#/search/154_2883658/1/154_2883658/cite>