Forget "shotgun wedding," Jay Philbrick brings us literal cliff-hanging wedding photos that take more than a little preparation. Jay knew about the Cathedral Ledge at Echo Lake State Park in North Conway, New Hampshire because of his many years as a climbing guide there. Jay says that only two of their couples have been climbers, and this couple was not one of them.
Just over a year ago today, I took the leap and made my first MagMod purchase. That first endeavor included: The Basic Kit, a set of Creative Gels, a set of Artistic Gels, an extra MagGrid, an extra MagGrip, a MagBounce, and a MagSphere. Over the last year I’ve added (and replaced) a few more items into my MagMod kit that is now to a point I’m now extremely happy with. After that initial purchase though, there was still one missing piece that kept lurking in the back of my mind. It wasn't actually a MagMod item so much as it was something I saw in a video on the MagMod page featuring TwoMann Studios.
As all wedding and portrait photographers have experienced, things often don't go as planned. Two common scenarios are, 1) timeline delays that cut into your ideal outdoor shooting times and 2) rainy or cloudy weather that covers the sun, making the popular backlit look impossible to achieve with natural light. When either of these two things happens, we at Lin and Jirsa Photography use the following five ways to recreate or fake the sun. We hope these tips will come in handy and allow you to wow your clients despite less than ideal circumstances.
The difference between good and great posing is all in the details. Whether you photograph men, women, or couples together, knowing how to make everyone look their best is 110% your job as a photographer.
Outsourcing is quickly becoming a standard practice. More and more photographers are using outsourcing services full time, while others are using them during the busy part of their season. While outsourcing has become more common in the industry, there are still some questions as to it’s worth. Photographers not familiar with the service see ups and downs to incorporating this type of service, and sometimes it can be hard to see which side wins. After my last article reviewing ProImageEditors, people wanted to know if it was worth it.
There are several ways to create more interesting photos, one way is to use off-camera lighting to help separate your subject from the environment or even making them the main focus of the shot. Carsten Schertzer shares 10 flash techniques he uses in his wedding and engagement photos to make them more interesting. These technique do not have to stop there, some of them can be used in other portrait sessions or even shooting products.
As a wedding photographer, we are always looking for new and interesting ways to add to our income. This usually comes in the form of photoshoots, prints, albums, and various types of upgrades, but most wedding photographers seem to be missing out on one of the easiest ways to make more money.
Whether or not you have an interest in wedding photography, as a photographer it’s inevitable that at some point in time, you will be presented with an opportunity to photograph a wedding. It could be a request from a friend who is well aware of your abilities. It could be from a recently engaged bride who came across your online portfolio, and after not seeing any wedding photos, contacted you to ask if you shot weddings. One of the most difficult aspects of venturing into the dark side that is wedding photography is deciding on your fee. There are several popular schools of thought on how much to charge for your first wedding.
It doesn't matter if you shoot weddings, portraits, or work in the commercial world. With the smallest about of kit and a little bit of knowledge you really can dramatically improve the quality of your images. The guys over at Westcott have produced a fascinating video with Chicago-based photographer and educator Bob Davis. This demonstration is focused on how to enhance the look of your groom preparation shots, but I actually think these tips can be used in various genres of photography.
Working with a second shooter has a ton of advantages: you can cover more moments, you get different angles and perspective on the same moments, and they even allow you to try new things during the day that you normally couldn't afford to do. One of the more frustrating things about working with a second shooter though, is when you get back home to later find out that your cameras were not synced to the correct time. What you're left with is images from the reception all intermixed with images from getting ready.
Filming weddings is a real challenge. This helpful video shadows a wedding videographer throughout the day and shows off some great techniques and tips you can incorporate into your own shooting as he talks you through his process.
Weddings are a strange beast. Theoretically, they're full of opportunities for creative shots, but the time pressure often curtails too much exploration. It's best to go in with a plan — a photographic structured improvisation of sorts — for the more creative photos you want to get. This awesome video will walk you through exactly how to get one of those shots.
A spectacular shot of a bride in her gown can be one of the most enduring images in the spectrum of bridal photos. I’ll state up front that I am not a wedding photographer, but as a fashion photographer specializing in bridal fashion, I’ll wager that I’ve shot more bridal gowns than the average wedding photographer. Along the way I have picked up a few tricks that wedding photographers might find useful when taking a bride’s formal portrait in her gown.
There’s a big trend in the business of weddings. In the old days, when venues had to walk to the bus stop uphill both ways in the snow, they also designed and printed their own wedding brochures. These handouts are given to every couple who comes into the venue. They typically feature some nice photos of the space, sample menu options, and a list of their “preferred vendors.” Lately, venues have started to contract out their brochure design process, and most of them are using the advertising firm Hawthorn Creative. Let's try and figure out if it's worth it for you to advertise in these handouts.
I stepped into photography world over 10 years ago and was lucky enough to have a wide variety of clients from different parts of the world. This made it essential for me to be flexible while negotiating or taking jobs despite cultural differences, from Armenia to U.S., from Mauritius to South Africa, Singapore, various European countries, and more. Usually you will get hired based on your portfolio, but sometimes there are clients who don’t understand much about photography. This is where the danger is. Everyone wants to get top results for the money they spend by hiring you, but what is considered the best for such clients?
Wedding photographers make the worst wedding guests. I know that when I’m at a friend’s wedding, I have a hard time turning it off. And no one should make me - least of all the hired guns photographing the bride and groom for the day. If that sounds blasphemous, let me explain.
If you've ever thought about shooting a wedding, you have probably wondered: "How much should I charge to shoot a wedding?" In this free excerpt from the wedding photography tutorial, "How to Become a Professional Commercial Wedding Photographer," we are going to talk about pricing your wedding photography. In addition to this free lesson, we are offering a limited time discount if you'd like to purchase the full tutorial. Simply use code WED75 at checkout before April 30th, 2017.
Every wedding photographer has a preference for a specific set of lenses to effectively capture all of the critical elements of a wedding. These images include views of the ceremony location, close-up portraits of the couple, and detail photos of jewelry and fine décor. In this brief video, wedding photographer Gemma Peanut shows why having a built-in ring light on the new Canon EF-S 35mm f/2.8 Macro IS STM Lens makes a substantial improvement in a photo of her engagement ring.
There are a lot of frustrating moments we all experience as photographers. Things we all know like missing that perfect shot by mere seconds, equipment failing just as the sun drops below the horizon, flashes not firing, memory cards corrupting, not booking that big job we quoted… the list goes on and on. I shoot weddings, so when things go wrong they can feel amplified ten-fold. For a long time I was like a sponge for negativity. It soaked into me, and it got under my skin and rattled me. Murphy’s Law used to kick my ass, and I never felt like I could stop it. Then my son was born, and everything changed.
There are tons of photography competitions out there, but not all are equal. In the wedding industry, I’ve found that the Junebug competitions always showcase some of the most inspiring, creative, and beautiful work out there. While the wedding season is about to start, the engagement one is coming to an end for many photographers. So it’s time to start picking your best shots and see if you have what it takes to have your work in the best of the best engagement selection of 2017!
Every wedding photographer has their favorite lens for photographing the couple. Some swear that shooting at 200mm produces the most flattering portraits, while others love the sweeping view of the surrounding environment that is showcased when composing with a wide-angle lens. In this video, Pye Jirsa of Lin and Jirsa Photography reveals his most frequently used lenses from over 10,000 wedding photos.
Allow me to be the first to ask the question. Are we really worth it? Now, don’t get me wrong. I come from an economics background. I understand price equilibrium. Pour me a large blonde roast with cream, and whisper me sweet nothings about Adam Smith all day. Leave all that behind for a second. I’m talking on a more philosophical level. Are we really worth the money we charge?
Life is busy… I get it. Between weddings, engagements, meetings, phone calls, and the seemingly never ending hours of toil spent in the Lightroom develop module it can be very easy to let things go. It starts small at first. You forget to send that album to print, or you forget to listen to that voicemail from yesterday morning. Slowly, it seeps further into your workflow, until you suddenly realize you haven’t cleared out your inbox in three days.
It’s time to answer the often-asked question I hear from many wedding photographers. Is it worth the money to advertise with online marketplaces for professional wedding vendors? I track everything in my wedding business. If you can record it, track it, analyze it, and summarize it, I’m aware of it. There’s nothing quite as satisfying as opening up a spreadsheet of raw, unrefined data and pulling out the hidden truths that lie dormant in the numbers.
Pixellu released SmartAlbums about two years ago, and it was a game changer for wedding photographers. Creating albums was made easy and affordable, even for those who don’t know a thing about design. They are back with a new product this year and aim to change the game again. This time, they bring a slideshow solution called SmartSlides. I had the chance to access the beta in its early stage and wanted to give you a first impression. Wedding photographers, be sure to read this article. You may find a new product to sell while not doing much more work!
Smartphones keep becoming more and more capable. Put in the right hands, they can create beautiful work, such as this touching wedding video.
They say every relationship needs humor in it, and if that's the case, this marriage should last a long time. All it took was a T-rex costume.
At the time I was a 31-year-old N.J. and N.Y.C. luxury wedding photographer that had been married for 5 years and had over 6 years of stable business ownership. You’d think getting pregnant would’ve been no big deal — but it was for me.
Photos of wedding rings arranged together before they are exchanged are must-have detail shots for every wedding. Wedding photographers are always looking for creative ways to photograph rings. This video by Magic Lens Group takes us through several ways to light the rings incorporating household objects to achieve moody colors and dynamically lit backgrounds.
You may have read a recent article in which Brides magazine suggested that its readers only choose wedding photographers who shoot Canon or Nikon. The photographer who was quoted as saying that has received quite a bit of backlash, so I reached out to her for her side of the story.
If you're a wedding photographer and you're using a Sony, Fujifilm, or even a Hasselblad, sorry, you're not a pro. At least, that's what Brides magazine would have you believe.
I remember one of my first introductions to branding. I was sitting in a workshop and the Nike logo popped up on the screen and then Mercedes and then Coca Cola. It’s the most common way to explain branding. Showing popular logos and letting the audience realize they have a connection to that logo, good or bad, and therefore a connection to that company and their product. That is branding, but that’s not all that branding is.
SLR Lounge creates some incredible educational photography content. For the next few days, they're offering a big discount on every product in their store. Between Black Friday and Cyber Monday, every single product in the SLR Lounge store is 30% off. Check out their incredible deals and find which tutorial you'd like to buy HERE.
Wedding photography has evolved into a stunning genre of photography. Photographers across the globe are bringing a level of creativity to wedding photography that elevates the images into something more than just photo-documentation.
Often, when a client requests a shoot from a photographer, be it for a product or portrait shoot, you will exchange a few words about what is needed exactly. But even after they have agreed over the price and the direction of the shoot, the photographer may still be at risk of having a disagreement with the client or even his team on the shooting day. Whatever the initial plan was, the client can change his mind. Sometimes, the ideas proposed can challenge you and lead to fantastic photos, but they can also be disastrous and as a photographer, you need to learn to get bossy and speak with experience to get the job done.
If you happen to have been on the internet at any point in the past month, you’ll likely be well acquainted with the Mannequin Challenge, a new viral sensation in which participants remain still for the duration of a video recording, usually soundtracked with hip hop music. But now one wedding photographer, Suzanne Delawar, has taken things up a notch by managing to convince an entire wedding party to get involved.
Now I'm not sure about the rest of you, but the art of responding to a new lead is an ever shifting task for me and my photography business. We all do our best to stay on top of the trends, by researching our genre of photography to better understand our perspective clients and keep our responses fresh and interesting. However, just how often should we re-evaluate our approach?
Like many photographers, I decided to stop shooting weddings as soon as I was able to. They were sometimes fun, and they could pay well, but they just weren’t for me. In 2013, I finally booked my last one: a destination wedding in early 2014 in Bolivia. Going out with style, for sure.
Here's the truth. Until recently, I thought professionals using mirrorless cameras were a joke. I grew up in the days of film. Got my hands dirty in the darkroom. Had a Canon A1 and F1 in my camera collection, plus learned on others like a Pentax 35mm as well. Feeling the weight of the camera in my hands and hearing the sound of the mirror slap was part of the joy of photography for me. Pun entirely intended.
We're all aware of the problems that come from wedding guests with DSLRs or an addiction to selfies, but perhaps never before has the issue been captured so succinctly and hilariously. "Unplugged" simultaneously shows the frustration of the modern wedding photographer and makes a strong case for guests to sit down, put their cameras and phones away, and simply enjoy the ceremony, all while giving us a good chuckle in the process.
With Halloween just a week away, it seems fitting that I’ve got an article for you today that involves a black metal band. Last week, Wedding Photographer Janet Wheeland was out with a couple for an engagement photo session. While they did have a theme of "Forrest Gump" going in to the day, later that evening things would take a black, leathery, face-painted turn.
It happens to me all too often: a bride or groom sees our wedding work work in a bridal magazine or blog and tells me that it's been a dream of theirs to be featured and can't wait for me to submit the wedding. Often, this happens far before her wedding has been shot; I'm talking first meeting and boom, "I can't wait to be in a magazine." As professional photographers, obviously, we know there is much more to getting featured than the desire itself. At this moment, when my client gushes about their dreams of being published, I see this as an opportunity to educate them and help get their wedding that much closer to being featured.
First, let me just preface with the fact that I have been outsourcing my album design for the past four or five years now. While I took the time to learn and use this product myself, I do still believe in outsourcing your non-photography work. But, regardless of whether you outsource your album design or do it yourself, you want to have the best and fastest designer.
Fstoppers has worked hard to bring you valuable educational content from incredible photographers like Peter Hurley, Mike Kelley, Dylan Patrick, Elia Locardi, and Joey Wright. Now we're asking for your help! We at Fstoppers are preparing to create our next premium photography tutorial which will probably cost around $300. We would like to know from the Fstoppers community which genres we should focus on and who it should be with. Would you take a quick one minute survey to help us out?
Shooting weddings can get to the best of us. Maybe it's when we were waiting for all of the family members to come together to take a big family photo in the middle of a wedding reception. Perhaps it was one of those moments when your bride turned against you. Or maybe, the lifestyle of a wedding photographer just became too much. Whatever it is, I think all wedding photographers have had frustrating times in their career.
Franck Boutonnet is a France-based photographer and has been producing stunning images for his clients for over 15 years. His knowledge, skills, and work are amazing! There is a lot to learn from his pictures, but also from him. In a short video ShotKit created, Boutonnet gives us six tips to help us improve our craft.
If you’re like me and live in a town of 1,300, marketing is the most difficult aspect of business you’ll encounter. Marketing with conventional methods is often extremely difficult or even impossible. In this article I will outline some conventional and non-conventional ways of marketing yourself in a small town.
If you are in the wedding industry, then I'm sure you have heard of Fearless Photographers. But in case you haven't heard, Fearless Photographers is a wedding directory that specializes in photographers that are not afraid to push their limits. Like most directories, they have awards for the best submitted photos as well as top photographers of the year, but they also do so much more. The founder Huy Nguyen puts a very large emphasis on helping other photographers get better as well as raising money for charities and organizations that help those in need.
Documenting a wedding in itself is very demanding. It often requires 12 or more hours of coverage during which you must be creative almost every second. But wedding photography doesn’t stop when the big day ends. Then come the culling and editing. It’s probably the part where event photographers spend most of their time and also the task they like the least. Fortunately enough, retouching companies exist and can lighten if not remove that part of the job entirely. I made the switch for my wedding business, and I share my experience with you here as well as why you should give it a try as well.
Planning a wedding is not a joke: be it small or big, from tiny decorations no one is going to remember to weather forecast. That is one of the most responsible and dear days of our lives and there is no place for drama. Whereas we can certainly prevent or solve any human born issues on that day, it might seem a nightmare to fight with the weather. 500px has put together a great list to help you find the silver lining on a rainy day.
