I have a deep admiration for wedding photographers. I believe wedding photography is probably one of the most challenging things you can tackle in photography. The pressures of shooting and then editing hundreds of photos from the event can become daunting. For photographer, Sasha Leahovcenco, he takes on the added pressure of same day edits. Sasha explains how he accomplishes his wedding reception-ready slideshows.
Fstoppers: When shooting a same day edit wedding, do you normally shoot on your own, or do you have a second shooter accompany you?
Sasha Leahovcenco: I do everything myself. I sometimes have a second shooter, but a lot of times I put together a slideshow myself even though I was shooting alone.
Fstoppers: How do you juggle shooting and editing the wedding?
Sasha Leahovcenco: I copy images as soon as the cards are full. (I shoot with 16gb cards). As soon as they are done copying I export them to Lightroom 4. So, after I've copied my first card, I go ahead and start editing and exporting the photos using Lightroom 4, meanwhile dumping the second card, and so on.
Fstoppers: Which file format do you prefer to shoot in RAW or JPEG?
Sasha Leahovcenco: I shoot RAW only. I know, it would be faster to shoot RAW+small Jpeg and use Jpeg for the slideshow, but I still want to make sure I can edit the way I want it, and that's why use RAW files.
Fstoppers: When do you find the time to make your edits?
Sasha Leahovcenco: I do it during the getting ready, before the ceremony and during the reception. By the time I get to the reception I put my last card/cards to copy and during the dinner (which usually last about 20-30 minutes) I finish editing the photos and put them for export to a video slideshow. It takes usually about 20 minutes or so. Afterwards, I'm ready to show it either from my computer or just give a video file to whoever is responsible at the wedding. For example, this slideshow took me about one hour in total to make.
Fstoppers: Is there anything that helps make the process go by faster?
Sasha Leahovcenco: Couple of things which make the process faster is a SSD drive and Lexar Firewire 800 card reader. Also, when I start looking through the photos, I pretty much know what photos I want to have in the slideshow. I keep between 40-70 images, depending on the wedding, and try to make it as personal as I can.
Thank you Sasha for taking the time to answer my questions. If you have a question for Sasha be sure to comment below. If you'd like to see more of his work you can visit his wedding photography website: You + We Photography, his Twitter or his Facebook page.
Also, be sure to check out what happens when you attempt a same day wedding video edit here: Same Day Wedding Edits Can Be The Ultimate Stress
I was just researching this today. Much respect to Sasha for putting this successfully into play during a wedding day! Thank you for this post.
One of the best sessions ever this guy is great
Bravo. That was incredible!
Killer work. I've been doing same day slideshows for two years now. I've eliminated 70% of advertising because of it. I email them the next morning thanking them and adding a couple more images to the slide show on a private gallery. I don't make the slideshow a part of the night(not saying that this is a bad thing). I also don't put cards out or add my logo to the beginning or end of the show. If a couple wants to hire me they will contact me through their friend. I discreetly put my slideshow in a popular corner. When the time is right I tell the couple when they get a chance to check it out. I admit the praise from the couple and guest is pretty rad.
Awesome. I'd have thought you'd miss a ton of photo opportunities, though. I guess it depends on the bride.
Joe,
I edit ONLY when there is nothing going on. I would never trade slideshow for photo opportunities.
Great photos and the reactions of the B&G says it all. How does Sasha license the music for these slideshows?
Rob, I don't use any music for my slideshows. I just ask DJ to play some music while I play slideshow at the wedding.
Thanks for the reply! I meant over the video; there are portions of the video where the original music is playing - do you need a license for this to publish a slideshow on Vimeo / YouTube / The web?
As usual, great work, Sasha! Top-shelf work and presentation!
awesome!
I love at 6:45 when the groom can't help but WOO! at the sight of the image. Beautiful bride.
Awesome interview. Sasha nice work and love the work flow!