Besides the fact that photography is a specialized service and one must earn a profit to live, there are many other costs to the photographer that you may not have considered. Here is a list of costs to the photographer, in some form or another, and this is just off the top of my head:

• Years of education, time, training, and energy put into learning the art. It’s more than just a fancy camera, folks!
• Speaking of the fancy camera… Yes, that’s a big one. Then there’s the fancy lenses (sometimes more than the camera itself!), lighting, and other equipment that you wouldn’t think would cost so much, but it does, unfortunately.
• Another big piece of equipment is the computer, not to mention all the things that go along with the computer. Extra hard drives, printer, software (editing software is expensive!), online accounts, etc.
• That just reminds me of all the time I spend on my computer. Not only to edit! Time is valuable, but I spend a lot of it on social media, marketing, advertising, writing blog posts, uploading photos, designing albums, book keeping, and, of course, communication.
• Which brings me to the next one. From the moment someone inquires with a photographer to the moment the final photos are delivered, a lot of time is put into the interaction. This includes a consultation, planning, and just plain communicating a lot!
• An obvious one is material costs. This will be a range, depending on what quality of prints and products your photographer provides, but it’s always there. And it can be pricey!
• Cost of running a business. Licenses, fees, taxes, insurance, and all the other fun things you’re supposed to have when you are a business owner.
• Finally, and in my opinion most importantly, a “creative fee”. This is the cost of doing business with the one and only person that can capture your moments in a certain way. No one else can do it the same. You’re paying for a unique creative vision.

This list really just boils down to 3 things. Time, costs, and service . It’s up to you to decide what you value the most, and that is how you should choose your photographer.

To get some insight on a wedding day in the life of a wedding vendor, click here.

This year, I will be doing a different project each month, but I will (fortunately!) not be in front of the camera. I know, I know, the self-portraits were usually pretty hillarious, but I want to give someone else the opportunity to make a fool of themselves. Just kidding! I plan to make each photo stock worthy, which means it would look worthy of being in an advertisement, a calendar, or something else that you might see when flipping through a brochure. If you are familiar with Getty Images, then you’ll know what I’m going for. Hopefully, my last series of monthly photos will convince people that they want to volunteer as a model (instead of me!)  for one of the upcoming photo shoots. I promise not to make you look too ridiculous… unless you’re willing to be a little silly and you don’t care.

If you are interested and in the Seattle area, please let me know through email, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or by phone. My contact info can easily be found in the menu above. I will then add you to a list that I’ve already started, and contact you to find out your availability for the month. Another way you can volunteer, is to follow the conversation on my Facebook Photography Page, and speak up if you happen to have a free month or are interested in a particular idea. And don’t worry, it’s unlikely that I will have too many people that I can’t fit everyone in at some point this year. I may very well need more than one person for each shoot or even assistants for behind the scenes, so we shall see.

Don’t forget, I will still need people to make theme suggestions each month! That has not changed. Just keep in mind a few things if you are new to suggesting themes:

• Themes are general ideas, I try to steer away from specific suggestions because they don’t allow for much flexibility. To help you with this concept, think of what would be an acceptable theme for a party, like “the 80′s” or “Hawaiian”.
• Supplies – I am not rich! To make a theme a theme, I will likely need some props. But I will beg, borrow, and buy some props within reason.
• Location – It does not snow here much, it is not sunny here much, it is mostly rainy and gloomy. Okay, so not always, but just consider the weather, that’s all.
• Just suggest something. If I don’t pick yours, it could be any number of reasons, but I always appreciate a suggestion. Ideas often spawn other ideas, so yours could be inspiration for someone else’s.

I can’t wait to get started! I’m looking forward to staying behind the camera this time!

Happy new year!

The toughest part about this shoot was probably figuring out when I could do it. I had some car maintenance to take care of, a river float adventure to participate in, a Highland Games event to attend, and a last minute baby sitting favor to volunteer for. So, finally, I was able to get this shoot done last night.

It wasn’t too difficult, once I got everything set up. I made a hat, even if it was a bit tall for the photo. I put on a wide angle lens for an intentionally, slightly distorted look. I plugged in one shop light (make that 2, after the first one fell down and broke), aimed it at a reflector for a little fill light. Then I was ready to go, once I lit the candle. Then it was easy-cheesy. And if you’ve been reading my blog for even a short time, you know that the cheesy is almost always present in these self-portraits.

Anyway, enough about the shoot. Here is the final result…

Cover of the wedding issue of Rangefinder. You can click the image to search for the entire February 2011 issue in the archives... I discovered my little entry one issue too late!

Recently, SnapKnot, a great wedding photography directory, asked me and some other photographers to submit a write up about how we use social media for marketing. I jumped at the chance when I saw that Rangefinder would be including the chosen submissions in an article.  It’s not that big of a deal, especially since pretty much only photographers will be looking through Rangefinder. Although, it is the annual wedding photography edition!

Anyway, I briefly describe my intermingling of Facebook with other social media tools. I really have my Facebook fans to thank for the opportunity, because without a loyal and active following, I wouldn’t have anything to talk about! So thanks guys! If you don’t already Like Tracie Howe Photography, then take this opportunity to check out my Facebook Page. You fans help out more than you know!

Find a direct link to the article in pdf form by clicking here or even visit the SnapKnot blog that mentions the article. My entry is there on the last page.

I made this difficult to read because you should check out the article itself. I'm so bad!

So, make sure to read the pdf! Even better, grab a printed issue if you can still find one… then grab one for me since I found out about this too late and will probably have trouble finding one for myself!

This month’s self-portrait theme was suggested by my loyal friend and follower, MaLora Ann. She is very creative and came up with a few ideas, but I decided to go with her first suggestion, “International Spy”! It sounded fun and not too difficult costume-wise.

Every time I thought about how to pull this off and during the actual shoot, the James Bond theme song kept popping into my head. “Sunglasses at Night” might have been even more appropriate, but for me, when a song is already there, it’s usually stuck for awhile.

Anyway, I first started thinking about clothes and backgrounds. I knew my step-mom, Teresa, had the type of coat I wanted (even though you can’t really see much of it), and she was kind enough to let me borrow it. I scoured thrift stores for a hat that would make me look a little more exotic. Nothing says “international” like a beret I guess!

The background was tougher, because I wanted something to suggest that I was being secretive and mysterious. I considered a brick wall, but I didn’t want to be outside at night, in the cold, by myself . I decided to backlight a little room divider I have to make it look kind of vague and mysterious. I would have preferred a brick wall, so maybe I’ll attempt this again when it’s warmer outside. Suggesting that it was night time, was easy enough. I turned off the room lights and set my flash pretty low for a soft side lighting. I suppose that wearing sunglasses is not the best way to suggest a night scene, but maybe I’m just not a very convincing spy.

It took some time to get everything set up right. Not only did I have to arrange the background, lighting, and costume to my liking, but I had to position myself just so. That was the hardest part by far! There were only a few gestures I could think of that would suggest “international spy”.  I kept running back and forth between where I was posing and the camera to check. It’s hard to direct yourself when you can’t see what you’re doing or how the light is falling on you!

Anyway, it was a good experience and I came out with some fun shots. My favorite photo is the one above, which I will use for about a month in my different profiles. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, check out the first post on this subject: http://www.traciehowe.com/2010/self-portrait . And please submit your ideas for next month’s theme!

Here are a few of the runners up:

By Tracie Howe

Many people would argue that it doesn’t seem that hard to shoot a wedding, so why should it be so expensive? Well, there is a lot that goes into it. Not only on the actual wedding day, but before and after, not to mention all the training and skills involved. The wedding day is only when everyone sees the photographer doing work. I don’t want to get into the pre and post wedding work, because it’s not as much fun (in my opinion). But I do want to shed light on what work DOES go into a typical wedding day. I can only speak from my own experiences.

The traditional, North American weddings that I’ve shot (and attended) have all been pretty similar in respect to the schedule, the photo expectations, the obstacles, etc. Many of you know what it’s like to attend or be in a wedding, but here I will give you my perspective as the photographer… You might be surprised at how much us wedding photographers do!

First, if I haven’t already scouted out all of the locations for the entire day, I make sure to get this done before I even begin taking pictures. Why would I do this? Well, maybe I’m paranoid, but I want to know what to expect. Sometimes there are A LOT of locations to visit. One wedding involved 4 different locations, all of which were not walking distance from each other. Another advantage of this is simply knowing how to get to each place. I would not want to get lost on the way to the ceremony!

There are many challenges involved with shooting in a variety of locations. One example would be a dark reception hall.  If I can see it ahead of time, I may have an opportunity to set up lights around the room. This will save me the effort later when I will be much busier.

I’ll justify my pre-wedding preparations with another example. Let’s say the ceremony is taking place inside a dark church. I will try to find out in advance if flash is allowed, because it is often not. Some churches don’t allow cameras at all, and photographers may be limited to shooting from just outside the door! This kind of knowledge helps me decide how I will overcome such problems. In the case of a dark church where flash is not allowed, like in the photo below, I would make sure to have my tripod ready (know where I would be able to put it), my fastest lens, and a high ISO. This is all geeky photo talk, but it’s important stuff! Anyway, I check out all of the locations to make sure I know how I’m going to shoot there. It helps me think about how to prepare, rather than just flying by the seat of my pants.

When I actually do start shooting, I might begin with shots of the ceremony and reception spaces, along with some detail shots of each place. This way I can capture everything in it’s original (and usually more presentable) state, and I don’t have to worry about people being in the way. I will have plenty of opportunities later to capture people in these places.

After the “prep work” is done, I finally see the bride and/or groom. Depending on the schedule and the couples’ preferences, I will take “getting ready” shots of the bride, groom, and wedding party. This is a nice way for me to gradually introduce myself to those I will be around throughout the day. It really helps everyone get used to my presence. This also allows me to become more comfortable with everyone.

Next can be either the wedding or the group photos. The decision for when to take group shots varies for each couple. My personal preference is to do it after the ceremony, or at least WELL before it. Most people think they can get this done quickly, but in my experience, taking pictures a little before the wedding, is always a rushed affair. Rushing = stress = unhappy people. So, I will always recommend doing group photos after the ceremony or at least an hour and a half before, simply to avoid unnecessary stress for all involved.

Unfortunately, when you throw any number of people together for photos, it can turn into chaos no matter what! Taking group photos after the ceremony at least eliminates the stress of rushing.

There are several factors that add to the often unavoidable chaos:

First, people blink at different times. As simple as it sounds, it’s one of the most difficult things to avoid. I have a few tricks to TRY to avoid this.

Second, everyone has a camera now! This is a sore point with most photographers. I won’t get too into it here, but there are two main problems. Either people are taking their own pictures at the same time as you (the professional, paid photographer), leading to straying eyes and more distraction; or they want the professional photographer to take a picture with their camera, leading to much time wasted. Other cameras simply interfere with my work as the hired photographer. My solution for the camera problem is to mention it beforehand to the bride and groom. They are usually understanding on this point, and agree to not allow other pictures to be taken during my designated time.

Third, people get really caught up in the social energy that happens when they are thrown together in groups. They become chatty, distracted, and sometimes annoyed. It’s natural for this to happen, but difficult to work with.

My solution for the general chaos is to be confident and instructive. Groups of people respond to leaders, and you have to be a sort of leader during the group photos. That’s what I had to do with a group of about 50, in the photo just below.

On to the ceremony.

Moments just before and after the ceremony can be tricky. If you are trying to capture the procession, you might be running in front and then behind to avoid missing anyone walking down the aisle. An assistant or second shooter really helps here! Both photographers can be stationed strategically for when the procession comes in and when they leave.

I find it best to ask the couple how involved they want me to be during the ceremony. If they want me right in the action, then I can get as close as any other guest in the front row, but I try not to block anyone’s view. If they want me to be less invasive, I usually pick a few spots towards the back and stay relatively still.

After the ceremony, and after most of the group shots (assuming they are scheduled after the ceremony), most people head off for cocktails at the reception. If I have plenty of time, I will first get some shots with the bridal party. This excitable group is usually very cooperative and fun, so this time can make for some great photos!

Then I take photos with just the bride and groom together. They seem to be especially sweet and lovey-dovey after the ceremony, so this is another point for doing photos later.

When it’s time for the reception, I try to beat the couple to that location so I can capture them arriving if they are planning a grand entrance. Another advantage of having an assistant or second shooter, would be that they could make sure to be there in case you don’t make it in time.

Receptions can vary quite a bit. I try to get a fairly detailed schedule from the couple so that I know when the note-worthy moments will be happening, such as the father/ daughter dance, or the bouquet toss. This way I can make sure that I am not on one side of a very crowded room while the cake is being cut on the other side. Another photographer is helpful here too, of course!

Schedules tend to be pretty lose when it comes to parties, so there has to be a lot of communication. It also helps to be in touch with the DJ or planner, who is usually more informed about any schedule changes.

In between all of the important photo ops, I go around to different tables and mingle with the crowd. I’m taking pictures of as many of the guests as I can. When all of the scheduled events are over, I make sure I’ve covered everything, including funny shots of people dancing.

I hang around a little longer, making sure I haven’t missed anything, and then I ask the couple if they need anything else. The photo just below shows one such occasion, when the groom wanted some shots of the boys smoking cigars.

When they don’t need anything else, I am done for the evening. I usually end up working way harder than I probably should, but it’s worth the photos I will come away with in the end. When the day is really packed, I usually forget to eat or get off of my feet until well after the reception dinner (which I always make sure to eat eventually! ). This entire day of work leads to pure exhaustion. If I can shut my overly stimulated brain down for the night, I will crash upon hitting my pillow.

If I am not too tired the next day, I usually start processing the photos. But that is an entirely different kind of day. Not nearly as fun, and always happening over a period of days or weeks.

So, that’s what it’s like for me!

Keep in mind, I don’t claim to be an expert on this subject, I simply want to share what has been typical for me. In fact,  I welcome input from other wedding photographers to expand on what I’ve said. It can be a very challenging job, because you are never truly in control, and you have to be prepared for anything that could happen. In my opinion, however, it is the best job and I couldn’t imagine doing any of the other work involved with a wedding!

…Planner

By Elaine Roberts at www.eventsbyelaine.com

For a wedding planner, the day of the wedding is when we get to see all the details finally come together in a beautiful and memorable way.  Most people see a wedding planner as a glitzy and glamorous job.  But reality is very different from what you see in the movies.  Most planners work 12 – 14 hours the day of the wedding, with most of that being on their feet.

Unless you are in the event industry, few people realize how much work goes into making a wedding happen.  The day of the wedding, the first thing I do is check-in with the bride.  Sometimes this takes a few minutes; sometimes this takes hours.  If I walk into the hotel suite or brides room and realize that the bride is stressed and mom is crying, my job is to help everyone relax so they can enjoy the day.  This might be making a few phone calls or emails or it could mean taking on a project that the family was going to handle.

Once I know the bride is happy, I head to the reception venue.  I like to verify that the rentals have arrived and that the catering staff is setup and have everything they need.  Then, the fun begins.  I start setting up and decorating all the reception tables.  If I’m lucky, the family has drafted some volunteers to help, but that isn’t a guarantee.  From there, I meet the florist to take the flower delivery.   The centerpieces and arrangements are placed at the venue and I take the bouquets, corsages and boutonnieres to the ceremony site.

At the ceremony site, I track down all of the bridal party and family members to pin on their flowers, while the photographer take pictures.  I talk with the photographer and typically will stay with them for a while to help round up people and style the bride’s wedding dress until it is time for the bride to go into hiding.

Once the guests have been seated, the fun begins.  I cue the musicians and the officiant.  I send the groom and groomsmen down the aisle followed by the family members.  The bridesmaids and bride soon follow.  As the ceremony ends, I wait at the back to open the doors and escort the bridal party to a private location to begin photos.

I then leave and head to the reception site to make sure the candles are lit and everything is ready for the guests.  I may also be transporting flower arrangements, wedding gifts, and personal items for the bridal party.  As soon as the bridal party arrives, I line everyone up correctly and cue the emcee to start the announcements.

As the bride and groom are entering, I quickly check in with catering to make sure that food is ready to be served to the bride and groom.  If it’s not, I handle it myself.  The rest of the reception is filled with finding and cueing all the appropriate people for the events – cake cutting, toasts, dances, bouquet, and garter.  These people include the emcee, photographer, videographer and immediate family members.  It can be a full time job just tracking down everyone.

As the evening winds down, the bride and groom do a last dance and head off to their honeymoon.  But, for the wedding planner, more work remains.  The remains of the cake have to be packed and distributed to a family member.  The wedding gifts sent home along with guest book and personal items.  The décor has to be removed and packed up to be sent home with the family or left for the florist or rental company.  All the linens have to be bagged and the trash taken out.  Sometimes, it is even required that the floor be swept.  By the end of the day, I have been on my feet for a long time and am ready to go home.  Just like the bride, I will enjoy seeing the photos from the photographer and remembering what a beautiful day it was.

www.eventsbyelaine.com

…Lighting Designer

By Len Woelfel at www.chicagolightingdesign.com and www.chicagolightingdesign.com/cgi-bin/blog

People wonder about what goes on during event days.  They ask what I’m doing from sometimes 9 AM until 3 or 4 the next morning.  Here’s a typical timeline.

9 AM I start looking at the room diagram and calculating the equipment needed.  Mostly, I’m counting the number of cables we’ll need, what lengths, etc.  We have both electrical cords and data cords that allow our lights to communicate with each other.  And because we don’t want a lot of excess cable laying in sight it’s important that we plan very carefully.

10 AM  We start loading cases, testing equipment, packing the equipment.  Cable has to go into the trunks so that it’s all easily accessible and visible on the site.  The lights have to have the correct clamps on them.  We make sure that the lights and controller all have the correct address, so they will communicate properly. Since every event is different, things have to be re-checked every week.

12 Noon.  We load the truck.  My mis-spent youth playing Tetris comes in handy as we make sure that everything fits safely.  Typically, we have more than one event per day, so it’s important to load the truck(s) in the correct order, that the first event set-up is last on the truck.

1 PM.  Arrive at the first venue, assign tasks to the crew, explain the overall design, and get the event set up.  This is the part of the job I like the most.  Often there is something unexpected to overcome, and the challenges are always unique.  Set-up can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 4 hours and require from one to as many as 10 people. On days where there is more than one event, I’m travelling back and forth between events, making sure everything is done to the client’s desires.  I always like to do a “reveal” with the client, but sometimes the guests are already in the room before they arrive, so it doesn’t always happen.

6 PM – Midnight The parties are in full swing.  I’ll check in again with each venue to see how things are progressing.  I try and take some photos of the event, grab some dinner, relax a bit, but not always.

11 PM I meet my crew back at the venue scheduled to end earliest.  We’re ready to disassemble our equipment and remove it as soon as possible so that the venue can close up quickly.  They’ve been working a long day also.

1 – 3 AM  We’re packing up at the other venues and loading trucks.

3 – 4 AM Back to the warehouse and the day is complete.

Once all events for the weekend are complete we can finally relax.  Until Monday when we start preparing for the next events.

Our main page:   www.chicagolightingdesign.com

The blog:  www.chicagolightingdesign.com/cgi-bin/blog

Okay, now that I’ve got your attention…

I’ve been debating about what new picture I could use in my various online profiles, including here, on my own site. I don’t like the idea of someone else taking the picture, because I’m a photographer, so I should be able to take it , right? Well, self-portraits are easier said than done, so this will be a challenging, but rewarding project for me. Not only will I end up with a plethora of profile pictures to choose from, but I will be able to put my skills to the test on a regular basis.

So, where do you come in? Once someone else, besides me, is involved, then I am much more determined to get something done. It’s kind of like turning in your homework on time because you don’t want to disappoint your teacher. I don’t want to disappoint you, so give me an assignment!

I want you to suggest a theme for me. This will be a monthly assignment, so I may get multiple suggestions and I won’t be able to use them all. However, if I am lacking in good theme ideas, I can always pull from previous suggestions. I say “good” because, well, I get to be the final judge of what I will subject myself to. Seems fair to me .

When you’re making a suggestion, please keep a few things in mind:

• Supplies – I am not rich! To make a theme a theme, I will likely need some props. But I will beg, borrow, and buy some props within reason.
• Location – It does not snow here much, it is not sunny here much, it is mostly rainy and gloomy. Okay, so not always, but just consider the weather, that’s all.
• My pride – I am a photographer, and I would rather be behind the camera. For the sake of a photography project, I am making an exception. In other words, go easy on me!
• I want to be fair to everyone, so if you have a great suggestion, but I chose yours the previous month, I’ll try to pick someone else. This, of course, is assuming anyone is even interested in this little contest, if you can call it that.

I may add to the list if I come across anymore obstacles that I would like to avoid in the future.

I will take suggestions throughout each month to use in various profiles of the following month. You can email, Facebook, Twitter, or comment your suggestion. It doesn’t matter. I will choose one and thank the person who suggested it. I guess it is kind of like a contest, except that you’re winning a picture of me. Maybe not so exciting, but hey, it’s all I’ve got!

As my very first themed self-portrait, Christmas may have been a bit too obvious. I had all the props already though, so why not? I may leave this one up for about a month as my profile, just because I’m posting it so late this month. But I will always have it here as a sort of reference. Here is my final choice:

Anyway, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!!

The first one involved a new member of the family for a couple whose maternity photos I shot last year. I was happy that they requested me again for these photos, as they must have been pleased with their past experience.

Reese is the little munchkin that has joined their family. Super adorable and sweet! A pleasure to photograph, despite occasional grumpiness due to teething pain. Unfortunate timing with the teething, but I think I got a great bunch of photos during the happier times. His parents were armed with tools to distract him from his pain.  Along with toys and food, I was happy to discover that my reflector also served this purpose, but he seemed to think it was a yoga mat!

Reese was quite mobile and kept moving all around, which was probably the worst obstacle. I had a small space to work with and only so many places to put lights, so he ventured too close (not in a dangerous sort of way, just bad lighting-wise) to them or turned his back to them often. I can thank my editing software, Lightroom 3, for being able to recover details in those moments that he wandered into the harsh light. Considering my obstacles, I came away with some pretty nice shots.  I especially love the ones where Reese is strategically positioned in front of the Christmas tree with all the presents and even an Elmo doll. So cute!

We also managed to get a few family shots with all three of them together. Reese was easier to photograph on his own, simply because I could follow him around while he did pretty much what he wanted to. It was more difficult to get him to willingly participate when it was time for family photos.

He has a pretty cute grumpy face, so we made sure to capture a few of those, which will surely embarrass him in the future. Hehehe! I will spare him by not posting those here, and leave it up to his parents to make those photos public as they choose. Perhaps when they are introduced to his first girlfriend?

As for what else I will post, let’s leave you with the fun side of Reese and the serious side… side-by-side.

This concept can be confusing if you’re not used to dealing with it.  I hope I’m explaining it well enough. If I’m not, these examples may help my fellow visual learners:

I usually allow for extra space around the edges when I’m framing my shot, so that nothing important will be cropped out if someone decides that they want an 8×10 of an image. While capturing a fast paced event like a wedding, sometimes it’s difficult to frame an image perfectly. If someone wants a 3:2 image cropped down to an 11×14 print, sometimes there’s not a lot to work with. In other words, not every image will look good at any aspect ratio. Here is an example of what you wouldn’t want to happen:

The original crop was a bit tight to begin with, but it had to be done to get rid of my fellow photographer’s flash popping into the shot. In my opinion, this shouldn’t be cropped anymore. If I cropped to 11×14, I’d still be cutting a lot of somebody off, and I think that would ruin the excitement of this image.

I try my best to give some extra room around the edges, but when someone or something pops into a great shot, there may be nothing you can do to save the photo besides cropping it out. This means that some images were fated only to be printed at 4×6, as much as it pains me to say. The good news is that custom print sizes are available, but they might be harder to mat and frame. I can do all of that for you of course.

*Update: I found another good explanation of this concept by Joe Farace on PhotoFocus : http://photofocus.com/2011/06/02/full-frame-vs-full-image/

I’m glad that I decided to go back through an entire trip of landscapes, because that seemed to rekindle my desire to work more in black and white. In fact, I found that I liked some of my photos much more than I ever did in color. A few have that Ansel Adams kind of feel that I’ve always liked. Now I’m anxious to find and convert some other color photos that I remember as having potential, but not making the cut.

Here are a few black and white converted photos that I found in my most recent Southwest road trip library. I’ll be printing these soon!

Hopefully they give me a similar show next year as there is only a short window of opportunity to capture them in the almost abstract way that I was going for. I thought a triptych would be a nice way to display some of my favorites. I’m kind of into triptychs right now. Let me know what you think!

To tie this in to photography, a missed photo opportunity is especially painful. I try to relax and not worry about photos when I’m at a social event, so I almost didn’t bring my camera for a big summer party I attended this weekend. At the last minute, I decided to bring it for the purpose of recording videos of the super slip and slide that I had created for the event. I’m glad that I decided to, regardless of the reason why, because I was able to capture some really nice horse shots. It’s not that they are spectacular shots, or that the horse was striking a magnificent pose, but I was happy to have even had the chance to take these pictures. He only gave me a few minutes, most of which he was moving around too much, but I was pretty satisfied. Then I went out and got my videos and even a few pictures of the slip and slide extravaganza. No regrets!

So, just remember, don’t change horses in midstream! A change in course might be a bad idea too.

Anyway, it was a beautiful day and there was no shortage of bright, harsh sunlight. Fortunately, arboretums obviously have a lot of trees. We got some nice shots under those trees and I used a bit of fill flash when needed for the brighter areas.

If you’re wondering what the heck fill flash is, it’s simply used to fill in the harsh shadows created by bright light with a soft light. If you know what it is, the following will likely not apply to you, so you can skip to the next paragraph . The use of a fill flash is a simple solution to 2 common problems that I see in photos all the time. I don’t intend for this to be a lesson on flash, but it is a handy thing to know anytime the sun is bright and high in the sky. Just pop up or turn on your flash to see what happens, because you might be surprised. If you have a little pocket (or what I like to call point-and-shoot), just make sure the auto flash is not on. Auto will usually guess that since there seems to be enough light, then it doesn’t need flash, so that’s where you need to control it. Another instance where you might assume you don’t need flash is when the sun is lower in the sky. If it is close to the horizon, you first have to be aware of where your subject is in relation to the sun. If your subject is being lit directly by the low sun (your back to the sun), you’re likely to get very nice light as long as your own shadow isn’t falling on the person. If you find yourself unable to take a nice sunset photo of your subject (when you’re facing the sun), try a little flash to add some light to what would otherwise be a silhouette without it. Really, just try a little flash to see what happens. The fill flash method on one of those little cameras won’t work 100% of the time because they almost force you to lose control. In fact, the reason I decided long ago to upgrade my point-and-shoot to a DSLR is because I needed more control over what the camera was trying to do on it’s own.

Getting back to the engagement photo session…

So, after searching for some acceptable locations unoccupied by happy mothers and thankful children, we were able to take some pretty natural looking shots. I think people often assume that a photo session involves a lot of posing, which makes them feel awkward because it’s so unnatural. I try to make my photo sessions as natural as possible, but that usually begins with a little posing. You have to start somewhere, right? Unless people are used to falling into natural looking “poses”, I will start them out with something simple and then nudge them into interacting with each other somehow. This will inevitably give me natural shots, but the trick is to catch the good ones! It takes patience, but it’s fun because you have to interact with them as well.

Enough talk, here are a few from the shoot:

The first step requires me to wade through a few thousand images. After that I begin narrowing them down by rating each one using my favorite tool, Adobe Lightroom. Eventually I have weeded out the bad or so-so ones so that I have the amount that I promised the couple. Then I edit!

I won’t get  into the entire process, but I will say that it takes a long time and it can be fun sometimes. Playing with Adobe Photoshop since I was about 12, I’ve pretty much had my fill of extreme editing for crazy effects or head-swapping and that sort of thing. When I turned to photography, I took the more conservative approach, which meant that I only applied a tiny amount of post-processing to give the little bit of pop that most digital photos need. Now I’m at the point where I don’t really know how much to edit. I look at the work of other photographers and I often see over-saturated, high contrast, bright subjects. I usually like the way it looks, but I somehow feel guilty because it’s not quite as real that way. Some may make the reasonable argument that it’s an art, so I can make it look however I want. So, what I’m wondering is, does that still apply when documenting a real wedding? I guess it’s really up to the clients who want to hire me, but I’ll continue to ponder this. Meanwhile, I appreciate any opinions concerning my little dilemma.