We have this flaw...

If you have been researching photographers for your weddings, you've probably seen hundreds of sites, maybe flipped through a few albums in person, or seen a handful of prints and canvas. I'd like to stand out from the other hundreds of photographers, both good and not-so-good, by telling you about a flaw of mine.

I have, in the past year, been coached on how to correct a major flaw in the photography style my wife and I have: We are not consistent from event-to-event in the way our photos look. My coaching came with good intent, and the heart behind it was a genuine attempt to help me grow professionally. But let me tell you why I am "not consistent" and why it's a benefit to you, the potential client:

Looking through our galleries online, you should immediately begin to pick up on the fact that we have a wide range of photos with some very different looks to them. A key example would be the green-tinted photo of Cliff and Michelle embracing in a rain-soaked kiss, passionately sharing their love for each other;

 compared to the classy, sophisticated photo of Grace strolling on the Rhodes College grounds with her flowers lightly held to the side, a smile from ear to ear as she enjoys the time she's spending in her wedding dress before the big day.

These two photos are completely different, and yet are completely representative of the people in the photos. 

When you sit down with Stephanie and me and start talking about your wedding and engagement, we are excited to hear about the details of your life and future! We love hearing new love stories - they all begin in unique ways and are intimate and exclusive of just you and your fiance alone. No other couple has your stories, your 'how-we-met,' your time together, your ideas, your passions, or your loves. We listen intently and ask questions to find out about yours and your fiance's personality and relationship; how do you interact? How do you see the world? What drives you?

Those things (I have an A.S. in General Psychology, btw) all come together in our minds and affect our choice of equipment, how we approach each photo, what we look for. We make each photo unique to the two of you, reflecting not just our view of the world, but how we believe you see things. 

That's our flaw. That's what makes us who we are as photographers, and what we hope will make you excited to choose us!

A brief discussion with aspiring wedding photographers.

I am a professional wedding photographer.

What does this mean?

Quite simply, I get paid to take photographs at weddings. I know that quite a number of people are searching for a breakthrough to finally be paid for vision, creativity and style – for how you see the world. You have access to a vast amount of information; let me coach you with what I have learned in my five years as a professional photographer.

First, a wedding is a milestone in any couple’s life – Don’t screw up their memories by marketing yourself as something you are not. Owning a good camera (more on that later) is a step towards professionalism, but the simple fact of owning a ‘fancy’ camera and couple of lenses alone does not make you capable of mastering the wide gamut of a wedding day. I understand that differences in style are subjective, and that you are a unique artist with a vision. However, if you are unable to achieve consistent exposures, get accurate white balances free of color casts, capture shake-free images, and adapt well to dramatic changes on the fly, you must work on your skills before you try to immerse yourself into a couple’s wedding day. Let me stress that an outdoor sun-filled portrait or engagement session is not a test of your wedding-photography abilities: They are two completely different animals and it will not be pretty if you try to test your abilities at someone’s wedding.

Second, building on cameras: There are two main views in photography as a whole, and a few lesser discussed that I won’t go into detail about. The first view is that your equipment does not matter; it’s all about your artistic ability. The other is that equipment is everything, and without good camera equipment you will produce junk. Let me tell you now and do not forget it: This is a false dichotomy. You need access to top-quality, professional-level equipment, and you need talent, unique vision, and an artistic flair. Please don’t misunderstand: Your Canon Rebel T1i with kit lens and a telephoto zoom is not a professional setup. It is entry level. I don’t mean to hurt your feelings, but that’s just how it is. You are capable of capturing breathtaking images in ideal conditions, but weddings are almost never in ideal conditions. Consider researching top-of-the-line equipment in whichever brand you are using. You may not be able to afford a $25,000 setup right now, but if you mean to go professional, you will ultimately get to that price point, and it’s better to know ahead of time and plan for it.

Third: Do your business homework. I cannot stress this enough. You may be a true talented professional in every way, but if you’re late on promised products, or spend clients’ deposits on yourself, or forget to charge sales tax, or keep lousy records, or cheap out, you will eventually get in trouble. Maybe not immediately, but you will find yourself on the business end of your clients’ anger, or the IRS, the BBB, or your county/city tax collector. You absolutely do NOT have the option of messing up. A bad name in the photography business will follow you like stink on a possum, regardless of what you may have done to repair your name. One hundred percent of my photography business in the last five years has been from word-of-mouth referrals or indirectly being seen by friends of friends.

Lastly, take pride in what you do. Always, always take pride in what you do.

Luxuries

A thought hit me the other day as I was getting a drink of water from the sink:

"How many people can't get clean water to drink when they want it?"

I've been thinking about that ever since - along with things like "I wonder how many people have no food right now as I order this pizza at Carraba's," and "It's hot outside - glad we have air conditioning. I wonder what it's like to never have air conditioning."


It just seems that there are quite a few things which I take for granted as being typical and expected, which are really luxuries for most of the world that the U.S. has been able to turn into daily staples. It's just weird thinking about it that way. I say - I use my camera and my tools to make a living, and for most of the world, I have an easy job that is beyond a person's wildest dreams. Getting paid to take photographs or work on airplanes? Reasonable hours and good wages? I am not working in a sweatshop, or a brothel, or begging on the street. I eat and drink good food and clean water whenever I personally feel hungry or thirsty. I worry about going up a waist size in my pants, because then I'll have to buy new clothes.

I've been praying that God will give me compassion for people and it's starting to happen.

Calm monday early morning

Two weeks ago, Stephanie and I took some stunning photographs of a bride who hired us for her engagement, wedding & bridal portrait photography... Not only was the location spectacular, the bride was jaw-dropping gorgeous! We used some carefully placed, off-camera flash and reflectors to capture the beautiful and classy photographs of Grace. As should be true for most professional photographers, our photographs required only minimal editing, and most of what you see is almost exactly what it looked like straight out of the camera.

 

We had a great time working with Grace and are very happy to see her and Mark married! They had a short but very meaningful ceremony and a party of a reception! It was good seeing them actually celebrating with friends instead of standing around shaking hands and posing for official photographs. I hope they had as great of a time as we did! Our feet got a little sore but other than that it was quite a lot of fun... Looking forward to finishing the photographs and letting them see how fun their wedding looked!!