Five tips for good ceremony photos

Here are five tips to helping ensure you get great wedding photos during your ceremony!

1 - This isn't done often, but can be a big help - invite your photographers to the rehearsal! I'll admit there are times when ceremony events catch one of us off guard. The reason is that no matter how thorough your programs are, there is no substitute for actually seeing the flow of events and knowing when and where things will happen.

2 - Oh, did I say "Photographers (plural)?" Yes, I did! Multiple photographers are almost a necessity at most modern weddings. If you have a small venue, like the Elvis Presley chapel, one photographer will capture most of everything. But for larger areas with more people, the simple fact is that your photographer can't be in two places at once. This is where many photographers earn a +1 for having remote-triggered cameras up!

3 - Every venue has different rules about this one simple thing: Make sure your photographers have access to the front of the area where the party is, looking down the aisle, staircase or area where the bride makes her entrance. These photos can't be recreated and are emotionally charged!

4 - Please, for the love of my black Labrador retriever, Java, don't use any spotlights! If you must have them, please don't use any that are directly overhead shining down on the wedding party. There will be deep black shadows under every person's eyes, nose and chin and it's extremely difficult to make those photos look even moderately acceptable.

5 - Perhaps the most important of all, ensure that the room lighting is even and consistent across the room, without pronounced dark or bright areas. In addition, try to keep the lights all one type - turning on florescent lights, regular light bulbs and opening the blinds to let in sunlight will give you three very different colors in the photo: Nasty green from the fluorescents, deep orange or yellow from the light bulbs, and blue from the sun.

These are made from some notes I put together spanning many weddings this past year. If you have any questions about these tips, send me an email to robert@scrivenercameraworks.com - we'd love to hear from you!

I'm out,
Robert

What to Expect

 

Traditionally, the photographic industry has held that photographers must keep all ‘negatives,’ digital or otherwise, and never sell them except at very high cost. This article discusses the importance of receiving your digital negatives.

Stephanie and I at SCW have spent a good deal of time refining what we offer our clients and how much our services and photo products are worth. As our education, equipment, and techniques have increased over the years, so have our prices, to better reflect who we are and what value we afford our clients. But directly related to our cost is this question: What, exactly, are you as a client going to receive from us?

When we initially meet clients for the first time, we do so in a common, relaxed area; ideally a coffee shop nearby you. We purposely choose this setting to offer a low-pressure and familiar environment, mostly to offset any undue stress of “meeting the photographers.”

We’ll show you samples of our printed work and give you a packet of information to go over, with our prices, what we offer, and our contract. When you sign the contract with us for your photos, we will have an agreed upon price written into both copies of the contract, and that price is the only cost you will ever see from there on out. We have no session fees, no sitting fees, no proof fees, no printing fees.

Take, for example, our engagement photos. We offer you about two hours of time – there actually is no time limit, but sessions generally last one to two hours – and two different locations. Again, there isn’t *technically* a limit on locations; we just want to make sure we have plenty of time to work with the light and weather in each area. Once you and your fiancé arrive on location, the first thing I mention is to just relax: treat this time as a date together, on which you have no set plans, and are simply enjoying some unstructured time alone!

We’ll gently script some photos, pose a handful of others, and catch the little things unique to your relationship as we progress. It’s a very relaxed and fun time! Some couples want a high level of posing or instruction; others just naturally fall into poses and need little refinement.

We use off-camera lighting and some light modifiers like umbrellas, soft boxes and reflectors, in combination with professional control over our equipment to result in photos that are almost ready for viewing at the moment they are recorded to our memory cards(I say ‘cards,’ plural, because our equipment backs up your moments onto two separate memory cards in one instant, for redundancy!). We wrap up the evening around sunset, and part ways from there. But that’s when all the action really gets going behind getting your photos to you!

Stephanie will normally work on the digital versions of your images, adjusting color, saturation, contrast, lighting tones, white balance, and most importantly, clearing up little blemishes on your skin. It never fails – you can have perfect skin your whole life, but the day before the photo session, your face breaks out! Stephanie likes to pick a small handful of photos to upload and tag on Facebook that same night or the next day. Once I look everything over and do final edits, Stephanie burns a custom-ordered DVD or CD for you.

She puts all of your full resolution photos (approx 3,000 x 2,000 pixels) in one folder for printing enlargements; in another folder, she puts your low resolution (approx. 700 x 1000 px) photos for uploading online. The DVD then gets put in its own leather-bound case and storage box, packaged up, and mailed USPS Priority Mail to you.

You’re 100% free to print any photos from the DVD! The only contractually binding obligation is that you may not use them to gain profit; for example, selling at an art show, allowing anyone to use for business promotion, and the like. We retain all copyright to the photos, which simply means that we are able to use them for our advertising and business promotion.

Stephanie and I feel that this business model I just described is beneficial to our clients by offering a great deal of value. For example, we found that one of our competitors offered a sub- $100 photo session fee, but then required that you spend at least $300 to use those images, and ultimately could spend over $1,000 before receiving the use of all of your images.

One of our passions is to capture the love and joy that soon-to-be married couples have that is unique in itself! And at that turning point in their lives, many couples find that spending an extra $1,000 on engagement photos is an unrealistic objective. Therefore, we choose to offer 100% access up-front to all finished digital negatives.

There you have it – our business in a nutshell! We are truly passionate about a very select few things in our lives, and photography is one of the strongest. We love doing what we do, and believe it’s a gift from God that we are able to support our (growing!!!) family by working at something we both enjoy. Hopefully, little soon-to-be-born Edward will follow in our footsteps. It won’t be much longer before we meet him, too… Only four weeks until his due date!

Stay classy, San Diego!

B-29 Superfortress at Millington Jetport in TN

A few weeks ago Stephanie and I were taking photos at a Millington wedding (which was very nice, and deserves its own post, to come later) while 'Fifi,' a Boeing B-29 Superfortress bomber was in town for display and rides. At $1495 for a good seat, and $995 for a nosebleed equivalent, we didn't have any trouble saying "No,we're just here to look!"

As we were driving to the Jetport we caught sight of Fifi on short final for Runway 22, but didn't have the cameras out in time since everything was packed away in a Pelican case in the back. 

They had a few other aircraft parked on the ramp - a P-51D Mustang was one of them!

 I took a few photos of another aircraft type that I didn't recognize. Since I forgot to get a shot of its N-number or any markings, I can't quite find out what it is!
 

Just before we left, a little Piper with some fat tundra tires took off. I'm sure they enjoyed seeing those rare vintage warplanes on the ground as they climbed out!

 

Celebrating a coming marriage!

Stephanie and I have been in touch with Jena since earlier this year when Scrivener Camera Works hosted a booth at a local wedding show and Jena stopped by to say ‘hi’ and see what we are all about. Within an hour of getting home and putting away our booth, my phone rang and Jena was on the other end, absolutely excited about how our style matched what she was looking for in photos of her and her fiance, David.

Stephanie and Jena emailed and facebooked back and forth for several months, talking and trading ideas. Today we finally met up again and were introduced to David, a tall, quiet guy who plays the upright bass in the Memphis Symphony Orchestra. We could tell immediately that Jena and David have a dynamic and fun relationship with a creative flair. The Shell amphitheater by the Brooks Museum of Art was our meeting place, and we began taking photos off to the side of the stage.

As we hung out, adjusting lighting and moving the couple every now and then, we were afforded the pleasure of listening to David play out on his bass, which he brought with him. He confessed that he “hadn’t been practicing much lately,” but he was clearly being modest.

Jena gushed on and on about David every time he was off the stage – it’s quite clear that she is a taken woman!

Before we moved on from the amphitheater, we paused to capture a few photos of her gorgeous ring. It’s really a one-of-a-kind ring! We haven’t seen one like it before and doubt that we ever will again. It really speaks a lot about the uniqueness of this couple’s relationship.

We moved on to include Jena’s awesome VW bus in some photos. After she pulled it around and almost ran over my foot (kidding!), we worked to capture a few quick photos of them while we still had light from the setting sun. At this point, area security felt like we shouldn’t be parked on the grass, so they paid us a visit and politely asked us to move. We moved and after a few more photos decided to call it a night.

David and Jena are getting married in October this year, and we can’t wait to see their big day! We had a lot of fun working together today, and it honestly felt more like a couple of friends hanging out taking photos than it did a ‘real photo session.’

We're having a boy!

December 9 is our due date and we are very excited! I'm a daddy and I can't wait to meet my son. I am secretly hoping he grows up liking to go camping, fly, and take photos :) We are very thankful that the Lord has given us a safe and healthy pregnancy so far and continue to pray for wife and son every day.

We've both been very busy lately: During her first trimester, Stephanie and I decided that it would be better if she were able to work from home, since she was having a tough time working full time hours every day. It's been really great for both of us! She has been able to work on all of the after-the-picture's-been-taken photography business, like editing, ordering and receiving, billing, researching new ideas and products - pretty much everything that it takes to run a business! 

Odds and ends:
1: I'm building a Honda car motor now from scratch.

2: Halfway through my aircraft mechanic program!

3: Our son's name is Robert Edward Scrivener II.

4: Baby stuff is outrageous! How do people get away charging so much??

5: Our Maine Coon-mix cat, Nagi, has been to the vet twice this month for serious problems. He's doing much better right now praise God!

Last class was Airframe Structures, and we learned some welding. It's pretty heavy duty stuff most often used for making heavy steel jigs but it was fun to learn! You can see I had a hard time getting it right!

Surprise: We are having a baby!

Stephanie and I found out about three weeks ago that she is pregnant and is due in December. Praise the Lord! We are extremely excited and very much looking forward to meeting our precious gift from Him!

I'm midway through school and midway through the Airframe Structures section in it; right now we're learning to construct and repair parts out of sheet metal. Riveting and drilling are fun, but it's such a precise job to get them 'just so' that it takes five weeks of shop and classroom instruction in the course.

We have seen the Lord providing for us quite a lot through our journey into aviation missions, and I'd like to put a few things down here for encouragement to other disciples as well as for posterity. We didn't know how school was going to be paid for to begin with: It's not an expensive school by any means, but my cost was going to be $922 every three months, on top of purchasing required tools, toolbox, and uniforms. The grand total is estimated just shy of $10,000 for a student to graduate. A month before school started last year, I found out that I was receiving a partial scholarship and would only need to pay $322 up front to begin school. Since I was quitting my full time job, I had accrued vacation hours to cash in, and the total amount was right at $350. That went to my first trimester, and I started school without being in debt for it.

Tennessee also sponsors people to go to eligible schools, and I was eligible for their aid. Not only did the state pay for the next trimester's tuition, but it also bought me a professional toolbox full of tools, all of my uniforms and all of my books! 

In addition, we are leasing a home and our lease expires in April of next year, which coincides closely with the end of my formal aircraft mechanic (A&P) training. The Lord hasn't specifically told us where to go or what to do after I am done with the program, but we believe He may be calling us to an aviation job that will allow us to be debt free and possibly purchase our own light aircraft. He spurred my interest in aviation missions partly using Missionary Aviation Fellowship, a nonprofit which we are currently looking into but not yet 100% sure is where He has planned for us to go.

One of my instructors from an earlier class was going to take me flying last weekend but weather ended up canceling the flight. He has a Piper PA-22, which is a light fabric-and-tube two seater aircraft. We ended up talking for a couple of hours about aviation and small planes - it was definitely worth the drive to get to his hangar!

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!!