Websites for research

Shown below are just some of the many websites that I visit to reserch and gain Ideas to help me to improve my photography, the Internet is the biggest tutor on the planet and the lessons are endless


http://www.thedesignwork.com/magical-art-of-shadow-photography/

http://www.thedesignwork.com/portraiture-photography-by-famous-photographers/

http://www.photography-art-cafe.com/famous-portrait-photographers.html

http://www.popphoto.com/how-to/2011/05/top-10-wedding-photographers

Wedding shoot 1

Over the last month I have been out on location shooting shooting various weddings. I have completed two weddings recently one on my own and the second one which I was the second photographer.

Detailed below are some accounts of the day's photography,planning,techniques and equipment used.

I was commissioned by a colleague of mine to be the second photographer at one of the weddings he was shooting recently.We met a few weeks previously to pre plan the shoot and discuss all of the  business side of things.I was paid an agreed fee for this work and wasn't paid by the hour


We me up a second time at the actual location of the wedding to get ourselves accustomed with the venue and to plan out shooting strategies and to check on lighting and exposures

I was given the brief  for the day by my colleague shown here below which listed all of the shooting requirements for the day 


These were the costs I incurred for the day's photography


Petrol costs                                        £10.00
Batteries for flash photography       £  5.00
Meals and drinks at the location     £14.00


I arrived at the wedding location a local golf club and hotel at 11am with all of my equipment ready for the day. I was using 2  cameras  on the day a Canon 5D3 and a Canon 7D I was given a client brief of what I was to photograph on the day by my colleague the main photographer

It is very important to have two cameras at the ready to record images on the day as you cannot allow for mistakes on an occasion like this. A backup camera is essential because if you loose all images on one camera at least you will have some images of the day on the other camera to use as a back up

I particularly used a Canon 5D for most of the closeup portrait shots as this is a full frame format camera which produces really fine detail on its images.This allows for large print enlargements or close crops of the photo to be made with out without hardly any noise evident. Using a full frame censor allowed more light into the camera which enabled me to shoot at lower light levels as opposed to using my other Canon 7D camera which is a CSC crop sensor

My brief was to photograph the groom and the best man as they arrived at the golf course as my colleage would be phtographing the bride getting ready at her own house. I phtographed the pair in a variety of different poses and locations

My brief also needed me to capture the happy couple coming back down the isle out of the reception once they were married and to capture the spirit and emotion of their happy faces


For both weddings I used the software "Photoshop and Bridge" to post process my images


I used Photoshop to manipulate,crop,resizemy images which are are enhanced using these techniques.
I used a vignette on some of the images which gives a slightly dated kind of feel to my images this technique works really well on monochrome images. Other techniques include adding more noise using the noise filters which are built into photoshop. I also use a soft sharpen type of technique using different layers in photoshop which creates a nice soft focus

I use bridge for a variety of reasons and this software has a multitude of different uses. This software's main purpose is a file management  viewer which allows you to catalogue sort batch and batch process images. It is a very useful piece of software. Bridge is actually built into Photoshop so you are getting two pieces of software for the price of one

Wedding photography styles research

Shown here are the main phtography styles that photographers use for their weddings. I would say that I possibly use the first 3


1. Photojournalism style – This style is completely candid and is more of a documentary way of shooting a wedding. Few (if any) photos are staged and everything is shot in the moment, where the photographer roams around the ceremony and reception and captures the event as it’s happening. This style is very in vogue and popular among couples.

2. Traditional posed photography – This is the style of photography that your parents probably used in which most photos are staged, with participants facing the camera and smiling or otherwise posing for the photos. This is akin to traditional portrait style and is sometimes used in combination with the photojournalism style.

3. Fashion-shoot style – For brides who can’t get enough of Vogue or Cosmo, this style is for you. It is a much more modern style of shooting, with different camera angles and closeups, fashion-forward poses, unique lighting and lots of finishing touches with photography image software.

4. Vintage contemporary – Vintage clothing is back in style, and thus the demand for vintage contemporary photography, which is often staged with vintage or throwback props and attire. In addition, photos can be given an antique treatment with photography studio software.

5. Pre-wedding photo shoots – Because the big day can get so jam-packed with events, sometimes it’s a better idea to get some of the photography out of the way early. Because of this, some couples are choosing to have a pohto session with their photographer a day or two before the wedding. This is an opportunity to get more causal photos of the couple as well as family members who have arrived for the wedding.

Wedding photography is an evolving field that requires artistic talent, vision, and highly technical expertise.
In the past wedding photography was almost always limited to stiff posses without much regard for the underlying story, emotion, romance, and behind the scene events of the wedding day.
Although there is still a big segment of the wedding industry that practices traditional photography with its preplanned poses, and recreation of the wedding peak events such as the kiss, the ring exchange, etc., the modern wedding couple demands a more contemporary approach to their wedding day.
Wedding photojournalism has been in vogue for the past decade. The central idea behind it has been the capture of the wedding events without any interference or direction from the wedding photographer. The photographer is there to capture the true essence of the wedding day. As a result of this realistic approach the photographs are a true representation of the wedding day. Hard core wedding journalistic will be totally opposed to posing any wedding related event. If it doesn't not happen during the wedding it won't be recorded. This includes family group photos.
Several photographers offer a hybrid approach to wedding photography, usually a combination of traditional and journalistic wedding photography. In this approach the photographer focuses on documenting the wedding day but the coverage also includes a session with the couple for formal posed or semi-posed photographs and also family group photos.
The latest trend in wedding photography is toward a more fashionable approach. Inspired on high-end fashion magazines such as Vogue, Elle, InStyle, Cosmopolitan, Glamour, GQ, American Photo, etc., and wedding magazines the photographer seeks to make the couple's fantasies real. In the fashion wedding photography approach the goal is to make the wedding couple look their best. Their romantic interplay is glamorized to its maximum expression. The everyday couple becomes like wedding celebrities. Attention to detail is required to achieve the perfect look. This approach requires a great deal of artistic talent behind the camera and also great computer image editing skill to produce a unique photo. Half the photo is made on the camera with the second half achieved though digital image editing and manipulation.
Which style is best, is for you to decide. In our experience a big segment of the wedding couples want to capture the reality, details and romance of the wedding day but at the same time they have fantasies about their wedding and the way they should look.
When making a decision for a wedding photographer look closely to the photographer's portfolio and see how it agrees with your philosophy on how your wedding day should be photographed. Regardless of your philosophy please make sure that you select a master of the craft, you and the next generation deserve masterpiece memories of your wedding day.
Juan Carlos Torres is a very respected and awarded wedding photographer in Oregon. He has a Masters Degree in Remote Sensing with a strong background in digital image processing and photography. His wedding photographs are unique and very artistic and have been featured in national and international magazines. For a sample of his works please visithttp://www.juancarlosphoto.com and http://www.willamettephoto.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/

Wedding photography

What is it?

Shown below is some of the reserch I have accumalated over the course duration which has helped me to make some importanant decisions over my photography journey

Shown here are some reall impotant facts about wedding photography

Wedding photography is often a business for one-man-bands. According to Skillset, the sector skills council for creative industries, almost 50% of the companies involved in the photographic industry are sole-traders or freelancers.

There are several different types of photography, but wedding photography is the most high-profile money-maker at the moment, as summer is the wedding season. The glamour and excitement of the Royal Wedding in April 2011 is likely to trigger a spate of engagements up and down the country, which can be only be good news for wedding photographers.

However, bear in mind that the job of snapping a wedding takes considerable expertise. 

Wedding photography is generally recognised by most photographers as being a highly-skilled job – not only in terms of taking photographs, but handling all sorts of people at a potentially emotional time. And wedding photography tends to be seasonal too. May to September is the busiest time – accounting for 80-90% of the work – with the rest of the year being relatively quiet.

Many wedding photographers have to supplement their primary income with additional work such as passport pictures and portrait photography, especially during those quieter winter months. Some also diversify into other lines, such as PR work, commercial and industrial photography. They mix and match whatever is available to earn a living throughout the year.

What does a typical day involve?

As a local photographer, your bread and butter work is likely to be weddings. Well in advance of the big day, you should have visited the church and met the couple.

Most weddings are likely to be in the afternoon, so you can have a leisurely morning - but you will need to be on call from two hours before the wedding. This may involve photos of the bride and family getting ready. But you will also need to arrive at the church ahead of the guests so that you can get snaps of friends, family and the groom arriving. You will be hanging around while the service takes place in preparation for those all-important photos of the happy couple after the service.

Photos at the receptions are also a favourite, and it is likely to be 6pm at the earliest before you can knock off for the day.

You’ve really got to be a very good amateur with a good eye for a photograph. Ideally, you’ll already have handled some photography with success, such as a relative’s small wedding. And you need to have that flair to be able to produce a wonderful photograph – and to do it on a consistent basis.”

There are other characteristics that are essential for this work. “You’ve got to like people and must genuinely enjoy trying to get the best out of them.At a wedding, you’ve also got to look like a guest and not appear in shorts and trainers as I’ve seen some people do. 

This business is not for the faint hearted so heed the waring proceed with caution

Books for Research

Shown below are a collection of my books that I use for research in preperation for my wedding photography and other types of phtography that I undertake etc

Some of the authors include Michael Grecco and Joe Buisinnk and a host of other well known photographers

The books give excellent tips and techniques an various subjects including Flash,Of camera flash,studio lighting,composition and posing your subjects etc

I find it essentual to study other photographers work's to help you keep up with the latest fashions and trends which helps to keep you at the top of your game

I have expermented and tried out numerous techniques from these research books which I beleive will give me a better understanding of my subjects and eventually I hope will make me a far better photographer

Up and coming Weddings

This is another area of phtography where I have already earned income and hope to generate more income for my services in photography during the summer months

I will be photographing 2 weddiings coming up over the next couple of months
The first wedding I will the second photgrapher to a collegues shoot and the second wedding I am the main phtogrpher where I have already negotiated a price for this wedding

This particular wedding was shot on a very sunny day. I had to use my flash gun used off camera to fill in the shadows that the sunlight created. I was quite pleased with most of the images as the flash gives a nice lift to the colours which enriches the photot. The flash also added some nice catch lights to the subject's eyes

These are some of my recent wedding shots I have taken over the summer months of various weddings

Course start up and business planning

We have kicked off the new level 4 course with an info session from our course tutor Steve Davies. Steve outlined the course and gave us the brief on what units we will be covering,time scales and what is expected from us over the next 2 years

I have been pondering over a little part time wedding photography business sideline for the past couple of years now but always needed that kick up the backside to get the project moving. I have been building up my photography experience over the last few years to enable me to feel competent to provide this kind of service

Well the time has now arrived and I suppose I'm now being chucked in at at the deep end

I have bought some web space and I'm in the process of building a new business website to accompany my business and to help me market my services

I have used the on line company "Zenfolio" a really good resource for photographers setting up in business which has some fantastic services and features. This site is tailor made especially for photographres which gives you the tolls to produce a website,sell photographs and market your business