Photographers Boutique: 2012

Friday 23 March 2012

Religion, Torrential Rain & Auntie Bob

Here's the first instalment of Diary of a {newish} wedding photographer

Last Saturday I did my first wedding of the season. I’m relatively new to wedding photography (only done 5 weddings), so I’m still struck by nerves and I still freak out over the organisation & formal photos.

In principal I know what I’m doing; I’ve been “doing” photography for the last 4 years, I’m comfortable with my equipment, I know my style and I’m good with people. But I don’t think there is anything that can prepare you for the stress of wedding photography. I’m fully aware that these photos will mean so much to the bride and groom, and that to mess up on them is completely out of the question –so I prepare to the point of obsession.

So anyway back to the day. I arrived nice and early (with butterflies) at the grooms house. I took the obligatory photos, we had a bit of a laugh & generally I eased myself into it. The torrential rain cleared up and we managed to get outside (which was a good job as I had left my wedding umbrella at home – arghh) . All good so far.

Next I had to get myself to the ceremony – never underestimate the journey over to the venue. I always allow extra time, but even that didn’t prepare me for the disastrous traffic. So with maybe 10 minutes to spare I arrived at the location for the ceremony and yet again the heavens opened. It was just going to be one of those days...

Its at this point that I have to point out that although I was brought up catholic, I’m not particularly religious. All the weddings I have done so far have been either non-religious, church of England or catholic. And so I made my first mistake. The bride & groom were Jehovah Witnesses. I knew this in advance, I had taken the time to try and find out what to expect. Little did I know that the chain I wear round my neck would cause offence, leading to the gentleman leading the ceremony asking me to remove the offending cross. OMG – I was so embarrassed.

Then within about 2 minutes a lady approached me to tell me that she was an “ex” photographer and started to quiz me about what I was planning on doing, my equipment etc... my heart sank. Not only did I feel my usual nerves, I was also now expected to perform! I just hoped that this would be the last I would hear from her.

And yes you guessed it. Just as I started rounding up family for the formal photos, she popped up again. Was I really going to do that? Why wasn’t I doing this? When she last did weddings at this venue she did X Y & Z. It took all my strength to remain polite. I don’t enjoy formal photos, I’m not a naturally bossy person & I don’t do shouting – possibly a recipe for a disaster at a wedding, but it works for me. So I got on with it, spoke to the bride and ignored this lady. It was a stressful afternoon. And a definite learning curve! Note to self, talk to other photographers to find out what they do...

The bride and groom had only wanted me there until the meal, so thankfully I got to leave quite soon afterwards. Though not before the rather odd hotel manager asked if I would download all my photos onto his computer – so he could use them for marketing? WTF? I’m all for working with venues but prefer a little time to look at my photos first!

Suffice to say, that my first wedding of the year was an experience & felt in some ways like it was my first one again. Note to self: lots to learn and even more to remember.

I'D LOVE TO HEAR YOUR EARLY EXPERIENCE IN WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY - PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT!

Sunday 5 February 2012

Interview with Tux and Tales Photography

Will you start by telling us where you work and live and the type of photography you do?

I live in Selby, which is just outside of the City of York, in North Yorkshire, England.

What inspires you as a photographer?

Colour and Light. Some people get excited when they see a pretty dress or pretty shoes - I am jumping out of my skin with joy when I see pretty light dappled on that dress or an amazing pop of colour on the shoes. It is a silly way to be, really. I am at my happiest during the late autumn, when the sun is low in the sky and it shines the most gorgeous yellow and purple light across the vibrantly green Yorkshire fields.

How long have been a photographer?

Like most photographers, I don't remember a time in my life when I wasn't camera-in-hand.

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

Reading a book - preferably outside in the rare English sunshine. When the weather isn't cooperating, I can be found with that same book in any kind of warm, light spot in the house. My husband calls them my 'sunny spots'.

Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?

There have been so many since I am the kind of person that devours books. A few that pop to mind - Visionmongers, Duct Tape Marketing & Six Pixels of Separation. My biggest piece of advice for any entrepreneur is to read, read and then read some more. Some of the best pieces of advice you will ever find about running your business will be in the pages of a book.

Best marketing idea?

Collaboration. When many wedding vendors work together to create a shoot, you get so much exposure to so many new people in the industry. It is like networking on steroids. Instead of exchanging business cards and having a cuppa, you are exchanging ideas and concepts - which build a friendship - not just a wallet full of business cards

Worst marketing idea?

Print advertising.

Do you have a studio and if not do you feel having a studio would help your business grow?

We don't currently have a studio and I am always of two minds about wanting one. Sometimes when you work from home, you feel like you never get to leave your job. However, if I had a separate office or studio, I would have to pass that cost on to clients which isn't ideal. I don't do loads of studio work - so I generally find that when I need a studio- someone has one to rent at a really reasonable price.

What do you think makes a photographer successful?

Persistence, ability to 'find the light', persistence, an empathetic way of working with clients, persistence, good marketing savvy & oh yeah.... persistence.

What’s your weakness in this business?

I am sometimes too personally invested. If someone doesn't like my work, or a shoot doesn't go as well as I would have liked, I am really, really hard on myself. I am my own biggest critic.

Are you a Nikon or Canon? and which model?

Neither. I am one of the 2% that use Olympus. I grew up on Olympus and my first digital was an Oly. I shoot with 2 Olympus E5's, 1 Olympus E3 and I still clutch onto my E410.

and Lens?

Zuiko 12-60 2.8, Zuiko 70-200 2.8, Sigma 50mm 1.4, Sigma 35mm 1.2 (and a few others which don't get to see much action)

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?

I can't imagine being anything other than a photographer - but I can imagine being a different kind of photographer. Perhaps a photo journalist visiting really exotic places.

Can you give the readers your best piece of advice for starting or running a photography business.

Shut up and do things. The people I see that are really floundering (outside of skill issues) are doing so because they spend a lot of time talking about what they should or should not do - and never really doing much of anything. In this business, if you stand still, you die.

Tell us your proudest moment of your career?

I keep having them! I would say my first 'WOOOOO FREEKING HOOO' moment was when we were first featured on Rock n' Roll Bride.

Here is where you can find Tux and Tales

twitter.com/TuxandTales
Facebook www.facebook.com/TuxandTalesWebsite: http://www.tuxandtalesphoto.co.ukBlog : http://www.tuxandtalesphoto.co.uk/blog

Monday 30 January 2012

Chris Chambers Photography – Urban Wedding Portfolio Course

Yesterday I went on a portfolio training day with Chris Chambers of www.ChrisChambersPhotography.com. I’d chosen the Urban wedding course, because later in the year I have a couple of weddings in Leeds City Centre. The course cost £120 and lasted from 9.30am to 4.30pm, with various stops for coffee/lunch etc (though not included in price obviously).

The day started with a coffee and an introduction from Chris, and then it was straight out into the mean streets of Leeds. We headed down to the train station for some flash photography in front of one of the newer buildings. Then Chris had found an amazing graffiti wall, and later we walked up to the main pedestrian area by Harvey Nichols. And finally after a quick cuppa and a warm up (it was bloody freezing) we made our way up to the Town Hall.

Chris was helpful and happy to share tips throughout the day, he shared his settings, helped out with using flash and generally explained what he would do in the situation. He also encouraged us to try new techniques and generally have fun with the models.

The models were great; young, slim, pretty and full of fun, perhaps it’s a little unrealistic to expect that all weddings will be like this, but if you get some nice images from it and you learn a few things – it’s all good!

The photographers I spoke to were divided over whether to use the images for their portfolios. Some didn’t think it was an issue, but a couple thought it would be unfair to suggest that they were taken from a “real” wedding. Personally, I’ll be using them in my portfolio, but I will be saying that they were from a shoot rather than a wedding. I also think that if you’re just starting out, its really difficult to put a portfolio together if you haven’t done a wedding so you need to do things like this.

So to round up:

Positives:

· Got to find out how a more experience photographer works

· Chris shared tips and tricks

· Chris brought lots of equipment and wasn’t precious about us using his.

· Met some lovely photographers, shared stories, moaned etc!

· Found some really great locations for future weddings.

· It was cheap compared with other portfolio building courses, and local to me!

· Use the images for your portfolio

Negatives:

· You need to have a fairly good understanding of flash & off camera flash (though Chris was more than happy to help).

· There was only one “couple” – if there had been another couple it would have been more beneficial in terms of using it in your portfolio.

· Although there were only 8 photographers (plus Chris) at times it wasn’t possible to all get the shots. Some people are naturally pushier than others so it could have been frustrating for some – though to his credit Chris did his best to sort this out.

· It was freezing and wet at times – I’d probably go for a course in summer in future J - but I suppose not all weddings are perfect!

One thing to remember is that you need to be sure you like the style of photography that the photographer running the course does – personally I wanted to try flash more and I know Chris uses flash in a lot of his images. But if that’s not your thing, then make sure you’re aware of what you’re getting into!

Anyway, my overall thoughts are that it was a really positive experience, I learnt a lot, I met some lovely photographers, got some great images and overall achieved what I wanted to achieve from the course. I’d definitely recommend it! and here are a few of my favourites:

You can find Chris here:

www.chrischambersphotography.com

Thursday 19 January 2012

Interview with Donna Brookes from Brookes Callow Photography

Will you start by telling us where you work and live and the type of photography you do?

I live and work in Whitehaven on the outskirts of the Lake District. I am just one half of Brookes Callow Photography and we specialize in contemporary Wedding, Lifestyle and fashion photography in and around Cumbria, the UK and internationally.

What inspires you as a photographer?

I’m definitely a ‘people’ person so the people I photograph inspire me – everyone has a life story to tell and if I can be part of their world for just a few hours and put smiles on their faces then I get really excited about that!

Art inspires me – Texture, colour, shape and form. I am constantly experimenting with different ideas to give each image the individuality it deserves.

Emotion inspires me too! – The love between a mother and her baby child, the unspoken feelings between a couple, the attitude of a teenager! I believe an image should evoke an emotional response, whatever that response may be, joy, laughter, tears…. I know then that I have done my job right.

How long have you been a photographer?

I’ve been a professional photographer for two years but photography has been part of my life in lots of ways all through my life! I remember my first experience of a camera when I was four years old, my Dad hiding under a bed sheet and jumping up snapping a photo of the expression on my face!

My uncle had a Canon A1 when I was young and I knew then that I wanted to take photographs of the world.

I studied Graphic design at University and using photography to illustrate an idea always inspired me!

When you’re not photographing, where can we find you?

When I haven’t got a camera in my hand you can find me in a classroom teaching photography! I work part-time for the Workers’ Educational Association, whose whole ethos is to bring learning to adults who would not ordinarily enter into any sort of learning, especially from disadvantaged communities.

I love the fact that photography can give so many people a purpose, a passion even, or just a different way of looking at the world around them!

You can also find me at home with my husband and two teenage girls just being mum, or down the garden in my greenhouse in the warmer months, nurturing my chili plants!

Any books that inspired you {or helped you} in your business?

The book that has inspired me from the first time I read it as a child, is Alice in Wonderland, that colourful, weird and funny world! I am not sure how this has helped or inspired me in my life or my business, but I am sure it has!

Best marketing idea?

Being me and letting people get to know the ‘real’ me! I don’t feel that I should ever pretend to be someone or something I am not and I think people appreciate and like me for that.

Worst marketing idea?

This would probably be… making the mistake of paying money for advertising, without really doing enough research into whether this would result in a positive benefit for our business.

Do you have a studio and if not do you feel having a studio would help your business grow?

We don’t have a studio at the moment but now you have asked, I do think having a ‘high street’ presence raises your profile. Would people take us more seriously as a business if we had a studio, as it gives the business a more tangible identity? The jury is out on that one in my mind at the moment!

Photographically speaking, I know I wouldn’t enjoy the restrictions I would come to feel in a studio environment. What I love is using the world around us to compliment or represent our clients’ lifestyle, and I do believe I can bring out the best in a person during a shoot when the environment is ‘real’ and not ‘set up’ if you like.

What do you think makes a photographer successful?

The words that came to mind when I read this question were passion, commitment, dedication and a love of life, in no particular order and in equal measures!

What’s your weakness in this business?

My total lack of organization at times! People always try to make me feel better about this, by telling me they’d heard that “all creative people are like that”

I think that will be my excuse and I’m sticking to it!

Are you a Nikon or Canon? And which model?

I shoot with a Canon 5D. Not, I have to admit necessarily through initial choice. I bought my first DSLR second hand and kind of fell in love with it. I can be quite analytical and that side of me would probably have bought a Nikon!

And Lens?

I absolutely love my Canon 70-200! I use this whenever I can, it’s like its part of me and everything is just instinctive when him and me are together! I also have a 50mm prime lens, which I use if my big baby just won’t do the job, and recently I bought a set of Lensbaby creative lenses. These have so much creative possibility, an opportunity to do something a bit different!

If you weren’t a photographer, what would you be?

Hmm… I’d probably stick to teaching. (Although my husband always says I should have been a social worker!) The joy of seeing a person walk away with a confidence to do something they never thought they could do is such a truly special feeling.

Can you give the readers your best piece of advice for starting or running a photography business?

Don’t be scared! Don’t be put off! Talk to lots of people already doing it, expect to make mistakes, reflect on why they were just that, and then move on, but above all love every minute of it!

Tell us your proudest moment of your career?

I could say the first time a client cried with emotion when they saw their images, and yes that was a proud moment, but probably my proudest moment, if I am to be totally honest, was seeing the faces of my students from a disabled Centre, the day an exhibition of their photography was opened in the community, by our local Mayor!