Category Archives: Photography Techniques

First Wedding Complete!

Aug
15
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

My first wedding is completed and now I’m just waiting on the case to arrive to deliver!  I would have ordered this sooner but we had a minor glitch, no big deal.  The photos have been placed on my site (here) so they are available for viewing by friends and family of the lovely couple until the case is in.

My second shooter truley was amazing!  I didn’t have to direct him or tell him what to do.  He showed up, took what I handed him, then added in with ideas of his own!  We really had a great time getting through all the commotion that comes with weddings and hanging out with everyone (in our own way).

The couple was great to work with, just as laid back and relaxed as I think a couple can be!  The wedding party and family were the same.  I had no problems organizing everyone for the “posed” shots.  We of course had the normal glitches, missing socks, not ready, missing people…but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.  We started with what we could and the others showed up as soon as they were able so we could keep moving through shots and keep everything calm and collected.

Due to the minor missing people and items we didn’t have as much time with the bride and groom as I would have hoped so we took them back out separately while everyone was taking down the ceremony to complete the transformation to reception.  This turned out to be an excellent idea and time to steal the couple (thank you so much Luke!) as we were able to get some great shots with them alone.

I definitely learned many things during this wedding, thankfully I thought of most of them before hand and was ready, but they are some great rules to live by.

Wedding Photography Rules to Live By:

  1. Have a second shooter you trust and work well with.  Trusting Luke and his photography skill (more than he does himself I think) allowed me the freedom to do what I needed while knowing that some of the random “fun” shots would be taken.
  2. Prepare for the “what can go wrong will go wrong” scenario.  The bride will show up hungry without food, and have a food allergy.  Thankfully other than crackers I had beef jerky as well so she was able to get a little in her tummy so we could keep going.  This helped with any further delays and kept everyone happy.  Beef jerky, though $6/bag, is still a small price to pay.  People were late and we had missing items, no worries, get what you can and keep moving.  The more you get now the less time it will take later.
  3. Set all cameras to the same time!  This one I forgot and it make the first round of processing miserable.  It would have been much faster to fly through all ceremony together, then reception, etc.  However, having the times off meant that there were groups of photos all over.  I had no choice but to remove any really bad shots, then go through and tag and keyword every image so I could group them back up.  In the end it wasn’t that bad, but it would have been much easier had they been synced to start with.
  4. Have your shot list and look over it many times prior.  I did and I did!  This helped so I didn’t have to pause and refer to it all the time.  I was able to tell them what was coming next so they were ready to go.  Due to the short time we were able to get through many photos still!
  5. Breath!  They hired you for a reason, don’t stress that reason.   Work is work and the photography vision is what you do.   Anyone that hired you and trys to make you change your style should have hired someone else.  They reviewed your portfolio, and liked what they saw, this should come natural and be your normal artistic touch.  The more you stress, the worse it gets…so breath.
  6. Last but not least….Have fun and let them have fun!
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My First Engagment Shoot

Jul
18
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

A few weeks back I was able to do my first engagement shoot!  I knew this couple previously, I use to work with him and then he went to work for my husband for a year before moving on to bigger and better things.  I adore them both so much and was excited when they emailed and asked me to do their engagement photos.

The two didn’t want the “posed” type of photos and I was given strict instruction for no “glowy” or sepia processing.  This is something I like to ask as I know everyone has their own tastes.  They have to live with the photos in the long run so they should be processed in a way that they appreciate.

We started the morning at a fantastic coffee shop here that they frequent (and wow am I thankful, it’s my new favorite place!), then headed over to a building that had a lot of graffiti and then to a park.

These two had a lot of fun.  To get rid of the “posed” idea I had my husband with me to help me, but also to have someone else that’s not pointing a camera at them to chat with.  They were  telling jokes and just being them.  While they have their sweet moments they also have a lot of fun times that they are playing around and even making fun of each other.  I wanted to be able to capture both types of moments for them because its what truly makes them click and makes them “them”.

About an hour into a 3 hour shoot she made a comment that all of their photos were going to be the funny type of photos, but this is easy to think when you don’t notice how sweet you can be sometimes.  They had the sweet times between the goofy moments that I was so happy to capture, we were able to get the sweet loving photos without doing posted images and making them uncomfortable.

 

I wanted to get some shots of the engagement band, but being my first engagement shoot I hadn’t had many opportunities to try different things to find what worked.  Spur of the moment she said, “lets put out our hands to show my ring”.  It worked perfect.  It’s not the super posed type of look but it shows off the ring and still comes across as a very sweet photo.  This is definitely an idea for future shoots that I will be stealing from this bride to be.

I took this image into OnOne and used focus to slightly blur everythign but the ring to help it stand out a little more.  I tried this photo in black and white, but liked the color much more.  Definitely a keeper!

There are many more, but check the “Portraits” section of the site to see them, not always enough room just on the blog.

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Posting Regularly

Jul
16
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

I know it’s important to post regularly, and on a schedule if I really want people to have a change to follow this information if they are by any chance interested.  I have decided that I can manage to post 3 times a week, the plan is Monday, Wednesday, Friday.  I cannot always post on those days but I can periodically create a few posts and schedule them so that the information is still released on a regular schedule.

I would hope to work ahead some so I am not scrambling at the last second to put something together and that you get a quality post.  So what do you think of my grand plan?  How often do you post?  How often do you wish I would post?

I know, I am always full of so many questions.

My posts may not always be technically oriented or geared towards those of you that think you can learn something from my posts.  I will always post about what I’m doing with photography or things that I find.  I hope that you can learn from my day to day life in my growing photography business and what I am learning about my life in the business.

Well, I will leave this short as it is about posting and how often I will, hope to see you back on Wednesday, I’ll be sharing some photos of an engagement shoot!

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How to get noticed as a Photographer

Jul
13
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

So how do you get noticed as a photographer?

To answer this question, I still have no idea!  I have been doing landscape photography for a few short years as a hobby now, and managed to sell a few prints on various sites.  However, not enough to count for anything.  Maybe I don’t charge enough?  How much should you charge?  Where is the best place to sell?  The best format?

I have learned that I have my more questions about sales and turning photography into a business than what I probably should for considering myself a photographer.  I guess you live and learn, then you change it all because it was wrong.   I have a read many another blog on the subject and many have suggestions of buying inventory, selling that inventory to art galleries or even at crafts fairs.  I have looked into those options and due to equipment costs, my full time job, lack of funds, and the costs to buy the inventory and the booth, that’s not something I can do.

Many people say that most photographers will not make money at it, I can definitely understand.  Spending so much money to try something that I am scared I will fail so miserably at is definitely hard.  There’s a few decisions I have made personally that I will share with you, these may help you, and may not.  Keep in mind that my business is growing slowly (very slowly) and that I have spent more on equipment and costs than what I have made.  These decisions have set me up to grow in my career and have many or most, of my upcoming gigs be completely profit, only my time will be a cost.

What I have decided

1. I first decided photography was my hobby.  I have a full time job and am not willing to quit and take a shot with no existing clientele, or real work in the field.

2. Given that Photography was my hobby I slowly, over about 3 years, purchased equipment and what I wanted for my hobby.

3.  If I was going to get a paid gig that I would buy what I needed for that gig then as a way to help grow my equipment.

4. I would create a site and sell my photography online in some way.  This decision proved harder than I initially thought.  So many people have sites and sell there work but for one that has never professionally printed I didn’t know where to start with the sales side.  I found a safe site called FineArtAmerica and signed up.  I was able to link to that from my site, change the look and feel to match, and they did all the money, printing, and shipping.  Given my full time job (as management in IT I put in many many hours) I would not have time to print and ship myself, this was a great decision.

5. I would go to classes, conferences, and workshops that sounded interesting to learn, not improve my business.

6.  I would never take a gig that I didn’t really want to do, or feel that I was capable of doing well.
These six points above have gotten me to where I am today.  I have an amazing 27 inch monitor for my mac, that was a hobby purchase.  I now have a d800 to go with my d7000, the 800 was part hobby part for the portrait gigs I’m getting.  By purchasing lenses slowly I was able to take my time and buy used Nikon lenses from Ebay so I have fantastic lenses that I got used at half price and in perfect shape.  I was able to get the 12-24 for $600, and the 105 for $500!  These are amazing deals that I would not have been able to wait for if I had not had the luxury of looking at this craft as a hobby to start with.

I am sure many others have grown their businesses and financial intakes much faster than I but these were the decisions that I was comfortable making and I have been pleased with the outcome.  I am now doing engagement and wedding shoots, as well as other site portraits, and even babies.

Per an upcoming wedding shoot I purchased several more memory cards for the D800 than what I had initially but it was for a reason and now I have all I need to continue shooting weddings as not additional cost.

If you are a photographer what do you do?  If you were, what do you think you would do?  What do you think of my plan?

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Album Cover Images – Sound of One Hand Clapping

Jul
10
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

A few weeks ago I had the oopportunity to go to Denver for my company and shoot even photos.  You can read about the amazing opportunity that they gave me on my blog here.  While I was there I was able to stay a few extra days and stay with my cousin, back in the day we were great friends.  Our families did everything together and shortly before I moved to Florida she moved from the piano to the guitar and singing.  Even then I was amazed with her talent.  I am so happy she kept it up and has formed a band.  They have some great music, if you are looking for something new check out Sound of One Hand Clapping on Reverbnation.  If you want more information on them or are in the Denver area and what to keep up on their upcoming shows then like them on Facebook.

Erica and Dan asked me to do a photo shoot that weekend for album covers of their upcoming release.  I was absolutely ecstatic to do something like this for a band, and especially my cousin.  She is such a talented individual it was a great feeling that she thought enough of my photo work to ask something like this of me.  This was one of my very first portrait type of sessions and I’m thankful that it was them.  They are both so easy going and laid back, we were able to just have a lot of fun and not do too much posing other than what they wanted.

Maybe I’m crazy but I think the images came out great just by talking with them and having them talk to each other and have fun rather than trying to get the perfect posed shot.

All of these photos were  of course shot in color, with my Nikon D7000.  I switched between the kit lens, my 105MM and a 12-24.  Any black and white conversion was done post processing in Lightroom, or photoshop.  I did also use On One software for a few things, just because I am very specific about what software I use for what and when.

Even after completing the shoot and going back I was almost nervous to drop them on my machine and see what they really turned out like.  Having not done my portrait shots and it being so important for them I was just worried.  I had scheduled to go hang out with my parents for a while so I left Erica (my cousin) with the SD cards and my laptop so she could load them and go through them.  When I got back and saw how happy she was that before editing she saw images she liked it relieved my fears.

Going through and processing the images I found a new love for this kind of work.  I had such a great time taking the photos, and they have become some of my favorite to process with all the personality that they each have.  From this I shortly after accepted a gig to do engagement photos for another set of friends I have.  Those photos have just completed processing and are out the door and in their hands.  I have even agreed to do a wedding this upcoming week.  I have found a second shooter to assist and am more excited than nervous.

Peter Hurley taught us at G+ Photographers Conference that when shooting portraits you are 90% therapist and 10% photographer.  I think I am loving that combination and having a great time.

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Google + Photographers Conference – Sergey Brin and Project Glass

Jul
04
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

The Google+ Photographers Conference was full of surprises and great speakers from start to finish.  While sitting in a session with Scott Kelby I do not believe any of us knew what was coming when he said we had a surprise speaker in 20 minutes.  Everyone session wrapped up a little early and everyone headed to the main auditorium.

Everyone was surprised when Google came out talking about Project Glass and all the great things they had been doing with it.  There was even some pictures shared of the audience themselves and a photowalk that happened using the glass itself hours before.  The announcement and updated information was a pleasant presentation and great information.

Then the moment hit, Sergey Brin himself walked onto stage.  I am not one that usually gets wrapped up in the “I met the CEO of X” but everyone was amazed.  The G+ marketing team themselves was so amazed and please that Sergey took the time out of his day to address the crowd that formed together using a product from Google themselves.  ( Many of us have been on twitter, facebook, and Flicker, but face it, we have not formed the community of photographers we have now on any other platform)

 

Sergey gave a great speech and answered several questions about Project Glass and many other items going on with Google.  From the outsider perspective, it was nice to see someone in his position so excited about the company he is with, the potential that still remains, and the users they are serving.

Sergey was wearing the glasses himself and took a few images during the presentation.

I hear the glass prototype is now for sale….there are some amazing things they can do, but they will only get better and cheaper.  What else would you expect from a company that keeps pushing the limits.

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Google + Photographers Conference

Jul
02
2012
by Jessy | 1 Comment

The Google+ Photography Conference in San Fransisco is now over, I do hope they are already planning for next year.  The conference itself was not expensive, the travel from Florida and the hotel is what cost the money.

The conference itself was amazing!  I learned a great many things about different media and different ideas and ways to get involved.  Jeremy Cowart had his keynote with a G+ hangout and Moose Peterson was making jokes as always.  The media show that Jeremy gave us of the drawing to video was really quite impressive!

 

Then of course we had Lindsay Adler doing a full session on Fashion photography!  Lindsay had models on stage with her, the lighting set up, her camera, assistants, and everything was tethered to display on the big screen above her.  To instantly see and better understand what she was explaining really was the polishing factor.  Many of the things she talked about are on her blog but to see them in action gave a whole new meaning to the many things I have read.  It’s hard to find people that will just let you point lights at them in different ways all day to understand what she is really describing.

No matter your level of photographer from armature to pro, I think it brings a whole new perspective to your life when you get to watch someone else work and really understand their process to use any tips and tricks they have yourself.  There’s many things each of us do to make our lives easier that we don’t even think of when teaching another person.

I firmly believe Peter Hurley stole the show!  He came out throwing t-shirts and hats…he was jumping around and super excited.  He walked through his issues when doing head shots and some of the things he does to assist his clients.  He was very clear that each person has to find what works for them.  I thought that insight was great as many people tell you what to do, they do not take into account that what I may be comfortable with, you are not.  I was so involved and riveted through his presentation I did not get any images, glad it was posted to YouTube! Peter Hurleys Presentation

 

The last night was an epic keynote with Trey Ratcliff.  Trey was interviewed by Scott Kelby and the interview responses did get a little dark and concerning.  This is the way with Trey, he looks so deeply into the meaning of the technology and future.  It is always amazing to listen to him speak his thoughts as it gives you another perspective that you never had.  Trey is such an open and honest person it’s amazing he has become as well known as he has.  Many people that are honest to the level he is are often much more hated than Trey, it’s fantastic the following that he has created just by being him.
Each and every presenter did an amazing job and was so personable.  Between sessions you could find them walking around and many would come right up and speak to you if you didn’t go to them first.  Though there were many people around everything was friendly and looking to meet everyone else there.  I have never been at a conference where people offered to let you use their camera that was worth thousands, or lenses, etc.  It was such an open and sharing environment that was created that way by the work from Kelby Media group but reinforced by the speakers themselves, then even those attending.

If there is another one next year, I hope you go, I’ll be there.

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Orpheum in Kansas and Buddy Guy Concert

May
09
2012
by Jessy | 2 Comments

This past weekend I went back to Wichita Kansas to a Buddy Guy Concert.    Buddy was great and had many humorous stories to share with us as well as a great couple songs where his son came out to play!  His son was fantastic as well!

The Orpheum in Kansas is quite an amazing place.  The building is so old and run down.  They are working hard to restore the entire theater and are doing a great job.  The details around the entire theater are so dramatic!  The seats are old theater seats that need some work but they will get there.  This is a shot from the corner of the mezzanine looking over the crowd below.

 

All the old lighting displays had orange light bulbs placed in them that gave the main theater this glowing red color that was fantastic.

As you can see there was so much detail in the windows, ceiling and even the front the of mezzanine were dramatic and great additions.  I did walk down to the front to look back and see the entire theater and was amazed at the look.

Check out the site for the Orpheum linked above and if you see something interesting and have a chance to to attend don’t think twice.  This is a great venue and has fantastic acoustics.

Check out the pics and let me know what you think.

 

Another shot from the mezzanine looking down the right side and to the stage

 

 

 

The front/corner outside with the marquee displaying the announcement of the Buddy Guy show.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Side shot from the mezzanine showing the red color and railing for safety.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is from the front looking up under the marquee at the lights and patters.

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Use What you Have

Apr
29
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

Today on G+ is SacredSunday.  There are many themes for each day of the week and I try to contribute when I can because it’s great to get the feedback on images and to continue learning.  I didn’t have much to contribute today but I remembered the great ideas so many others always have.  Many times the images are created with the smoke from incense, flowers and vases around the house, etc.  They always have such great ideas and I have never been able to really put things together like this, so today was my day!

I tried to think of what I had around my studio that would work for this theme and how to mix and match to make a great photo and something that would work.

I have this great little bistro set I purchased a while back that has some words and sayings painted on the top of the table and stools that say “Everything grows with love”, and “a dream is a wish the heart makes”.  I thought this was very inspirational and would work….so now how do I make it even more perfect for a sacred sunday…something that will make it pop.  Thinking I remembered my necklace that I always wear, people tend to think it’s a cross.  It’s actually a cut out from a spoon and is a dragonfly but the wings do make it look like a cross.  I took it off and put it on the bistro set to see if it would work.  I was quit impressed with what I had put together!

With the cross from the necklace the wonderful inspiration from the set it was perfect!  I moved the necklace around between the words, on the stool, on the table, etc.  I took about 50 images using my NikonD7000 and my Nikkor 105MM macro lens.  Using this lens gave great clarity to the images but was so tight on the subject that I found myself standing on the bistro set to get some distance.

I think the images turn out rather well.  This just goes to show that with anything you have on or around you current location you can make great images and things that will not only inspire others, but yourself as well.  If you have tried this before, post some links so that others can be inspired by your story.  If you have not tried this, then go out and try it today, don’t wait for something great, make something great!

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Flowers for a Brighter Day

Apr
03
2012
by Jessy | 0 Comments

It’s only Tuesday and it’s already been one of those weeks.  Do you know what I’m talking about?  It’s those weeks where you are getting several days worth of work completed in a single day but there is no end in site.  It seems as though these are very prevalent during holiday weeks.  Yes, Friday is Good Friday, and I’m excited to have it off to spend some time away from the computer and with family and friends.

Last night while I was out playing ball with the dogs I noticed my roses were blooming!  No only did I get to play with my dogs but I ran in the house to grab the camera and get a few shots of the roses.  I think they came out very well and helped to brighten my day a bit…and my week.

These were taken with my Nikon 7000 and my macro 105MM lens.  Hope you enjoy as much as I did.

Pink Rose

105MM ISO 400 1/45 sec at f/4.8

White Rose Pink Tips

105MM ISO400 1/45sec at f/4.8

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