What to Expect from Your Wedding Photographer - Series 2

This is the second in the series about what you can expect my your wedding photographer.



4: TIMING OF FORMAL PORTRAITS: You and your spouse will need to decide when to shoot the formal portraits of both of you, as well as the wedding party, family and friends. Some brides prefer to do this before the actual ceremony, others only want this to occur after the ceremony. It is completely up to you and your spouse. Just be sure to let me know well before your wedding day so I can plan accordingly, and be sure to let the members of your family and wedding know as well so there are no unhappy surprises or delays on your wedding day.


5: FLOWER SHOTS: I’ll need access to a wedding invitation, your flowers, and the rings for those special photographs before the wedding. Usually I do these shots either in a dressing room or other out-of-the-way place shortly before the ceremony.


WEDDING DAY:

1: Bill and I will arrive at least an hour before the time of the wedding, depending on the size of your wedding and the wedding package you’ve chosen. If the wedding party is getting ready at a place other than the wedding site (sometimes call the “preparation site”), we’ll meet you there instead. Often, the male members of the wedding party are at one site, and the women at another. This will be fine, as Bill will be shooting with the guys, and I’ll be with you and your bridesmaids. If the wedding party is getting ready at a “preparation site”, we’ll leave it early enough to arrive at the wedding site in time for shooting the arrival of guests, as well as the family members and, of course, the wedding party.

2: Once the pre-ceremony begins, Bill will be in the church or wedding site to photograph the music and other parts of the pre-ceremony events. He’ll also get the wedding party coming down the aisle.

3: I’ll be with you to get the father/daughter shots, etc.. Then, I’ll be in the center aisle to shoot when you come down the aisle.

4: For most of the ceremony, Bill and I will be in the outer aisles or at the back of the church, trying to be as unobtrusive as possible, but also trying to get great shots. Let me know if there will be a mass or communion taking place during the ceremony, as we do not want to intrude during this with flashes going off.

5: Once the pastor, priest or other officiant pronounces you husband and wife, I’ll be back in the center aisle to capture “the kiss”, and get shots of you leaving.

This article will continue next week.

Macro Photography - Second in Series

This the second in the series on Macro Photography:

1. WHAT EQUIPMENT WILL YOU NEED?

“Hard” Ware versus “Not-So-Hard” Ware Equipment: In the “Hard” Ware Equipment Section, I'll talk about what is needed for professional-quality macro photographs. As you progress in your macro photography skills, you'll begin to understand what equipment is necessary for the types of pictures you want to take. If you simply want better, everyday pictures of close-up subjects, the section, “Not-So-Hard” Ware Equipment, will give you great ideas you can use right away.

v "HARD" WARE EQUIPMENT: If your intention is to get perfect macro photographs, be forewarned that this can be the most expensive part of macro photography – the “must-have” equipment that will make your experience more enjoyable and less frustrating. Fortunately, this equipment is ideal for a number of photographic situations.

Macro Lenses: These are special types of lenses made for getting close to subjects, and are invaluable for this kind of work. When photographing tiny objects, your lens' focusing distance determines how close you can get to the subject as well as how close you must get for it to be in sharp focus. There's only one drawback to macro lenses -- they are prohibitively expensive. The reason I use a 50mm macro instead of, say a 150mm or even a 200mm is strictly the cost. Larger lenses can set you back thousands of dollars depending on the quality. I prefer a smaller lens with higher quality, rather than a larger one with dubious caliber. As with most things related to photography, buy the best you can afford. However, the 50mm lens does a very credible job; I just have to move in very close to my macro subject. This can be a major problem with honey bees B they just don't like that lens in their furry little faces! An additional benefit of macro lenses is that since they usually have a higher quality lens in them, the degree of sharpness and clarity is remarkably good and are ideal for using to shoot landscapes.

This article will continue with more equipment ideas next week.

Nature Photography - Article 2 (continuation)

This is the second installment of the Nature Photography - Photographing Wildlife in Your Backyard Series:


Equipment: I seem to have an extremely difficult time in acquiring sharp pictures if I don=t utilize a tripod. However, trying to set up a standard tripod while sitting at a table was next to impossible. It was either too far away to reach comfortably, or too close to the table for ease of use. Then, a miracle happened. I received a table top tripod from my wonderful husband for my birthday. Oh, what a difference a down-sized tripod can make! Now, I can relax while having a drink or reading a book, and simply take the shots as they happen. However, there are tradeoffs. These particular tripods are designed for small, point-and-shoot cameras. Due to the size of my high-resolution digital camera and long range lenses, the weight on the diminutive head is phenomenal. I keep a soft towel close at hand to raise the miniature leg a fraction of an inch or so to keep the camera at eye level with the subject of my shot, rather than extending the leg and risk straining the relatively soft metal. I also love to use a remote switch in these situations. The remote takes over for the on-camera shutter button, pressing it halfway to bring the image into focus and take through-the-lens exposure readings, and then fully to take the shot. It= s an enormous help in keeping the camera from shaking or vibrating which would occur if I used the on-camera shutter release, and an absolute must-have for long, zoom shots. You wouldn=t think that the simple act of squeezing the shutter button on the camera would vibrate it just enough to throw off the shots, but you=d be surprised how little it takes to blur photographs. The remote helps eliminate some of that vibration.

Camera Positioning: I love to work outdoors, and am very thankful that my business as a nature photographer enables me to appreciate first hand the marvelous things that the God has created. I have probably the best working office in the world B a wooded backyard, large deck, and a sturdy table to do my detailed work on. I have recently discovered a wonderful way to keep working on the computer and be able to take pictures at the same time. On the table rests a portable computer to pound out my writing, the little tripod, camera, flash, and various lenses and filters. I secure the camera gently to the mini tripod just to the right of my computer, with the remote switch nestled in my lap. Once I have set the camera in the exact position to take a specific shot (such as zoomed in on a particular feeding station), I attach the remote to my camera in its special terminal slot. Now, I can work and still get some great pictures. The remote switch works two ways: not only does it reduce camera shake as I said earlier, but it also allows me to work the camera without moving my head, and thus, disturbing the wildlife. No longer do I have to post myself behind the camera to capture a particular scene, unless I need to reposition the setup to get the squirrels and chipmunks scampering and chasing each other around the tree. By the way, I never try to attempt any kind of digital darkroom work outdoors. There=s simply too much ambient light affecting the monitor on my computer to accurately correct any changes I need to make to my photographs. I leave that kind of work to my indoor office specifically prepared for that purpose.