Archive for March, 2010

Who needs an engagement session, really?!

March 25th, 2010

You do! So you are planning an amazing wedding with lots of color, life, people and of course a fantastic photographer! As you start your planning process you realize everything costs more than a few pennies. With money on the mind, everyone is looking for ways to save a few bucks on different wedding related [...]

 

You do!

So you are planning an amazing wedding with lots of color, life, people and of course a fantastic photographer! As you start your planning process you realize everything costs more than a few pennies. With money on the mind, everyone is looking for ways to save a few bucks on different wedding related expenses. Just don’t cut the engagement session!

We highly recommend the engagement session for a number of reasons. The bottom line is this… we would rather you ask for a payment plan than completely ditch the engagement session. Here’s why:

Dress rehearsal – You’re planning a rehearsal for your wedding day with a dress fitting, cake sampling, actual rehearsal the night before the wedding. So, it makes sense to have a rehearsal with your photographer (us of course) – your engagement session is just that!

We take a few hours to talk and walk, have oodles of fun, candid shots and basically teach you how to relax in front of the camera. So when your wedding day arrives, you look like natural models. The goal is for you to know exactly what to expect and feel comfortable with a camera following you so everything goes as smooth as possible.

Touchbase – We have another opportunity to grab a coffee and for you both to get to know us better. Our mothers say we’re pretty awesome, so coffee and conversation with us would be fun. And since we will be following your every move on the BIG DAY, it’s another opportunity to touchbase!  From start to finish, we’ll be there standing alongside your family and friends. We’re there documenting the moments of your day to keep forever!

Because it’s fun! – It’s a lot of fun to feel special. Well you are special; so let’s have fun with it! Getting to know us and having fun will help you relax on the big day. It can also be a great time to book your makeup trial on the same day so you can get an idea of how your makeup will look in pictures on your wedding day too.

Twister – We strive to take the stress out of the photo experience. No twister game here. We want you to feel comfortable and natural. We’ll take the time to answer lots of questions and give you directives on posing if needed or desired.

It’s easy – We have fun; you get to cuddle, kiss and be yourselves. We can just drink coffee, we can go for a walk, we can tromp through a field, go over a river, or through the woods. The bottom line is you’ve been acting like yourself your whole life; all you’ve got to do is be you. You can practice being you in front of us, so when your BIG DAY comes, you’re ready to do the same thing in front of oodles of your closest peeps. YAY!

Ask questions! – We walk, we talk, you ask questions, and we ask questions. We laugh. We tackle any tough questions and discuss any concerns, plus you have both of our undivided attentions to ask our opinion on stuff. “We” have lots of opinions…just ask Alex ;-)

So… – There is a lot of value in an engagement session. In our mind, the best part is that you get to spend a few hours hanging out with some super duper people. If you need to cut the budget, let’s consider a payment plan. We really feel it’s important as these lasting images will be around forever, long after the flowers wilt, the cake is chomped and the presents are unwrapped.

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The Image Is Found goes to WPPI Las Vegas

March 20th, 2010

A day of learning & shenanigans…that’s the best way I can describe The Image Is Found ShootShop I attended on 3/5/10 in fabulous Las Vegas.  *Link updated with photos from the workshop* I learned TONS of good stuff, but here are few pearls of wisdom from the day. 1. Garbage in garbage out. Stop looking [...]

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A day of learning & shenanigans…that’s the best way I can describe The Image Is Found ShootShop I attended on 3/5/10 in fabulous Las Vegas.  *Link updated with photos from the workshop*

I learned TONS of good stuff, but here are few pearls of wisdom from the day.
1. Garbage in garbage out. Stop looking at & comparing your photos to every other wedding photographer. ONLY look at the work of wedding photog friends and mind-blowing photographers outside the wedding industry (e.g. editorial, travel, fashion); this will keep your work unique by not engraining in your head that wedding photos need to look a certain way. Strive not to create great wedding photos, but great photos period. This will help step the creative game up for the entire wedding industry.

2. Change your perspective. If you normally shoot with a 70-200mm, switch it up and shoot a 16-35mm. 16mm is much closer to our natural field of vision and allows us as photographers to experience the day more intimately with our clients.

3. Outsource anything you don’t love to do and more specifically anything that doesn’t require your special touch. I’ve heard this before, but having yet another source preach it was enough to push me into actually doing it. e.g. Rather than wrestling with Quickooks and RAW conversion, I plan to offload these tasks to experts as much as possible this year. This is a tough mental leap for me as I was always taught ‘you’ve got more time than money‘, but when I think of it in terms of time spent doing something I don’t enjoy vs time I can spend with my family it becomes perfectly clear.

4. Be yourself! From your website to your client communication to the photos you create…keep it real & consistent! Not every bride is looking for the stereotypical über romantic wedding photos; there are brides looking for YOUR exact personality….quirks and all!

Below are a few photos from the day…which were taken in a drainage ditch in mostly wide open sun.

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Not the Image is Found…my wife :)

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Nate demonstrating during a ‘teachable’ moment…keep the mood light and your clients having fun.

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Lighting…

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Matching colorful outfits…true to their brand!

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As seen in the drainage ditch…and set as my current background.

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Demonstrating off-camera lighting with a sweet action shot.