Ask me anything
Recent Responses
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First I have to book another wedding in France :)
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I use the Epson Artisan 710 and it's worked great for me.
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I don't use that trick, but I would guess a little bit of both. I like to see how the light is hitting the subject's face
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Thank you for the kinds words. The first wedding I shot, the ceremony was on the beach at 1pm . . . not exactly ideal lighting, but you have to make it work regardless.
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I used 2 5D classics and for lenses the 35 1.4, the 50 1.4, 85 1.8, 135L, 2 580 exII's and pocket wizards. My digital setup (I mostly shoot film now) is still very similar to this.
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I believe I charged $1750 for the first one and then they bought another $850 or so in prints. Then I charged $2500 for the second + they purchased an album. Then I raised my rates to $3500 and have raised them when it has made sense since then to get to where I am now.
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It varies quite a bit wedding to wedding, but on average, I shoot 25-30 rolls of film and 500-1000 digital images (mostly family formals and general dancing at the reception and any 2nd shooter images I deliver).
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photomechanic for culling. maybe a slight curve in photoshop for my film images. lightroom + VSCO when I shoot digital.
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well I primarily shoot film so this doesn't apply as I don't do much to my images once I get them back from the lab. When I do shoot digital I use VSCO.
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I rate this film at 1600 (if I can) and spot meter on their cheek (looking for middle grey). But I generally know what my settings should be without the meter, as it doesn't change much from reception to reception. This one was 2.8 @ 1/60th. The video light was provided by the videographer.
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It's hard to answer this question without knowing what you're shooting, what other gear you have and what your budget is. If you're shooting weddings professionally I would look at the new Mark III.
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The prism makes a huge difference. No way would I be able to shoot anything documentary with it without one. Only other tip, is slow down and enjoy the process. There's something very soothing about shooting with this camera. I love it.
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That really depends on if I'm shooting indoors or out, available light or flash. I try to shoot them outdoors with natural light if at all possible. I like to keep the group shots simple and the posing more natural. I look for symmetry and balance in the grouping and I like them to be pretty casual and relaxed. Here's one of my favorites: http://www.katbramanphotography.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/IMG_8238-Edit.jpg
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I think it starts far before the wedding day. People are generally relaxed around people that they are comfortable with, so I work on building that trust and comfort level from the very beginning.
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My number one recommendation is to shoot everything in Manual: camera and your flashes. Forcing yourself to do all the settings yourself is the best way to learn. I shoot most receptions starting with off-camera lighting (typically one on, one off) and then typically switch to on-camera direct flash with a slow shutter. I think if you're starting out, I'd master bouncing first. Some great resources are:
Planet Neil (bounced)
http://neilvn.com/tangents/
One Light DVD from Zack Arias (off-camera)
http://zackarias.com/workshop/onelight-dvd/
Strobist.com also has a ton of information but when I was learning this stuff I found it really overwhelming. -
not really. I think as a wedding photographer you need to be able to embrace and shoot comfortably in any lighting condition.
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Definitely the Hassy. I've shot with it a lot more so I'm way more comfortable with it. I'm still getting used to shooting with the Ikon so who know how I'll feel in a few months. I think I'll always love the Hasselblad though. I really love the 6x6 format, love the way it flares, love the way it sounds.
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I made a very deliberate decision not to start too low. I felt confident in my work, my work ethic and my ability to over deliver on my client's expectations. I also had a very good full time job so I decided it would be better to start higher and book fewer weddings. I was ok with building up my business at a slower pace. My first year I shot 2, then 14 (with full time job and having a baby) and then 30. I raised my prices according to demand to get to where I am now. As far as client's go, I didn't set out to convince anyone of anything (still don't). I put my work and myself out there and booked people that responded to that.
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I don't think it's possible to make digital look exactly like film because of the dynamic range but you can get pretty close. I've found that shooting a custom wb really helps with my raw editing. I don't know why, but it's just something I've noticed. A good way to make the transitions smoother is not to shoot the same scenes on film and digital so your eye isn't doing a direct comparison. Jen Huang is probably the best at shooting both film and digital and making them look almost indistinguishable so you may want to check out her work.
But I also think that your style will come through whether you are shooting film or digital and that's what will tie your work together and make it look cohesive. -
it varies by wedding but on average somewhere between 600 and 800. I don't think the final image count has much to do with being a storyteller. Just like some writer's tell stories in 1000 pages and others in 250. It all depends on the story you are telling and how you want to tell it.
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