Kelly & Alex: A Beautiful Fall Wedding in Maryland

Hello blog world!

As I had mentioned, I was shooting a fall wedding yesterday. Well, I wanted to let you know it was a HUGE success. Not only was the wedding and all the people in it beautiful, but the weather was perfect for shooting! It was on and off sunny but overall still very bright without those blinding sun rays. This is my favorite weather for taking outdoors photos because you still have a lot of natural light for your photos but you don't have to worry about people squinting, harsh sunlight shadows, or sun rays across faces.
The wedding started around 11am and was a beautiful ceremony with about 140 people. It was set on the quiet, serene setting of Wye Island in Queenstown, Maryland. Just lovely! Congrats again to the couple and thank you for having me as your photographer.

Fall Wedding Photography= My Favorite

Hi everyone!

I haven't posted in a little while partially due to the fact I've been so busy but also partially due to the fact that I LOVE fall weather and sitting in front of a computer is the last place I'd want to be :)

Weddings in the fall are the best! I am looking forward to my fall wedding this weekend and am eager to get started! It looks like the weather is supposed to be low 70's and partly cloudy which is actually my preference for shooting!

I want to share this great article from the New York Institute of Photography on shooting and capturing fall foliage:

http://www.nyip.com/ezine/outdoors/fallcolor.html

I will keep you updated and post some shots after the wedding. Wish me Luck!!!!

Wedding Albums...After the Big Day

Hi blog world!!

I often talk about the wedding day photography itself but I wanted to touch a little on the wedding photography "favors." After the wedding day you deliver wonderful, beautiful photos to the client. They pop the disc into their computer and view them and are pleased. They of course know the story of their wedding that your photos are telling, but what about people who missed it, or were too busy being good hosts? What next?

Wedding albums are important. I don't understand why all photographers don't include even a simple, basic wedding album in their package options. Sure, it's great to have a copyright-free disc of photos that you can look at on a computer, but people still like having that tangible album. Something to hold and look at away from a computer...something to share with friends and family, or take to co-workers. Wedding albums can come in all different shapes and sizes with custom photo covers or fancy leather-bound design. They are meant to tell the story of the wedding day. (I often think about the very beginnings of older Disney movies where there's always a magical-looking book in the start which opens to then start telling the story) As a photographer it is important to have a lot of input from your client in the design, choice of photos and layout for the album. Then, it's up to you to use your creativity to make the client something special. However, if you're not good with graphic design or can't seem to place the photos in a way that is pleasing, there are lots of websites to help out there!!

One of my personal favorite companies to use is Capri. Here is their link:
http://www.zookbinders.com/Capri/CapriPHP/

They offer many different options and help with layout and design if needed.

Also, for those photographers are a tight budget  there are other great sites such as:

http://www.shutterfly.com/

http://www.ritzpix.com/

http://www.zookbinders.com/home

In the end, wedding albums are still important. They help to take those timeless images you captured and put them into something tangible so it can be passed down from generation or simply kept for those rainy days, (or days when the computer decides not to work properly... i.e. your hard drive reader dies)

Brides on a Dime Expo

Speaking of bridal shows... I wanted to share with everyone a very special bridal show coming up at the end of this month. It's called "Brides on a Dime Expo" and it benefits St. Anthony's Bridal. a non-profit that supports and helps brides have the wedding of their dreams! They even have free use of wedding gowns :)

Be sure to check it out, it's a great cause!!

http://10kbrides.blogspot.com/

Bridal Shows.. Are they Worth It?

As a wedding photographer, there are many different ways of advertising and getting your name out there. A few weeks back I talked a little about SEO and linking your website to other sites. That is one of many great ways but the most common way is probably the bridal show. Bridal shows are like trade shows for brides where brides can come and view all types of wedding vendors in person. They are a great way to come in contact with hundreds of potential brides in a short period of time. However, there is one drawback to this... they cost a lot of money!

Most bridal shows average anywhere from $500-$1,500 per table/booth. Extra fees are tacked on if you want a corner booth, or electricity hookup. Also you have to add in the costs of the handout materials and your table display itself. It can add up very quickly and you can be looking at a cost of $2,500 or more. BUT if you land that one large wedding, based on your pricing, it should pay for itself. So, what I want to know from all you other photographers out there... is it worth it?

I'm interested to hear your comments!!!

PS- I do realize there are smaller, more localized shows that cost less, however the attendance rates of these shows are often tiny compared to the larger shows.

Technology Rocks...!

I often try to keep up on the latest and greatest technology, and stumbled upon this article from The New York Times. For photographers out there that not only have fun with their SLR's but can also take some cool shots with their iphones, this is for you!!!

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0DE0DD163EF93AA25754C0A9649D8B63&ref=photography

An App That Pays You, by Helping Sell Your Photos

By ROY FURCHGOTT

Published: July 19, 2012

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Usually you have to pay for an app, but Foap is a free app that offers to pay you by putting your iPhone photos on sale online.

The offer is pretty straightforward. Take a picture with your phone, then send it to Foap. Its virtual stock photo agency puts the picture up for sale for $10. If it sells, the fee is split in half. Payments are made through PayPal.

The company said it accepted only photos it thought would sell. It said the approval process should take less than 24 hours, but in my test it took close to two days.

Foap said it did not want photos that used filters or effects (sorry, Instagrammers), or anything that made your pictures arty. (Yet if you browse the choices at foap.com, you will see plenty of both.)

You sell all rights when you send the photos. If you send in a picture of your grandmother and it shows up on a poster saying, ''Help Elderly Drug Addicts,'' tough luck. You have no recourse. ROY FURCHGOTT

Pinterest... a tool for photographers

Hi everyone!

For those of you who haven't caught on to the Pinterest craze yet I wanted to suggest it!! Yes, it's another social networking type site that takes up way too much of your time, BUT it can be a great tool for us photographers :) We all know that not every pose we do can be 100% original so it's great to see other photographers work and ideas so we can then build off of them.

On Pinterest you can get ideas on wedding poses, unique ways to shoot a bride, cool ways to show decorations, etc. It's pretty amazing actually. I would like to share a link to just one of the many "Weddings" boards on the site. Check it out and see how many creative photo ideas you can get from it!

http://pinterest.com/ninagarcia/weddings/