A few posts back when I was talking about Sara B, there were some images in there that we did, both in the studio and outdoor in 20 degree weather. She was quite a trooper, braving cold AND wind to get these photos done.
Today, Sara and her mom Lisa were in the studio to review images and pick their faves. After about an hour, they had narrowed the selections down to 12 images. The objective, apparently, is to create a portfolio for Sara’s upcoming auditions.
When we were reviewing the images, I realized that I neglected to show one off that we all just raved over. The reasons why they like it are pretty apparent. But the reason why I like it is a little different.
First, all of the images we shot outdoor were shot with indirect on-camera flash. My assistant for the day, Kaila, was holding a 2×3′ bounce reflector about four feet away on camera right. I had the flash pointed toward the reflector, and Kaila "aimed" the reflector toward Sara. She managed to do this very effectively for most of our outdoor shots.
This technique, and many more, will be taught in my upcoming Lighting & Lightroom Essentials Workshop. Sign up before January 31 and you can get $100 off the workshop price.
But verify!
I recently spent some time with a woman who has photographed weddings in the past. She recounted a story where she was shooting a wedding, with her daughter. She was using her favorite camera to shoot during the ceremony, mostly overall proceedings, while her daughter photographed wide shots.
She went on to explain that during the ceremony, she changed a setting on the camera, unintentionally, and the images began to show up on her rear monitor as very overexposed. For the next several minutes, she tried a variety of things to overcome the problem and get back to shooting the ceremony. This included changing camera settings, using a different lens, and more.
After she was done recalling this worst day of her wedding career, I asked "why didn’t you just grab your backup camera?" Her response was "my daughter had it."
I was somewhat shocked. Not from the standpoint that her daughter had a camera, but that her daughter had the ONLY OTHER CAMERA, and that the primary photographer had no backup. Please understand I’m not picking on her, because for all intents and purposes everyone has to start somewhere. But this woman is a professional photographer, and accepts money for her work. To be this unprepared means that the level of professionalism suffers considerably.
Well… it comes down to this…
After 25 years as a wedding professional, it has become a personal mission to make sure I am always prepared at a wedding. This means having backup equipment with me wherever I am at the wedding. During the ceremony, at least one backup camera is nearby or around my neck or shoulder. That’s important to me in case something goes wrong with my main camera. I also carry spare batteries, cards and lenses. And I won’t waste any time trying to figure out what went wrong with the camera in my hand… I’ll immediately switch to the other camera. It’s THAT important not to miss anything.
After all, it only happens once.
Ask your photographer if they have backup equipment. In fact, ask them if they have backup everything. They may think you’re just checking off a block, but reinforce to them that your wedding images are very important to you and that you only want to make sure that there’s little chance anything will happen to your photos. It’s important.
Trust your photographer… but verify that they are ready for a camera failure. It WILL happen to at least one of you.
A client scheduled an appointment a couple of weeks ago for a family session. They were primarily interested in getting photos of the families with the paternal grandfather, as he was quite ill and his prognosis not good.
We set up a sitting for them, and were anxious to work with this large family supporting their grandpa. I always enjoy family sessions, because the interaction reminds me of my own family gatherings where everyone is teasing, playing and having a good time.
Two days prior to the session, a family member contacted us to let us know that they would not be at the sitting, and that the family patriarch had taken a turn for the worse, and could not travel. We understood completely, of course.
This leads me back to remembering that our elderly loved ones will leave lasting memories in our hearts. But to best preserve those memories, photos are one of the most inspiring way to not only remember your loved ones, but to pass those memories along to generations that follow. It may seem a minor point when everyone is happy and healthy, but it becomes so much more important when people become sick and can no longer function without assistance.
The point here is to get your family photos done now. Don’t wait! And by doing them now, down the line when times are tough and relatives pass on, you’ll have that peace of mind, knowing you have some wonderful portraits of them.
My own father passed away in May of 2008. I miss him every day, and have a portrait up of him in our studio as my inspiration. I have a photo of he and my mother on my desk at the studio, as well. These will always be cherished memories of a man that meant so much to my life.
I welcome you to share your story of loved ones and family members, and your memories of their inspiration to you.