Who does all the editing??

When we first started out, I wanted to edit my own photos. My biggest reason was that I wasn’t confident with my photos and I didn’t want PIC to see them unedited and realize I was a crappy photographer. I wanted to weed out all those bad blurry poorly exposed shots before he saw them.

I also wanted to edit because I wanted to make more of a contribution. PIC was taking all the monetary deficits we were hitting during our free stage, and all I was doing was handling the website. I put a lot of work into the website, but once the bulk of it was over, I felt very useless. I don’t like feeling useless.

Now, many photo sessions later, I no longer feel self-conscious of my photos. There were times I would worry that PIC felt that he could do it on his own, but then he’d often go and say how much he appreciated my contribution and missed it when I wasn’t there.

Now, with more photo gigs we’re getting slightly more busy. PIC with his full time job is having trouble handling the extra work, but he still insists on doing all the editing. I agree with him though. One person should do all the editing per photo session, but should we perhaps trade off? As the primary photographer and business owner, he should have the final approval, but I would like to help out.

So far, all the editing and album designing work is still on him.

Cheesy Package Names

Raise your hand if you’ve seen those cheesy package names like: lilac rose tulip, silver gold platinum, blah blah blah.

While PIC and I were discussing what to name our packages when we switched from two to three, I had a ton of fun with possible names.

Arm Leg Soul was one of my favorites.  My absolute favorite was the name of our dogs, but no one would understand that.

Bronze Silver Gold was while I was in the spirit of the Olympics.  I got really random when I started on unicycle, bicycle, and tricycle.  The possibilities are endless.

Deciding on a domain name

PIC is really weird about the domain name.  I am not a fan of the one we are using right now.  It’s a crappy business title.  I’ve lost count the number of times I’ve asked to change the name.  It makes no sense.

In any case, he’s looking to change the domain name to something more versatile.  Whatever.  All I hope is that the business name doesn’t suck like before.

He also wants a Flash site, like all the professional photographers have.  However, I detest flash sites, and unless he pays me directly to code it up in flash, I’m not doing it.

Being a Low-Maintenance Professional Photographer

One of the things PIC and I pride ourselves is being low maintenance.  We don’t like pushy or demanding wedding photographers.  We are people pleasers and want to do things the B&G’s way.  But, I’m beginning to see a change in PIC now that we’ve done more weddings.

He really likes formals before the wedding.  He doesn’t force it, but he does like to bring it up.  What he really really wants to force is the engagement shoot.  He wants to use it to get to know how the B&G act in front of the camera, get comfortable with each other, and he goes nuts with the possibility that someone doesn’t want to do that.

Maybe there is a point to the demanding wedding photographer.  If you’ve been hired based on photographs you took, you want to deliver the same.  Are you doing your job if you don’t deliver on those photos because you let the couple dictate what you could do?  The photographer’s been hired to get the shot, is it bad if he poses the B&G so that it looks amazing?

Posing and candids is a fine balance that PIC and I are figuring out.  We’ll do what the couple wants, be it direct posing, occasional opportunistic posing, or completely candid.  But, as a fully candid second shooter (I never talk to the B&G) I can see how money shots are missed if you don’t instruct the couple to do a few things.

Hyper Cheesy Wedding Photographers Bug Me

Those who talk about how they LOVE LOVE LOVE their job and went to the most beautiful wedding with the most beautiful couple that were SO IN LOVE make me sick.

They’re a broken record is what they are.  Are they really that cheesy?  Is this the wedding industry?  Do B&G’s dig that stuff?  All the “Special Day” talk, does it really work?

So far, no couple I’ve met with has referred to their wedding as their “special day”.  They’ve been mellow, down to earth.  They’ve been obsessed with details and schedule.  They’ve  wanted an awesome, unique wedding.  They’ve wanted all the romantic stereotypes.  But they have never hit me with cheese.

Also, sometimes I wonder if it’s bad to say how much fun you have shooting weddings.  They’re not hiring you to have fun, they’re hiring you to do a job.  Otherwise, you shouldn’t charge so much since you get enjoyment out of it anyway.

PIC keeps moving the photos

He hosts the website on his own server.  I maintain it.  As a result, he has no idea what photos I link or reference, and out of laziness, rather than copy the files to their own folder, I link directly to directories they are already in.  So, when he randomly gets the urge to do some organizing, photos get broken.  Our site has broken photos.  This is not professional.  This normally happens with the older stuff.  I have no idea how long they’ve been broken, only that I have to go fix them quick.  Yikes!

So now, I’m making my own folder, and putting all files that I use in there.  “AspiringPhotogsPhotosDoNotTouch“

Shooting in Prohibited Spaces

There are places that don’t allow professional photography.  This is where I toe the definitive line of professional.  I’m allowed to take photographs for my personal use, but can’t for profit or gain.  Okay… so if I shoot a portrait session for free, to put in my professional portfolio, is that okay?  Who knows.  We did it anyway.

PIC and I have gone with couples to shoot engagement shoots in locations that aren’t too keen about professional photography (aka prohibit).  But, our service is free, we haven’t actually been hired, and we’re not selling the photographs afterwards.  By definition from most professional photographers, we are not professionals.  We are “amateurs and hobbyists” with a fancy camera.  Betcha beating yourself on being all elitist in your members only club now, huh?

Is it moral?  I dunno.  Do I really care about breaking the rules?  Not reaaaally.  Sorry.  I’m sure future me will yell at past me soon enough.

Missing a Crucial Shot

At one of our early weddings, PIC and I both missed a shot of the groom’s initial reaction to seeing his bride for the first time that day.  Boy did we suck.  We were both so focused on her coming down the aisle, we forgot to focus on the groom.  In any case, we did snag a shot of his reaction, but it definitely wasn’t the first second.

I would say this is the only time where neither of us caught a shot.  I take fault for this one.  PIC normally trusts me to focus on the groom, and this time I didn’t.  The groom wasn’t even in view from where I was shooting.  While we didn’t discuss it before hand (fail!), blame is to be put on both and neither.  As second photographer, I was expected (based on past history) to catch the groom’s reaction.  As primary photographer, PIC should have dictated expectations to his secondary shooter.  But, in reality, we were really distracted by the bride and flower girl, that it didn’t occur to either of us until the bride asked if we got the shot.

I’ve only gotten mildly over this mishap.  Things happen, and this probably happens to single photographers more.  It was a learning experience for both of us.

Communication is key!

Being a Responsible Wedding Photographer

When PIC informed a professional portrait photographer friend that he was going to get into wedding photography, he did not receive the encouragement he expected.  Basically, the friend scolded him about not taking the responsibility as a wedding photographer seriously.  He didn’t tell me this immediately, but after months of trying to convince him to CHARGE MORE for our photography services, hearing this reaction explained all his behavior to me.

PIC is very reluctant to take on clients without having shot an engagement shoot with them first.  Both of us are people pleasers, so we really want to make sure the clients are happy.  But, thanks to the scolding from his friend, PIC was very wary about photographing people’s weddings.  The day is a Big Deal, and cannot be messed up by amateur mistakes.  He was convinced that our lack of experience dictated that we charge very little (think $500).

But, we’re not idiots with cameras.  We know the responsibility.  As someone who LIVES for photography, I’m not going to let myself disappoint someone with bad photographs!  Also, we’ve done several weddings and, while that’s not the 100 weddings it takes to be an expert, all of them so far turned out great!  Especially for free, those photos were awesome.  Those couples are LUCKY we’re so awesome at our photography.  We’re not the best, and we’re not worth $3000, but we deserve to be somewhere in between.

We are honest with the couples we meet.  We tell them we’re not heavily experienced.  But, we’re good and we’ll give them a demo shoot to show what we can do.

Why I love Little Color Treatment

Photographers have a style.  When I started out, I was told to have my own style, to make me unique.  I thought, eh, nah.  I don’t have enough experience to dictate my style.  Boy I was wrong.  I do have a style.  It’s so obvious, but it’s not gaudy unique.  It’s just my own style.  It doesn’t stand out from others, but it is what I view as a nice photograph.

I like depth of field.  I take most photos with a telephoto lens at a wide aperture.  It’s my favorite kind.  If you wanted to go in my head to psychoanalyze why, it’s because there’s less chance of distracting elements!  When you’ve got the background all blurred, there’s no way you’ll get distracted by it!

I like color.  Black and white looks professional to some, and it does have it’s moments.  But in the end, I love keeping things in color.  I embrace it.  I don’t distort the color, or give it special treatment.  I don’t really care for sepia or antiquing.  Maybe it’s because I don’t do it well.  I also think that color ages well.  In 30 years I feel that I will look back at photos and enjoy seeing them in the colors that are real.

I will admit, there are photographers who do a great job with color treatment, and I do enjoy looking at their photos.  But they stand alone.  Put them in a frame with 10 other photos, and they don’t mesh well.  They look excellent in a frame all by themselves, but I like my photographs to be embraced by other photographs too.