john_palmer9 Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Hi Jeff,<br> Can you give more details on your Aperture workflow please.<br> Cheers,<br> John</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Oistein - not only to you, but to everyone else that has made such nice comments about my work - thank you very much, I am truly humbled by the sentiment shown on here.</p> <p>To answer your questions; when working alone it is quite easy to cover bride and groom preparations as long as logistics allow. Most of the time I cover just the bride and then see the guys at church. In the UK, most of the time the grooms are quite happy to let the bride take the limelight, so it never has been an issue. I refuse to work with second shooters as the more people there are taking pictures, the more intrusive the coverage becomes, and the whole dynamic of the day changes. Second shooters are really a product of the digital age and the wedding photographer's obsession with recording anything that moves. When I started my career, photographers couldn't afford the film and processing costs that came with second shooters, so we learned to cover the wedding properly by ourselves.</p> <p>Oh god, my first four years were so tough you wouldn't believe. No money, struggling to get my business off the ground, my wife earning a pittance and that money barely covering our bills. It was so tough. I think we turned our first profit around year five. A lot of photographers don't realise how tough it is to start a business, even with the help of the internet. The main thing that I learned was to learn from your mistakes. That's pretty much it; and I made lots of them. In fact I still make them on a regular basis. I also believe that each day is a new day and whatever happened yesterday is in the past, in fact the only point of looking back is to learn how to deal with tomorrow. Be prepared to go through and hell and back with your business. There will be incredible highs and depressing lows. Awkward clients. Problems that need solving on a daily basis and a lot of hard work. It ain't no picnic being a photographer.</p> <p>In terms of what I did; I simply stuck to my guns and decided that if I couldn't shoot in the style that I wanted, then I would go and do something else. By sticking to my style, I was able to improve my skills as I wasn't distracted by other styles. I've always wanted to master my style, and if you give me another 20 years and I'll be somewhere close to mastering it.</p> <p>All printing and album construction is outsourced. It takes up way too much time which isn't productive.</p> <p> </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Noah - the way I work now has been a product of many years of trial and error. Some years I lost money because I didn't get my product right. The problem with weddings is that people book so far in advance, and by the time you realise you got the product wrong, the year is booked out so you can't change it. We always work two years in advance now. So to answer your question, no it hasn't always been like it is now.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>John - I've already outlined it in an early post.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joshuaarcher Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Hi Jeff,<br> I would like to ask about a reading list. I know you look to photographers outside wedding photography, and I must admit apart from only a few outstanding individuals (yourself and George included), I haven't found too much inspiration within the wedding photography field. </p> <p>I know of your favourites such as Cartier-Bresson, McCurry, Alex Webb etc from you seminar this week and other writings - I would like to ask if you have some suggestions as to what work you think would be worth studying so that I can learn from some of the greats you may have looked to over the years. I guess I'm asking if you'd share some book titles from books written by the photographers that either inspired you visually or educated your philosophy/attitude to your style and approach.</p> <p>And I'd like to add that it's a breath of fresh air that you aren't dumbing down into business talk and sharing all your work here - its a precious resource and I fully understand why you keep it close to your chest. Perhaps that's a big lesson you've taught me already.</p> <p>Josh</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Hi Josh - you could always look at AP....there is a wealth of info in that mag :-D<br> My current favourite books in no particular order;<br> James Nachtwey - Inferno<br> Elliot Erwitt - Snaps<br> Cartier-Bresson - The man, the image and the world<br> Eugene Richards - The fat baby<br> Salgado - Africa<br> Antonin Kratochvil - Incognito<br> Steve McCurry - The unguarded moment<br> Alex Webb - Istanbul<br> Don McCullin - In England (off to see the exhibition with George Weir tomorrow!!)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatjanna Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Thank you Mr.Ascough , for your time in answering our questions, it is greatly appreciated.<br> My question refers to available light. I'm still somewhat new to wedding photography and as of yet almost all have been outdoors. I believe in using flash as fill, but I would much rather use "God given light" . how do you capture such great images without a lot of blur and grain with given light in low light areas? I allow for some motion in my images, but sometimes there is a great amount that is just simply not acceptable to my own standards.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Tatjanna - Low light is not a problem if you consider three things;<br> 1) Noise has more to do with poor exposure than the light level. A perfectly exposed low light image at high iso will have very low noise. So exposure has to be spot on.<br> 2) As long as the subject doesn't move, you can get away with really slow shutter speeds. I regularly shoot at 1/15th and 1/8th sec hand held. It is a question of bracing the camera correctly and learning to breathe properly when shooting at low speeds. You aren't going to have much success with fast moving subjects in really low light, although the latest cameras will help you, so I try to avoid them.<br> 3) Fast prime lenses require less work to control than zooms or telephotos. My slowest lens is f1.4, so combine that with iso 6400 and an ability to hand hold down to 1/8th sec, there isn't any situation that I have come across where I have struggled to get images without having to resort to flash. I used to shoot with Leica cameras at iso 320 and f1 lenses, so these days it's so much easier to get great images in low light.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danzel_c Posted July 21, 2009 Share Posted July 21, 2009 <p>Hello Jeff. I have been enjoying reading all of your comments above! Thanks for thorough replies. My question is do you provide engagement photos for your clients and if so how do you conduct your engagement photo sessions?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_bayot Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>First off, I just want to say that that I absolutely adore your work, landscapes included. Thanks for reading and answering all these questions Mr. Ascough! Here are a few questions about focus for you:<br> 1) A common complaint concerning the 5D2 is the autofocus as compared to Canon's 1 series cameras. You previously used the Canon 1ds3. Do you experience a noticeable difference, especially with your usage of large apertures in very low light?<br> 2) Do you still use your ST-E2 to assist in focusing in very low light as you described in your 2007 photo.net Q&A?<br> 3) What focus point(s) do you use? Does it change depending on the situation and conditions?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lindamccague Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Hi Jeff,<br />I am another admirer of your work. :) I read in a post above that you primarily use a 50mm and a 24mm on your 5D Mk II's. I also shoot with a 5D Mk II and also a 40D. I have a variety of fast primes and 2.8 zooms. I'm still working on defining my style and trying different things any ways of doing them to see what I like best.<br />I find I use the 70-200 2.8 IS quite a bit during the ceremony to get close up photos without having to get too close to the front (in trying to be unobtrusive). I was wondering how you approached your focal lengths. Do you also have a long prime you use or do you get close during the ceremony?<br />I think I bring too many lenses with me. (I have everything covered in both L primes and zooms from 15mm to 200mm and as mentioned have full frame and 1.6 crop bodies) - and I usually bring it all - and carry quite a bit of it on me all day (boy, my back aches). Could you outline your lenses of choice with regards to focal length and how you apply them.<br />Thank you in advance. Linda</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Danzel - No I don't. TBH I've never seen the point of doing them. I think I have been asked once in five or six years to do a session.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Joseph - Ahh that old chestnut. In terms of AF using the center point, the MKII is a match and I would say is marginally superior to the 1DsMKIII. Looking at the other peripheral points, the 1DsMKIII is superior as it has more horizontal/vertical points than then 5DII. When I first got the 5DMKII pre-production camera back in November last year, I was blown away by its focus accuracy in low light with the center point.</p><p>2) No I don't. I prefer to manually focus as it's less intrusive.</p><p>3) Center and I manually focus quite a lot</p><p><br></p><p><br></p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Linda - I basically take four lenses with me when shooting. 50 1.2L, 24 1.4LII, 85 f1.2LII, 35 f1,4L. The 24 and 50 are my main lenses. The 35 is used primarily as a spare if anything goes wrong with the 50 or 24. The 85 is only used when I can't get close enough to the subject. If I know I'm going to be inside a big church, I'll swap the 85 for a 135 f2L just so I don't have to intrude on the service.<br> I also have a 16-35 f2.8LII in the car, and sometimes if I know I'm going to be shooting in decent light all day, I'll use this instead of the 24 and 35, so that I can take one less lens with me.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markonestudios Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Hello Jeff, <p>As has been restated many times here, and rightly so, your work is truly inspirational. You are indeed a living legacy in the world of wedding photography. <p>My question is, do you ever use a hand-held light meter or do you rely solely on the 5D2's metering plus your own experience? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>I don't use a handheld meter at all these days. I prefer to use the in camera metering. Although at my seminar with George Weir over the weekend, he extolled the virtues of using a spot meter, so I might try that. Interestingly, I always used spot metering with film, and I still have a Pentax Digital Spotmeter somewhere, so you never know ;-)</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markonestudios Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 Thanks very much, Jeff. I suspected so, but always good to ask :) Someone stole my trusty Sekonic L-358 a few months ago and I've been using my in-camera metering ever since ;-) <p>And here's an unrelated question: Do you shoot anything apart from weddings on a regular basis (whether commercial or otherwise)? Do you find that your style of shooting weddings is influenced by or influences the other genres in which you photograph? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oistein Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Thanks a lot for your answer to my previous question, Jeff. Just wondering - do you never bring any flash kit or portable studio lamps (e.g. Elinchrom Ranger RX etc) with you? I mean, do you always go for using available light or do you have a back up option? Another question - do you find the pixel size of the 5DII too big for most of your purposes (I remember that a lot of wedding photographers considered 1DsIII as over-kill when it was marketed a couple of years ago). Do you often sell enlarged prints to your customers, therefore being happy with more pixels? Do you have any opinions on Hasselblad (e.g. H3D-31) or other medium format digital cameras' place in wedding photography? I understand that you don't fire away thousands of shots on a wedding and I guess medium format could be in your bag to obtain the highest quality possible?</p> <p>Oistein </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joseph_bayot Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Thanks for answering my question, Mr. Ascough. Here are some more:<br /> <br /> Concerning straps, I know you have said you are a big fan of the upstrap.<br /> <br /> 1) Do you also use handstraps? <br /> <br /> 2) Do you use battery grips?<br /> <br /> 3) Concerning carrying and using your two 5D2's, do you have a camera on each shoulder? Or do you only keep one camera at hand at a given moment with the other in your satchel?<br /> <br /> If you do keep both cameras out, do you arrange the cameras in a cross patten across your chest or do you just keep one on each shoulder?<br /> <br /> Thanks again for humoring my silly questions, but it's the little details and nuances that I always want to ask and talk about haha</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian Taylor Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Jeff. I see you have a new set of silver actions. I've been using your previous set for a couple of years, so I'm wondering if these are a replacement, or an addition to your previous set?<br /> Also, do you run everything through PS, or can you get acceptable colour images right out of Aperture?</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
think27 Posted July 22, 2009 Author Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Hold off on questions please until Jeff has a chance to answer. </p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terry foster Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>First of all thanks for this interesting insite to your work Jeff.<br /><br />Everyone seems to be asking technical and equipment questions but is was wondering, because of your very high reputation of being one of the top wedding photographers in the world, would you say it adds more pressure on you to get all the images a client would expect, taking into account your reputation, I would find it a bit daunting to carry that responsibility to each wedding I went to.<br /><br />Cheers Terry.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
francesco_de_tito Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Hello Jeff,<br /> I like very much your style.<br /> I would like to know ...<br /> 1) how much time do you spend at home of the bride?<br /> 2) sometimes you are asked the video?<br /> 3) if there is also the videoperatore, they somehow hamper your work.<br /> 4) What is your approach with a couple that comes from you for the first time?<br /> 5) How many photos in album deliver? that percentage and a color and B & W?<br /> thanks for your responses to my questions<br /> I apologize for my English</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Mark - No I don't shoot anything other than weddings. I do some documentary and landscape stuff for me, but that's it.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeffascough Posted July 22, 2009 Share Posted July 22, 2009 <p>Mark - Sorry didn't reply the second part of your question. My work is inluenced mainly by documentary and street photography.</p> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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