roxyandkaidotcom

I do weddings on Saturdays and portraits on Sundays. It stinks to never have weekends off,

but I get to stay home with my babies Monday through Friday, so I've learned to deal with it :)

Every once in a while, when I'm getting REALLY worn out, I schedule a Sunday off and tell

people I'm already booked that day.

Hey Amy!!! Can't go wrong with Kubota :) If you wanna spend a little more, the Boutwell

actions are RAD :) and totally worth the extra $49 ...

www.totallyradactions.com

I think the first one is the best. The second one has dark, red skintones that could be

pulled out with photoshop (but would probably end up being grainy because of the

underexposure) and the third looks really overflashed to me. I think if you spend some

time looking at truly great photographer's websites, you'd see what you need to aim for. I

DO NOT THINK that you should try to shoot just like anyone else or that you should wait

until you're at Jessica Claire's level to shoot weddings - just look at the greats and be

inspired to do better. Learn how to use your flash and photoshop and you'll be on the

right track!

Here are some inspirational sites!

http://jeshderox.com/

http://www.jcsphoto.com/

http://www.josevillaphoto.com/

http://www.bobbiandmike.com/

http://www.whiteboxweddings.com/

http://www.chrispluslynn.com/

http://www.almasyphoto.com/

Good luck :)

For what it's worth, I started out last year and did my first wedding for $475. I did lots of

low-priced stuff to build up my portfolio!

I really don't mean this to be discouraging, but instead of investing in a booth, banners

and all that extra stuff, maybe a few classes would be better for you. Try looking into a

community college or nearby university and see if they have any photography courses

available. The photos you've posted here aren't terrible, but they're not very good, either.

It's not the best idea to start out as a "cheap" photographer with okay photos. You want to

start out great and keep getting better!

You have a lot of potential, but don't jump in 'til you know how to swim!

Good luck :)

Sarah

I didn't have a problem joining and I've never even met David Jay. I've never gotten an "elitist"

feeling from the forums either. Maybe it was just a fluke?

I did the trial membership and liked it, but then found OSP (which is free) to be just as

inspiring. There are some amazing photographers on OSP (Jessica Claire and Jesh DeRox just

to name a couple of the more well known).

http://www.opensourcephoto.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=15021&hl=

That should help!

<i> "Rich Simmons, Jul 30, 2007; 07:31 p.m.

My name is Richard Simmons. Who am I to make fun of someone's name? ;)" </i>

<br>

<br>

haha!! Now that made me laugh out loud :)

<br>

<br>

I like Rose Pink! Go for it! :)

Agree with Mike - that ad copy sounds cheesy and cheap. If I saw ALL THAT TEXT on a half

page ad for a photographer, I'd skip right over it. It's a sales pitch and looks a little

desperate. Like "Please! Listen to me! I can convince you I'm good!" I think Todd's image(s)

speak for themselves ... a photography ad should sell with images!

It all comes down to simplicity vs. hype : WATCH THIS VIDEO!!

..

Love the ad. Completely disagree with Colin (sorry Colin!) I think it's simple, clean and perfect

just the way it is. Good stuff Todd!

Depends on what they want the photos for. If they want to use them for save the date

cards or for their invites, they'll need them at least 3 or 4 months out - maybe sooner. If

they just want them to frame and put on tables at the reception, you can do them a week

or two before (as long as you're quick with editing!)

I always just tell people to call me when they're ready for the session and tell them it'll

take 2 weeks to get the photos back. They can figure out when they want to do it and get

with me to schedule a specific time.

Have fun! E-sessions are my FAVORITE!

Oh, sorry, I didn't finish my point! I was going to say ... soooooooo, if you're goal is lots of

lower priced weddings (which is FINE, especially if you're just starting!) then the selective

coloring is okay. If you want to raise your prices, you'll have to ditch them for solid,

gimmick-less photography :) The higher end brides will see that and RUN!

Please please please don't take this comment as snobby, 'cause I do NOT mean it to be.

The selective coloring, as my experience has been anyway, is a lower-end bride thing.

When I first started and was shooting $500 weddings I had LOTS of requests for "just the

bouquet in color." Since I've raised my prices, all the brides ask me if I do that and when I

say NOPE, they say "OH, GOOOOOD. That's soooo tacky!" Higher end brides want pictures

that look like they could be in magazines (which is not always a good thing!) and there's

no way a bridal magazine would run a B&W photo with a color bouquet. It really does look

cheesy :(

Other than that, I'd bump your contrast up, keep on practicing and go for it! Good luck!!! :)

BIG ones! I'll attach a photo.

The booth came with a black curtain that I knew would be hard to display pictures on, so I

had my dad build me a "wall." It ended up working out pretty good. The table with all my

"stuff" on it was from our back patio table :) I hated the table the booth came with (standard

folding table with a white drape - YUCK!)<div></div>

I second the bridal show suggestion ... I did my first last month and have been FLOOOOODED

with inquiries since then. It was more than $1000, though ... $750 for the booth + $600 for a

bunch of BIG, nice, framed prints + $250 for promo materials. It was worth every penny

though - I've booked at least 10 clients already just from the fair.

www.simplyblu.com

they're all $400, easy to setup and easy to update.

good luck! :) s

This is gonna be a bummer post, but today on Oprah there was a story about a drunk

driver who went the wrong way down an interstate and crashed headfirst (at 70mph) into a

limo filled with a family that had just left a wedding. All members of the family were

seriously injured, the driver was killed and a 7 year old girl was decapitated. Her mother

(who was in the limo, too) sat on the side of the road, holding her daughter's head,

watching the fire department pull her family one by one out of the limo. How HORRIFYING

is THAT?! I was seriously crying the whole time this story was on, as they showed beautiful

picture after beautiful picture of the little girl and her family at the wedding just hours

before her death. I'm serious, these photos were gorgeous. The family could not have

asked for a better photographer to record the last night of that little girl's life. It really,

really affected me and made me realize (again) just how important our jobs are to the

families we work with.

(told you it was gonna be a bummer)

First : Learn how to use fill flash HERE : http://photonotes.org/articles/eos-flash/

index2.html#fillflash

Then : Go to www.lensrentals.com and rent a GOOOOD, FAST lens (or two) ... the 17-55,

2.8 is great and the 70-200, 2.8 is even greater :) Don't spend ANY money on cheap, slow

glass!! Save your money for the good stuff.

You should always have a backup battery, so yep, get one of those, too.

Before your next wedding, learn off-camera flash by reading HERE (and practicing A LOT):

http://strobist.blogspot.com/2006/03/lighting-101.html

Good luck!

Hahaha Ni! That's funny!! :) I don't even let people shoot me with my clothes ON very often :) I

was definitely on the camera side :)