dave_shilling__sacramento_

<p>try the slideshow software from IntoTheDarkRoom.com. good for album display. showit is cool too.</p>

<p>Bruce,<br>

I was born on a house boat on Bass Lake, I eat Bass every day! Ok, april fools. But it doesnt take any of these pros very long to look around and make the best of a location! I have shot Yosemite though.... its beautiful. I'm open on aug 15th.

Good Luck with your search!</p>

<p>Dave</p>

<p>Dan Ferrel said:<br>

"When was the last time you looked at a picture and said "wow, that must have been shot by a _____ camera"?</p>

<p>Dan, I do this all the time... I can spot a 5D picture right away.</p>

<p>That depends somewhat on your working room. Assuming you are shooting full frame and have the space, I would shoot the 50mm prime at f8 if the Tamron doesnt suit your needs. If you shoot this wide, your subjects at the sides of the frame will distort and look disproportionately larger. 50mm will help with that and compress the shot as well. <br>

Of course, if you dont have the room, wide angle on the tamron is the best(only) option.</p>

<p>I TOTALLY called those as the top three. I think its a three way tie, since they're all a different "type" of wedding photo. First one was an awesome tender moment type of shot. Second one was just ridiculously beautiful and would make a killer canvas. Marc's was my personal favorite the whole time, precisely BECAUSE of the balloon placement.... Marc, you're the man.<br>

To the guy with the "opinion" ... if you wanted to really prove your point, a gutsy move would have been to post one of your awesome shots.

<p>I thought for sure that Marc Williams was the breakaway star in this one... The winner obviously stood out as well, but Matc's photo was epic. I would want it on the last page of my album!</p>

<p>Third wedding, 24mm ,1/125, f4.5, ISO800. There was this cool looking chair in the dressing room, so we had to chill out for a sec before this beautiful lady tied the knot. She laughed, and I took that picture too, but this was right after that moment... I was going to ask her what she was thinking, but I didn't want to spoil her moment.</p>

<p> </p><div></div>

First thing... do you actually have a book made that they can put in their hands? People are sold by the ability to touch things.....It will help. For the most part, if you aren't better or cheaper than your competition, the guest book wont be a deal breaker. Its not necessarily an original idea either. Ask yourself... would you buy a car you didnt like if it came with a free tank of gas? Try to make your PHOTOGRAPHY different.... if a couple likes your book but some other photographer, how trivial would it be for that person to ask the other photographer if they can provide that service also? I had a bride make her own on blurb.com, and it was super easy. But if your client can't get your style anywhere else but with you, then you dont need a gimmick. Sorry for the straight talk, but I think it will help your business in the long term.

 

Off-topic, but I looked at your wedding gallery and came across a photo with a patch of grass that grew 50 identical twins all around your couple.... cloning grass in photoshop may not be worth the effort you put in... It looks fake.

"Speaking of scams, anyone heard of this one? Some outfit calls themselves the "United States Treasury" and they claim that their "economy is in trouble". They want me to send them a portion of my income by next April! Yeah, right."

 

Seriously, I read this and I was like... wow, that wasnt even a creative scam. Until it hit me.

I use the 18-200 whenever I'm shooting for fun, and I dont want to get as lost in the photography as much as the event. As mentioned before, if you spend time analyzing whether or not the 18-200mm VR has the IQ needed, you might just need to work on being a better photographer. Sharpness isnt everything. If you intend to sell prints from vacation photos, then bring the good stuff when warranted. But I guarantee that great pictures are possible with the 18-200... f8 and be there.

Regarding the OP's comment, I would agree to an extent, that it isnt uncommon for someone to expect a high

quality product for their money, even if the market suggests that they shouldnt. That isnt every case, though.

Thats where screening clients comes in.. and after screening comes client education. Regarding shots taken vs.

shots delivered.... Film shooters have grown a habit of one shot one kill, which i respect. But us digital kids

take advantage of the benefits of the digital medium and fire away. Why not have 6 versions of a facial

expression? I guarantee one will stand out. I agree that its imperative to not set expectations about the number

of images. or give a range.... 300-600.

My honest opinion is that you are not taking the time to learn from your previous weddings at all . The work presented looks much more like mistakes from a first or second wedding than a 15th. William went above and beyond with his explanation.... study it and invest some time back into your work by practicing the concepts presented and not settling for an underexposed face... you might want to start by shooting manual or at least changing your metering mode. Its been said already, but the name cracked me up. Domain names are $10 a year...cheaper than a DBA actually.

I think he was just saying that the 5dmk2 has the same general mpix and ISO capabilities for much less cash.... i agree.. since its not out yet, its obviously smalltalk. I would love to shoot the video just for fun and post it up on my blog. One more way to separate yourself from the pack.

I would suggest not using a tilt until you are comfortable understanding how it actually adds to a composition. There were some shots that had the bride tilted in such a way that she defied the laws of gravity... how does that make her look glamorous?

 

There were also some shots that may have benefited if you took 3 or 4 good steps back.

I would offer to re-shoot this for them and try a new approach.

Karri,

 

 

If you were going to buy tires for a car that carries your family, would you buy the cheapest ones you can possibly find?

 

How about an alarm system for your home? Find the one on sale from a no-name brand?

 

Usually, people equate price with quality. Weddings are important, and people like to have peace of mind. Most people assume that things are inexpensive for a reason. Think about this when you are trying to justify to yourself why you charge what you charge.

 

That said, you can certainly be just a fantastic bargain. Just expect your referrals to be people who expect you to be a fantastic bargain as well, and breaking that cycle is a difficult but necessary task if you decide to be full time.

I suppose it depends solely on how much room you have. a 17-55 should usually be able to get the job done. shooting a group at 11mm wouldnt be for anything more than a fun photo, since the people at the edges would be quite distorted.

With an attitude of entitlement like that, I would tell him that you'll send him a thank you gift.... and send hum a $5 gift card to starbucks.

What do you guys think about delivering images on a flash drive instead of a disc? More/Less reliable?

Theres no high speed sync option for the 5D/ 5DMKII ? That would be lame..... love my Nikon for that.

a 50mm 1.2 is my dream lens for Nikon

"The wedding shoot has become a fashion shoot. Theater. And it makes we wonder if B&G's ever cry uncle along the way?"

 

And Brides love it. They get to be in front of a professional photographer twice in their life maybe, so why no make it more than just some traditional poses? They can use toe opportunity to feel glamorous, and if people cant see how brides would enjoy that, then there's not much more to say.

 

A bride still has the option to have only 200 photos in her Wedding collection. Its called the delete key. Funny how they dont delete them... maybe some people are forgetting that the brides and their tastes drive the market.

 

To the OP Joel:

I'm not entirely sure what problem you're having exactly. If you are just looking for people to be nostalgic with you, then mission accomplished. If you are trying to absorb the changes that have happened in the market, take the suggestions you have been given so far, exhaust the information, and come back to the forums when the additional info prompts additional questions, and then use the search function to review volumes of wisdom already spilled out across the forum every day. The info is all here, so you've got some catchin up to do!

A professional photographer is difficult to define, since it doesn technically mean someone who collects money in exchange for photos consistently. I dont think having a day job influences that fact, It just means they have more work to do and manage their time well. But we all know what the pro "feels" like. I dont think that pros MUST use old equipment to prove how busy they are and and how much their camera doesnt matter... real pros consider camera costs insignificant, and will purchase a new camera when it will help them produce a better product and make more money from it. Its a tax writeoff anyways. You know you're next to a pro by watching how work. They produce consistent results to their clients satisfaction.

I think the best angle is 84 degrees. haha. Actually, I agree that since its a classical photo to include with a photo collection, down the aisle is best. You never know, the Groom may just grab her and dip her real low and plant a good one on her.... then your angle you mentioned above is not ideal. I'd go for the safety of the aisle, and discuss with your bride any additional angle that looks more contemporary beforehand. I'm sure there arent many newlyweds who will resist doing a recreation for that one =) ...

I would refrain from charging per hour, and just charge extra for a full day. Make the commitment to be there for everything and convince your clients that trying to save a few bucks by going hourly may seem good now, but not in ten years when you are missing photos you could've had. You can charge $2000 for a day and not really be raising your rates. My weddings take 10 hours easily.

 

As far as charging more, your photos are good enough, but is your marketing? You need to convince people to pay you $3,000 for pictures...as they say, photos are 10% of the business, marketing is 90%. If people see you first and think you're worth 3 grand, its your job to amke sure they dont bother comparing you to your peers and hire YOU as well as your photos.

There is tons of information on the forum regarding how to approach a wedding as a newcomer, many of which discuss having equipment limitations as well. I think your equipment is fine if you dont plan to be a wedding photographer. You absolutely NEED flash though. Bright, sunny day? flash for the shadows. Indoor reception? bounce /fill flash for sharper pictures. Buy an SB800, or even an SB 600, and practice. check out www.planetneil.com once you have.

 

The idea of hiring someone from craigslist isnt a bad one. If its their first wedding though, you may as well do it yourself... my first wasnt bad, but wasnt good.