katie_jullian

<p>I use a small fold up 12" stool for the reception and keep a larger fold up 2 step in the trunk of my camera just in case. They were life savers for the two Jewish weddings I shot where there was a ton of crazy dancing I had to get above the packed dance floor to get anything decent.<br>

However, I have to get a new smaller one as at the last wedding it broke while I was on it (the weight limit was 300lbs, so I know I didn't exceed but it just all of a sudden gave way) Luckily it was during a loud song and no one noticed except for the two guests who caught me by the arm.<br>

I do like to get up high and will sometimes get up on chairs, but I usually feel like this is distracting, plus there is the extra hassle of having to check with someone at the venue first (otherwise they may give you nasty looks for getting your feet on their chairs or ask you to step down)</p>

<p>I list my base price, but that is all. I am currently working the "a la carte" angle, but will be restructuring to add packages this year. When I do, I'll add the packages to the site as well.<br>

When I didn't have my base price listed and just had "contact me to discuss prices" I was getting a fair amount of inquiries from people who could not afford me and were expecting much lower rates.<br>

When I was personally shopping for a wedding photographer, my first click was to the pricing page to see if I could afford them. If they didn't list a price, unless I really really liked them I skipped right over them. It should be noted that the area I was looking for was pretty competitive and had a multitude of photographers. There were so many that it was a way for me cull them down.</p>

<p>On Sunday I was photographing a wedding outside on the shoreline of a lake. The ceremony was set up facing the lake and I was having a hard time getting shots of the couple's faces, as they too were facing the lake and had their backs to the guests the whole time. Consequently, I was shooting their profiles from the side at the very edge of the lake where there was about a foot of undergrowth. I was very careful to look where I was stepping so as to avoid falling into said lake. At one point I had switched sides, was about to step into the weeds and brush, looked where I was stepping and realized that 1 inch from where I was about to place my foot was a bee's nest! I froze with my foot suspended in mid air, took a deep breath and thanked the photo gods for not playing out the image that was running through my head (of being stuck by a swarm of bees and falling into the lake simultaneously). Disaster adverted!</p>

<p>Equipment = Nikon D80 with 80-200mm/2.8 lens; SB600 Flash<br>

Tech Info = Focal 86mm; 1/60sec @ F2.8; ISO 200; Shot RAW and PP in Lghtrm/PS converted to JPG<br>

I've been shooting weddings part time for 2 years and this was from my 5th one.<br>

<img src="http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/1538997_x6pec#460794718_LDq2A-A-LB" alt="" /></p><div></div>

<p>YOGA!!! When I was doing yoga, I could actually shoot much better in low light situations b/c my camera wasn't shaking as much. Plus my balance and flexibility was so much better that I had an easier time getting difficult shots or angles. I was still wiped out after shooting a wedding, but as it has already been noted above, its the nature of the game - weddings are hard! One could also make the argument that yoga mentally helps you prepare/recover with its emphasis on clearing your mind, focusing and relaxation.<br>

I have been lazy and have not gone in awhile and can definitely tell the difference in how I feel and in the quality of my work. It's time to get back to it.</p>

So far I've been lucky (knock on wood) as far as officiants and equipment (double knock on wood), but my second

wedding comes to mind...

 

The bride was a friend of mine and originally wasn't going to have a wedding and then her mom got involved and it

snowballed. She asked me if I was interested in shooting it because if she was going to have a photog she wanted

it to be a friend (and ironically we had spent the last two years confiding in each other about the fear of

getting married). Well it was an out of town event and my husband went with me, mainly for moral support, as I

was extremely nervous (the only other wedding before this had been ceremony only with immediate family members.)

 

The day of, I wake up very early to my husband saying his lungs were tight and he couldn't breathe. A year

earlier he had suffered a collapsed lung, so after asking him about fifty times "do you want to go to the

hospital", we ask for directions at the front desk. Luckily one was nearby (we were in the middle of

nowhere-ville). We had a couple of hours before I was supposed to be there, but of course once they learned about

the lung collapse they were not going to let him leave without running tests. So sitting in the hospital, nerves

completely shot from being a first timer and seeing tubes hooked up to him, all the memories of the last time he

was in the hospital came flooding back, and I lost it. I left a voicemail for the bride explaining what had

happened and that I was so sorry I was going to be late and would be there as soon as I could. My voice was so

shaky as I tried to hold back the tears. The hospital staff was wonderful and saw my predicament and ran the

fastest tests ever and gave him the green light. We raced down the road, got lost, kept racing and I got there in

time for the ceremony, having only missed the getting ready

shots. Of course, it was awhile before I stopped shaking. Luckily the bride is one of the sweetest people I know

and was more concerned over my husband's health than the lost time. We have no idea what set his lungs off but

think it might have been something in the hotel room.

Hi G.E.,

If you know of anyone else who can take the photographs, I highly recommend asking them. I made the mistake this past summer of agreeing to photograph my sister's wedding and I will never shoot a family member's wedding again. When I wasn't taking photographs and enjoying the event, I felt guilty for not doing what she asked of me. But when I was taking photographs, I felt guilty for not being there for her on her big day. This also reminds me of the time I was watching a sunset with my brother, and as I was about to hold the camera up to my eye to take a picture, he asked me about living my life through a viewfinder. Do you really want to watch your son getting married through one?

 

If you are in a bind and must be the photographer, the natural window light from the bay window sounds like the place to be. Definitely follow the advice of going there this week and taking test shots and flip through some wedding magazines. Don't be afraid to get in close (esp. since you are in a nice intimate setting) and to change your perspective (sometimes crouch down or stand on a chair). Also remember to get some detail shots - if you're son and new daughter in law make an album, these really help to narrate. To be honest, I am mixed about the flash. Red brick walls sound dark, so flash could be handy. However, flash takes practice and a week is not a whole lot of time.

Good luck and congratulations!

My last wedding, I decided beforehand to try to shoot mainly in manual mode and if I got flustered I would switch back to aperture priority. Before this, I was mainly in aperture mode, for the same reason as you mentioned - I was afraid of missing the shot. I had pretty much reserved manual mode for non-event photography, thinking I wouldn't be able to act fast enough and inevitably forget something. I found it surprisingly easy though to think in manual mode and in my opinion, I think this last wedding was an all time best for me. My exposures were more consistent and the need to be constantly aware of my settings deterred me from slipping into "machine gun mode". Granted there were a few times, when I snapped a couple and then realized I wasn't paying attention (I'd get really excited about a composition and forget everything else), but practice makes perfect.

 

Completely, agree though that whatever works for you is the way to go.

I've been very happy with SmugMug (however I have not used any of the other sites, so I have nothing to compare

them to and as far as clients, I am relatively new to the wedding business - 4 full weddings and 4 half

weddings). I believe you have to reach $100 in profit before they send you a check.

 

If you are interested in customizing your Smugmug site yourself, the support forum is great for learning the CSS

codes (and I have to admit, I found it very addictive - once you start customizing it is hard to stop). There are

a few things that I would like to be able to customize that I currently can't, but they are pretty minor issues

and I'm sure there are things I can do to work around them.

 

I've had to email their customer support twice (once was a stupid error on my part, and once was on behalf of a

client who couldn't get the shopping cart to work) Both times they responded within an hour's time and resolved

the issues.

Before you make a decision, I suggest browsing their forum - it gives you a good sense of the company and support

they offer.