ben_fones

<p>ACDsee is great but my suggestion is a program called fotostation. What I do is open up all images from a wedding into fotostation and run a slideshow which runs you can move forward and backwards and use the space bar to select the images you like. Once at the end right click on any highlighted image and select Copy/Move makes sure the move boxes is unchecked and choose the location this then creates a "chosen folder" of image reducing wedding images from around 1500 to about 500. I then rotate in ACDsee and import into lightroom. Once imported whit balance and curves can be adjusted and images can also be batch processed by selecting the images and using the "sync settings" tools. <br>

Lightroom does take a lot of getting used to and I do find that I will always re-adjust when album designing in Photoshop, but to get images ready to be seen by client’s lightroom is brilliant and the metadata and keywords features are brilliant.<br>

Ben<br>

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<p>I actually have it written into the contract that the couple will provide me with a meal and a drink. Let’s be honest after seven or eight hours of no stop hard work coupled with unresponsive guests and rude vicars and registrars I need some food. Despite this and despite the couple usually paying for and insisting that I get something to eat many venues here in England actually follow through with the promise.<br>

Ill be honest I much prefer sitting in the bar and with over 100 weddings under my belt can honestly say I have never missed anything of importance or that would have made the album any way, as someone else said nobody wants to be photographed whilst eating.<br>

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<p>Hi Kellie,<br>

I think it has been said a lot already but my biggest advice would be to spend a little more time in getting it right in the camera when shooting. I personally learnt my trade when everything was still film and therefore you had to get it right first time, it shouldn't be any different now even though we all have the luxury of a screen and THANK GOD FOR PHOTOSHOP, ha-ha. Trust me this will save you so much time in post production just learning the correct white balance to use and also using the histogram on the camera screen to check the detail in the image.<br />With regards your actually photography try shooting with the lens wide open like f2.8 and shoot through thinks like flowers, trees even people this just gives your images a greater depth and a more natural look. Something that helped me was watching other photographers and shooting weddings as a 2nd photographer before I took on my own, also check out "masters of wedding photography" on youtube especially note people like Yervant not only for their photography skills but also the way they interact with the bride and groom. But most importantly don’t be nervous go to a wedding and enjoy yourself, over shoot it because it is always better to have to much stuff, and remember if you are enjoying yourself, then so are the bride, groom and guests which always results in better images and if they aren't smiling tell them be a little bit cheeky it always works for me.<br />Hope I have helped<br />Ben<br>

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<p>Hey everyone,<br>

This story doesn't surprise me one bit, I have been a professional photographer for three years but have been learning my trade for nearly ten. I’m based in England and I can honestly say that it is no different over here, in this story however what does anger me is that this photographer and ones like her are the same "Professional Photographers" that give the rest of us bad reputations and actually create more problems for us on a wedding day. Yes I do agree with some of the comments that we all had to start somewhere and I was no different, I was lucky after I had achieved my degree I work for a well respected pro for two years and in that time shot over 40 solo weddings but having his guidance and advice was priceless and actually more of an education than the previous seven years of art collage. This story pretty much sums up the attitudes that I have come across from Joe Public in the last three years that "anyone can be a photographer... all you do is press a button .... How hard can it be" $2200 in compensation that’s how hard....<br>

I hope this doesn’t seem too harsh, but I'm always happy to help out anybody with a remote interest in photography after all it is my main passion too, and with out help I wouldn’t be where I am today, but sometimes I think people need to realise it isn't as easy as picking up an expensive piece of equipment. However this is no reason to turn your back on photography if you really are interested in it, just remember not to rush into things and do your research, genuine professionals are always happy to help people who want to learn.<br>

Ben<br>

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