Archive for weddings
Video for Canon EOS 5D Mark II Users
Posted by: | CommentsI have owned my Canon EOS 5D Mark II for, well, quite a while. I knew it recorded video. I thought I heard that the TV show “No Reservations with Anthony Bourdain” was shot entirely with it. I could not find any reference to that but I did find that it was used to shoot an entire “House” season finale, and the director says it’s ‘the future’.
I have gotten my manual out a number of times to look up how to set it to record video and gave up. Today I Googled “video on Canon 5D” and found a scary article about updating Firmware (do I have to mess with that?). That didn’t appear to be what I was looking for so I called my trusted camera sales person. Movie. I was supposed to look up MOVIE not video.
Since sound is important, I purchased a lavalier microphone by Audio-Technica for $28 and the sound is pretty good! This small microphone can clip to a collar so your subject doesn’t have to shout. The only draw back at this point is that it is on a cord but I think it is a good start before I invest in any money in any wireless systems.
Get out your manuals and look up MOVIE, not video, and play with it. This should be fun!
Wedding Photographer Mistakes that Might Cost you Future Bookings
Posted by: | CommentsAre you making any of these five errors?
Using flash during the wedding ceremony.
Unless you have special permission, it is usually a big no-no to use flash during a ceremony. It is distracting and invasive.
Taking a million images of the same thing.
A recent wedding I attended I heard the camera snapping every 2 seconds during the entire wedding ceremony. Not only is that unnecessary, it also shows that the photographer is indeed inexperienced and has no confidence that they have the right pictures. Also when it comes time to process all of the images there will be a lot of additional time involved. There will be a lot of wasted time editing duplicate images too.
Wearing bright clothes.
You are not there to get noticed. Dress nice, subdued, and professional but not loud.
Not learning about the family.
If there is a divorce situation be sure you take the time to learn about the situation before the wedding day. This is not a time to be shy, just be polite and ask the couple to describe the family dynamics you will be working with so you can do a good job.
Remember the wedding day it is a special day for parents as well as the bride and groom. Find out how they wish to be addressed. Write down their names. Be sure you are not using terms like “the other father.” If a bride or groom has a natural father, a step-father, or another version of a father figure in their life, learn how to properly address them.
Pay close attention to who is to be in photos and who is not. If the parents of the bride and groom are a divorced couple who agree to be in a photo together, do not assume that they will be okay being in the same photograph with the new spouse, if there is one. Do not put them in this uncomfortable and infuriating position.
Hurting a parent’s (or wedding party member’s) feelings at a wedding leaves as deep of a scar as if you ticked off the bride herself. Not to mention your possible reputation.
Looking at the images on the camera’s view screen every shot.
If you are not sure you are getting it right and are that insecure, maybe you are not ready for wedding photography.
Not having leave behind cards.
Make business size card that guests can pick up with the couple’s engagement photo on one side and your studio contact information on the back. Be sure to provide them at no charge to the couple, and ask for an appropriate place to put them that guests know they can take one. At a country club wedding, for example, do not put them all over the dinner tables.
One way you can really impress your wedding party is to have a wedding emergency kit on hand. There are so many things that brides and grooms forget to pack for the wedding ceremony or did not anticipate needing like breath mints or stain remover. It is great to have extra things like floral pins. They have been known to break. Find out more here.
Want to Expand your Horizons? Start with Wedding Traditions and Cultures
Posted by: | CommentsAt a Hindu wedding, the mothers of the bride and groom do not attend the wedding ceremony. It is believed that if the mothers are not present it will protect the bride and groom from the evil eye.
One Mexican wedding tradition is the groom gives the bride thirteen gold coins as a symbol of his unquestionable trust and confidence.
If you photograph weddings, especially if you work with a variety of cultures, or want to, this website is a start on getting information you need to be the best wedding professional you can be. http://www.weddingdetails.com/lore/
I found these traditions so fascinating. Did you know that in the Ukraine, they have wedding bread instead of cake? In Ireland, on the wedding day it was traditional for the bride and groom to walk together to the church.
Brush up on your wedding traditions and cultures and you can attract a wider variety of clientele that will appreciate you!
