I had no idea how much easier it is working with adults who do what you tell them! I am so use to just working with ages 6 and under that I had no idea how easy a session could go. This was the first time that I have done any adult posed photography, so it was challenging for me but a whole lot of fun! I can't wait to get the chance to do it again.

This session had some interesting challenges to it- first the weather was 103 degrees while we had the session (even though it was 8pm), the wind was crazy blowing (ah! nothing better than hot wind!) and the sprinkler system turned on us. Fabulous! Luckily, you'd never know from the pictures how they turned out how miserable my poor bride was- she was dying from the heat! I will be doing her wedding in August as well- oh! I can't wait!!!

Here are a few images from this week's bridal session- please offer any CC you may have! I love everything, so I am not having an easy time finding the flaws.

I think that you did a great job on your first adult posed session. Teens, Seniors, adults are a whole different ball game than the little ones....both are equally rewarding I think though. I recently bought Tim Kelly's videos Posing 4 One vol. 1 and vol. 2......I highly recomend them. He shows everything from the feet to the hands to the different head tilts.....creating a posed but very relaxed look.....from h/s to 3/4 to full length.

Anyway.....great job on these!!

nice work. i really enjoy the diversity of images you posted. the only thing that caught my eye off the bat, is the first image. that "dent" in her back is distracting. i know that's how things go with wedding dresses sometimes...but it just seems very pronounced to me and takes away from the beauty of the image. but that could just be me.

other than that tiny little thing, i think these are really beautiful. i'm really loving the lightpost shot. so again, nice work!

i agree with number one. Next time try and different angle or have her hold the flowers upright. just try and watch for the detail. not that i am by any means julie the great but i am trying to watch better for detail like that.

great colors.

julie b

Thanks you guys!

I think I am going to just add another stem to cover the back crack! I tried cloning and softening it, but it just didn't look right now matter what I did.

Thanks for shraing Philip! I am going to have to check out that book!

Mac- the lightpost shot is probably my favorite as well! I just wish I could think of something post-processing to do with it to really make it wow...... I really stink at that kind of stuff.

Thanks Julie for the suggestion! With babies, I never care about the rolls and chubb- I guess adults don't like that, do they?

Wow. I know your watermarks say Do Not Copy...but tons of people here (including me) will definitely be copying your style! You rock!

These are gorgeous! Well done. Love all of them. Next year you will call all your brides to take pictures in the spring. I usually don't have a day off during March through June. But it is much cooler, although some rain, and some wind. Of course you will figure all this out as soon as you are more used to it. You will be completely ready for next year. You will have the sheets for them without waiting on them, some white sheets in my car all the time, you will make sure when they get in the car, the sheet covers the wheel, and inner door, that is always where they get it dirty. You will do more squats fixing a dress than ever before in your life, while juggling two camera's on your neck. You will have a blotting towel in your bag, a tissue for mom, safety pins, and bobby pins. Ask them to wear some comfortable shoes, but tell them to bring the gorgeous ones, so you can get great pictures, hum, what else?? I am thinking of buying one of those ties for the back of the dress for emergency, one in ivory and one in white. Mostly for the wedding day. That can delay progress. You will have new bridal magazines all over the house looking for new ideas and new poses to inspire.
I read this and it was so funny, I just posted the blog about how I used to do childrens photography. You should read it. It was a coinsedence that you had this posted. my blog www.laurakelleyphotography.blogspot.com and you will see some children shots. Good luck with your brides. They will become like your sisters if your young, and the daughters you never had when you are older. Well maybe you have daughters, more daughters!.

Hope- you made my day! Thank you so much! I think you are the first to ever say that I actually had a style worth copying! lol

Laura!!!
How weird about your blog.....I adore working with children, it really is where my heart is. But, I really want to break into something different mostly because I have been so scared of it before and I know I can do, I just have this intense fear of failure. Mother's aren't easy to disappoint--- dealing with a bridezilla seems so much more of a big deal! But, this session did teach me a lot of things- one being that I really can do it!

I have only been doing photography since December, so I just am trying to take it one step at a time. I hope that this is just the beginning of some bigger and better things......

Thank you for the encouragment!!! (BTW- your work is amazing!!! I LOVE *your* style!)

I think in regards the bridezilla's, I think you get what you give. My girls are amazing. I insist on bridals and engagements. They come to the wedding knowing I can handle my job and I am not a stranger at the wedding, I am a friend to both bride and groom. They know I can handle my job because I have shown them proof already. Also when the guest see the prints around the room, it also reminds them that the photographer is fully capable of getting the shot. You earn their respect. I am certain with these amazing pictures above, she is a friend for life. She will never forget that you can handle your camera, with her beautiful face. You did a very good job. Very natural and well composed and exposure is right on. You shouldn't fear weddings, or brides. You will do a great job. Your work here proves it.

Laura! Thank you so much for the encouragment! I hope you don't mind if I do some brainpicking at some point!

Well I love brainpicking. Anytime you need, I will give you what I got. (might not be much)
Montana, I heard it is one of the prettiest places around. My friends moved there and they said they never wanted to leave. Is it full of mountains? I would love to go one day. If I make a vacation on day I will get in touch with you. I have a timeshare that can take me anywheres. When is the prettiest time of year? With my crazy schedule I may never have a vacation.
Again, anything I can do to help. I am here. Just a click away.

Alicia these are beautiful! (Since you asked, what a about a contrasty black & white with a fairly heavy vignette on the lamppost one? Could be fun to play with.) I'm partial to the railroad tracks and her expression in the last one.

I came from kids photography too (and lots of dogs). And after being relentlessly encouraged by my own wedding photographer to try a wedding I went along with her to shoot. I had the same experience you're having! Grown ups who are dressed up, want to be photographed , and will do almost anything you ask them to?!? Love it! I now just adore weddings, but I could never, ever give up the joy of a few hours playing with (and photographing) little kids.

Why are portrait photographers so scared of weddings? I was. But the reality is that if you can get the shot of two year old on a rough day... then adults are a blast!

Alicia... Thanks for sharing these, and your story. The photos are beautiful.... lovely colors and poses. I'm sure your bride was AMAZED!! Really beautiful job and congrats on being brave and stepping into weddings!



I'm so scared to jump into weddings, too. I've been asked several times, and have always turned them down because I am too nervous. Like Alicia said... mothers are fairly easy to please. They always think their kids are cute! Brides, on the other hand, scare me!

My big fear, though, is lighting. I am afraid of big, dark reception halls!!

Alicia, I want to do some brainpicking on you!!! You are Awesome and I would love to know how you got there!

Thank you so much everyone!!!



You can count on it!



You know, Paige- I had a "professional" photographer shoot my wedding in 2001 when digital was just getting to be new for weddings. She shot at low resolution to make the most of her memory card. On top of that, she shot everything at a far distance with her on-camera flash- everything looked awful. The prints were so pixelated at 4X6. I have no prints from my wedding- I was refunded, but I still don't have those memories. W

With children- if they don't turn out, you reshoot. If the mom is still unhappy- you refund. No big deal. Weddings, you just can't reshoot. You can't go back to try to capture those memories. This is a once (hopefully) in a lifetime event. I think that is what is the most intimidating. It's that fear that you realized your forgot to change your ISO and shot the whole thing at 3200.



For the wedding, mine is fear of harsh sun and wind....outdoors wedding the middle of the day. Ugh



LOL- I don't think I have much to offer! Thank you all the same! I think I have to write up my story in a separate post because it really is a pretty neat one (at least I think so! lol)

Alicia, WOW! Great work especially the last two images. I'm amazed this is the first time you've posed adults because you've done incredibly well I really like the angle you've shot the last one & the composition. I feel you've done well especially in that shot because awkward angles can make for awkward subjects but she's not at all uncomfortable. My only crit would be the eyes are too central on the image in the close-up portrait and on the second image the bride's arms are doing nothing for want of a better explanation! I have a thing about dangling arms! It's one of the hardest things for clients to know what to do with their arms/hands & it's our job to direct them - maybe one hand on the lamp-post would have worked or just a slight bend in her right arm with hand placed on her dress. Those are really minor things though - you rocked this session... way to go!!

Thank you so much Sophie (have I said before you are one of my favorites???)

Can you believe that I actually TOLD her to dangle??? lol That's where my inexperience comes in.....I thought it looked very vogue.

Thank you so much for your suggestions! Here is another shot I did where you can't see her tiara- is this better?

Alicia, these are lovely!




It's so true! I turned down so many weddings because I was just too terrified of screwing something up! But now that I've started, I don't think I could stop. Adults actually stand still when you want them to and move when you want them to! Seriously, what was I so afraid of?? And why do we think weddings are going to be harder than shooting portraits?

But I don't think I could give up the portrait side - I love it too much!

My story thread

I decided to post my story for those who are interested.

Good point. I guess you just get used to checking and rechecking everything again and again. Doesn't make it sound like much fun though, does it?

And I am sooo sorry about your own wedding photos! That is heart-breaking! But look at the incredible you gift you have just given this bride. Wouldn't we all love to able to have photos like that in our wedding dresses?

I need to buy another wedding dress so I can have a TTD session- anyone want to come to montana???

I already said I would go. I will pay my way, you show me the sites.

lol! Alrighty then! I'll pm you!

Dark ceromonies in churches were always intimidating. Handling very important memory cards is very stressful. Buy ENOUGH! Don't make yourself have to format anything. If you want to make a second copy on a laptop, or a Epson PhotoFine Unit, like I do, that is great, but don't make yourself have to delete in an already stressful situation. Those cards are so cheap now it is worth it to have enough for the whole wedding.
I always tell new photographers that they should light a candle in a dark room and take a picture until you can get a decent picture from it. Well maybe a few candles, lets be fair. Learn how to shoot in low light. What does it take for your camera to perform. Do you need more lenses, then you need to get them before the wedding. You will need a camera that handles grain or maybe you like grain, with a high ISO, which Nikon is not that great about it. You will need a lens that has a large opening or small aperture, (okay guys help me out here, don't really know the terminology) I have F1.8's and f2.8's to work on my camera's. It helps. And make sure they go all the way to full zoom, or you will have a f5.6 instead and that doesn't work for me ever. Actually if you shoot direct you might can accomplish it. I can't. I rarely shoot direct. I bounce from anything.
I was sick for two days after my first few weddings. It is a responsibility, but get over that hump and you will completely love weddings. I promise, you can do it. It just takes practice. So don't sweat it. You can do it.

I have 2 4GB cards- do you should I use more?

I haven't decided yet what lens I am going to buy for this. I needed a zoom and all I have is fixed. I love my 50mmf/1.8 and plan on using it, but I need a zoom. I have heard amazing things about the 24-70mmL.....but I just don't have the funds at this time to be able to get one. I keep watching www.rentglass.com- but they are always out of stock.

Any other lens suggestions?

Alica,

These are really great! You have come so far from potn!

LOL- only you have seen the worst Ashley! Don't tell anyone how awful I was, okay?

POTN, looked it up and found Alley Wheels and Prisoners of the Night (something to do with Vampire) http://www.asidozines.com/POTN/guideline.html

I guess now I will stay home and not visit Montana after all......

Okay, what do you shoot. I guess I could find that in your profile.
Canon Nikon? I use an 85 1.8 fixed also for the ceromony that doesn't let me shoot with flash.
Hard to accomplish, on the 1.8 but I am much better than I used to be at it.
You get used to it. Fixed is so sharp and gorgeous.
I also had someone suggest a lens that I bought but they use direct flash, and I don't. So it didn't work for me at all. Maybe in daylight. It was a vibration reduction. 24-120 Nikkor 1 3.5-5.6 G/ I will sell it if anyone thinks they can shoot with it. I used it about twice for 10 minutes at a wedding and said, forget it. So now I am shooting with a Sigma, I know how bad, I should go Nikon, maybe next month, 24-70 1:2.8 all the way through to 70. There is also a Sigma that is 70-200 1:2.8 that is pretty cool, that I would like but for the price I could almost get the Nikon. I am thinking of doing that. These are not totally expensive lenses, and they are beautiful. I will be upgrading soon though. But I have 2 D200's and 1 D70 and thank goodness, because I took my brand new D200 out of the bag this week, and on 2500 Shutter, it was going as though I put it on 20. Sooo slow. Click,......pause........., click. Horrible. I don't know why. I have the latest firmware so I hope it isn't a shutter problem. This reminds me, Call Nikon.....
Anyways, I do have another to 300 but it is also f5.6 at the long end so it is useless to me at weddings. Like I said, forward flash might work, but I never shoot that unless we are desperate and in total darkness.
Hope I am helping and not making it harder. I am certain there are much more technical and experienced people here to help you that can blow my knowledge out the park. If they come I will be here to learn. I would love the perfect lens. The perfect camera that does everything while I sit back on program. But I never shoot program. Manual. So I am a chipper. I know horrible. But there is always a better exposure than the last shot and I am always looking for it. I guess I might get bored if I wasn't figuring it out all the time. Good luck. Just let me know how that vampire thing is going.

POTN- Photography On The Net- a Canon Forum.....not as bad as you thought! ROFLOL

I have a canon 20D

I don't have to worry about low lighting with this wedding- it will be outdoors midday. My struggle is going to be in harsh lighting. Yipee. Any suggestions for that?

Wow, Laura... you are a wealth of information.. and inspiration!
Can you move to Vegas for a few months and let me follow you around?

Oh and glad to hear you're not a vampire, Alicia.

Not a vampire ANYMORE.....after they closed the web-site, I decided to become a photographer instead- I am more of a day person anyways

Good to know that you are back to normal. You just never know who you meet on the internet.

Jennifer, I don't know how useful this is and like I said, there are more technical people, but I enjoy what I do and I try really hard. It is mostly trial and error and if I can help you not make the same expensive mistakes that I make, that would be great. I guess I could travel this year and meet all of you. That would be cool, but I don't expect it will happen. Between flying three kids around, and going between weddings, I might not be leaving very far. But thanks to you both for the wonderful offers. Maybe I can help online. Any questions I can answer I will try my best. These might be things you don't think about before you do weddings.
I didn't answer you about your memory cards. It depends if you shoot a lot and you won't know. I shoot raw, and I use a lot. I shoot a lot of pictures at weddings. About 800 to 1800. Depends on the time I get there and the amount of activity and beautiful things to capture. You will probably shoot a lot. Getting the light right, playing with the light. I use two cameras, one is to get the straight shot, accurate and dependable, the other camera is my play camera. To get different angles, different settings. So I shoot a lot. I have 2 - 4 gigs, 5 - 2 gigs, and 3 - 1 gigs. I never use them all since I bought the four gigs. But it is a good feeling to know you will have enough. If I started running short, before the 4gigs, I would start shooting in Jpeg. It would usually be just the play dance pictures that no one will be blowing up anyways and if it doesn't come out who knows. It isn't really as important as the cake cutting or kiss. You will know more after you have shot a few, but being new you will probably want to shoot a lot to make sure you get everything.

Do you have backup camera body?

Also, I would have a minimum of 20GB of CF cards to shoot a wedding. A mix of 4 GB and 2 GB cards should work.

Good luck!

Okay I think I have 17gb, so I guess I am good.
I totally agree with the backup camera body. I have 2 D200's and 1 D70 and like I said I was getting ready for that wedding and one camera was acting up. Just called Nikon and they talked me through it over the phone. Which was great so I don't have to send it in. Just a setting was off. And reset on the camera didn't fix it, and the menu reset didn't fix it. Which brings up another thing. If you are not sure about your camera settings, please make sure you know how to reset in case you mess something up and can't fix it. It will usually fix the problem. Like one photographer told me, "Go home read the book!! Don't shoot the wedding without knowing how your camera works." Great advice. Make sure to put back the settings that you need, such as ISO, RAW or JPEG, ect.

Great job with this session, she looks so happy in number 3.

I am soooo poor right now that I don't have enough for a back-up camera body. I didn't plan on getting this big this fast! How on earth am I suppose to make a living with this endless list on things I need??? ACK!

Maybe I should check into how much a body would cost to rent- or even if my camera store even has them to rent out......

I am sorry if we overwhelmed you. Best case scenerio you should have everything we mentioned. You can have a smaller camera for a backup, just to make sure you have a shot. Even if you have another photographer starting out, you may invite them and share the portfolio just so they can have a second camera until you can make the money for a new one. I personally would make sure all images were seperate and that they made a pricesheet for prints. That is just me. If I take a great image I don't want to not be able to claim it because someone else says it is theirs. It is your wedding, so you can actually get the other photographers images and then if they use them on the website, they have to mention that it was at one of your weddings as a second shooter that they got those images. I rather my name be on mine, theirs be on theirs.
Don't stress. There are millions of ways to solve this I am certain. Think about this idea. They won't be paid, just a portfolio opportunity. And experience. That is usually enough for those starting out. I always paid my second shooters, but in your case, for what you charged I wouldn't. I would just ask them to consider it.
Hope that helps.

And therein lies the rub with this photography business stuff.

At the very least you should borrow a backup body from a friend or rent one. I don't mean to be all doom and gloom, but the cost of renting a camera is nothing compared to the cost a shutter failure would bring to your burgeoning business. If you're comfortable with film then a few rolls of Portra would even do the trick!

You don't need to go buy two 5Ds and a bunch of L glass on credit... not yet at least

Smart man, I would say make sure you want to do this first. We know what the prime situation calls for. We are now spoiled rotten, but now you know why we have to charge so darn much. It cost. And my camera was unusable this week because of a problem they fixed over the phone. But I didn't have time before to make that call. It happens. To the most professional people out there , we all have problems. Experience and equipment and extra equipment is what keeps us out of trouble. But we started where you are now. You just have to keep word of mouth on your side. So take precautions. It doesnt have to be the best camera around, but something to catch that moment. Some people started with a point and shoot. Not recommending that, but as a backup in a tight situation, you might have no choice. You can steal one from the 150 guest that are shooting over your shoulder if you are pressed and need one fast. This week I had a guy shooting a d200 right next to me. He didn't know what he was doing, but in a pinch I would have taken it from him. hehe Actually I even let him use my fisheye because he said he really wanted one. Then since he was the step brother he was getting right in the brides face and shooting the picture. I can't wait to see how big her nose got with that bubble in the middle of her face. Crazy.
Anyways, this is why I don't visit here too often. I talk peoples heads off and become completely addicted. Talk to you all tomorrow.

Because I have only been doing photography for 8 months and buying equipment as I can (not on credit), I don't have a whole lot right now. I really didn't want to do this weeding coming up because I knew I wasn't ready for it equipment-wise, especially. The wedding is for friends who would have just had their daughter use a point and shoot and do the wedding for them- but they are so supportive of me, that they wanted me to do it and are paying me (just to be nice!) lol

Unfortunatly, I DO have to take this one step at a time with building my ever increasing list of equipment- but that is fine because I don't have any other weddings planned for the year. I should have time by next year to be more prepared (if anyone ever wants to hire me). I am forced to take this very slowly, but I am okay with that.

I actually do have a friend I could borrow a 5D from if necessary- so I might just do that instead of renting. I called our camera store and they don't rent, bummer. That's what comes from living in Montana.

Thank you Laura & Damon for all your wisdom & advice!