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Tips to great photographs at a wedding

Friday, October 16th, 2009

One of the biggest jobs for any wedding is the photographer. That person is given the big duty of forever etching the events of that special day into photos.Taking pictures of that day is not their only job.  But they are also given the job of making it magical.Or at least every photographer should keep that in mind.  So here are some tips to help you make it magical.

First of all as a San Diego wedding photographer one of the best pieces of advice is to try and have the wedding shots during the best lighting.But what is really the best time to take wedding photos.That is arguable.But the time that most photographers agree on to take a good shot is early morning.  Or if you take shots late afternoon is good as well.In doing so, you will be able to avoid too much sunlight that can affect the quality of your shots.This will give you the opportunity to take excellent photos.

Second as a San Diego photographer, I make sure to know the schedule of events.  It is very important to know when all the important events will happen.  This allows the photographer to get ready to capture those moments.  By knowing when things are happening a photographer can anticipate shots.  Not just portrait shots, but the candid shots.Candid shots are the ones that really makes us relive the happenings and emotions on that fateful day.

Finally doing event photography in San Diego you should always be prepared. Backup films should always be in hand.They have to see to it that they are always ready with a backup camera in case the one in use gets broken. Anything that is mechanical should have a backup.The worst thing you wouldn’t want to happen as a photographer is when one of your equipments break.  That would be horrible to not be able to take shots if something breaks.The generel rule is to be always prepared.  If you do that you should have no problems capturing that special day.

Wedding Day Photographer Planning

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

Most couples making wedding day plans have a lot of things that they do take into consideration. They coordinate the date according to vacation times from work.  Or they coordinate the day on what is best maybe for family to make it into town.  Or they plan it based upon maybe available venues, like the church or the restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. This is no small issue.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you realize that the photos are what are going to last a lifetime.

So what are the key factors to consider when planning with the photographer in mind.  The time and the date.

Let’s start with the time.  How many people want their photographer to rush through the photos? I am pretty confident most couples will not agree to that. 

Well without even thinking about your photographer, a lot of times couples will do just that. The couple or family basically rush the photographer to try and take all the pictures. 

How so you ask? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm.  With the reception starting at 2:30. How many shots can a photographer make when he only has a half hour to work with?  Not many.

Even worse, let’s say he does take all the shots? Do you think they can take some real good shots if they are being rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the times for the wedding and the reception with enough space in between to take all the photos.

The second thing to think about when doing your planning is to keep the photographer’s availability in mind.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance.  And if you are dealing with let’s say a large photography company, they may have several photographers.

Well without considering your photographers availability on the wedding day could turn into a disaster. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This scenario happens when you are dealing with a big company.  You might not realize they have plenty of photographers on staff, and if the photographer you fell in love with is booked, unless you specifically ask, the company might not tell you.  When your wedding day comes, they might just outsource their work or a second rate photographer might show up.

So be ready by not letting this happen. Planning that special wedding day can be truly wonderful. Make sure that your plan has the wedding photographer in mind as well.

Lighting Tips to Help You Take Better Pictures

Monday, June 15th, 2009

In this age of digital cameras, you have probably thought that you can just point and shoot and out will appear a great shot.Hold on, don’t go so fast.The fact of the matter is, you can have the best digital camera, but if you have no clue in what you are doing, you are gonna take horrible shots.

I would love to give you some good tips to help you improve your photography skills.  These tips are coming from years of experience as a San Diego wedding photographer.These tips are all about the lighting and they will some of biggest reasons for you success in taking photographs.

First great tip in regards to lighting.  Now if you are taking shots outdoors during the day, natural sunlight provides some of the best lighting possible.  Now you are probably thinking, “that’s easy, when you are a San Diego photographer since it is always shiny there”, when in actuality really bright sunlight can cast harsh shadows.Or it could blur the details of faces when the sun is overhead.

Overall, most of the shots you are going to want to take with the sun behind you.This stops any harsh shadows in your photo caused by the sun.There will be some times when you want to take shots from different angles when you do try to get some shadows into the shots.

Now that we have tackled the day shots, what if you are taking shots at night? 

The key to taking photos at night is turning off your flash.  Of course if it is pitch black you will need it, but for times when there is lighting, you want to use the lighting that is around, but you have to make sure you set your shutter speeds slower to let in enough light.Also, stay steady when you are taking your photograph or you will cause the picture to blur.  Doing these couple of tricks can make a dramatic difference when taking night shots. 

The final piece of advice to use for lighting is using the golden hour to capture great shots.Now there is a time that photographers refer to as the “golden hour” or “magic hour”, and that is during sunrise and sunset.

It is during this time of day when you will capture great shots that capture more warmer colors.You’re going to be able to capture the golden lighting you won’t find during any other part of the day.

There you go.Probably the biggest secret in taking great photographs is taking advantage of the natural lighting.  Knowing what techniques to use for different parts of the day, or just scheduling a photo shoots to capture those times of day will help you become an excellent photographer.

How to Find That Perfect Wedding Photographer

Monday, May 11th, 2009

The wedding day will probably be one of the most important times that occur for a person’s life. Many hours goes into a lot of the planning for the wedding. Probably all of the list of things to do in wedding planning are frustrating, stressful, and time consuming. That is why it is so important to do some homework and find the right people for all of the jobs.  One of the most important jobs is that of the photographer. From my experience as a San Diego wedding photographer I’ll show you it can be a few simple steps away.

Finding any wedding photographer is a huge task. There are a few important factors to think about when you make this important decision. The photos that you take away from your wedding are going to be the most memorable keepsakes that you have. The photos will be on your walls for the rest of yourlife. One of the important factors when trying to find a photographer is price. Most photographers do charge a price for a specific amount of time for the wedding. It is important to know up front what all is included with that
price. When it comes to finding a wedding photographer, the biggest upside to pricing is there is a lot of competition. Keep in mind that many photographers are willing to negotiate their price a little to fit what you need.

Another thing to take into account when deciding is how much experience does this person have. Is this their first wedding or their hundredth? Their price might be a reflection of just how long and how many years of experience they have in business. Just because someone has a lot of experience doesn’t always mean they will be better. Sometimes the photographers that are just starting their careers and are trying to build a name will turn out to be excellent. The advantage of a person like that and going with them is you know they are going to give it their best. In your search for a wedding photographer, you are going to find different levels of experience between them. When you do an interview of prospective photographers, it will give you a sense of what it will be like when you work with them.

A final thing for you to take into account when trying to decide is the personality the photographer has. Are they likely going to try call all the shots and decide on all your poses? Or are they going to let the bride and groom make some decisions? Another thing to think about is whether or not you want to be the one to make the important decisions on the photos. The bride and grooom will have enough worries the day of the wedding. Take all of these factors into consideration when you choose your photographer. If you do, no doubt you will have some beautiful photos to cherish for the rest of your lives.  Take it from me, your experienced San Diego photographer.