I had the privilege of being the photographer when Queensberry’s pinup boy/metrosexual, Nigel, tied the knot with Kayla a few months ago, and I learnt a lesson.

Pretty much at the beginning of the day I unintentionally upset the bride’s parents. They had organised that I would shoot photographs outside their neighbour’s property. I took half a dozen images and ticked the box for family pics at home.

But I also wanted to do a quick family photograph in their own garden, in a spot that from my point of view, between rain showers, would do the job well.

The bride’s mother was able to conceal, through good manners, her horror at my photographing in their unweeded garden, but managed to mention it to some of the guests as a potential photographic catastrophe.

I regret not realising her concern at the time so that I could put her mind at ease and nip any damage in the bud. Too late I was. The opinions had been expressed.

The lesson is about heightened awareness. Sometimes people are so polite.

Cheers, Johannes

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I recently held a small workshop in the UK at the studio of Zoe Richards just out of Liverpool.

It was intimate (there were only nine of us).

We discussed album design and particularly spoke about the Musée. One of the ideas of that album is to create a feeling of intimacy.

The resounding lesson from our discussion was about that and simplicity. Too often people cram images into albums to the point where there is no room to rest your eyes. The Musée design uses space to reinforce the luxury and quality feel of the product. There is something exciting about an intimate moment in a cupboard but it does not really compare to a moment of intimacy out in an open space.

What I am trying to say is that cupboard sex is not the stuff of long term relationships, and that building intimacy into your designs creates longevity. Even though busy designs might suggest a sense of energy they seldom create a sense of occasion and have less impact than fewer but stronger images.

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We won an  award, we shot weddings, my parents came to stay, and there were taxes to pay.

In the middle of all the chaos and celebrations we have clients with needs.

These needs are as immediate to them as those of the tax department are to us.

We also  had a bride declare on the day of her wedding  that she had lost her groom and that there might not be a wedding …. and it rained.

Out of this chaos is the expectation, from each client, that you are there to meet their needs, and sometimes our own entitlement to a personal life is overlooked. It is overlooked by our clients and by ourselves.

We convince ourselves that the happiness of our clients is paramount, and it is, BUT at some stage we must pause, close our eyes, and revitalise.

Cheers, with my eyes briefly closed.

Johannes

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I was thinking about this the other day as I was driving back from a wedding out of town.

We need to try to find ways for our brides and grooms to commit to being photographed.

I have seen both extremes, one where the bride is expecting you to pull rabbits from hats because she paid you a lot of money to do your magic, and the other extreme where she almost dresses as a rabbit to make your life easier, and the magic more real.

One bride came to me telling me I had the job (of shooting her wedding) if I could make her look skinnier in the photographs … I said to her we could but I needed her help. I needed her to at least think skinny and do some work to get there. I needed her to have the right dress (and dressmaker). I said we would use the right lighting and would get her standing in complimentary ways. At no time did I mention The Skinny Filter in Photoshop.

This is all about investing in the outcome.

Many people do this already …

The real magic only happens when everybody (including the magician) believes. Walt Disney was particularly good at this.

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He arrived at our place at 11am. We (the boys) were all in the lounge playing Playstation. He didn’t mind that. In fact he quite liked it.

He clicked away. I lost the game. We played another.

Forgetting he was even there, I found him later in my room shooting my hanging suit, the rings on the dresser, my arrangement of perfumes and our shoes. Just doing his thing.

Then he turned up at Kayla’s place and made himself at home… ideal.

He shot the girls getting ready – the chaos, the nerves, the details, the family. I wasn’t there but that’s what the photos told me.

Mrs Mother-in-law felt a little embarrassed when he wanted to shoot out the back … in front of the only gardens she hadn’t had spruced up for the big day. Looking at the resulting photos though, she was glad she didn’t stop him.

When he arrived at the ceremony I relaxed a little… Maybe it was because he knows how it works. He’s been to so many. Not sure. But seeing him there smiling at me from the back of the garden calmed me.

The bridal photos were a breeze. He’s got this way of explaining where he wants us to stand, the expression of love he’s looking for, the emotion he wants to capture. It’s poetic. And the girls loved it…

He tells us we’re doing well, so we feel good. I know he’s doing most of the work in making us look good, but he doesn’t make you feel like that. It’s not about him – It’s about us.

I left that night with a greater understanding that pointing and shooting is only half the art of being a great photographer.

The other half is the art of interaction and presence. With the couple, the guests, the families, the venue. There’s a true art in having a couple express themselves in a way that allows you to get that beautiful shot. To, in seconds, relax a bunch of people you’ve never met before. To make taking the bridal photos just a special as any other part of the day.

I feel, as I hope every couple feels about their photographer, that we had the most talented artist in the world shoot our wedding. Thanks Johannes.

Cheers, Nigel

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Wedding Photography and the Difference Between Good and Great Wedding Photos

By David Freund

A couple of days ago I was involved in an online discussion about wedding photography and what makes great, soulful wedding photographs. I thought I’d share my thoughts on what takes good wedding photos and makes them great wedding photos.

A couple of years back I had 5 out of 6 straight weddings at the same location, same celebrant and same reception venue. My wife asked how I was able to do different work for each couple. It’s simple. I’m taking photos of two people on their wedding day. Not the venue, not the locations.

I believe there are 3 kinds of wedding photo. Who was there, where it was and what happened.

Old school ‘posed’ photography is often little more than a pictorial record of “who was there”.

The stuff that gets published in magazines and makes photographers famous is “Where it was”. The magazines want to see details of the decorations and locations so other brides buy the magazines for their own wedding research. When they show photos of a bride it’s normally only so they can illustrate what the dress looks like.

Great wedding photos are “What happened”. Photos that capture the unique nature of the couple. Their emotion, their personal connection.

It’s why people put awful, blurry photos of them drunk and stupid on Facebook. Those images have true meaning to the people in them and they feel an emotional connection to the time and place they were taken.

Same with wedding photos. The connection evoked by great wedding photos is one of love between the couple, their families and guests. Not a memory of a photographer telling them how to stand, where to look and how to kiss.

I’m looking forward to taking more great wedding photos this year and putting together stunning wedding albums that become the treasured heirlooms of generations yet to come.

Originally posted at davidfreund.com.au. Thanks David.

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Somebody asked me for a way to create a better, more consistent look for their imagery.

It was a trick question really. They were asking me how they might better use software to get consistency and classic styling.

I thought about it and the answer was what we might call pre-emptive image manipulation.

When I go to a flash restaurant that knows their stuff I am always amazed by what a great chef can do with the simplest ingredients.

They start with fresh produce … the fresher the better (usually – cheeses are a different story). They don’t beat the living daylights out of it or season it beyond recognition. They use subtlety and finesse.

It should be the same with our photography.

Fresh ingredients, already rich in flavours of their own, cooked with a minimum of fuss and a flourish of presentation.

If the produce is a bit ‘off’ the seasoning gets stronger and the cooking becomes a bit more intense.

Pre-emptive image manipulation is keeping the image simple, lighting it, and getting the emotional energy happening, before it gets taken. All these things reduce the need for ‘overcooking’ later to get something special.

Cheers, Johannes

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Danny and I just had a great chat with Pete, who runs Order Processing at the Lab. According to Pete, this year OP was able to clear the “Christmas Rush” almost completely in a single day. That’s amazing.

It means the automation we put in place in Photojunction this year (fondly known as PJ Nana) definitely works.

Pete really wanted to talk about the handful of orders where his team had to go back and sort out problems with their clients (things like missing files or flattened JPG layouts received for full colour service).

As a result we came up with a few ways to make Nana even better, but most of the problems would have been avoided simply by:

1. Using the latest version of Photojunction.

2. Using PJ’s Export Layouts window to interface with your exported PSD files.

3. Using the automated Send Order function to upload your orders and files.

Danny was no sooner off the call than he was in to bother the developers! With a cool message – we’ve done well but here’s how we can make it even better.

I like that.

Cheers, Ian

PS I think Danny prefers “PJ On Rails” to PJ Nana. To each his own metaphor.

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That is the big question.

Andy Warhol said, “It is art as long as it’s signed.”

John Cage said, “It is anything you can get away with.”

Why is it so important (to some) to be seen/considered as an artist?

Are we as photographers overselling what we do when we call it art?

Are we selling our vision as artists or our ability to use a filter or two to create art for the masses?

Doc Ross once said that, ”If it comes with a statement then it is art … otherwise it is just decoration.”

So Art has a signature, intent, and a certain freedom.

Most importantly, ‘Who cares?’

Maybe we care because it adds value to what we do. This value is something that cannot be measured in inches or centimeters, but is quoted in dollars and cents.

Part of the ‘Art story’ is respect for the work … and part of showing respect is how you present it.

Enough said!

Johannes

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