The fates aligned and the photo angels have blessed us with the coolest thing ever.
At the Photowalking Utah event today. See their website. (Organized in part by Rich Legg)
There were a bunch of lighting setups (at least 10)
I wandered around with one extra. My ring light on my sb-900 flash.
I set it to manual and figured out good manual settings and let everyone use it even the canon shooters were shooting with the nikon flash on manual.
Enter 8mm
At the end of the event a friend (Jeremy B.)
Lent me his 8mm fisheye… I’m thinking what in the world would I do with this lens… I wanna play with my flash.
Oh well… maybe I’ll just keep it on. (Read later for more of what I was thinking)
Well getting to the point… This is what happens.
A couple of inches away from their face. Short enough lens that it actually sees the ring flash.
“Jarvie Window”
Consider it shamelessly branded. haha
Really. I’m not opposed to calling it something else, but I do want it to be called something. And that something should be cool and memorable.
Before I posted the pictures (full gallery)
I asked what we should call it, so I could title the post and what not.
Only a few people spoke up but they came up with “Jarvie Window”
I figured it would be fun and catchy.
I assume others will continue to do this because it really is quite simple and very fun.
Now this being said… I like my last name and I’m not shy.
But it’s not like it’s a typical thing. And the literal “Through the Ring Flash fisheye” isn’t too catchy
Yes you will see me doing this again… often
Yes it’s very gimmicky and doesn’t replace being able to take good pictures otherwise.
But you better believe that I’m going to be doing this a lot.
A whole series of faces in square format, doing crazy stuff.
Up in the face… no personal space allowed.
I can totally see this as the hit of a party or wedding reception.
There’s something me and Bryan Jones just couldn’t put a finger on… something about it that makes it so endearing.
It has to do with shooting through the circle.
Yes the lighting is cool.
Yes it’s often more of a caricature Than a picture
I’m just someone somewhere has stumbled across it in a similar fashion… but they sure didn’t share it much, because it didn’t catch on.
More technical?
Put the flash on the lowest setting… i was doing 1/128th
Use a super wide that is short enough that it won’t actually go through the ring flash.
Use a ring flash like this Ray Flash
Put the aperture up at around f/8
Be careful to focus on the eyes really well.
And then just get CLOSE.
And be creative.
Camera+Flash+RayFlash+8mm lens+Characters
This is the man! (Above)
He said “Hey Scott try out this lens”
And I thought I could be sensible and take off the ring flash.
Or I could be half lazy and half non-sensible and one more half inquisitive.
Let this be a lesson to never cancel just cuz of weather.
Just be prepared.
Know how to make it work.
It might mean you have to different stuff than on a more normal day.
But that’s how a good photographer and a good photo shoot goes… Roll With The Punches.
This was slated as an 8 hr formals shoot.
I didn’t realize it was a 2 and a half hour drive so it ended up being 6 and a half hours long.
I had several people asking me how in the world we’d be able to go for that long when most times it’s more like 2hrs.
Well I just told them several times to be prepared to work hard too… that’s 6-8hrs of modeling, it’s a two way road.
They were naturals and since they knew and picked how long it would last they never once complained and were totally into it.
What an awesome photo shoot.
By the end her hair was totally wet and nothing like when they started… but we adapted and adjusted just fine.
And we actually all stayed pretty warm.
We had a lot of traveling in between spots… abt 2hrs driving in the car… that was the saving grace.
Being able to warm up from time to time and to reset and find new places with new pictures.
Just cuz it’s snowing doesn’t mean you’re excused from not laying on the ground.
You better have prepared for what you’re wearing to get down and make the shot happen.
If she’s in a wedding dress in 6 inches of snow you can lay down once or twice.
Thank goodness for a lightstand so that the assistant can park the car while you take advantage of the last reminents of twilight.
On the left is a spot he was planning on for a while and very excited about.
On the right is a spot he’s probably past a hundred times and never even noticed… but I saw on the way down and new we’d need to stop there. Both winners!
I took 1400 pictures many reasons
They were really good looking
We shot for so long
I loved the locations
When snow is falling you have to take a bunch to avoid the snowflakes showing up in bad spots like in front of their eyes.
But the picture above was in the first minute of shooting and is amongst my favorites.
They did a great job at expressing emotions in their pictures… and that’s something you can’t really pose.
I view my most recent wedding as a standard for things to come.
Let me explain why and how.
What I did to make this possible
A couple months back I was so busy that I opted to raise my prices in a deliberate attempt to have more time.
More time for my photo projects.
More time to have a real life.
More time to focus on each photo shoot.
More time to UP my standards.
And so far it’s worked.
It’s been weird to not book as many photo-shoots, I’ve learned to deal with it.
I’m learning how to fill in all that available time.
New Pricing – Thoughts About
I didn’t want to simply raise costs just because, but I wanted to raise them at the same time raise the quality of the product.
Over the years I’ve raised my prices many times… back in 2005 with the first few weddings I shot for as low as $250 for a wedding.
I didn’t just raise costs because I wanted more money, but because I felt the product was worth that, because I had worked hard at improving with talent, time and equipment.
Now I finally have pretty much every tool I’ve wanted for a long long time.
Weddings I’m searching for
This Hawaii wedding is also an example of the types of weddings I want to focus on working on.
Nicely organized weddings, with people who are very interested in a higher level of photography. I want to be dealing with brides who don’t simply want A photographer but are in search of A great quality photographer.
I understand for some photography isn’t their #1 concern.
And I also understand there are many who really want great pictures but can’t usually afford them.
I want to still be in an affordable range… as a bargain for an educated shopper who can understand what I’m giving when they compare it to other options.
I want to deal with people that stretch to reach the cost (even if i have to help them with the cost) so that they’re appreciative of the product.
But I also want to deal with people that understand the bargain.
I am in Utah where the wedding photography costs are way down in comparison to many other parts of the country.
I suppose this is why I travel a lot.
Give more
If you compare straight up prices it can be deceptive.
But when someone sees I don’t charge by the hour and they could have me for 10hrs + on a wedding day.
And when they see how many pictures I typically give to a client.
When they recognize things like how I review and edit Every picture I give to them.
Many of the intangibles such as the experience which will help me deal with any possible situation that might come up for a wedding.
Or the demeanor and attitude that helps me deal with weddings perfectly. Not too formal, not too informal.
Not just the quality of the picture… but the feel of the picture.
The speed with which the sessions go… not rushed and not dragging along.
Consistency
I’ve always prided myself on the consistency of my weddings.
I felt confident telling clients that they were assured of great wedding pictures.
It wasn’t hit and miss. It was hit after hit.
And sometimes of course there were some big hits.
Good things happen when the sun goes down… twilight is often more exciting… and then there’s a clear evening with the stars coming out and some nice palm trees.
In this post I’d love to drive home the point:
Make wherever you happen to be work for you.
And get good at seeking out spots and SEEing the spots you’re at.
Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity… make it the perfect opportunity.
(Above) As you see these pictures you might wonder why they call it Sunset Beach… haha
This day was proof-example, after example, of why going out with a set purpose (set picture) in mind is in many (not all) ways is retarded.
But having a “way point” can be smart.
Yes have plans… but be open to all the amazing things that surround you.
In this case we penciled in Sunset beach for sunset.
When you’re on a road trip with me you realize I’m using a pencil and that pencil has an eraser.
But beyond that when you are wherever you are… be ready to shoot them when they happen. (know how)
And be ready to SEE them.
It makes me wonder how/why those photographers who set out with one specific shot in mind do it.
That would drive me batty… and doesn’t seem like a good idea. (Open for discussion, as long as we’re trying to understand eachother)
(Though perhaps having fewer pictures would sure cut down on processing and make picking easier)
Going back to the car to grab the tripod… low and behold, I saw the light.
I was saying to myself… how do these things like this keep happening to me?
I really couldn’t have planned the mist, the sunlight angle because of clouds, the color of the sunlight is beyond our control as we know.
Yes I put myself in a situation where i could get back lit pictures of surfers when they came out… but I certainly wasn’t expecting this.
I can’t move this dude I’m not in charge of the posing.
I just frame it up to tell the story and wait for the elements to be in a good spot.
This is a big example of just wandering around searching and being in the right place at the right time.
We didn’t write Hawaii 2009 in the sand but we came by literally seconds before the wave washed it away forever.
I barely had time to aim and spray fire shoot it as it got washed away.
The lighting was hardly what people aim for, but I knew that it would make it unique and that I could add back some of the contrast from shooting towards a setting sun.
This was not planned it was a result of waiting around for other people to be ready to go and getting bored and saying… hey why not take pictures of the palm trees.
If only I had my cable release to take longer than 30 second exposures. But that’s what I could do…
and I set the White balance to 2500 kelvin to bring out the blue because the street lights were throwing off the colors.
On this trip I discovered the joy of setting my white balance to Shady A2 to really bring out warm colors
I think any white balance could have worked for this evening and the camera itself would have been stumped with the colors of the sunset at sunset beach.
Don’t just take good pictures and call it good… add spice.
OK obviously the above picture was taken a while before sunset colors hit… but I wanted to show the kind of waves they were looking at.
You’ll see some better pictures of waves coming up… but I take pictures to document what was going around a whole lot.
Now planning your shots ahead of time is not a bad thing… don’t misunderstand.
I planned on being at sunset beach at sunset.
And when I got there an hour before sunset I said I wanted to  be on such and such side of the water/beach.
But the point is: Up until that time (your way-point time) and after and maybe even instead be willing to let your hunches, ideas and the light take you where they will…
Kinda like the waves of see, they go here and there and wherever the wind and tide takes them.
Yes there could have been other paths… but make the path you decided on, or were thrust into work for you
You’ll find some amazing things start to happen.
And you’ll learn to deal with (photographically) what you’re given… and not just search for what you want and always see the green green grass just beyond reach.
I’m saying both things can be good when done correctly.
But don’t wait for the perfect opportunity… make it the perfect opportunity.
A lot of my pictures are a testament to my laziness… i was shooting sunset here and just didn’t feel like moving.
I was hoping more surfers would just walk past me. (They’ve done it in the past)
So i just sat around, not being pulled in any other way.
So I made where I was Work.
Instead of perhaps finding another better location. (Which might have been good too)
People almost seem to refuse to take pictures when the light is not perfect for them.
I say learn how to deal with the light no matter what it’s giving you.
Use it to your advantage… take the pictures the present light situation is giving you.
Don’t wait for the perfect opportunity… make it the perfect opportunity.
Even better if what’s been given is pretty darn nice!
There were many many pictures taken that day, but I was able to skim through them and pick out some of my favorites so I could do a recap here.
It’s gonna be a long post because I have lots of pictures to share.
And also a few words about how to make every wedding this great.
Perfectly planned
I really had a great time doing this wedding.
Being in Hawaii certainly didn’t hurt.
They were also a great looking couple, had a great family, picked a wonderful place for the wedding and reception.
They had everything planned out very well and that makes my job so much easier and makes for better pictures.
So if a future bride is reading this.
Please note that it just doesn’t naturally happen with no effort.
What to do?
This bride seemed to almost plan the day around wonderful picture opportunities.
From the fans and the parisols the brides mades used to flying her stylist over from her island.
She seemed to pick the location based on her own estimation and advice from the hotels as to which one had the best photography spots.
And she picked well.
So therefore… pick a great place to get married or time to travel to a spot on that day.
She even organized the banquet/reception to end in time to have her be able to do photography at sunset.
Most people seem unwilling to do that sometimes planning a reception during sunset.
Perhaps it helped since she had a captive audience since 70 people flew from another island.
I can’t and won’t just pull you away from whatever you’re doing to get sunset pictures.
But I will be willing to do them if that desire comes from you.
I’ll do my best to take amazing pictures. But if you aren’t willing to go the extra mile with a smile… well… you understand.
She got tons of pictures during the reception that she will be using for several projects that would have not been possible unless she had 2 people helping organize those shots. I could have done them but not effeciently in the time that it needed to, because we had the help of others to cut down drastically on the time and have me simply doing the shots, what I do best.
Besides she planned a banquet/formal reception which allow for better pictures than a “lined” reception.
The program allowed for great pictures as well as the nice decorations.
Finally they were troopers.
I pride myself in making the shoots fun and creative.
But they were more than willing to make the pictures happen.
Those who are more interested in and excited about pictures will more often get the better pictures.
We photographers feed off of that energy.
They didn’t just wait for instructions (slowing the process down) but they put emotion into their pictures.
And they acted quickly to help utilize effectively the short time we had.
I’m not saying they were the best actors or characters I’ve photographed. In fact I did most of the ideas, but it just happened that I was on a roll. but I think their attitude played a big part and the way we interacted.
Never once did I hear… “But I’m not photogenic”, or “I don’t look good in pictures”
It’s our job to make good pictures and I’d like to think I do a good job and everyone is always pleased, so if you just trust us and just relax and have fun.
Remember we thrive with the emotion of the moment.
Having tons of time to shoot isn’t the key, it’s a team effort to act effectively with the time given.
(Above) Two poses they made happen entirely on their own. The prep dancing they didn’t even know about.
The photographer and those being photographed should both be creative together working to make things happen.
The emotion and feeling of the picture needs to flow from them.
I tend to put them in the poses that match the mood coming from them and from the light of the day.
Even though I scouted out the location in advance to see what could work, we still were open to any possibility that night.
We had to roll with the time and situation given to us.
Just exactly how the light would be hitting at the moment we passed by the location we were walking around.
And it all went down perfectly. And part of that perfection comes from moving fast and taking advantage of every picture we had time for. But not limiting ourselves to expectations of pictures and then not having time to make them happen.
Having wants and desires is great but we need to be able to roll with the flow and settle for the best pictures possible.
If she had wanted a picture that took 20 minutes to travel to or create then we would have missed out on soo much.
There was trust that I would do my job but it wasn’t a blind relience that it only depended on me and that the subject didn’t have to do anything nor did they even have to care.
Hawaii sure didn’t hurt, nor did their good looks of the bride and groom, nor Dustin assisting me that evening with lighting and bags.
And creating and inviting to more opportunities is very helpful.
But the moral of the story is… It’s partnership of creativity, we all work together to make great pictures.
I believe in stretching yourself to such a limit that all the rest of the time everything’s a cake walk.
See how far you can go. I found out I can do 48 shoots in one week.
All fine until I’ve almost went crazy sorting them all then editing 3000 pictures in the last 3-4 days.
This is a long and yet very fun post… like 48 mini-posts all wrapped up into one.
Hurray for my first ever in the corn fields picture. haha
It’s funny how we often go somewhere to take pictures where the look is iconic and yet you take pictures with a background that you didn’t even think about.
A background that looked like it could have been from anywhere.
It’s as if you go to the Beach to take pictures and yet it doesn’t look like the beach at all… no water, no sand, no glorious sunset or surfers. haha
I often go to a shopping center called Riverwoods and walk away with mostly nature pictures of a pond and a bunch of trees with no shops or buildings in site.
(Thought I’d add the picture in color too)
Seems like most of the time we go out of our way to go to some amazing place and our favorite pics are of the person in front of a wall… or maybe even with just the sky.
I could have shot this corn picture in any number of locations closer to me in tons of corn fields in my city.
Well on one hand it seems funny we put so much emphasis on location to the couples and even sometimes pay lots of money.
But there’s a lot of reason behind it and some of that is perception.
I really didn’t mean to write a schpeil on locations and even though I and many others have lots to say… I thought I’d mention that this time I took a picture that totally matched the name.
I went to wheeler farm and took pictures of the couple in the corn fields… never mind the fields were relitively tiny and a small portion of the location… but it was the first time for me and I thought their glamorous and stylish look would be a perfect juxtposition.
Here are a couple other pictures that did fit them very well.
I suppose going to a city park in the farm format and taking pictures of a old truck could be an example of my previous discussion.
On that note I was happy that my assistant pointed out the existence of the truck.
This was definetly part of wheeler farm and the look… so this does prove why a nice place with lots of options and well maintained is a good fit.
Think about the dress too… a nicely kept lawn is a good thing to keep a white dress clean… but if not… have them hold the dress. Could be fun.
This picture really could have been any any clump of trees
This following picture is a great example of a “this could have been anywhere shot”
We were taking pictures of the truck and there was a bridge i was being pointed to but I just loved how the light was hitting this little section of trees.
Trees that could have been anywhere but I just felt like it would have matched them and their look and the way I was feeling. So …. bammm
Carissa wrote me last winter asking to be an intern… at that time I thought it was out there and wasn’t really willing to commit to one person when I was having someone different come assist on each photo shoot. And i didn’t really see the place for an intern.
She was going to school in Indiana and was from Park City but wouldn’t be around until summer.
When school was over she came on a couple of shoots and then I had her come work on pictures… she got better and better and I was ready to make the plunge to let someone take over on the selecting and rating of my pictures.
She only had fridays and saturdays which were often days I was gone out of the state doing weddings but nevertheless I saw her progress a ton and get pretty darn good.
Now she’s back at college and won’t be back until May and then getting married in June here in Utah.
In the meanwhile I now have 3 interns to replace all of her great work.Â
She saw all my tricks and yet still had me go and do her engagement pictures… i guess that’s a pretty good compliment.
So for the above picture I had to play around and do something different on the edit.
I loved the crazy skies that day… thanks to wendy who came to assist on the shoot…
(the new intern assisting on the shoot for the old intern… i love it)
I had this one edited a little more regular… but I figured she wouldn’t mind another copy with a version more dynamic
Doing a virtual copy is a great thing in my opinion a lot of the times you can spend a while making a crazy looking pic and yet what they really wanted was a normal-er looking one. Let them see both… plus that lets them see the work you put into it… it didn’t just come out of the camera like that.
It was fun shooting with another photographer friend David Terry who Carissa asked to come along.Â
He was able to pose them a lot of the time and I would just steal the shots haha…
On the other hand I posed a bunch of them and I’m sure David enjoyed that.Â
The sky looked great that day and the old barn that carissa picked out was awesome.
Still don’t know if I like the phone post or not.
I love when people pick their own spots…
they’re more special to them (emotional connection)
I usually get to shoot somewhere new (add to repertoire)
My creative juices come out more when it’s somewhere brand new
Props to the bride for not only being willing but more than happy to go out to the stinky gnat infested waters of the Great Salt Lake.
And to her Mom and two sisters and niece that came to help.
And to my wonderful Intern Heidi who braved the swarms of mosquitoes that came out about 5 minutes prior to this shot
Annika (the bride) had no problem going out into this little area in her beautiful wedding dress and in between being sucked dry by mosquitoes she even posed and smiled.
Now for the exciting part…
Usually I spend a good 10-20 seconds editing pictures… but I was happy to see with the great lighting and flash assistance from Two directions
There was NO Editing on this picture.
(It makes me happy to be able to say that)
I didn’t have time to really even review pictures because we had overstayed our welcome with the blood suckers. So I was just hoping things would be in focus.
And to top it all off it was pretty much the very last picture of the night. Huzzah
I kinda wonder what we could do to it if i do decide to edit it…
what a beautiful sunset and what a beautiful bride.
I will post the rest when i get to them i suppose… but for now back to the weddings from a few weeks ago.
I’ve got some fancy new toys like new lenses and lighting stuff.
I’m working better with all the people coming to assist.
It’s a lot of work getting each person to know what to do specially when it seems i have to deal with someone new each time.
But i’m getting better at it and showing them their job faster and better.
While still keeping the connection with my clients.
Things are starting to get even busier around here with 3 weddings each week for the next few weeks.
It’s just about the right time to start getting in a groove.
And I think I’m in a groove, taking things to the next level.
I’ve been spending a bit more time on lighting my pictures.
ALSO, after years trying to get faster at editing… I think I’ve slowed down.
Sometimes I’ll edit all the pictures then go back through and see what I missed.
Checking a second time to see how I can improve the pictures.
Yes maybe I don’t have tons of time for it at the moment but i think it will help step up the level for times to come.
The plan is to do Fewer jobs and focus on them a little more.
(Which happens to mean an increase in price, but shhhh don’t tell anyone. haha)
I hope you all have enjoyed what you’ve been seeing these days.
The following set is from the SLC library in case you wanted to know the location.
Finding and working a new location on a whim… Pays off.
Don’t you just love the reflection off of the glass.
The one on the right looks almost fake. For some reason it just came out that way. I did add a bit of vignette.
I admit it’s not the perfect wedding picture, but as a regular kinda modely picture for some reason I love it
Girls love their veil, their ring and romantic moments… so that’s a 3 in 1
It was amazing because it was my first ATV / 4-wheeling adventure.
It was Alaska.
It was 10hrs long and I saw sunrise and sunset and only a couple hours of dark.
I came back so dirty from dust and stuff… I thought that was pretty cool.
I went straight from the ATV ride to airport… no shower or nothing. That was funny.
And besides all that the pictures were kick butt!
I have gone a lot of places this year and I don’t think I’ve edited very many if any of the landscapes, being so busy with Job shoots.
But i took a break from all those shoots to sit down and have fun with these edits.
It took a lot longer than wedding pictures take, but pulling an all-nighter helped.
I did a lot of work on these so I want to show them all off… but I can’t here on the blog so you’ll have to see them on SmugMug
This was early morning on the way back.
Sun was finally dipping behind the mountains. I shoved my camera down on the ground in front of these plants and hoped for the best. haha
Sun was barely coming back early early in the morning.
We were in a rush that morning to get me back to my plane… but I had to make a few stops on the trail to get these.
Kind of bummed the ATV acceleration is done with my camera hand, makes shooting while driving much harder than in a car. haha
This actually wasn’t the ATV trip, it was right after when we went to return the ATV
Taken with me half way out of a moving truck shooting opposite direction over the fields.
FYI: Camera was set to cloudy White Balance for the warm feel and the shutter speed way up since it was a moving vehicle.
This is what they were talking about when they wrote of Purple Mountain Majesty!
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