Light It Up!

I don’t typically blog the family pictures from weddings. I know that’s stupid, because they are very important. And this is not a very good one. We were under serious time constraints at the venue when they decided to get a group shot of everyone in attendance. The bride and groom should have been at least near the front but I let everyone gobble them up so we could knock this out and move on. The only reason for this post is because Debra took the behind the scene image and I thought it would be an opportunity to share how I handle a group shot. Churches often have mixed lighting. We had a combination yesterday of a large skylight directly overhead, and spotlights. If I would have shot without assistance of my own lights seen in Debra’s image, There would have been a combination of people in shadows, and people that were lit by the other light sources in the church. What I like to do, is set up a couple of flashes on either side shot thru a small umbrella. Its not fancy, its not creative, but it gives you a nice consistent image that I am sure the couple and their friends and family will enjoy.

The Money Dance

The Dollar Dance is a tradition at weddings that serves several purposes. Sometimes at a wedding with lots of guests, the bride and groom may not even get to say hello to some of them. This is an opportunity for that to happen, and for the guests to privately’ish congratulate, and for the bride and groom to thank them for coming.

As a photographer that likes to be creative, the money dance is probably the least interesting part of wedding photography. And truthfully, this is when I usually have Mitch take over and I take a little break.

In an effort to make these series of photos more interesting for the client, I have started shooting some frames where both dances are in the picture. Focusing on one dance, while letting the other dance be visible but burry, focuses the attention where you want it, but seems to tell a story a little better to me. I also focus separate lights on both dances so that background action still draws the viewers eye in. What do you think? Does it work?

Let There Be Light!

It doesn’t happen in Southern California very often, but occasionally you get one of those days when the marine layer is so thick, you have no idea where the sun is. Shooting an outdoor wedding in these conditions are going to leave you with very flat images. You can adjust for this kind of situation and still get great images but without any light you are void of any contrast and shadows. When night falls it gets even more interesting. You can slap a flash on your camera and add a kick of light that will make the colors pop a little more. But I think even better, is to set up an off camera light source as I did here for these images. What do you think?

 

Wedding Photography and Video

I don’t talk much about video and I probably should. I am a photographer, I love stills! I don’t have any desire to be a videographer but it certainly can be an important and memorable part of your wedding day. And if you are going to hire a photographer and a videographer, its a good idea to hire a team that work together. Debra snapped this image of Mike and I at a recent wedding. Now I met Mike a few years back at a wedding and we totally clicked. By the next wedding we worked together, we were synced. He knew what I was doing and I knew what he was after. When we are working the pre shots, he takes his video and then steps aside for me to get my photos. During the ceremony I don’t even notice him there, and I rarely show up in his video. At the reception, we plan who is gonna be where so we capture the grand entrance, and all the other events without getting in the way of each other. Sometimes I even mix it up a little and shadow Mike so I can utilize his video light for my pictures. You can check out Mike Gould Video and decide what you think. Mike isn’t exclusive to Chris Diset Photography, so he is not always available, but if you are lucky enough to get married on a day we are both open, yeah, its gonna be a good time.

Stop Sharing If Just For 1 Day

After reading a fantastic blog article about unplugged weddings, I thought I would throw in my “for what its worth.”

It hasn’t been that long. Remember when people would come to weddings with a little box of tissues? Just in case they lose it watching the bride walk down the isle. That doesn’t happen as much anymore. Guests and family members have become to preoccupied with getting pictures with their point and shoot cameras and even more so lately, with their camera phones.

Scan the crowd at any wedding ceremony and you are sure to see a dozen guests taking video with their phones. I’m sure you have a Twitter friend who has one time or another posted something like “Check out this picture of him and her I just took at their wedding”

I have even come home from a wedding to find that the bride and groom already have pictures taken by guests on their Facebook wall.

If you are a bride and/or groom, you hired a photographer to take pictures of your wedding. You invited the guests because they are important in your life and you want them to share in your event. And after the ceremony it only gets worse. At the reception, do you really want to pose with all your college friends while one of them fumbles with their phone trying to take a picture? And then do it all again so that first shooter can be in the picture?

Your friends and family cant clap their hands and show excitement for the new couple when they are holding a camera. And it sucks for those guests that want to express to you their happiness. Having to wait to give the bride and groom a hug and tell them how beautiful they look sucks when you have to get in line behind somebody with their camera phone monopolizing their time.

Its your wedding day, it doesn’t have to be like this. You can ask your guests to leave their cameras alone and enjoy the day with you. You don’t have to be as blatant as Howard was when he had this sign made for his wedding day. But you can easily write a friendly reminder that will get your point across.

Our life has become a series of 2 minute documentaries. We check in at Starbucks, we tweet a weather report, we tag friends in pictures of our lunch. Its this kind of behavior that forces the man to create stupid laws like no texting while driving! Tell your friends to put their cameras away at your wedding and have some fun! Let your photographer take the photos.

That’s all for now. Excuse me while I Facebook and Twitter this post.

Be a Happy Bride

I get asked often about Bridezillas. I have been lucky, I dont think I can say that I have ever had a difficult bride. Occasionally I will get a bride who worries about the event, but thats what wedding coordinators are for. Once you have finished with your hair and makeup and stepped into your dress, its time to relax and enjoy the day. Wedding days are for celebrating.

It’s a bummer if you are not having fun with the preparations of a wedding. One way to make it more fun is to celebrate each stage. Go out to lunch with your friends after you pick out a wedding dress. Just make sure you have a salad. No dressing.

A cool thing that some wedding sites provide is a bride and groom website. You can blog about all of the stages of your wedding plans. Or you can make a bride and groom wedding Facebook page and fill it up with camera phone pics and tales of your escapades.

If you start the process early enough, planning your wedding doesnt have to be a daunting task and should be fun. And if you have hired seasoned professionals to make your day special, they know how to handle those last minute day of hickups.

The First Look

On the day of your wedding, who says you have to wait to see your partner until the ceremony. I like the idea of a “first look”, when a groom sees his bride in her wedding dress for the first time. I have always loved the idea. Why wouldn’t I? Get the romantic portraits of the couple shot before the ceremony? Shoot the bridal party before the ceremony? Hell yes! Get that all done before all the guests get there. Then I don’t have to worry about interrupting the hugs and greetings from friends and family that ultimately make my shoot more difficult.

But on Saturday, I felt a little something more when I shot the first look for Stephen and Meredith. As Stephen waited while Meredith walked down the path with his back to her, I could see the emotions starting to build and a little gloss forming over his eyes. When her hand touched his elbow and he turned around to see her they both burst into tears. They spent a few moments together, and I have no idea what was said. But I am sure whatever it was, probably wasn’t part of the rehearsed ceremony. I bet it was sweet.

Media Lifespan

WARNING! Back up your back ups!

Knock on wood I have never lost an important file stored on optical media. But it can and does happen. I just had a client call me to say that during a recent move, her disk containing her wedding images was damaged. She was very happy that I keep archives of all shoots on 2 separate hard drives.

Lets face it, digital photography hasnt been around long enough to determine how long a CD, a DVD, or Blu Ray disk with your photos will really last. I did a very in depth 5 minute google search and I found that a CD can last from 5 to 100 years. So there you go!

And hard drives? They scare me even more. They have moving parts! A failed hard drive can cost you between $50 and $1000 in some cases.

If you have important images, like wedding, baby, or incriminating photos you want to use against a person someday, BACK THEM UP! Disks, hard drives, and flash drives are all very inexpensive when you think about the priceless value of the memories they store.

Take proper care, and in 40 years when your kids are throwing you a retirement party, they will be able to print some nice pictures of you from today.

What To Wear For Your Engagement Photos

A lot of times people ask me how they should dress for an engagement photo session, and it’s tough to give a one-size-fits-all (no pun intended) answer to that question.  Some basic principles do apply though.

You want to look casual and fun and not too formal, while wearing something that really is very ‘you’.

It’s important to wear clothing that you can sit, stand and walk comfortably in because you will be moving around a lot for a variety of different photographs.

Wearing clothes that match your partner’s (like khaki and white) usually does not look good, but it is important to stick to the same color family or complementary tones.

It’s also important to incorporate the same level of formality into your outfits – meaning one person should not look like they are going to the beach and the other to an office meeting!

Dress for the location of your shoot, if  we are at the Mission San Juan Capistrano,  anything goes pretty much, but if we are at the beach, dress for the beach and the sand.

Your faces will  be the focal point of the portrait.  Subtle prints or long sleeves are the most flattering, as long as that is your personality. If you are a body builder, then show off your guns by all means.

Baggy clothes and large patterns will give the appearance of extra weight in the portraits, while dark clothes will minimize the body.

Classic styles will look good in  your portraits for years to come, but if you are a hot pink leopard print kind of couple, then bring that along too and express yourselves. These photos are for you.

There will be variety of photos taken, including very tight close up shots, so go ahead and accessorize all you want. Watches, rings, necklaces, and bracelets always add a nice touch in your images.

I also like to take intimate detail shots. A close up of your hands with your engagement ring on are always a favorite, so a quick trip to the manicurist is a good idea. For the guys too!

If you ladies are gonna wear some cute heels that you love, make sure your fiancé doesn’t wear the beat up old sneakers that have been sitting out on the patio.

Also remember to spit out your chewing gum, and empty your pockets of phones, wallets, and keys. We can toss them in my camera bag for safe keeping.

Think about what you are going to wear in advance, you don’t want to be stressed out the morning of your shoot.