Been There. Seen It. Got The Tshirt.

Our live exhibition on the 13th of March was a complete success. The planning that went into it was fairly substantial considering it wasn't a venue based exhibition and there were no photographs to print, mount and frame! It took a lot of work to get the exhibition advertised and without the advertisement nobody would have shown up. Matt and Shaunie did some work for Drakes Circus, covering a student event, which got us free poster advertisement for a few weeks, Emma managed to get an article in the Herald, which I feel broadcasted our artwork to a large audience and I went around with an armful of leaflets, delivering them across Lipson, I don't think this got us many viewers but I couldn't think where else to advertise!

This is our poster and also what I posted at peoples houses in leaflet form

Herald news paper article

Us on the go, on our exhibition! 

The day was extremely tiring but we were approached by many members of the public which was extremely rewarding. I spoke to many people and I think this boosted my confidence a lot regarding talking about my work. I really recommend this form of exhibition. Although I consider it less 'professional', it gets people talking about your work.

Wedding Planning ...

I've been reading up on photography planning for a Wedding so that I am 100% prepared for my meeting with my Uncle and his fiancé on April 12th to discuss what they want from me as a photographer on their Wedding day.

Research
Approach:
What I've read so far is that a wedding will have a set agenda of photographs that are usually always required. Despite the size and culture of each Wedding I may photograph will be varied, there is always only one bride and groom (obviously sometimes the same sex in the case of civil partnerships) and these are going to be the main focus of my photographs. I've found that, what is true for one wedding might not be for another, even if the Wedding itself is very similar. This is down to the people I will be working with. Family dynamics vary greatly, I will need to establish if people are intimidated by the camera and accommodate to make them feel comfortable. Using perfect lighting and perfect direction will not always create the best photographs, if people look awkward, it will be my job to move them to a more flattering position, therefore I need to be able to judge people's body language very carefully.

Camera equipment: 
The camera body needs to be able to handle the intensity of the day, I've found that a lot of photographers state that amateur camera bodies have the capability to handle a wedding just not quite with as much speed and fine-tuning. So I may borrow something like the Nikon D700 from the stores for this date and maybe the Nikon D200 as a back up body (if the stores will allow me, or I will use my Nikon D90, which is more of a basic camera however with the correct lenses it should just about be able to do the job)

In terms of lenses  I've read, Lenses with a large maximum aperture of f/2.8 or larger are extremely valuable for weddings. The option to use available light, even in dark churches or dimly lit reception halls, is a strong tool for the wedding photographer. Even more important is the option not to use a flash, as few people would describe the light cast by an on-camera flash as romantic. Furthermore, some locations have restrictions on flash photography during the ceremony itself, or a bride might specifically request that a flash not be used. The extra two stops of shutter speed between a f/2.8 lens and a cheaper f/4-5.6 kit lens can make the difference in getting the desired photograph. I have considered using a wide-angle zoom len. This lens makes it possible to photograph in confined spaces, such as the bride's dressing room or a packed dance floor. The wide angle perspective creates a sense of expansiveness and grandeur by showing the entire church or ceremony location. Wide images are easier to create with a full-frame sensor camera, as there are no f/2.8 lenses in the 10-22 range that gives and equivalent field of view with a small-sensor camera. Another lens that I will probably take to the wedding is a 70-200mm  telephoto zoom, fas this will be important for ceremony images. Very few wedding parties want the photographer in the way during the ceremony. Most likely, you will be photographing down the aisle from the back of the church. 200mm is long enough to be able to take 3/4 length images of the bride and groom without creeping too far forward down the aisle and 70mm is wide enough to take in the bridesmaids or groomsmen as a group without switching lenses. In my Uncle's wedding I probably won't need a zoom of this capacity as it is a small affair at a registry office. 

Lighting:
I have found that I will need a dedicated flashgun. This is because on very bright days or when the subject is strongly backlit, fill-in flash will be essential to avoid shadows on faces.
Continuous light can be considered in particularly dark corners of venues or if there are a lot of people to photograph inside, when I look at the venue I will judge if I want to take continuous light with me or not on the day.

Other Equipment:

• Reflectors and diffusers will be essential to manipulate light as they are extremely portable.
• Tripod
• Camera bag
• SD cards and back up SD cards
• Extra batteries
• Gaffer tape (to tape down cables if there are any)

Stage Managing:

Something new I've found whilst reading about planning for a wedding as a photographer is, stage managing. This is the art in which careful composition allows the photographer to stage natural looking shots without posing the subjects. This involves careful planning of the location, finding somewhere to frame the subjects with something clean and neutral, with good light. The trick is to pre-empt what you are going to do and quickly arrange the subjects, the shots will look natural because the subjects haven't lost interest. The difference between this and 'grab shots' where people gather together and say, 'can we have a quick photograph?'. Is that people are unlikely to think about the composition and will often block shorter people out of the shot etc. If you were to approach every photograph in this way you are VERY unlikely to achieve the clean lines and strong graphic images that the couple will expect.

Sequence:

I've read its very important to know exactly what is happening and when, where the bride is getting ready, what venues they are using etc. By knowing this information I will have a better understanding of the time we have available and I will be able to plan efficiently, this should hopefully help me keep in control of the day and therefore keep me calm! 

Guide line for sequence and key shots that are likely to be required:

•  Bride getting ready: Bride portraits when she's looking her best, informal candid shots (e.g. dad putting on his tie, bridesmaids helping the bride etc) Home details (something borrowed, something blue. love letters to the bride, makeup, flowers etc.)

• Bride in her dress: details of her dress, the lace etc. pick a room with good lighting in advance.
• Bridesmaids and bride's mother: If they are already ready aim to get some group shots and portraits if you have time. 
• The groom: (with best man and ushers)
• Guests arriving: shots of them entering the venue.
• Bride arriving at the ceremony: detailed shots, fine vantage point with good lighting, spontaneous moments that capture a story
• The brides entrance/start of service: Detailed shots of the service, grooms reaction to bride, key ceremonial shots, people crying etc. 
• Signing the register: emotional shots, try and capture this moment without interrupting, however stage the shots of signing too, to make sure you have everything. 
• Candid shots & confetti after ceremony
•  Before the guests seated for the reception: Venue shots, table dressings, cake etc. Informal shots of guests arriving. 
• Group shots: Planned group shots, give lots of warning to the party
• Couple shots: Get them alone, close in shots and long shots, plan the scenery and lighting. be polite to the wedding party and try to avoid people following the couple so that they don't distract.
• Speeches/ cake cutting: Detailed shots 
• The first dance
• Evening candids

Preliminary Plan & Final Plan:
On my meeting with any couple I need to discuss,

• venues, time structures
• important people, parents of the groom, parents of the bride, bridesmaids etc. 
• Fees 
• Types of imagery they are after, style, specific shots etc.

Once the preliminary plan has been made on the meeting, make sure you have created an updated FINAL plan before the wedding and print extra copies, so that you know EXACTLY what your doing and when.

Key things for the final plan: 

• Names of all the important people (this will help me stay professional and allow me to address everyone by name)
• Reminders for must have shots (ones that have been specifically asked for)
• Notes for parking, routes to each venue and key staff members at each venue
• Sensitive family issues -Write down if there are any family issues, e.g. divorced parents of the bridge or groom, estranged children, deceased parents (discuss these issues with the bridge and groom before the wedding so that you know what the boundaries are)

Venues:

Before the wedding I will need to check out each venue, not only to pick out key photography spots but also to time between locations, check for parking and to considerer a plan B in case of bad weather. 

Couple shots:

I've learnt many tricks from researching about wedding photography. The most important is how to keep the bridge and groom calm and get natural beautiful shots. I've found that many of the sources I've looked at have expressed taking them away from the party, to a more quiet secluded part of the venue or if the couple want, to take them somewhere local that you've found to photograph them, e.g. a beautiful field, a beach etc. This will prevent people from the party following and distracting you or the couple and allow you to get more beautiful shots. I've also found that many photographers express a desire to use a long lens or wide angle lens and to shoot from a far, this will allow the couple to be more relaxed and feel alone and hopefully be more natural. It is also important to take close up couple shots too. 

Group shots:

The group shots are probably going to be the most stressful. It is important to stick to the schedule and not feel pressured by other members of wedding party wanting their picture taken. Kindly express that you will do them if there is time and the couple have scheduled specific photographs. Tony Cobley also warned me about being pressured by other family members as it will ruin the schedule and I may struggle to keep on track with getting the more important shots. 

After the wedding post production:

As soon as the wedding is over back up the photographs in a couple of places so there is no chance of you loosing them. 

Editing will be difficult for the first wedding as I don't think I will understand exactly what people are looking for, so I think I will just get rid of obvious bad shots, blinking people etc. I might mess around with filters to add effect just to give the couple something more to consider. I will also touch up the skin slightly in the portraits of the bride and groom but I don't want to get into extreme editing as I want the couple to look natural and they will obviously look beautiful anyway, its there wedding day! 

Meeting the couple after post production:

Before meeting I think I will create a low resolution watermarked CD of all the edited final selection images and send it to the couple so that they have chance to look at the photographs and decide what they want to do with them before the meeting. During the meeting I will run a slideshow on my laptop so they can see the images whilst we discuss what they want in terms of outputs. These could be prints, wedding albums, final CD. I will need to have a rough idea of prices and create an order form. 

Renaissance Photography Prize 2012

I've decided to bite the bullet and enter the Renaissance Photography Prize 2012, It has a entry fee of £15 however I really like the freedom of the competition - so wish me luck!

My Aunty & Uncles Wedding Plans

My Aunty and Uncle announced around Christmas that they were planning on getting married in the Summer and asked if I would like to be the photographer. I was delighted by this but also terrified as I had only been to a wedding once in my life and it also turned out to be the one I assisted Tony in photographing last September. So I was extremely nervous about my lack of experience but I am determined to do well as I am getting paid and they are my family members! The date has been set for the 21st of July 2012, at the registry office in Kidderminster. The reception meal, is to take place at La Brasserie, a local fine quinine restaurant, followed by the reception party at Kidderminster Carolians RFC - Wyre Forests Premier Rugby Club. I'm extremely grateful that the affair is a small one, but thorough planning is essential. I'm now going to conduct some research to help me prepare for meeting up and discussing what type of images they are after. I will also be looking into what equipment to take and insurance. I've found a book called 'Dream Wedding Photography' by Lorna Yabsley. It covers all the basic areas of Wedding photography including different types of ceremonies, planning of the day and unique style. Hopefully it will give me some of the insight I need, I think it will be the perfect starting point for this project....

(Book Cover)

Advertising myself.

After much research I've decided to go with a free domain for my website as I don't feel that paying for it will be beneficial at this point. I've worked it out that the cheapest is about £6 a month, however that is £72 a year and that money can be better spent on actually creating work, especially as I don't have any form of income right now other than my student loans. I just want to get my work seen and although I will come across as an amateur photographer with an unprofessional website, my work will be seen to the people that are interested. I'm hoping that people will be considerate and if they like my photography style they will book me on my photographs and not my website.

http://www.wix.com/zoey_roberts/photography


I've also created a business card ready for my exhibition on March 13th 2012. These will be given out to the public, in hope to get some freelance work. I did research into business card prices and found that Vistaprint.com were considerably cheaper than many providers however moo.com provided better quality cards. I decided to go with moo.com as I wanted to make an impression with my cards as my website makes me look less professional with its free hosting.

Work Based Learning

I need to start writing about what I'm doing! I just hate blogs so MUCH.

Probably the most substantial work I've done so far in the Photography industry, was assisting Tony Cobley on a Wedding shoot. This was some time ago, I just forgot to blog it (surprise surprise).

It was for a lovely couple called Laura & Matthew Bass on the 17th of September 2011 at The Church of St. Mary in Dartington.

 It was short notice as his assistant had dropped out. I've never even been to a Wedding before and found the whole experience extremely nerve racking, due to not knowing what to expect, however extremely rewarding. I didn't realise how personal the whole experience would be, I actually felt like I was part of their family party during their wedding!

This was the service schedule for the church

Tony was extremely professional, he had printed out a copy of the schedule for me (included in my WBL workbook) and talked me through it. He had planned out a number of scenarios, so whatever the weather threw at us we would be prepared. I was in charge of carrying equipment and organising crowds of people for shoots. I thought that I would be shy about asking family members to go to where Tony was photographing for pictures, but as I've mentioned before the whole thing was so personal that I felt like I knew these people! Which to be honest, fascinated me! 

I've always been interested in Wedding photography and I think I would be good at it. I find photographing emotions and portraits something that I really enjoy, so what could be better than someones big day. 

Tony and I discussed lots of things on the day, from insurance to post production and I've come to realise how much work is truly involved. I was exhausted afterwards and I'd only assisted for 8 hours, Tony then went home and did all of the post production, I did not envy him! 

Summer Slacker...

It seems I've not posted a blog for several months, Woops!
Over the summer I've been photographing randomly which is dissapointing. I wanted to have embarked on my own projects and planned work to create, however work commitments prevented such activities. I did however achieve my goal of getting out of my overdraft over the summer, so it isn't all bad and I've enjoyed my fun walks too!