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Cathy's Blog
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I’ve spent almost half my life working with doctors. Most of them specialize in one field of medicine. Why? Because that is how you perfect your craft. They become so highly skilled in their field because they focus on that specific parameter. I subscribe to that philosophy with a camera. When I started my photography I dabbled in a little of everything. Then I realized I had to narrow down my field in order to become better at it. I chose portraits, pets and weddings. Every wedding is different and often times I learn something from it. As photographers go, you can become stagnant and shoot the same poses over and over, or you can choose to learn new things and grow. Trends change, so should your craft. Being willing to learn new aspects of photography will give your clients the feeling that you really care about what you are doing. I tell my colleagues to always keep the original photo and supply it to the client when you are doing enhancements. That way when the trends change [...]
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There are a few reasons wedding photographers have an exclusivity clause and it’s not because they are stingy. The main reason I have an exclusivity clause is to protect the quality of the photos. I learned from personal experience that effective use of time on a wedding day is everything! I have developed a great system over the years to get the desired formal shots of the bride and groom so they can go on to the reception. People don’t want to be waiting on the photographer for an hour to get the party started! I respect their wish not to see each other before the ceremony. Formal poses take a bit more time than photos during the ceremony. If attendees are taking photographs of the formal pose, I must wait for them to finish before I can take a shot. Many consumer camera use a laser pattern to focus. I once captured someone’s laser pattern on the bride’s dress in one of my photographs. If a wedding attendee takes a photo with their flash on and I’m using the room [...]
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My mother sometimes needs a refresher course on the function buttons for her cell phone and camera. "What does this button do?" I picked out a nice little point and shoot camera to replace her film camera that had broken. I chose the one with the easiest buttons and menus. It was a Canon. My Nikon wedding camera doesn't have canned settings, just manual, aperture,and shutter. This kind of camera is not for every day photography, especially for someone who lacks knowledge of camera settings. That is why the consumer models have little icons for preset camera modes. You can just select what you want. Now everyone can be a fabulous wedding photographer right? Not really. It's a bit like comparing a Timex to a Patek Philippe watch. While you may be able to get sharp clear pictures with a consumer digital camera, it will pale in comparison to the quality of image from a Pro digital camera. As I upgraded my own line of cameras I found a very visible difference. The difference is even [...]
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So how do you plan for your wedding in the midst of a recession? Here are some of the trends for 2010. If you are planning a wedding for under $10,000 here are some things to consider. Scale down your guest list. Unless you are having a pot luck, the average cost to feed your guests is a minimum of $15.00 per person for catering. Consider a park setting that can be reserved away from the public. Look for a dress on sale but always shop local so you can check the fit and get alterations done. Skip shopping for a dress on ebay, if it doesn't fit, you may have trouble returning it. The median price for an officiant is $250, venue $3000, DJ $750, flowers $1000, photographer $1500-4000, catering $2500 for 100 guests, dress $1000, tux $350. We're already at 10350.00 and we haven't added the cake, shoes, drinks, decorations, veil, or planner.Where you don't want to cut your budget, the flowers, the cake, the dresses and tuxes, hire a coordinator even if it's just for day of, hire a prof [...]
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Have you ever forgotten your chapstick in a pocket and it ends up in the dryer with all your clothes? That is a mess I never want to deal with again. Life is sometimes like the chapstick in the dryer. No matter how hard we try to live life to it's fullest, spots appear. Just when I think things are going smooth, the dog slips on the ice of the deck stairs and falls to the ground below. Major trauma, lung contusion, temporary paralysis of all limbs. The dog has mostly recovered, suffering some strength and motor skill loss in his front legs. Maybe time will be kind to him and he will fully recover. He showed me life was worth fighting for. He was patient as he recovered from his injuries and always offered kisses to warm my heart. So my friends, appreciate life. It has it's ups and downs but think of all the positives. If a little dog can teach us that chapstick stains are small in the scheme of things, then we can all be happier.
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Cameras make a world of difference. I have 5 cameras ranging from $250.00 to $5000.00 and it really does matter. I use the $250.00 camera for a pocket carry around, it's still better than the cell phone. My $5000.00 Nikon camera is my portrait and wedding primary outfit. It's all about the body and the glass my friends. It goes back to the saying "you get what you pay for" with camera equipment. A really nice f2.8 zoom lens will run around $1700.00 plus. I nice filter can easily cost $120.00 and protects the lens from scratches. Experience and equipment are essential. They don't come free. Not only does photography have a wide range of cameras, there is software for editing. All this requires a big investment. I want to be able to offer my clients the best of everything.
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The reason that professional photographers retain the copyright to their photos, can be likened to an artist painting a masterpiece. I see an image and capture it on the camera. I just created that picture of my subject in a way I want to convey to the viewer. I am the author of that picture. If I gave away the copyright, anyone can then claim it as their own. Why would you give away what you created? If you hand a client a DVD of their wedding photos that you shot and said "here are your photos, you can do anything you want with them", you are selling yourself short. They may decide to alter the photos and then tell their friends that YOU took the pictures. Now your work has been compromised and your reputation could suffer. Picasso wouldn't hand over his best work to a stranger and let them claim it as their painting. Retaining the copyright can also protect your client. If their photo is used without permission you may have your attorney pursue legal action for copyright viola [...]
