Okay, back again with some more wedding photography observations.  Last time we covered things I did (or wish I did) 2-3 months before the wedding.  Now that some time has passed, the big day is fast approaching.  What was I thinking 2-3 weeks before the wedding?  Well, wait no more!  Here are some more thoughts from a first time wedding photographer.

• I went online and found a bunch of shot lists and compiled them into 1 giant list.  I asked the couple to go through it and rate each shot with a check plus meaning “I must get this shot”, a check meaning “it’d be nice if I got this shot”, or check minus meaning “I shouldn’t waste my time.”  Make sure you have VIP people on the list by name/role.  Great grandparents? BFFs? Second cousins twice removed?
• Get a chart of what the reception area will look like.  Where will tables be? Dance floor? Bars? DJ?  Knowing all this will help you figure out where you need to be for different events.  If you are setting up any off camera lighting, you can use the chart to help figure out where you’ll be putting light stands.
• I also asked the couple to give me a list of all posed and group shots they wanted me to get.  Then I suggested things they might not have thought of.  ”Do you want a photo of the groomsmen lined up in a special way?”  ”Are there any creative/fun photos you’d like such as the bridesmaids wooing the groom?”
• Get a schedule of events with approximate times.  Most people underestimate how long group shots will take.  It’s true the wedding is not about the photographer, but if they want 37 group shots, well, you’re going to need more than 20 minutes. Be forceful here.  Either trim that list or set aside more time.  The wedding I just shot had about 30 requested group shots, with only 30 minutes allotted for them.  That’s only 60 seconds to get everyone together, posed, and shot.  You need more than 60 seconds for this if you want to keep your sanity.
• One short tip that is a good follow up to the previous one, “Do everything you can to keep your sanity.”
• If the bride and groom aren’t organized, don’t go along with it quietly.  Without a sense of timing, you will miss something.  If you have to sit down with them in person and come up with a schedule, do it.  The only thing you’re going to be judged on is whether or not you get the pictures they wanted.  ”You didn’t give me a schedule,” is not a valid excuse.
• Optimize the order in which you take your group shots.  Basically no one wants to stand in front of a camera when other people are enjoying appetizers and an open bar.  To try and keep as many people happy as possible, organize your group shot list so people don’t stand around any longer than they have to.  For example, get a photo of the bride and her mother .  Then the bride with her mother and father.  Then toss in the groom. Then toss in the groom’s parents. Then pull out the bride’s parents.  At this point her parents may be dismissed to go enjoy themselves.  (Assuming no more shots with them are required).  See what happens here?  Between any two shots, we only put one person/group in and/or pull one person/group out.  The idea is that as soon as we are done with someone, they’re free to go.  Organizing your group shots like this lets your assistant (or volunteer helper) get everyone needed for the next shot up on deck and ready to go.  Does it take some time to organize your shot list in this manner? Yes.  Is it worth doing? Absolutely, 150% yes! (Doing this saved my butt, seriously, it’s worth every second you spend in preparation.)
• This is obvious, but make sure you know every how to use every control on your camera without hesitation.  Changing ISO, adding an EV, switching your shutter speed should all be second nature and instinctive.  Make sure you know how your speedlights work.  Make sure you know how to use your flash auto focus assist option without firing the flash itself.

So that sums up my list of things I suggest doing 2-3 weeks before the wedding.  Next week we’ll start with things to do a few days before the wedding.

Now that I’m home I’m dumping photos off of my CF cards. I saw this composition, and I started processing it. I wish the sunset brought more color, but the dark blue sky works here for me.

I saw some photos of a rock formation on the northeast part of Lake Tahoe called “Bonsai Rock“. This is a pretty cool area.  In the right light I think it would be amazing.  I was there today, and the light would just not cooperate. :(  But that’s besides the point.  Finding it is a real pain in the butt.  There are some general directions online, i.e. “south of Sand Harbor, near a hill, off of a turnout.”  Well great, Magellan, that’s not all that helpful.  Also, Panoramio and Flickr have some photos of Bonsai Rock, but none with accurate GPS info.  So today, almost by sheer luck, as the best info I had would have put me almost a mile off track, I found Bonsai Rock by stopping at the right turnout by accident.  I pulled out my iPhone, launched the absolutely amazing MotionX-GPS app (which if you do any outdoor stuff you should own) and grabbed the actual GPS coordinates of the turnout, the trail head, and Bonsai Rock itself.  (The coordinates are approximate as there was a 200 foot accuracy issue with my satellite reception.  Never fear though, because the coordinates for Bonsai Rock itself are spot on.)

• Turnout where you want to park if you’re going to Bonsai Rock:  39.183690° N , 119.927088° W  (this may be about 250 feet off target)
• Trail head 39.184747° N , 119.927268° W (fairly accurate)
• Bonsai Rock itself 39.184844° N, 119.927727° W (spot on — if you are here you are staring at the rock)

So some notes for you.  The trail head isn’t so much a trail head, as it is a gap in the bushes.  You can see Bonsai Rock from this location if you look between the bushes & trees.  The trail is all sand covered rock and it’s unmarked.  The sand is very loose and it’s very steep.  If you’re going, pack light, wear good shoes with a lot of traction, and I’d highly advise a walking stick to provide support.  Of course teenagers were running up and down carrying beer during the day, but I’m not going to risk a fall with a few thousand dollars of equipment attached to torso.  Going down is much more difficult in terms of maintaing your balance than going back up.  However going back up is quite a workout.

To make sure everyone who wants to find this place can, I’ve made a custom Google Map that will show you where to park, where the trail begins, and where the rock itself is located.  Bonsai Rock Mapped!

N.B. Some people probably like to keep photo spots secret.  Well, sorry.  It’s what you do with a camera that makes you a great photographer, not what secret places you know about.  Share what you know, and people may share with you.  Keeping things secret does everyone a disservice.

UPDATE: Photo uploaded!

A few weeks ago I put together a small but very useful python library to interact with ZenFolio. I don’t normally open source code I write, not because I don’t want to, but because I’m usually lazy, haha. However in this case, I didn’t see anything out there that did what I needed, so I figured someone might find this useful. The code is available at Google Project Hosting (http://code.google.com/p/lib-pyzenfolio/) under an MIT License. Let me know if you find this useful!

Having shot my first wedding a few weeks ago, I’m basically finished with all the post processing. I still have to assemble an album, but the client saw the photos, the images were retouched, and all the actual photography is complete.

So then, considering I’ve only shot 1 wedding, what kind of observations could I possibly have to make? Well, I’ll tell you what, I read every book on wedding photography I could find. I’ve read all of David Ziser’s blog posts on wedding photography, and despite all that, I encountered numerous unexpected challenges. So, to try and share some of my experiences, I’ve decided to do a series of blog posts on observations I’ve made.  Even if you’ve only shot one wedding, all of these suggestions probably seem like common sense.  (I still hope you’ll find something useful here though!)  But if you’re about to shoot your first wedding, this is the type of info I wish I had available to me about 2-3 months prior to the big day.  I’m not going to focus on business and marketing, this is a list of survival tips.  I’ll let the pros tell you how to run a business.  I’m just going to share what I think will make your life a little easier.

To start this off, let’s start in the beginning.  You’ve been approached by a couple who would like you to be their wedding photographer.  You’ve told them you don’t want the responsibility, you’ve told them you may seriously injure people, you’ve told them you’ve suddenly come down with the plague, and despite all this, they still insist you photograph their wedding.  So, what do you do?  Sit down with them a few months before the wedding and talk.  My first post contains a list of things you need to square away up front.  Remember, I’m not dealing with any business stuff!

• You just aren’t taking photos for the couple, you’re working with them.  The bride’s father called me “the second bride” based on how much I was running around and trying to do.  It’s true, you’re going to work your butt off.  Make sure you’re comfortable with the couple and vice versa.  If they view you as just another vendor, you’re not going to get relaxed personable expressions from them.
• Offer to shoot engagement portraits for the couple.  This is a great way for them to feel comfortable with you taking their photos.  It also gives you an idea of how they’ll react to being photographed on the big day.  Engagement photos are nice because it’s low pressure, relaxed, and fun.
• What style are they looking for?  Do they want traditional photos?  Do they want photo journalist style photos? Do they want a mixture of both? Have you shot like that before?  Expectations should be set to a reasonable level.  Show them samples of your work, not just your best stuff either.  If you only show them your top photos, they might be expecting everything to look like that.
• Give them homework!  Tell them to look online at other people’s wedding photos online or in person.  Ask them to find examples of stuff they like, and stuff they don’t like.  Have them send you these samples if possible.
• So apart from shooting style, does the couple have any feelings as to the ‘look’ of the photos they’d like you to get?  Do they want light and airy feeling photos?  Sharp and realistic?  Soft and dreamy?  Should portraits and staged photos be dramatic?  High contrast?  Low contrast?
• You are interviewing the bride and groom as much as they are interviewing you.  If you don’t click, don’t take the job.  You’re making pictures that capture memories, not selling socks!
• Where will the wedding ceremony take place?  What time of day is it scheduled for?  Can you scout it out in advance?  If so, go do so!  Where is the reception being held?  Is it indoors or outdoors? What time of day?  Can you scout out that location in advance as well?  What’s the name of someone at the reception facility who you can talk to should you need access prior to the wedding day?

My next post will contain things you should probably do 2-3 weeks before the wedding.  It’s looking like it will be a long one, so I might split it up into two parts.  Stay tuned! Please share this with your friends if you find it useful!

..mike

About two weeks ago I shot my first wedding.  I suckered my friend Brandon into being a second shooter, just in case I suffered a catastrophic hardware failure of some type. Thankfully, everything worked perfectly.  We got some amazing shots, and I wanted to share some with you.

I borrowed a coworker’s Canon EF 85mm f/1.2L lens for the wedding.  This lens is absolutely gorgeous.  The bokeh is smooth and creamy. Subjects are tack sharp with amazing contrast and color. This is a photo of the bride, Sharon. She was outside under a giant patio umbrella getting her makeup finished up.

The bridal party was absolutely huge. There were 9 groomsmen and 9 bridesmaids. Counting the bride and groom, that’s a total of 20 people! Getting a solid group shot was hard. Someone was always blinking, looking away, making a hand gesture, etc. We only had a few minutes to get all the group shots taken and the size of the group made it extra challenging. Just as we were finishing up shooting the bridal party, my wife (who was also a bridesmaid) shouted out, “Go Crazy!” This shot was the result. Everyone is happy and relaxed. While this shot is not traditional, it’s my favorite group shot of the day.

This image is my favorite from the wedding. The sun was setting over the Santa Cruz mountains and I noticed there were a few clouds on the horizon. I ran up to the bride and asked her if I could borrow her and the groom for a few minutes. They had no problem with that, and we walked 50 yards to the edge of Shoreline Lake. I took about 5 test shots and got this one. Not bad for on camera flash! The couple absolutely loved the shot.

All in all, I ended up taking 3965 photos on my two camera bodies over 13 hours of shooting. Yesterday morning, I finished culling photos down to the best 450. I’m now waiting to meet up with the newlyweds and see what photos they’d like to use in their album.

Would I shoot another wedding? Absolutely. It was fun, exciting, stressful, and more! However, I think I’d like to try and shoot some smaller weddings first. 200+ guests and a 20 person bridal party made for some stressful interesting moments. But, apart from that, it was a blast! I learned so much, and I think the next one will be much easier!

Look forward to some forthcoming posts containing lessons learned. Hopefully they’ll be useful to other folks just starting out.

The other day I decided that I would add Zenfolio support to my photo tagging site, smark.us.  (I’m sill working on that, btw.) However, I was unable to find any Zenfolio Python libraries, so i wrote one.  Since Zenfolio supports JSON-RPC, it was quite easy, however I found their authentication documentation to be a little vague on how to generate a valid response to a provided challenge.  After poking at it for a bit, I got it working.  To help other folks save time, here is a code snippet that you can use to generate a valid response to a challenge issued by GetChallenge().  Note that this is only for JSON-RPC.  Other protocols such as SOAP use different encodings.

def GenerateAuthenticateProof(auth_challenge, password):
  """Generate proof for calling Zenfolio's Authenticate() method via JSON-RPC.

  Args:
    auth_challenge: Dict like object containing the result of a call to Zenfolio's
      GetChallenge().  It must contain key values PasswordSalt and Challenge.
      Both of which should represent lists of integers.
    password: User password as a string

  Returns:
    A list of integer values that should be serialized and passed as the proof
    argument when calling Zenfolio's Authenticate method."""

  # Convert the numeric salt and challenge arrays into binary strings.
  salt = ''.join([chr(x) for x in auth_challenge['PasswordSalt']])
  challenge = ''.join([chr(x) for x in auth_challenge['Challenge']])

  # Calculate a hash of the binary salt and the password as utf-8
  combo = salt + password.encode('utf-8')
  h2 = hashlib.sha256(combo)

  # Calculate the proof digest
  combo = challenge + h2.digest()
  h1 = hashlib.sha256(combo)
  proof = h1.digest()

  # Return the proof digest as a list of integer values.
  return list(struct.unpack('B'*32, proof))

Someone says fireworks and my camera bag jumps off the desk, attaches itself to my shoulder, and demands I take it to the show. Given such persistent behavior from an inanimate object, who am I to say no?

On Saturday, Sara, Brandon and I, trekked up to San Francisco to see the fireworks show for the 4th of July. We staked out some prime, albeit quite cold, viewing spaces on Treasure Island, made sure our focus was dead on, and waited. As the sun sank over the horizon, the sky over the city turned a very pretty shade of blue and pink, which resulted in the photo shown here.

It’s quite funny because the photo above is probably the best photo I think I got of the evening.  You see, the fireworks show, in my opinion, was a bit ho hum.  In Philadelphia, where this whole July 4th business got started, firework shows are a big deal.  I remember one year there was a fireworks show every day of July leading up to the 4th.  The Macy’s NYC fireworks show on Saturday was downright amazing. (See this video shot with a 5d Mark 2).  The San Francisco fireworks had several pauses of like 10-15 seconds where there was nothing in the sky at all.  In fact at numerous points during the show people thought it was over and started leaving.  Perhaps this was due to budget cut backs, as California and most of the cities are nearly insolvent.  However if Disneyland can put on a killer fireworks show every night, perhaps we can try really hard to do it once per year. :-D

That said, I did manage to get a few ok shots of the fireworks. My favorite is shown below.

So after Zack Arias’s visit to Google last Friday, I had the urge to try and keep some resemblance of a Google strobist group alive.  I am an absolute beginner with off camera lighting, and the only way to actually learn this stuff is to go do it.  We can talk about gear and the inverse square law only for so long.  Whenever I have the opportunity to take photos of an actual person, I admit that I get extremely nervous and start obsessing over stupid settings and trying to do math in my head for God only knows what reason.  Despite having a degree in mathematics, I suck at 3rd grade arithmetic, so that doesn’t help things at all.  I’d like to get to the point where I can walk up to someone and have enough confidence to, within a few minutes, take an ok photo.  Not a great photo, not an inspiring photo, but an ok photo that doesn’t make them look like a jack-o-lantern on speed.  Is that too much to ask?

I digress.  I scheduled a weekly Wednesday evening event with the participants of Zack’s workshop.  The idea is that we’ll go outside and try and test out some ideas we might have.  So with that said, for our first 90 minute meetup 5 of us showed up and wandered around campus for a bit.  We came across these bike lockers.  It was only about 7PM so it was still plenty bright outside.  However by stopping down quite a bit and using a fast shutter we were able to take ambient to black.  I put a 580 EX II on full power insider the bike locker and used my CyberSync to trigger it via radio.  I really like the effect that I got.  There is a little mystery, surprise, and suspense with what’s going on.  The photo has a definite mood, and I like that.

With that, have a good Thursday, and hopefully there will be some good photo opportunities over the long weekend. Stay safe and enjoy the holiday, folks! :-)

Zack Arias the (in)famous Atlanta music photographer came by Google on Friday. He spent the day with a group of 20 photographers and presented his absolutely fantastic One Light Workshop. I have to say this, “If you want to learn more about lighting, but more importantly if you want to be a better photographer, go sign up for this workshop now!” Zack has One Light workshops scheduled in NYC, Atlanta, and LA. It’s worth every penny and you will leave inspired.  If you can’t make it to one of his workshops in person, Zack has One Light DVDs for sale that are the next best thing.  Zack’s zen-like attitude and approach to photography was a wake up call for me. Rather than take photos everyone has seen before, I now want to take photos that will make people see something they haven’t.

Ok, on to the photo above.  This photo is one from the workshop on Friday. It’s as simple as you can get! A single 430 EX II on full power blasting at Dan from about 5 feet away.  Can’t get easier than that, can you?