Since hosting my own site wasn’t an option, I started a 14-day trial of Smugmug and Zenfolio. Both hosting options were similar in a lot of ways and I’d heard some good things about both services. I liked the fact that I could upload RAW files directly from Lightroom 3 and it was easy to set up special galleries for clients and the general public. I also liked that I could upload as many high resolution photos as I want, without having to worry about file size.

I set up some public and private galleries on both and test a lot of the features that both offered. It was a difficult decision and both were really good products. But in the end I chose Zenfolio. What set them apart was the fact that I could get rid of the Zenfolio branding a lot easier than at Smugmug. For the annual price you pay, I just thought it was only right that I would have the option to hide their branding. Sure, if you’re familiar with their web templates you’ll be able to tell it’s hosted by Zenfolio, but with Smugmug it would have been too obvious. And despite how much I liked Smugmug, that wasn’t something I couldn’t overlook.

So “The Gallery” at theojohnson.net is open and ready for business (I might also start selling prints soon). Let me know what you think and leave comments. If you’ve used any of these services, let me know what you think of them. And if you’re looking for a place to host your photos and choose Zenfolio, use my referral code DYM-CAB-HB4 to get a discount.

http://thegallery.theojohnson.net

To prepare I picked up some books and hit the Internet. I viewed all types of wedding photo sites and spent time in the wedding discussion areas on Flickr. I even looked through some of my old wedding photos (before digital) to get some ideas on the poses my wife and I did. I made sure to get out and practice taking outdoor and indoor shots with my flash to see the difference in camera settings. I was also fortunate enough to get some pro advice from some friends of mine who had experience with wedding photography.

As the big day approached, I met with the bride to get the list of shots they wanted and got my equipment together. The day before the ceremony, my wife and I attended the rehearsal to scope out the venue and finalize our plan of action.

The day of the wedding we got there early and got to work. It was non-stop the whole day because I wanted to make sure we got everything on the list. Afterwards we packed up and went home. The next day my whole body was tired. I didn’t realize how much work went into photographing a wedding and I have a real respect (not that I didn’t before) for those who do this on a regular basis.

I took over 800 photos, but only about 300 made the final cut. Post-processing took a while and since this was a special event I downloaded the trial version of Lightroom 3. I have to admit, I’m really impressed with it and I really may have to consider buying it after the trial is up. After getting used to it, post-processing was a lot faster and I can see why people are willing to put down the money for it.

Here are some of my favorite photos from the wedding. I mentioned before that they are a very photogenic couple, which made my job a lot easier.

Last week I gave the newly married couple their photos and they liked them. This made me happy because in the end, that’s all that matters. I enjoy photography because it’s a way to capture those special moments in life. It gives me a chance to get out, have fun and be creative.

The big question I think about now is whether or not I’d do another wedding if asked. Probably. The stressful thing about them is that you only get one chance and a missed or messed up shot is gone forever.

Here’s some lessons I learned and hope to improve upon in the future:

• Be ready for anything. I had to alter the list of outdoor shots I wanted to take because it was getting hot. We decided to take the family photos indoors which slowed down the set up for the reception. The wedding planner was great and it all worked out in the end.
• Watch your camera settings. I had my indoor settings still set when I started the outdoor photos. I caught it early so, I was able to adjust and redo those shots.
• The list is your best friend. Know the complete flow of the service and plan your shots according to schedule. I studied this list to the point where I was able to set it down and photograph without looking at it. My wife helped keep me on track by checking off the shot as I took them and made sure I was where I needed to be when the time came.
• Focus, focus focus. I blew some cool shots due to focusing issues. I used my Tamron 17-50mm 2.8, so it tends to be soft on focusing when indoors or low light. But I can’t blame it all on the lens. I hope to be able to one day go all manual and get away from relying on auto focus so much.
• Enjoy yourself. I was nervous up until I took my first shot. I didn’t want to mess up anything, but realized that worrying wouldn’t solve anything. I had fun and made sure I captured the event as if it were my own.

As always, I’m open to advice and would like to hear any additional tips/advice. Enjoy the photos!

While he was shooting, I decided to get some shots of my own.

The two black & white photos are some I took while we were out for another day at the park. In these economic times, the park is a great way for them to have fun and stay out of my wallet at the same time.

The more photos I take outdoors, the more I see the need to use a flash to get rid of shadows. I still need a course on flash photography.

The biggest thing I had to remember was to decrease the aperture because my first set of pictures came out all white. I thought my camera was on the fritz, but realized I had it set to 2.8 for some indoor shots I was taking earlier. I lowered it to 8 and everything was all good. I also threw in some black and white shots.

Here’s what I learned:

• Don’t go to a crowded park if you want them to focus on you. The playground was packed and my youngest was all over the place.
• Make sure you have plenty of daylight and a fast shutter to prevent blur. I couldn’t set my shutter speed too high as the sun went down, which caused some of the pics to come out dark.
• Make sure the camera focuses accurately on the subject. Moving targets can be hard to get in focus.
• Take plenty of pictures. With digital you can always delete the ones you don’t like.

BTW: For those wondering, I know pumpkins is spelled wrong in the title. That’s how the boys say it.

Despite a few little meltdowns and a fire ant attack, he did good. But most importantly, he had fun.