The biggest issue was the sun. No matter where I positioned them, the shadows were covering up their face. I tried using the flash for fill, but it didn’t do much to add light. I ended up facing them towards the sun (which explains the squinting). Getting both of them to participate and look at the camera was challenging, buy my oldest son, as usual, took to the camera and I got some good shots of him. As an added bonus I even got one of my wife.

Enjoy!

Jaclyn is a photo enthusiast like me and was pleased to help us out. She would get a little experience in taking some outdoor family portraits and I would get some family photos (a win/win situation for the both of us). For it being a first time assignment, I think she did a good job. After doing some post-processing, I’m finally getting around to posting some of the pictures. Enjoy!

I purchased Lightroom 3 a couple of weeks ago and decided to give some of my FREE presets from onOne Software a try. I think presets are great because they allow me to quickly create some nice photos and inspire me during those times when my creative juices aren’t flowing. While they’re a big help, I still feel it’s important to know how to use your post processing software because presets don’t work with every photo.

There was a lot of shade, so I used my SB600 flash to fill the area with more light. The one thing I need to watch out for next time is glare and shadows. A goal of mine within the next couple of months is to do a photo walk and class that focuses on getting the flash off the camera (strobist).

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!

It was the first time, I’d been able to attend a photo meetup. The class was made up of pros and enthusiasts, so it was cool to see some of the gear the pros were carrying around. After about an hour class, we started taking photos of a local area model. The weather was nice, but we had a slight overcast, so I really didn’t get to practice taking outdoor portraits in direct sunlight. It was good that we were able to practice right after the class, because the information was still fresh in our heads.

I used my Nikkor 50mm 1.8 and the Nikkor 55-200mm for the photos below. I shot in RAW which came in handy because the original version second photo was extremely overblown. I tried a couple of things to save it and came out with the high contrast black and white.

Overall, I have to say I’m pleased with the results. It gives me a little confidence to go out and find more people (other than my kids) to photograph. As time permits, I’ll definitely be going to other meetups and will post the photos here.

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.

My wife was a great assistant and helped a lot, but my son who refused to take a nap earlier, decided 30 minutes into the shoot that now was a good time. But she was prepared for that and handled the situation while I kept going.

As always, I like to share what I learned, so here goes:

• Pay attention to the details. The arboretum was really busy that way, so I had to pay attention to what (or who) was in the background. I was constantly having to stop or reposition myself because of people walking by. There’s a lot you have to consider when taking outdoor photos, but I think I managed it well.
• It helps to have an assistant. My wife was able to catch things I missed. She made sure they were looking right, which allowed me to focus on composition and finding good spots to shoot.
• You really do need a flash outdoors. I used to wonder why photographers had flashes outdoors. The pictures where I didn’t use one had a lot of shadows and came out dark. I learned I need a lesson on flash photography and lighting.
• When outdoors, bring water and something for sweat. Because of the kids, we had drinks, but I wouldn’t have had one if I were on my own. It was hot that day and there was no cloud cover at all.
• Have a couple of planned out posed shots to start off. It was slow in the beginning, but things got easier as we went on. There was a lot of potential for some really good pictures, but the time went by fast. Guess I have to save them for later.
• Having a photogenic couple helps. When I was looking through the full set of photos, their smiles and expression were so natural. But that’s the way it is when you’re in love. They made my job a lot easier.

It was a great first time experience for me and we’ll see if there are more to come. Here are just a couple of the ones I took. I’d like comments on the photos. Any advice or tips are welcome. Enjoy!