One of the best places to shoot saleable images for Microstock Photography Market is at a wedding. Most wedding images are always in great demand and because you are in a crowd of picture takers, you won’t be noticed so you can move in close and treated simply as a guest and not a photographer.
Over the years, some of the images that I have shot at Weddings have produced some of my best selling images in the World of Microstock Photography. Weddings are a popular subject both on and off line and because fashions change new updated and fresh images are always in demand. The trick is to shoot your pictures without the faces visible so they subjects cannot be recognised. This ensures that they will be available to a wider audience and I don’t have the bother of ‘Model Releases’ etc. What you have to think of whilst you are shooting the pictures is ‘How can I illustrate the subject without identifying anyone?’
For example a close-up of the bouquet in the hands of the bride is always a certain seller. You’re only showing the hands and the flowers but it is instantly related to a wedding. Hymn books in the Church or the Bride and Groom’s hands linked showing the rings. You can catch off moment close-ups of drinkers and smokers. Look for the wedding guest that is adjusting the flowers in their button hole or the holding of the Top Hat. Hands that are getting ready to throw the confetti or close-ups of the confetti with an out of focus Bride and Groom in the background.
Wedding cars are always in pristine condition and detailed shots of gleaming parts can add to your online portfolio. A sure seller if the Top Hat on the bonnet or the bride’s hand waving through an open window. Focus on the front grill with the Bride and Groom out of focus in the distance.
At the reception there’s the table settings which invariably are in tip top condition and excellently presented. Some of the guests will be leaning over the crowded bar and relaxing with a much deserved drink. Children will be running all over the place and maybe playing hide and seek.
All these subjects can be captured without showing any identification or recognisable features. You can shoot away at a wedding without looking conspicuous because most of the other guests will be taking pictures. There are photo opportunities all around you and you’ll never be stuck for the next wedding photography idea of what to shoot. That’s why one of the best opportunities for a Microstock Photographer is a good old fashioned wedding ceremony!
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Faithfully sang by Arnel Pineda the new lead singer of Journey. Our wedding photos taken in a studio in Hong Kong. Rizal High School BSc Chemical Engineering Mapua Institute of Technology MSc Materials Science and Engineering Hong Kong University of Science and Technology PhD Mechanical… … Arnel Pineda Journey Faithfully Wedding Mapua HKUST PolyU
Help answer the question about Wedding Photography
what are the best/most informative digital wedding photography books.?I am looking to get in to wedding photography and would like to pick up some books, what are some good ones for a beginner, I noticed a lot of them talk about transition from film which I don't need.
About Author
From the age of sixteen I have worked in the construction industry developing an eye for design and an appreciation of fine architecture. But, my first passion is photography! I gained my Licentiate with The Royal Photographic Society way back in 1988 – A passion that has grown, over the years, into an obsession. It was inevitable that at some point my two main interests would become one. Because of my love of buildings, architecture and furniture and drawing on my experience gained in the construction industry feel that I am in a position to take images that fully justify the subject and show a knowledge and commitment of creative photography. However, I do shoot other subjects for my personal use. I now publish a newsletter aimed at the Microstock Photographer who wants to sell their photos online. Please view my latest stock photography and subscribe to my newsletter at http://www.gbphotostock.com or view my blog at http://gbmicrostock.blogspot.com/
Tags: Arnel, Faithfully, HKUST, Journey, Mapua, Pineda, PolyU, wedding
Wedding photography tutorials: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/html/teoria_tecnica/ripresa-tecniche/matrimonio-cerimonia-e.shtml
See these tutorials on wedding photography: http://www.net-art.it/photomonitor/html/teoria_tecnica/ripresa-tecniche/matrimonio-cerimonia-e.shtml
Well, I do quite a few different types of photography, including weddings.
Just because you are 14 means only that age limitations apply. You have the youth and energy to craft your photographic trade for decades to come though! Having a Nikon D40 is a great thing. I shoot a D90 with a Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 and love it! The fact you can edit is a great plus, seeing that digital photography has a requisite for that kind of talent.
Now, on to your questions…
You've already have gotten started. You have a great camera, you're computer savvy and have drive. Now you need the channels to utilize those energies. How about the school paper? The local paper? Be a free-lance photographer for them! Learn what clients want and find out how you can supply it. How will you make yourself unique (differentiate) as compared to other photographers? Think about this.
As to how to further get started in wedding photography, I learned by taking lots of photographs and reading up on books in the library. I also asked other photographers (like you're doing here) on some tips. It takes time, and you have lots of that!
As for your camera, right now the D40 is fine. Learn the operations of the camera if you haven't already. Knowing your tools is of utmost importance to getting the most from them. In a few years, think about upgrading possibly. Always look to buy the best lenses you can afford. The lens will outlive the camera by decades! Read articles, look at product reviews and see what is the right kind of lenses and bodies for what you want to do. I still have my 6 year old D70 and lenses because my wife is getting into photography and she loves it.
You can do some work on wedding photography right now. Not for pay possibly, but doing some free-lance work and then showing the bride and groom your work afterwards would set you up for something in the near future. I'd say that the earliest you could get some sort of paying work is at 17 or 18. Don't ask me what you could charge… your work/portfolio quality will determine that in a few years.
What kind of pictures? What do you WANT to take pictures of? What really makes you want to snap that picture? That is the motivation you need to focus on! That is what helps differentiate your work from everyone else! I do a lot of landscape, macro, flowers/plants and specialty photography personally.
The best thing to do is:
1) Learn your camera and lenses. What/where are they good at performing? How many lenses do you really need to just start? If you only have one lens then fine. Learn its strengths and weaknesses. Know the camera operations by memory so that when conditions change, you can change the settings accordingly.
Do you have a good prime lens (50mm f/1.8), a good low end zoom (18-70/105mm), a good high focal length zoom (70-300mm)? Maybe, like me, you have a good "walk about" lens (18-270mm). Even if you just have the 18-105mm Nikon lens the D40 came with, it's a very good lens! You can do a lot of fine work with that lens.
2) Read up on the types of photography you'd like to do. Take notes. How about some classes in middle or high school? Go to the library and check out some books so you can refer back to them. That is a no-cost option! Learn the basics of exposure and composition and how to get different effects from different settings of the camera. Don't rely on your software to make a semi-good picture better. Learn to take a great picture right off the bat so you don't have to do any rework on the computer.
3) Learn from your mistakes. Why did the picture come out bad, over or under exposed? How can you work to not do that again? Why is is that certain pictures came out fantastic? What did you do correctly so you can repeat that? Since you have a digital camera, you can usually take several shots of the same subject and see how different settings make the picture change to you liking.
4) Have fun doing whatever you do. I have seen so many people get into photography and get lost in the details that they forget to have FUN!
Good luck!
I know in our town we have bridal fairs at our mall and another at a local hotel. These fairs have booths set up so that businesses can get their names out there. I would start with that. Then word of mouth does wonder. Start some sort of reward program for people who refer you to other people. You may check and see if a local floral shop wants to team up with you and have packages that way. Also check out theknot.com. They are a wedding website that I believe is set up by area of the country.
I'm not familiar with any magazine with wedding photography as its main subject.
However, Inside Weddings has lots of good photos. Some of them are studio shots of course, but lots of them are actual wedding shots. I use it to help get the couple focused on the types of photos they like best during pre-planning.
Wedding photographers charge by the event, not the hour.
My wedding photographer had shot professionally for ten years, but mine was only her fourth wedding. Her experience as a pro combined with her inexperience at weddings led to a price of $750 for the day.
This included:
* Four scheduled hours of work (though she showed up early and also toured the venue with me the day before, so it's more like six hours total).
* Light editing of all pictures (color, contrast, removing any photos that had come out badly) and burning them to CD. This CD also came with copyright release, so I could print the photos legally. Most photographers charge maybe $250 for the copyright-released CD alone.
* No prints
You seem less experienced than my photographer was, so if I were you, I'd charge $500 for the above.
The high yearly saleries and $2000/gig prices are reserved for professional photographers who have lots of experience with weddings. If your sister's friend is going to you, it's because she can't afford them.
Wow!!! Your question is very important for which I think you should go online and check this out: http://thestylishwedding.com/articles
Enjoy
equipment is not the main consideration.
Skill and experience is.
If you have never done a wedding before then before you jump in you need to work as an assistant for a while so that you do not completely and utterly mess up the couples big day.
Good wedding photography is a skill which can only be learnt with practice so going solo straight is NOT a good idea.
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I suppose you have experience, a portfolio, have taken formal classes and you've done an apprenticeship with an experienced, established professional phtoographer?
In being a wedding photographer, you will find that you will have dry spells and a lot of free time on your hands; for that reason, I suggest that you expand your business to also include portraits, graduations, Christenings, and maybe even do a little of children and/or baby photos. Those are opportunities to make money ANeD to get your name known. Depending on the area where you're located, you might also want to work for a shop that does on-site photo processing (learn how to operate the equipment, machines, etc… learn as much as you can and keep your eyes and ears open).
Consider also taking a few businesses classes at the local "Y" or local community college through the Evening Adult & Continuing Education Department; it will help you in more ways than one… taxes, accounting, etc. Talented and skilled photographers go bankrupt all the time because they have no kind of business sense; learn as much as you can.
Getting started ain't always as easy as we imagine. For that reason you might want to visit a few churches and speak with the Holy Man, leave a few cards or make a professional looking circular and post it on the bulletin boards, do a few freebies or give them as much of a break as you can (use this to build a portfolio, get recommendations… future referrals) for a few people on really tight budgets. Bridal shops often don't say anything but they may expect a "finder's fee" or a tip (which I am sorely against), flower shops, beauty salons, etc. Speak with the proprietors and let them know that you're just starting out; take a few of their cards and also offer to pass them to any and all of your clients. Do you know anyone in the catering business? That's also a plus.
Don't give up. Starting is always the most difficult part! Listen, all the talent and skills in the world won't amount to anything unless you have the passion to persevere and overcome those obstacles you're sure to encounter; so, hang in there. Good luck and very best wishes.