Perkins - How to Photograph Weddings: Behind the Scenes with 25 Leading Pros to Learn Lighting, Posing and More

Thank You!

My deepest thanks to all the photographers who took the time to talk with me and share their expertise. Their devotion to their craft, creativity, and clients is truly inspiringas is their commitment to sharing their knowledge and elevating the field as a whole. Special thanks to Dawn Shields, Mimika Cooney, Brett Florens, Huy Nguyen, and Neal Urban for bringing a few rising stars (and accomplished but under-the-radar veterans) to my attention. And, as always, big love to my husband Ron, a musician whose fearless devotion to his craft keeps me on track with mine.

About the Author

Michelle Perkins is a writer, designer, and photographer. Her articles and images have been featured in Shutterbug, Rangefinder, and AfterCapture magazines, as well as on numerous blogs and in The Buffalo News. She is the author of the popular 500 Poses series (also from Amherst Media), including 500 Poses for Photographing Brides, 500 Poses for Photographing Couples, and many more.

Copyright 2015 by Michelle Perkins.

All rights reserved.

Front cover photographs by Brett Florens (bottom) and Paul D. Van Hoy II (top row).

Back cover photographs by Jerry Ghionis (top) and Stephanie Zettl (bottom).

Page 1 photographs by Ethan Watts (top) and Michael Mowbray (bottom).

Portions of this book are adapted from the following and used with permission of the respective authors/publishers: Caught on Film by Michelle Perkins (Rangefinder, February, 2011); Step by Step Wedding Photography, 2nd ed. by Damon Tucci (Amherst Media); Nikon Speedlight Handbook by Stepnanie Zettl (Amherst Media); Shoot to Thrill by Michael Mowbray (Amherst Media); Staying Focused: The Wildfire Wedding by Michelle Perkins (www.fearlessphotographers.com; June, 2014); Behind the Shutter by Sal Cincotta (Amherst Media); and Beyond the Chapel: Photographers in Service to Society by Michelle Perkins (www.fearlessphotographers.com; July, 2014).

Published by:

Amherst Media, Inc.

P.O. Box 586

Buffalo, N.Y. 14226

Fax: 716-874-4508

www.AmherstMedia.com

Publisher: Craig Alesse

Senior Editor/Production Manager: Michelle Perkins

Associate Editor: Barbara A. Lynch-Johnt

Associate Publisher: Kate Neaverth

Editorial Assistance from: Carey A. Miller, Sally Jarzab, John S. Loder

Business Manager: Adam Richards

Warehouse and Fulfillment Manager: Roger Singo

ISBN-13: 978-1-60895-760-6

Library of Congress Control Number: 2014933305

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopied, recorded or otherwise, without prior written consent from the publisher.

Notice of Disclaimer: The information contained in this book is based on the authors experience and opinions. The authors and publisher will not be held liable for the use or misuse of the information in this book.

Contents

Jim Garner

Catherine Hall

Anne Almasy

Angela Hubbard

Tracy Dorr

Damon Tucci

Riccis Valladares

Paul D. Van Hoy II

Stephanie Zettl

Brett Florens

PHOTOGRAPH BY JERRY GHIONIS.

HOW TO PHOTOGRAPH WEDDINGS

PHOTOGRAPH BY CATHERINE HALL.

Ethan Watts

Neil van Niekerk

Neal Urban

Srinu and Amy Regeti

Ken Sklute

Jerry Ghionis

Michael Mowbray

Dave and Quin Cheung

Huy Nguyen

Dennis Orchard

PHOTOGRAPH BY NEIL VAN NIEKERK.

Salvatore Cincotta

Christie Mumm

Josh Newton

Kristi Odom

Bob and Dawn Davis

PHOTOGRAPH BY REGETIS PHOTOGRAPHY.

Photographer: Jim Garner

F or Jim Garner, shifting to a story-shooting approach is one of the most important things professional photographers can do to improve their creativityand their income. The individual picture-taking philosophy is unfortunate because its just a glut of people delivering the same thing, says Jim. Its also, he notes, a more complicated, time-consuming process.

Print-delivery photographers take a bunch of pictures, retouch all those pictures, and invest all that effort in perfecting individual images in the hopes of a sale, Jim explains. In art-delivery or story-shooting photography, we shoot for a concept. We know exactly what the client is coming to us for in the first place. In our case, everyone gets a beautiful, hand-crafted book from Graphistudio. They also have the opportunity to purchase retouched imageswe call them digitally masteredwhich are sold at a premium.

For every moment that Im doing postproduction, I know that Ill be making money from that work.

Theres this magical thing that happens when photographers shift out of the picture-taking world and move into a storytelling approach with art being the delivery for every single clientnot just the ones who pay a premium, he says. You become a conceptual shooter rather than an individual picture shooter. Youre liberated from creating complicated portfolio images for each and every client. Instead, youre sought after for your ability to put images together in sequenceimages that are actually much easier to shoot.

Telling stories requires thinking more cinematically. Before you can show the couple flying off in a helicopter (above), you need a shot that establishes the arrival of the helicopter (facing page).

Additionally, for every click we take, we know where those images will belong. And for every moment that Im doing postproduction, I know that Ill be making money from that work.