There’s no doubt that wedding photography can be an amazing and fulfilling job. Wedding photographers work with people on some of the happiest days of their lives. They get to shoot people at their best, dressed up in beautiful outfits, in stunning locations in and outdoors. They create poignant and lasting memories of joyful occasions. In addition, well-known wedding photographers can earn very respectable rates for their work.

However, there is a flipside to all this. Since weddings are so emotionally charged, making a mistake or missing special moments can cause a lot of disappointment for the clients. Weddings usually take place on evenings and weekends, meaning odd working hours and sacrificing personal family time.

The work is both physically and emotionally draining – long hours carrying heavy equipment, managing people, fitting into the whims of the clients and pushing yourself not to miss anything important. In practical terms, wedding photographers need a lot of expensive equipment (including backups), and the competition in the field is steep, which means having to market aggressively and lowering rates.
If you feel passionate enough about wedding photography to take the plunge, here is what you will need.

• Naturally, you will need a good quality camera, a versatile lens (ideally, you will have a few different ones), a flash and other lighting tools (like professional lights, diffusion boards and so on) and several large memory chips. It’s also vital that you have a backup for each of these vital tools.
• Many photographers shoot with an assistant, who helps to fill in extra shots or captures separate events happening somewhere else. Consider finding a helper for larger weddings.
• Since the bulk of digital photography work happens after the event, you will need a good computer and the necessary photo manipulation software. These element can get quite expensive, so be sure to calculate the costs in.
• It should go without saying that wedding photographers need to have excellent photography skills. Weddings cannot be repeated and moments cannot be paused while you prepare yourself. You need to be able to produce perfect shots under pressure. A wedding is not the place to test out new equipment or techniques.
• It should also be evident that you need to have good people skills and enjoy working with diverse and emotional people. Wedding participants can be nervous, overwhelmed, confused, elated and impatient, and getting them to pose in the correct ways can be tricky. If you don’t enjoy working with people, you may find the job very stressful.
• Finally, being a professional wedding photographer means that you are running your own business, and so you need the business skills to manage your schedules, clients, finances and marketing effectively. While the job is not all about money, make sure you price your services to reflect the quality and hard work you put in.

The University of Cape Town Digital Photography course starts on 27 February 2012. For more information contact Amy-Jane on 021 685 4775 or amyjane@getsmarter.co.za or visit www.getsmarter.co.za.

Sunset

Digital photography could see the death of creativity in photography in general. Why such a harsh statement? Here’s why:

1. Lack of thought

As a film photographer the consumable costs of photography were much higher. This forced us to think and carefully consider each shot. There was a greater thought process. Using a motor drive for taking multiple shots was for the press photographers who could afford take thirty six images in a few seconds. For the rest of us we had to think more before pressing the button.

2. The Shakespeare effect

This is the evolutionary idea that if you give a roomful of monkeys a typewriter each and enough time, they will eventually produce a work equal in quality to Shakespeare. There is a similar mindset among digital photographers that if they shoot enough photos, somewhere amongst the thousands will be quality images. You have as much chance as that happening as a monkey.

3. Drive by shooting syndrome

This is similar to the lack of thought in taking a photo. Because of the multiple shot feature in digital cameras and the low cost of digital photography, it’s quick an easy to take an image. Just like a drive by shooting the camera is pointed in the general direction of the subject and a bunch of images is taken. Then you move on to the next target and fire away again.

So what’s the answer? Plain and simple slow down, right down and smell the roses as the saying goes. The creative process is methodical and well thought out. You need to be able to observe, think and then take action. Because digital photography is so quick, cheap and easy the principles and techniques of photography tend to get sidelined.

Here are a few steps to encourage your creative process.

1. Make or allocate time for your creative process

Creativity won’t be hurried. At times it may come to you quickly but this is the exception rather than the norm. So sit down and absorb the environment. Observe your surroundings, subjects and any activity. Let it become a part of you.

2. Be selective

Find something that turns you or rather your creativity on. If this is colour then focus on the rich hues and shades. If it’s an object or subject observe it carefully in relation to it’s surroundings. Now close your eyes and picture the final image.

3. Change your position or viewpoint

By looking at your subject from different angles, heights or positions the image will change as the subject changes in relation to its environment. All of a sudden you see things you never would have seen.

4. Try something different

Shoot a traditional tourist shot of your subject and then look for a shot that is completely different, one you’ve never seen before. Make it unrecognisable. Hire a boat and shoot from the the water. Go to the top of a nearby building or if you’re adventurous climb a tree or lie down on your back.

Creativity is often just doing something different. Something that hasn’t been done before. The key element that I have found to creativity is time. So take your time and smell the roses. Your photography will never be the same again. Put photography, creative photography back into digital photography.

Article by Wayne Turner
http://www.21steps2perfectphotos.com/