The British Are Coming

Actually they're already here. Have done two weddings this past summer involving citizens of the UK. Both were an absolute blast for me to photograph and I met some really nice people. The first was on July 5th on Carolina Beach. Jenna was like this cool free spirit girl  from California, and James is from the UK. They got married at 9:00 in the morning & it was hot. Don't think our guests from the UK were used to our humidity, but nobody complained as it was a beautiful Carolina day. After the ceremony we did a bunch of family shots followed by romanic images of Jenna & James. Afterwards we went to Havana's restaurant on Carolina Beach. They have a beautiful room on the second floor, that's just perfect for a small post ceremony luncheon. I learned something new @ this wedding. It's sort of a tradition at some weddings in the USA for the bride & groom, after cutting the cake, to smash a piece of cake in each others face. Not so in the UK, I guess. During the cake cutting I had the camera focused on the bride & groom. I should have had it focused on the groom's mom as her expression was priceless; she thought they were mad @ each other.

     The second wedding was at Ocean Isle Beach. Rachel & Alex got married on the beach & had their reception at the Isles restaurant. Rachel wore a beautiful simple dress. She had a bunch of family and friends who came over from the UK. They had such a good time. The toasts were long & meaningful. Food was great and the Brits knew how to drink.  All & all a fantastic wedding. Around sunset we went down to the beach to take advantage of the light to get some more pictures. Overall it was a great wedding. Among the many things I'll remember is the flower girl. She had the cutest British accent I've ever heard. 

The Perfect Training for Wedding Photographers.

     This is my third career. When I was a kid, my dad was an avid photographer. We had a darkroom in the basement of our modest home in Allentown, Pa. We didn't have a lot of money so on Sunday afternoons we'd go for a drive and my father would take pictures with either his Tower 44 twin lens reflex (Sears Brand) I believe, or his 4x5 B&J press camera. He sort of specialized in taking pictures of locomotives and other railroad related subjects. We'd go back to the house and he would develop and print the pictures. I was pretty young but just watching and listening to him I picked up a lot. As the years went on, our family got into other pursuits and the photography kind of went by the wayside.
     Fast forward 30 years. I spent a good bit of time in the military and although I took some pictures I wasn't really much interested in photography. (Shooting had a whole different meaning.) As a new single father, I found myself in need of a job. I was doing some temp work when I noticed an ad in the paper for a photographer. A school photographer. That's right...."a picture man." It was for a company called "Lifetouch." I figured (wrongly) that it was the perfect job for a single dad. Easy hours, can see my kid off to school, be home for her after school...in short, perfect! It sucked. I'd have to be on the road at oh dark thirty, drive 100 miles or more (most days) set up 200 pounds of equipment, and be in a great mood to shoot 12 classes of grumpy, snot nosed, rowdy kids. Additionally I'd have to deal w/ teachers who were less than enthralled at having their classes interrupted for "picture day". I put up with it for almost two years. I was fairly good at it, I just didn't care for it. It wasn't real photography. The camera and lighting were set to certain specifications and all you really had to do was wait for a decent expression and hit the button. We shot these huge camera called micro z's, which shot a 70mm roll of film (I think). I was getting ready to give my notice and move on to greener pastures when my boss approached me and asked if "I liked sports?" Sports? We'll I'm not a fanatic but I sensed something good coming. He then proceeded to tell me that he hated sports and providing our high schools with quality sports photography was a pain in his ass. Sports for Lifetouch at the time in our territory was sort of a loss leader. The school would use us for class photos, seniors, cap and gown, and "oh by the way can you do our sports for us?" My boss proceeded to tell me that I could set it up anyway I wanted, hire one other employee, just get it done and don't bother him with anything unless I absolutely had to. He had no idea what he unleashed.

     I absolutely loved it. I was dealing w/ mostly high school kids, coaches who for some oddball reason I hit it off with (military background)?  I pretty much could schedule things according to my own personal schedule. Nirvana! I shot medium format for the team shots (Bronica) and a Nikon F100 for the individual and action shots. What I didn't realize is that I was laying the groundwork for a career move as a wedding photographer. I would get to the school around 3:00, shoot the team photos and individual pictures, do about eight teams, go grab some dinner, and go to a game or games in the evening to shoot action. If I couldn't lay on some childcare in the afternoons, I'd take my daughter with me. She could load film and number envelopes so I could shoot. After a year or two I was pretty good.. The kids loved me as they thought I was funny, the coaches loved me cause I was fast and the Athletic Directors loved me because I stayed out of their hair. Because I was shooting in some of the worst light (mid afternoon and night) I was learning how to use light to my advantage. I also had to set up the camera based on the lighting. Usually F8 or F5.6 for afternoon, in the evenings at the games I'd be shooting ISO 800 2.8 at the fastest shutter speed I could manage. When you shoot crappy conditions like this, you get pretty good, fast! For example: I'd be going to a school and shooting a baseball team, then a girls soccer team, then tennis or cheerleaders. For those of you who have never dealt with high school sports all these teams are different in approach. You don't talk to baseball teams as if they were cheerleaders and vice versa. After the team shots we'd do individual and buddy shots. Kids in sports are particular about how they want their picture taken...much like a bride. I also had to come up w/ creative poses as "Abby didn't want the same pose as Jennifer." All great training for weddings. I'd be running from field to field with my gear in the hot sun...same as some weddings. As the years went on I got to know my coaches better, we'd brainstorm to get some better pictures for the team shots. For example: I'd shoot football

teams on the Battleship NC, Volleyball teams in black cocktail dresses holding volleyballs on the beach at sunset. Swim teams at the beach, instead of the pool. I'd use smoke machines on the gym floors for some drama. I'd light basketballs on fire w/ lighter fluid w/ the players holding them. (We'd always have a fire extinguisher handy, I may be crazy but I wasn't stupid). I once almost caused a principal to drop dead of shock when he came out of his office and found his soccer team on

the roof of the school. Coach thought it was pretty funny. Somewhere along the line one of my coaches (don't  remember who) asked if I could shoot a wedding. A wedding? I'd been to like one wedding my entire life...mine, and didn't have any idea what I was getting into. Like an idiot I told her that I was a "sports photographer," I could do anything. I had a lot of self confidence, I knew I could shoot under almost any conditions...what I didn't know is what I was doing as far as wedding protocol. I got to the church about a 1/2 hour before kickoff, (told you I was a sports guy) and took my place in a pew. Church was pretty crowded. I had enough sense to at least get a seat on the aisle. The Wedding party made their entrance and I managed to get at least one shot of every one of them. This was a year or two before the digital revolution hit so I was shooting 35mm film. The Bride entered, got two shots of her walking down the aisle with her dad. I didn't know enough to leave that pew. I'd lean over and get a couple of shots of the ceremony and even managed to get a decent shot of the kiss. The ceremony finished
and I thought that was it. The client (who knew I didn't know jack about weddings) told me we had to do

formals. Formals? WTF is that? She told me group shots of the family and wedding party. Group Shots? Hell, that's my thing. I proceeded to treat that wedding party just like a sports team...and it worked. Tall people in back shorter people in the front. Ask the guys to take a knee. Everyone, look at the camera...and click. Piece of cake. Pictures came out great. Through sheer photographic ability, I pulled off that first wedding. It wasn't till years later that I thought about how it all came to be.
     I believe that school sports photography is one of the best training grounds for a wedding photographer. Bride walking down the aisle...action shot. Bride and Groom w/ the wedding party...team shot. Bride w/ her maid of honor...buddy shot. Bridal Portrait...individual shot. The clothes are different but the ideas the same. Bouquet Toss...action shot. First dance...action shot. Bride and Groom w/ entire family...team shot. Bad lighting...no problem. Been there done that. I still shoot weddings like sports. I'm much more refined these days, but I still joke around w/ everyone, (Helps to relax them in front of the camera) and I still use sports terminology. (Take a knee). Everyone seems to understand.

Photography Secret

     Yes, I'll admit I was an equipment whore. I always had to have a different camera, a better lens, more software, more speedlights, till I realized that the equipment really doesn't matter that much. I've learned to slow down, be a little more deliberate and to wait for the shot. My photographic idols are the old school "National Geographic Guy's", Margaret Bourke-White (see post) and photographers like Jeff Ascough. These photographers don't carry a boatload of gear. Often it's a simple camera body, a handful of lenses and a small flash, it's learning to work with what you have not what you wish you had. I guess you could say less is more. Galen Rowell the awesome outdoor photographer got great shots not only because he was a fine photogapher but he would go places few photographers would go, often having to scale mountains and run to catch the light.  He carried an ultra light kit and made it work.
     I often think there's a little kid in Cuba, or Africa or somewhere off the beaton path who has an old Nikon D100 or a Canon 30D whose taking pictures that would probably blow me away. They are making do w/ what they have and not worrying about what they don't. I try hard to maintain the same attitude. I try hard not to get equipment lust and just concentrate on getting the shot. For me it's all about that moment in time and being ready for it. I used to shoot sports and like weddings there's no redo. You can't fake what really happened. A friend of mine was just starting to do some wedding photography and he took a picture which kind of blew me away. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm extremely critical of photographs. When he showed me the picture I gave him my highest compliment, "I wish I had taken that photo." I then went on to explain that what he did right was nothing. He got low waited for the moment and just before it happened he clicked the shutter. He didn't wait an extra second, he didn't call out to the couple to look this way...he just clicked. Somethimes that's the secret.

                               For pictures and info, go to www.billybeach.net

Weddings and Only Weddings.

Was talking to a friend today and he asked why I don't expand my services to include other aspects of photography. Got me to thinking that I guess I am pretty unique as a photographer. I enjoy weddings. Don't know why...I just do. I don't do senior portraits, dogs, family beach shots, business cards, headshots, none of that stuff. I only do weddings. For one thing I wouldn't have the time. Weddings seem to keep me busy enough and I really don't enjoy those other things. This is probably good for my clients as I'm only thinking about one thing photographically...Weddings. I have done favors for past clients and friends, I've done a few headshots, lot's of families at the beach and even a pet or two, but I do this because I want to not because it's part of the business. I have way too many interests to get bogged down into different types of photography all the time. I have a few photography projects that I'm working on but I use point and shoot cameras as I really don't want to slug around a bunch of photo gear. The Best Camera is the one that's with you. I'll be posting some of these images on flickr as that's where I'll be putting my personal stuff. Stay Tuned....

 

                              For more pics and info go to www.billybeach.net

Margaret Bourke White: Portrait of Myself

Just finished reading  "Portrait of Myself" the autobiography of Margaret Bourke White. I highly recommend. An amazing woman who became a photographer in the early twenties. Back in the day the profession was a man's world. She pleaded her way into the steel mills of Cincinatti Ohio and through trial and error was able to take some amazing pictures of American Industry at it's finest and most brutal. Within about 10 years she was pretty much a know photographer and in another 10 years she was a household name. She hooked up w/ Erskine Caldwell of Tobacco Road fame and did the photographs for "Have You Seen Their Faces." When Fortune Magazine started she was hired to continue to do her industrial type photographs. She actually had a studio in the Chrysler Building in New York City right near one of the famous gargoyles that adorn the building. The studio had an outside terrace where she kept two pet alligators. Quite a Woman even by today's standards. When Life Magazine was formed in 1936 she was hired as one of the four original photogaphers and one of her photos graced the inital cover of the magazine. She was the first photographer to photograph the Soviet Union during it's five year plan. She photographed Moscow when the Germans were invading. She was a war correspondent during WWII who photographed the North Africa Campaign, Italy and when the U.S. Army swept into Europe she was there to photograph the concentration camps which haunted her for the rest of her life. After the war she went to India to photograph Gandhi. She photographed him many times and was the last one to interview him before he was assasinated in 1948. During the Korean War she photographed Korean Guerillas, a very difficult project due to the primitive conditions. An amazing woman and an amazing book. I highly reccommend.
     Why am I posting this on my photography blog? One of the things that hit me during the reading of this book is that after she was done photographing all day, she didn't go home and chill out the rest of the night. Most nights she was in the darkroom till the wee hours of the morning developing film to deliver product the next day. That's the way it was. I'm pretty quick at editing and getting pictures to my clients, but after reading the book I'm motivated to get home after I'm done w/ a job and get right on the pictures. I'm not saying I"ll be done the next day but I will get right on it in the spirit of Margaret Bourke White.

         For pictures and info go to www.billybeach.net.

Invitations For The Modern Bride.

Many Brides are getting away from classic invitations and are using services like Evite. Let's face it, in our fast paced digital world few people are even used to getting mail anymore. We live our lives around email and it's easier for most of us to track stuff via email. Evite allows you to create digital invitations that get sent out via email, they'll also track who is coming and not coming to your wedding. Most folks under the age of 50 can handle a computer and email pretty well. Many Brides are using services such as evite for the majority of their wedding and using traditional invitations for the older generation who still cherishes a classic invitation. With all the craziness associated w/ planning a wedding this is one task you don't have to spend as much time on and it allows you to update your wedding on the fly if you need to. For example: Let's say your getting married on the beach and your reception is at an indoor venue. If a sudden storm comes in and you have to notify everyone that your plans have changed, either waiting for the storm to pass or move your actual ceremony to your plan B you can do it with a simple email blast. Much easier than having to contact everyone individually. Best of all using a service such as this can save you dollars...which is always a good thing.

             For pictures and info, go to www.billybeach.net