2007 vs 2011 on Flickr. Today I am sitting in my comfy recliner, relaxing after shooting a wedding last night. Weddings are fun, don’t get me wrong … they are just a ton of work. Thankfully I 2nd shoot most weddings, usually with my amazingly talented friend Anjuli (click her name & book her for a wedding) … 2nd shooters are basically an awesome insurance policy for photographers. I like to be another set of eyes that can capture things the main photographer can’t see. Or maybe doesn’t have time to see. I’ll usually take care of detail shots of the reception area, cake, food, table settings. Maybe a few shots to add as texture to the presentation of the photos on a blog or website. I’ll often take groom/groomsmen shots, and cover the left or right side of the ceremony as well. Looking back in my history of weddings, I can actually see how I’ve grown as a photographer. I want to use this moment to encourage the other photographers out there to stick to it. The first photo above is from my first wedding. It was in 2007 for some friends of mine who had an absolutely gorgeous wedding. The photo doesn’t show it, but that’s not their fault. You can see they are happy, and exiting the church after saying their vows. Notice how awkwardly close, dark and linear my photo is. Now look at the bottom photo. That was taken yesterday. Is it a perfect photograph? No, not really. It’s a great starting point though. Here are a few things I would encourage photographers to do as they are starting up: 1. Click the shutter. …what this means is, if you aren’t pressing that button … taking picture … looking through the viewfinder … well, then you’re definitely doing something wrong. You’re never going to know what a good picture looks like until you can tell what a bad picture looks like. 2. Ask questions. …no, not me. I’m too busy for that. ha! Find a mentor, a friend, a helpful dude at the camera store. Find someone who can help you out when you have questions. If none of these are options, consult your best friend: www.Google.com 3. Shoot with another photographer. …really. Just do it. Shoot with them, ask them what their settings are, look inside their bag to find out what they are shooting with. Having respectable gear can help you a lot. Make sure you save your money because it gets expensive. But honestly, these 3 things alone have helped me so much. I do photography full-time now, and wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t limit yourself to being a wedding photographer. It’s an over-saturated market. Find a genre of people with a need, and go fill that need. I just did a fun photoshoot/headshots with a guy who is starting a blog on being a geek. Do you think he takes good pictures of himself? No, not really. Did I do a good job? Of course. So find a need, and make it happen. Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s only a once in a lifetime shot.

2007 vs 2011 on Flickr.

Today I am sitting in my comfy recliner, relaxing after shooting a wedding last night. Weddings are fun, don’t get me wrong … they are just a ton of work.

Thankfully I 2nd shoot most weddings, usually with my amazingly talented friend Anjuli (click her name & book her for a wedding) … 2nd shooters are basically an awesome insurance policy for photographers. I like to be another set of eyes that can capture things the main photographer can’t see. Or maybe doesn’t have time to see. I’ll usually take care of detail shots of the reception area, cake, food, table settings. Maybe a few shots to add as texture to the presentation of the photos on a blog or website. I’ll often take groom/groomsmen shots, and cover the left or right side of the ceremony as well.

Looking back in my history of weddings, I can actually see how I’ve grown as a photographer. I want to use this moment to encourage the other photographers out there to stick to it.

The first photo above is from my first wedding. It was in 2007 for some friends of mine who had an absolutely gorgeous wedding. The photo doesn’t show it, but that’s not their fault. You can see they are happy, and exiting the church after saying their vows. Notice how awkwardly close, dark and linear my photo is.

Now look at the bottom photo. That was taken yesterday. Is it a perfect photograph? No, not really. It’s a great starting point though. Here are a few things I would encourage photographers to do as they are starting up:

1. Click the shutter.

…what this means is, if you aren’t pressing that button … taking picture … looking through the viewfinder … well, then you’re definitely doing something wrong. You’re never going to know what a good picture looks like until you can tell what a bad picture looks like.

2. Ask questions.

…no, not me. I’m too busy for that. ha! Find a mentor, a friend, a helpful dude at the camera store. Find someone who can help you out when you have questions. If none of these are options, consult your best friend: www.Google.com

3. Shoot with another photographer.

…really. Just do it. Shoot with them, ask them what their settings are, look inside their bag to find out what they are shooting with. Having respectable gear can help you a lot. Make sure you save your money because it gets expensive.

But honestly, these 3 things alone have helped me so much. I do photography full-time now, and wouldn’t change it for the world. Don’t limit yourself to being a wedding photographer. It’s an over-saturated market. Find a genre of people with a need, and go fill that need. I just did a fun photoshoot/headshots with a guy who is starting a blog on being a geek. Do you think he takes good pictures of himself? No, not really. Did I do a good job? Of course. So find a need, and make it happen. Don’t be afraid to mess up. It’s only a once in a lifetime shot.

Tags: Wedding Photography JonnyUps