Tagged: photographer

Choosing a Good Photographer Tips

Looking for a photographer for a special day?  Well my experience being a San Diego Photographer has given me some insight on how to make the best choice for that special occasion.  So don’t even think about popping open the yellow pages and picking any old photographer that you find.  Take it from my experience and follow these steps on choosing a good photographer.

When you know that a special day is coming up, most people want a way to remember those special moments, and most of the time it will be with pictures.  So it is critical that if you are going to hire a photographer to capture those moments, that you do your research, , especially if it is a wedding, I know from first hand experience as a San Diego Wedding Photographer.  Start by asking friends and family for any people they can refer you to.  With that list, you can start to put together some potential candidates.

After you have gathered that list from friends and family, you should see if they have a website and take a look at it.  Look at some of the work that they have done in the past.  Look to see if it is the type of shots and the style you want your pictures to be like.  If the photographers you have listed have their portfolios online, it will save you a lot of time because then you can narrow your list down even more by what you see.

Now you are ready to conduct some interviews.  This doesn’t have to be in person.  You can do it over the phone.  The goal of these phone interviews is to ask questions.  Questions that will help you determine if this is the right person for the job.  The more specific you are in asking your questions, the more specific your prospective photographer can be helping you better understand if this is the right person for the job.  By doing this you will narrow the field even more, and from that you can finally schedule to meet those in person who you like so far.

After you have completed the final steps of this process of narrowing down the field.  After you have gone through your interview process, it is time to pull the trigger and make a choice.  The factors you want to base your decision upon will be, does this person know what you want for that special day?  In other words, do they know your vision?  Also you want to make sure it is a person you like.  Getting along with a photographer for that special day is something not to be taken lightly.  You want it someone you match with personality wise, because the last thing you need is to have a stressful day.  If they meet your criteria, go ahead and choose one.

Following these simple steps will benefit you in many ways.  It will allow you to get to know your photographer.  Having a connection is very important.  It will also allow you to see if his style is what you are looking for in the types of shots you want.  And most of all it will give you piece of mind.  Setting up a photo shoot for a special occasion usually means the event is very important.  With that in mind, you want that day to be as stress free as possible and following these steps will help accomplish that.


How to Take better Candid Photos

Taking photographs of people have two categories.They are candid shots or portraits.

Portraits are the photos you take when your subject strikes poses.  While the candids are usually when your subject is doing something natural.

I would like to focus on taking candid shots.This form of photography is an art form, and if you take these few steps, you will be happy with your work.  This is from my experience as a San Diego Photographer.

First off you don’t want to obtrusive.  Most candid shots you take of course are going to be people going about their business, but the secret to taking a great shot like that is to make sure they are unaware of the shot.

Because often, if you let them notice you, you will miss the essence of that unguarded shot.So be diligent in making sure they don’t know about the camera. 

Another thing to think about is the environment or the setting.  When you are taking a candid shot, the setting plays a vital role.You want the candid photo to be able to capture the subject in their setting as natural as possible.  It’s that setting
whether it is their work, their house, or the street they are walking, helps tell a story of your subject’s life.  This is especially important if you are going to be taking shots as a Wedding Photographer San Diego.

A third step you can do is to learn to anticipate behavior. An important part to being able to take candid photos of people who are acting naturally is to know what your subject will do next in a situation.

This will help you if you are trying to catch something in particular because it will allow you to be prepared rather than miss the shot.  Knowing how they will react and being able to capture that is all about anticipation.

Finally, always be on the lookout for those moments when a person’s emotion will be expressed.  Because after all, when taking these types of shots, that is the main thing you want to capture in these candid shots is emotion.

Look at what your subject is doing and see if it will be a moment that will express emotion.Such as impatience shown in an expression at a stoplight.Or a joyful emotion displayed at an event.Every second in time is an opportunity to capture a moment of beautiful emotion.  Being prepared for those moments will help you capture and tell that story in that moment of time.

Taking candid photos is an art form for sure.Especially if your goal is to tell a story with your candid shots. Following these few simple steps will help you be on the road of capturing as many storytelling moments as possible as a photographer.


Wedding Day Photography Planning

When most brides and grooms make wedding day plans, they take certain things into consideration.  They think about coordinating the date for vacation times. Or they coordinate the wedding day for the family to be able to make it into town. Or they make plans according to the availability of the church or restaurant.

But one of the biggest things they fail to plan for on the wedding day is the photographer. This is no small issue.  And I am not just saying it because I am a wedding photographer. 

No planning the wedding day with the wedding photographer in mind could mean all the difference in the world. Especially when you consider the pictures are what is going to be captured for a lifetime.

What are some of the factors when you start planning with the photographer in mind.  The time and the date.

Let’s start with the time.  How many people do you think would want their photographer to rush taking the photos? I am pretty certain that most people, couples especially, will not raise their hand to that thought. 

Without even considering your photographer, a majority of the times most couples do just that.  They will force the photographer to rush his shots. 

How so you say? A good amount of times, for instance, a couple will have a time let’s say 1-2 pm. With the reception beginning at 2:30. How many photos can the photographer really take with only half an hour to work with? Not that many.

Worse thing to consider, what if he does manage to take all the photos?  Do you think they will be of the best quality when the shots are rushed?  Of course not.

So plan the wedding times and the receptions accordingly making sure there is ample time to take photos.

The second thing to think about when doing your planning is to keep the photographer’s availability in mind.

Most probably don’t realize this, but most good photographers will be booked months in advance.  And if you are dealing with let’s say a large photography company, they may have several photographers.

Well making wedding plans without thinking about the availability of the photographer could be a nightmare. Because when you reserve that special day, without making sure your photographer is available, come wedding day you might get a shock when you find somebody totally different.

This scenario happens when you are dealing with a big company. You may not even realize that they have a staff of photographers and if the photographer you liked is booked, unless you ask, they might not tell you. When the wedding day comes, a second rate photographer or worse yet, they might outsource the work and somebody else will show up.

So be prepared and don’t let this happen. Planning that special wedding day can be truly wonderful. Make sure that your plan has the wedding photographer in mind as well.