Editing Steps

People often ask what I do/use to edit. This isn't an exciting picture but I didn't want to over think what picture to use. Obviously each picture undergoes different editing but generally my steps are somewhat the same.

1. We always, always shoot in RAW (the camera doesn't `develop' the picture for you, you have the control to do what you want afterwards).

2. Then, we import into Lightroom. Now, if you are looking for editing software, it is great. You can try a 30 day trial for free. Anyway, the things that I usually do in lightroom are similar to what I did for this picture. The amounts are always different but the steps are usually somewhat similar.

a. Crop

b. Reduce noise (by 80%..you know, all that grainy stuff)

c. Increase exposure (+.6, brightens it up)

d. Contrast (+47)

e. Black (7)

f. Highlights (-7, gets rid of some of the bright parts from increasing exposure)

I always edit all my photos in lightroom and convert them to black and white as well. Each photo is so different, and other things might include; white balance, temperature, vignetting etc. Then, I go through the photos again in photoshop. I don't edit all the photos there, I just do some that need it. Usually 1/3 of them.

3. Photoshop. In this case I used the clone stamp tool under their eyes and reduced it to 48% opacity so the lines under the eyes are still realistic, just not dark circles. I also increased the contrast by 5. If someone had a big zit, cold sore, or stamp on their hand etc, I would also edit that here in photoshop.

I know I don't post on here very often but that was a question that I've been asked lately:)

Wall Bounce

Just a quickie....all I want to say is that I was a ceiling bouncer (bounced my external flash off of the ceiling) before in indoor low light situations, but now, I'm trying to be more of a wall bouncer. Way less raccoon eye. If you don't have a big white wall to bounce off of, you can use a reflector or even someone wearing a white shirt:)

This was my first try...too much flash but you get the idea. Just dial it down a bit. Please excuse my model. He wanted to yawn for the picture. Very attractive, Kai. I had also tried doing one with Gary but yawning Kai is more attractive than sick Gary:)

Light Reading

Currently reading `Captured By the Light' by David A. Ziser (check out his blog, updated daily). So far, so good! Always a ton more to learn and if we could improve in one area, this is it for sure.

I'm Sure Your DSLR Is Nifty But...

Okay, I hope this doesn't sound mean but I just need to let the general public know about a few things. Generally, everyone is very courteous and follows the unspoken `rules'. There are some great photographers attending weddings who are guests and are super respectful and aware of our roles. I would say that 99% of people are really wonderful at being aware of our time, where we are, and what we do.

I know everyone has a snazzy (or nifty!) DSLR now and there are SO many cameras at weddings. I know you want to practice and capture the moment and see what your camera can do, but, there are a few things to keep in mind. As I have photographed a wedding or two (18 this year) there are a few things that drive me bonkers.

1. Yes, you have a nifty DSLR that I'm sure takes great pictures BUT you shouldn't be standing up in the middle of the aisle taking pictures during the ceremony. Especially not standing up, or putting your camera in front of mine, during the kiss or vows etc. Unless you're a grandpa, then you can do it (I'm only saying that because a cute grandpa did that last weekend:)

2. Yes, I'm sure you have a nifty DSLR but you probably don't need to have your camera on continuous rapid shutter, especially during the vows or a prayer or something. Kind of distracting to the guests, don't you think? And really, are you going to post 50 pictures of the exact same thing to facebook?

3. Yes, I'm sure you have a nifty DSLR but do you really need to take 100 pictures, with direct flash, during the first dance or cake cutting?! Kind of blows out some of our photos, in case you were wondering! One or two pictures are fine.

4. Yes, I'm sure you have a nifty DSLR but family photo time is family photo time. It's not `Hey, everyone in the family, grab a camera and let's take pictures of all the family combos!!!'. You can get a photo later from the bride and groom. Or, you can hide off to the side and quietly take one. Thanks!

5. Yes, I'm sure you have a nifty DSLR with lots of ideas for photos but unless you are my husband, the mother of the bride, the bride and groom, or in the wedding party, I don't need your advice on where to stand or what YOU think would be a great picture. I'm not trying to sound conceited, I just get a lot of unsolicited advice.

6. And, my number one pet peeve: Yes, I'm sure you have a nifty DSLR but unless you have asked the bride and groom as well as the photographers if you can follow along and shoot...do not follow the wedding party for their portrait session getting all of `your' shots. We usually have limited time and don't need distractions (random flashes, someone in the way, people looking at the wrong camera).

Seriously, I don't mean this in a mean way. Informative. We photographed 3 weddings this week alone so it just starts to bug you after a while, ya know? I don't do well with criticism and don't mean to hurt anyone so please be nice:)

Wedding Photography; Adding It Up

Just thought I would share the approx. hours that go into wedding photography. I will also indicate who does what with a G (Gary) or L (Louise):

(L)Emailing with bride/groom: 1 hour

(G) Prepping equipment, recharging batteries, reformatting cards, cleaning sensors, packing camera bags: 1 hour

(G+L)Meeting with the bride/groom or checking out new location:1 hour

(L)Engagement shoot (including driving): 2 hours

(L)Editing engagement shoot, (G)burning disk and (L) mailing the CD: 4 hours

(L) Planning itinerary and getting directions/maps all ready to go: .5 hours

(L)Wedding day coverage for Louise (getting ready to end of portraits with driving): 8 hours

(G)Wedding day coverage for Gary (ceremony to mid reception with driving): 10 hours

(L)Uploading, (G)backing up, and (L) going through photos (deleting super overexposed or eyes closed): 3 hours

(L)Editing photos (first in lightroom and then in photoshop): 30 hours

(G)Making slideshow: 4 hours

(G)Renumbering pictures, burning disks and (L)mailing packages: 2 hours

TOTAL:65.5

For 2010, the cost of wedding photography was $1200.00 which is less than $20.00/hour. We feel that we have really built up our portfolio and offer great photos. Needless to say, our 2011 prices will be higher as this doesn't even take into account our equipment and supplies:)

Camera Body Upgrade

Gary has a Canon 5D and I have a Canon 40D. I'm looking to sell my 40D and upgrade to either a 70D or 5D (problem is we'll lose the higher frames per second with the 5D). Thoughts?

Flash

Gary and I have been using our flashes to bounce light (and sometimes direct flash) in ceremonies and receptions. We have been using studio lights as the direct light when shooting in studio. However, what we have not been working on enough, is our flash photography in sunlight (mostly fill flash). With just two people, we can hold up a diffuser and the shadows disappear. With more than two people, it is not an option!

(Just a break in the writing...this is my sisters' dog, Bailey. He wouldn't sit still either while I practiced with my remote flash)

We have recently purchased some radiopoppers...these are transmitters and receivers that allow your external flash to function in places other than your camera. Fortunately we have our light stands already (we actually have 4 total and use two for our studio) so today I tried it out.

(Please excuse today's model, he wanted to play in the sandbox and I just wanted him to sit still for one minute:)

I promise he really is a happy kid. Anyway, I had the umbrella directly in front of him. I realized afterwards that if I had put it on the opposite side of the sun, I could've balanced out the light a little more. Also, would've worked better if the umbrella was lower. I'm still really working with manual as I love shooting aperture priority, unless in the studio where it's so much easier to shoot manual than outside. It's a bit tougher shooting manual when you have a kid that will only stand there for 2 seconds so you better make sure your lighting is as you want it:)

(the set up)

I think the next effect would be cool at night or at sunset...I placed the flash (without an umbrella) directly behind my sister to get an outline of her 24 week baby belly...

(set up below)

(Pretend my sister isn't wearing her bright pink pants..she'll be so embarrassed that I posted this)

So what I learned from today is that I would like to really work on my fill flash and remote flash photography. Gary and I need a photo date to do that together because with the kids running around and Koen trying to knock over the flash stand...it's hard to focus:)

Always more to learn!!!

The Business Side of Photography

Gary and I were not business people. I mean, I loved organizing, being efficient, and working with people BUT, we had no real business experience. Being that this is our 4th year in business, what can I tell you?

Well, here are some of the basics that refer to the bookkeeping aspect and the benefit of having a registered business.

First, when you are getting started you need to do three things:

1. Apply to the city for acceptance of your business name. This cost us $35.00. We tried to come up with a name for a while, and looking back, it would be nice to make it G&L photography or something but oh well, GC Photography we are! Gary is actually the owner of the business but that is good, because then this helps to reduce his overall income with all the write offs AND he can pay me a salary for tax purposes.

2. Apply for a business license. I believe this cost $100 and something dollars.

3. Business insurance. Once you have a business, your equipment is NOT covered by your home insurance. If your camera gets stolen from the home or from your car, too bad! Also, you probably want to get some liability coverage in case someone sues you for breaking their leg at your house or something. (PS We also have a contract for weddings so that people cannot sue us or get money back, greater than they have paid us, if they are not happy with the photos).

(If you plan on making more than $30,000 you also need to get a GST number)

So what is one of the benefits of a registered business? For taxes!! Here are some of the things you can write off:

1. If you use your vehicle, you get to write off the percent of km's that you use for work divided by the total use. So, say you use it for work 25% of the time. You can write off 25% of the following; gas, insurance, repairs, and oil.

2. If you use your home for your business, you can write off a percent of your home's expenses. For example, we use 600 square feet of our 2100 square foot home for business (studio space and office). So, we get about 25% of the following written off; insurance, property tax, repairs, hydro, internet, phone, gas, and water. You could even write of cleaning supplies!

3. And all the other obvious things....office supplies, equipment, printing stuff etc.

Basically, because we did not make too much in 2009, we could write it all off and not have to claim any income from photography. Hopefully, with Gary paying me a salary this year, it will work out that we can take money off of Gary's total income this year. Does that make sense?

Next step for us, which we should have done a year ago, is to get a logo. I'll be honest, it's awesome having your partner as a partner 95% of the time, but the other 5%, it's really hard to agree on things creatively because we see things so differently. So yes, we are getting someone else to make us a logo:)

Have a wonderful weekend AND if you haven't joined GC Photography on facebook yet, please do!

Equipment

I've been asked 3 times in the last 2 days what camera and lens I would recommend so I thought I would address it here. I'll be honest, we are super busy right now so this will be brief, AND, I may not be back for a while, AND, Gary buys all of our equipment so he would be the better person to ask...

Our Camera Equipment:

Canon 40D (Mine which I love because of the frames per second which is greater than Gary's and the large view screen)

Canon 5D (Gary's which he loves because it has a full frame sensor and it has a great auto focus)

Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L series lens (wide angle..Gary and I both love this one as it is very versatile. It can be used in ANY situation)

Canon 50mm f/1.4 lens (prime lens...the lens I use most with my kids around the house. Great shots, small and light, affordable)

Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 L series lens (telephoto lens...I love the way the shots look but I find it a little impractical, large and heavy, Gary loves it and uses it a lot).

And then a few other `back up' lenses:)

So, what would I recommend for you?

Well, it totally depends on what you want to use it for and what you are willing to spend. It seems like most people are looking for a good camera for their every day lives. So, I only know Canon's so I will just give you my opinion. Again, just my opinion. Say you are willing to spend $500.00, this is what I would say to do:

1. BODY

Buy a used Canon 20D from someone you know/trust who has a gently used one. People are upgrading quickly so often they are not used for very long. You can get one off of craigslist for less than $300.00. Obviously if you are going this route, you need to know what questions to ask but I will say that we have bought the majority of our camera and lenses second hand and have never had a problem whatsoever.

2. LENSES

Okay, so again, this is if you only have $500.00 to spend and you've already spent $300.00 on the body. What would I recommend? Hmmm...I'd say that the two most useful lenses are our 50mm prime lens and the 24-70mm wide angle. So, you can get a cheaper prime lens, maybe a 50mm f/1.8. You could also get a third party lens like our Tamron 17-55mm lens. Not as good, but does the trick.

If you are wanting to get a good lens, and able to spend a little more, we really, really love the three that I listed at the top. The 70-200mm is difficult to use in tight spaces so it is the least practical (I think, Gary might disagree). It's good for wedding ceremonies, sports, or outdoor photography. A good lens makes such a huge difference.

So I know this was brief and not super informative but that's all I've got. I would highly recommend getting a nice camera and then, learning how to use it:)

Do you have a favourite lens (whether you own it or not)?

70-200mm Travel Mug

Check this out, an L-series 70-200mm travel mug! Gary said he found one on craigslist.....for $90. I'd rather put that money towards a real lens. Cool idea though. They were handing these out in the media center during the Olympics.

White Balance

White balance is the way your camera reads light temperature and colour. Most people just often leave it on AWB (automatic white balance) but you can (and should!) change it indoors, with flash etc. You know when your indoor pictures of people have that yellow/orange tinge? That is why. If you look on your camera for the white balance settings they have cloudy, flash, fluorescent lighting, custom, etc.

The picture above was shot in RAW so I could adjust the white balance in post production. LOVE IT. Shooting in RAW is the greatest change I ever made to my photography but I won't talk about that right now.

This picture is fine but you can see that it was shot with an automatic white balance giving her face an orange/pink/yellow hue.

So find that white balance button on your camera and change it for the situation you find yourself in. See what kind of difference it can make....especially indoors.

So You Have a DSLR, Now What?

So many people have told me that they have a nice camera but they don't really know how to use it. They just use the automatic settings and let it do all the work. Wouldn't it be fun if you knew how to use all of the buttons and dials?! Wouldn't it be fun if they flash didn't automatically pop up?

Gary would have different advice so I will do my advice today and then do a part II with his advice:)

There are 3 things that I think are very important to know.

1. ISO. This is equivalent to the old film that you used to put in your camera. Remember? You used 100 when you were shooting outside or where there was a lot of light. You used 800 when shooting in the dark. Same as ISO, you need to increase your ISO in darker situations. Yes, your picture will have more noise (look grainier) but you will actually see your subject.

2. Aperture. This is the amount of light that is let in. When people talk about f stops, that is what they are talking about. The smaller the number, the larger the aperture (more light let in). Our 50mm lens goes all the way to f/1.4 which is awesome. I usually shoot with a really high aperture and this also gives the look of the subject in focus and the background being blurry. If you want everything in focus, you will want a lower aperture (higher f stop).

3. Shutter speed. This is related to ISO and aperture. You generally want a fast shutter speed or your subject will be blurry. So, to increase you shutter speed, you need to probably crank your ISO up a bit and increase your aperture. You generally want a shutter speed of around 1/125th or faster.

So, take your camera out of auto mode and turn the dial to `AV' or aperture priority. Take pictures at various ISO's and apertures. Note the shutter speeds that you get. If the shutter speed is too slow (ex 1/40th), then increase your ISO or increase your aperture (make it a smaller number). Let me know how it goes!

Low Light

I've had several people ask me these questions in the last two days so here we go! What do you do when you are shooting inside your house at night? What about in a church for a wedding?

Here are some ways to get better shots when you do not have natural light:

1. External flash which can be bounced off the ceiling. Try not to use direct flash or a built in flash. If direct flash, dial it down. We have a Canon Speedlite 430EX and a 580EX.

2. Shoot on aperture priority and use the lowest f-stop (in layman's terms, the f-stop is how much light is let in and when you have a lower number, it's a higher aperture, letting in more light).

3. To go with #2...one of my favourite lenses is my 50mm f/1.4 (the 50mm f/1.8 is a much cheaper option that would work well but my husband would say to invest in the better lens).

4. Use a higher ISO and deal with the noise/grain in post production. There are programs out there that deal with noise and I can't recommend what is best. I just use the noise slider in Lightroom and it seems to work ok. I have heard good things about Noise Ninja and Noiseware. As mentioned in a previous post, you can get a free 30 day trial of Lightroom and see if it works for you.

5. Shoot in RAW and you can push the exposure up in post production (again, I do it in Lightroom). I don't think I would recommend shooting in RAW if you are starting out. We have just shot jpeg's for a long time and recently switched to RAW.

6. Use a tripod or monopod if shutter speed is not high enough. The Digital Photography School says that your shutter speed denominator should be larger than the focal length of your lens. So, for example, with my 50mm lens, a shutter speed of 1/60th should be adequate. Although, I always try to keep my shutter speed at about 1/125th or faster.

7. Practice, practice, practice:)

Hope there is something helpful in there. If you have any other questions, please ask. I'm not claiming to be an expert but I've def. learned a lot over the past few years.

Lightroom

Just saw this on a photography forum...think it pertains really well to people's perceptions about `fancy equipment':

Buying a great violin does not make you a great violinist, just the owner of a great violin.

By the way, did you know that you can download free trials of Lightroom? I would highly recommend trying out one of their 30 days trials. That is what I use for almost all of our editing. One side note is that there is a beta version of Lightroom 3 to try out there, but, it DOES NOT have an activated luminance noise slider which is important to me when shooting in RAW. They will have it in the real version when it is released, just not yet.