What I learned from Zach & Jody Gray on CreativeLIVE

Perhaps a better title would be, What Didn’t I Learn from Zach & Jody Gray on CreativeLIVE this past weekend? But then there wouldn’t be a blog post now would there lol? I first just want to say that if you don’t know about Zach & Jody go head over to their website and check them out. They are extremely talented Nashville-based wedding photographers and they provide tons of useful information for photographers. This husband and wife team inspires me, not just with photography but with the love they share for each other and God.

This past weekend I learned pretty much everything there is to know, from what lenses to use in certain situations, to what kind of lighting they use and how to use it, to attracting and engaging with clients and how to make them “your walking, talking billboard.” However, the top 3 things I learned and am walking away with from this course are:

1.    “Clients care about content not quality.” Yes, I need to be a good photographer, but that should be a given. People that aren’t photographers don’t care/understand about composition and lighting. What they do care about are the emotions I capture from that day.

2.    “It’s great to be a natural light photographer, but you need to be skilled in all areas of photography as well.” This quote that Jody Gray said really hit home. It dawned on me that yes, I can be a natural light photographer for engagement/bridal sessions but what happens when it’s 7:00 at night in a dark reception hall? Or the ceremony is outside at night? Or it’s raining? I need to be prepared with more than just a Speedlight in case the conditions call for it and of course do it well. :)

3.    And last but certainly not least, the most powerful/touching/inspirational moment of the entire course was this moment right here (be prepared to cry):

Oh, I almost forgot. Zach had mentioned that when he shoots the groom and groomsmen preparation photos he mentions the movie Reservoir Dogs and how the pictures are going to look just like that. The guys usually get really excited (even though Zach admits he’s never seen it before lol). Anyways, my husband went out and bought it on Blu-ray (because we’re snazzy like that) and did a little research. Turns out, the scene he’s talking about is in like the first 10 min of the movie. Here’s the clip of it:

http://youtu.be/T7wL7mkgnos

Anyways, the end result would look something like this:

That’s a picture of my husband and his groomsmen on our wedding day. So handsome! :)(Picture taken by Sarah Kate, Photographer)

Well that’s all for today. Until next time, Happy Tuesday! :)

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Downtown Fort Worth Portrait Session Preview

It was a beautiful yet cold Saturday last weekend in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. My husband, who just got a new job in Fort Worth, said that we should go downtown for the day to show me his new office building and possibly take some pictures while we’re over there. I immediately agreed, as I’m always up for taking pictures but said I wish I had some models to photograph. So Daniel called up his sister, Heather, to see if she would be willing to be a model for me and she was all for it! She’s the best! J Anyways, to make a long story short, we took a bunch of pictures in Downtown Fort Worth (in the middle of the day I might add) and finished up the rest of the session in Southlake. So below is just a little sneak peek while I finish editing the rest of the pictures from our photo shoot that day. Enjoy! :)

This was my first photo shoot with my new camera (Canon 7D) and shot primarily with my 50mm f/1.8 and 35mm f/2 lenses. I’ll be posting more of them soon. Until next time, Happy Thursday!

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Oh, Happy Days!

So I decided to create a blog to document and share my journey of becoming a wedding photographer. As well as share some insight for future brides & aspiring photographers, like myself. :)

So here goes nothing…my very first blog post!

To be completely honest I am actually very nervous about starting this thing. There are so many unanswered questions going through my head right now; like what do I write? Will I be able to keep up with a blog? Is it too early to even be starting this thing? As a current college student, new wife, mother to my puppy (Sophie), and learning photography I have a lot on my plate. Should I be adding blogger to that list as well? After all, I’ve really only been photographing for about 4 months now, and It’ll only be a year next month since I got my first DSLR camera. But I’ve decided that I’m ready to take this next step towards my career as a professional wedding photographer. :)

Side Note: This day is special to me in more ways than one. Not only is it the day I started my first photography blog, but also 6 months ago today I married my best friend and the love of my life, Daniel, and I couldn’t be happier.

Photograph taken by the amazingly talented Sarah Kate, Photographer.

Until next time, Happy Monday!

Follow @MicheleShore