Michele Shore Photography: 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: