THE UR’S MONTHLY MAGAZINE FOR WORKING & ASPIRING PROS SION Cd REPORTAGE REVOLUTION How small and ae feet eer em UR ELL eraser) cela LED OUT Orr em eRe) Ce hee rape TOTAL GUIDE TO WEDDINGS 35 pages packed with expert know- eCONTENTS / WELCOME WEDDING WORKFLOW 110 How I got that shot or Dole demonstvars th 14 Wedding winner! 22 Get covered 28 Wedding workflow ie Dugh the ato Welcome ISSUE 157 ff Zarenre,, 2s pings OV F @protessionalphator 44 Moving to mirrorless ionship steele foruseo J 50 thefullpackage per 0 thew PROFESSIONAL, PHOTO HAS ALWAYS had a clos with wedding photography. So, it made complete sen partner with Loxley Colour and Fujifilm Original to lunch our frst ever Wedding Photographer of the Ye competition last year. After six hard-fought rounds, we can finally name our overall winner: Natalie Martin from the Story of Love studio in the Scottish Borders. Meny congratulations to Natalie! Tn this issue, you can read the story of how she got started, he tour ofthe impressive Loxley Colour facilities, which cds dinner, The dinne: 58 Buyers’ guide with a report abou ismonth plac sdemonste and twas re I aspects ofthis revit in Moving to Mirvorle some of the gorgeous frames and ‘a ran-through of the sand we've also surance \dn’t want to run a wedding business without, Enjoy EDITOR SUBSCRIBE & SAVE OVER 50% Subscribe by Direct Debit and pay JUST £13 EVERY SIX MONTHS. Call 01778 392497 or visit brightsubs.com/prophotoOPENING SHOT THE DAY AN iSIileFe|Rcoltelelicmcraelaw (ota sel ela iar aero een aimenchiceeemeucg Cenreecn OMOEA AeNy Ss so aces Pores ase ere eee ea Ne eee eae eT Poi Nera tne eae Cees eRe to eaters ark mete’ ari ar et eta eetan Ester Teena ones eye-catching shots, I ger to practise poses ee ener Se ng ees See et eee Sct tee eS eter reset ns a ee ee eee ct ten iam teen eta aac et ec eee et eee ee Sea Deve Sere eter ton acre mtn tT N CEES eer et a een ey ee ee Cee Set eee ee ee eens Sree ar ete en as gee ea eet Firtehvay sca et cers tae eS eS Ne eee ee ented Care eee tee ee eee ey Coreg Stare ete eens ates) See eee eee eee ed iguyontheplarform please though asthe Hadrian's Wall shots worked Ce een neo) SWPP Print Competition. ee eesryUPFRONT UPFRONT NEWS / VIEWS / EVENTS / EXHIBITIONS / NEW GEAR “sie ‘AWARDS! LIFE SKILLS FEELINGA IT downin the dumps this spring? Need a pick ‘me-up? Hey, maybe you won the Outstanding Contribution to Photography prize inthis year’s Sony World Photography far... syour name Nadav Kander? No? Oh wel at least you getto lookat the pictures, ‘And what pictures they ar! Bornin 1961, Kander's photographic career spans 30 years, with award-winning ‘commercial, portraitute,fgurativeand landscape work He'salso released seven books, been awarded an Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Photographic Society and had works housed in multiple publi collections including the National Portrait Gallery. On this page youl find a nice picture ‘of Eddie Redmayne to proveit Kander’s work ville shown at Somerset House, London, WC2R ILA rom 18 April to GMay, alongside other winners from thisyears Sony Warid Photography awards, | worldphoto.org/swpa GEAR! FORM AN ORDERLY Q ASWELL ASmaking watches for people mith more ‘money than sense, Leica has been know toknock fut the odd camera. Here's the new Q2, aful- frame rmirrorless compact with a47.3-megapinel sensor delivering 95% more pines than the old model. Twinned with the new sensor, the Q2 usesa fixed 28mm /1Tlens, ‘andthere’s‘gital zoom’ basically crop function ~ Eivingetfective 35mm, SOmmor 75mm framings. talso owenjoys 4K video (upto 20fps), improved AF, weather sealing, and WF vallablenows, that be £4250 toyou What are you waiting for? free watch? uk leica-camera.comUPFRONT / NEWS BRIT OF ALRIGHT FANCY ACRACKat the British Journal of Photography's Portraitof Britain contest? OF course you do. The contemporary portrait contest has been running forfour years rowandis designer to show the variety and diversity ofliteacrossthe nation. This year, thecompetiton is seekingentries that illustrate how ‘the British are respondingto nation in flu including examples ofthe unique, eccentric, resilient British spirit ifyou're stuckforanidea, tryone of these:a red-haired child againsta green background; anaked woman satin abin;a ‘man in steampunk gear who's old enough to know better;someoneon ahorse; someone rear fracking sit; someonelooking mmiserablein Middlesbrough; someone looking miserable in Louth; someonelooking mmiserablein Tottenham. Oh no,hangon, those ideas are forthe Taylor Wessing Prize ‘The 100 winning portraits wil be displayed across JCDecaun’snational channel of digital advertising screens ina UK-wide public exhibition during September 2019, and the 200 shortsted and winning portraits wll be featured abookby Hoxton Mini Press. ‘The competitions open toalland has a closing date of 18pril The only restriction is thatimages musthave been taken within the Ukandatter 1 January 2012. ortraitoforitan.uk Nu 5 bs is) RUN AWAY SUCCESS EVERHEARD OF ‘elopement photography"? No it'snot somethingyouneed to shoot with ‘Kodak Brownie and ashotgun.totingather intow. In fact i'soneotthe ates trends of wedding photography. Basically, instead of coupleshiring you for traditional fullday’swedding event - where youspend much longer thanyou expected shooting formal group shots when they asked forreportage - elopement shoots arelimited totwoorthreehours,justcatching the couple getting hitched without all the extrafuss. k's abit like an engagement shoot, but withthe ‘added tension ofhaving made life-changing decision and with no one aroundte keep the couples’sprts up. Could tends soon include consummation packages and gritty reportage coverage ofa lengthy estrangement? Let'shope note?Aer THE UK’S LEADING O a (e Val Ss | O a PROFESSIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC IMAGING LID DO f/ @ LABORATORY * EXCEPTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINTING FINE ART (GICLEE) PRINTING - HAHNEMUHLE CERTIFIED STUDIO * WEDDING ALBUM & PHOTOBOOK MANUFACTURING * FRAMING SERVICES * COMPREHENSIVE RANGE OF ‘WALL DISPLAY’ PRODUCTS * SCHOOLS & NURSERY PRINTING SERVICES * PHOTOGRAPHIC PRESENTATION PRODUCTS AND SERVICES real 0845 862 0217 O Nn e MW | S | O nN WWW.ONEVISIONIMAGING.COM IMAGING LTD @ = HERALD WAY, COVENTRY, CV3 2NYHOW I GOT THAT SHOT / ECHNIQUE Peter Dazeley HOW | GOT THAT SHOT Top commercial photographers are expected to interpret a brief exactly as envisaged; not easy when parking wardens and the weather intervene ‘worDs TERRY HOPE HEWORLDOF advertising T= isatough one to break Sto andthe reason why the top ‘operators stay ahead ofthe game is therabilty to problem solve and todeliver exactly the result that the cient islooking for. And, on many oceaions there i precious lctleroom for manoeuvre and the photograph that's achieved has gor toinerpre the visual that’s been approved inevery single detail, ‘Take alookat thebrief given 10 tp commereil photographer Peter Dazdley, for example, and then compare tthe fnal photograph that was handed over tothe client. The adherence to the art directors visions incredible and isthe mark of phetographer that has wide experience in interpreting an idea and bringing cto ie | do at of work forthe agency that commissioned this shor,” says Peter, “and the reason they use me isthat they know they can trustme to fellow their direction tothe lecer. Itcan bea itl frustrating at times because there ena leeway to interpret the briefer vo do anything that you fee might improve te lok, but there isa sound reason for his. Basically cht visual will bave been circulating around the decison makers inthe company commissioning the work and then signed off, making ica big deal ifanything subsequently changes. “sa photographer Thave to goto greet lengths to follow the direction inthe visual exactly, When sourcing props for this sho, for example, my stylist went out and sourced ‘number of different baskets tha were similar inappearance tothe one envisaged aad then pictures of each were sent tothe client to get feedback on which one they wanted us tous, IMAGES PETER DAZELEY BIOGRAPHY as |AROVE The visual provided by the client very detaledgvingPeter a eerie of what they eokng for “As a photographer I have to go to great lengths to follow the direction in the visual exactly” Es Similarly, while were working onthe picture the client will be glancing over my shoukler and sending pictures af each stage over on their smartphone tomake sure that everyone ishappy with how itooks, Asa photographer you ust get used to working inthis way and you take on board that e's your job to provide the image thatthe clients loking for” Asif tis requirement for everything tobe exactly on message wasnt stressful enough there are Inevitably come out ofthe woodwork woadd to nthe ouside factors that the tension. For this particular shot, produced for insurance company viva, the factors ‘thar threatened to derail everything were a combinetion of rervcalous offiialdom and the notoriously unpredictable Brcsh weather “The locaton selected for this shot was Battersea Parkin London," says Peter, and, asalways, my agent had been very thorough and had arranged in advance for us tohave car access, However somehow this ‘message hadn't got through and we were faced ‘witha trafic warden who was determined to _move us on as we prepared to take the shot “The ther issue weld to face was the fact thatit started to rain just aswe were setting the shot up. The ironic thing was thavit was envisaged fromthe outset that this picture would be taken inthe rain, bat ‘our plan ws to create this outseves so that itwasunder our control. Tothat end we'd paid a company toturn upto produce fake tala, buriastead we were faced with everyone {involved getting darnp and the potential for photographic gearto get damaged,Ye Mur as ol ra reve Loa; cv cava ‘Qv0rED HAPPY. Join Steve and the millions we've quoted happy on their car insurance. 4 Call 0800 828 828 Ler us auore You HAPPY® AVIVA preaction involved and we were asked oreverse the scene from the visual so that, ec ust do exactly that, In the end, hrwe had them wi igh : h snixture of fakeryand the real th wworked out really wellUPFRONT LIFE-CHANGING KIT Each month we ask a top professional about the kit that changed their lives. Wedding specialist John Baikie recalls the impact the Quantum T5dR had on his imagery THE PIRGE OF equipment that dramatically hanged my photographic life was, without Adour, the number of yeas after turning professional antum TSAR flash head. For Thad experimented with various lighting techniques to try to produce something bie more interesting, I dabbled with ideo Tights lot and had some success with this, but ukimately my influence atthe time was music photographer Andy Far, seho-was doing stunning portraits outdoors with off-camera lash and underexposed skies. {wanted to follow sui [tried using Canon speedlights butte inarod trigger was weny temperamental in right sunshine, and just didn’thave the power Ineeded. Taso experimented with afew ideas of my own, butchering an old Mets lash and trying to run metzes of cables between lash and camera, but it just wasn't practien Iewasat this point that I discovered the (flash system and, despite being abit more expensive than the standard flash Iwas used to, it eally delivered what I wasatter. Inno time atall was using for everything, from weddings through to p never left home without ats, nd basically 1 ‘The ability to overpower the sun, even ‘ona typically bright Scottish summer: ‘was groundbreaking forme,and I develope fore ae “Ican easily carry itin one hand with my camera bag over my shoulder and go anywhere that a bride and groom can” a style of dramatic wedding images tha for became recognise ‘My Quantum flash has been all ver the world with me, and the portable nature of ic was ancther reason why itbecame my regular go-to plece of kit. Inthe last year (Godoxx Wistro AD360 to my up, which is a replica of the Quantum but Aelivers even more pawter and costs abou half the price. Kes verybasic in its settings ina power ratio rangingall the way from fall power to ia8h, bur if youhavea fas meter or just abit of experience you can get fserupwery quickly Trecently bought a bracket for mounting onthe lighting stand, which allows me to use this flashgun with my fll range Bowens modifiers so can use sftboxes, beauty dishes or anything else I would use {nthe studio, ot on location. [turn up fora ‘wedlding with the flash already mounted on a stand, battery and pocket wizards attached, soall Ihave todo s pull it out ofthe lighting bag, switch i on and tm ready to go. Team easily cary itin one hand with my camera bag over my shoulder and go anywhere that a bride and groom can, Using the light Ican shoot into the sun with no ‘worries about having enough power, and ccanalso light acall. The b and even shooting on high power I rarely cups with no problem ek is exellent as wel, seabattery over the course ofa wedding day. [havea spare just incase, but | very rarely have rouse I Capturing dramatic, moody images using have toch this method has become my trademark over rnd the Quantum TsdRis something couldn't do without nos, johnbaikie:photographySIGMA My choice, in every situation. @ * 14-24mm F2.8 DG HSM @ sx 24-70mm F2.8 DG OS HSM © sports 70-200mm F2.8 DG OS HSM Mount Converter M-11 2YEARUKWARRANTY )) Use your SA EOS mount SIGMA lenses wth Raaeartao Sony E nt camera. Sold Seperate,ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE / WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEARWEDDING WINNER! Congratulations to Natalie Martin, who was announced as our very first Wedding Photographer of the Year during a trip to Loxley Colour in Glasgow ‘OUR VERY FIRST Wedding Photographer ofthe Year competition, sponsored by Loxley Golour and Fujifilm Original Photopaper concluded during a visi 10 Glasgow. Each ofthe winners of the six round: sh Borders-based photographer Natalie Martin who sy come out on top inth rureda tender moment between abride and her grandfather, and it wasa 104s decision made by our panel of judges. ire, the bride in the pietue, hada particularly special bor 1dparents,” recalls Natale, ho took her shot ata wedding 4 at Barony Castle, near Peebles, inthe Scotish Borders. inthe morningat their home and during the speeches the emotions toflow. The moment Ieaptured arose when her new husband said doADVERTISEMENT FEATURE Lotley Colour bead of sales, Calum Tomson, summed up the felings of ll the Judges when describing his response tothe picture be intrigued he says. Al of as immesitely ‘wanted toknow more, Wewerelooking to find cou the story behind the moment and were capeured by the emotion and composition, The image perfectly nailed the Storyteller brie, but overand above nd out asa shot that perfectly summed up the special atmosphere you find ta weeding, where the srength of Felatonshipsare on fl vi “tJoved the timing ofthis shot and the fact you sce mote inthis picture everytime 1 thinlkour collective reection was to youtlook ati” commented Proisional Photo editor, Perry Hope an this concentrates the exactly the area the photographer wants you tobe looking at. There are no distractions, jst the two central characters and the bride’ grandmother, whos clearly been overcome by the emotion of the moment. I's wonderful and tender interaction, and could The focus is shallow never have been staged, These are the kinds of memories that documenta familys history and P've no doubt this picture willbe highly valued and te Natalie triumphed against a strong field ured for years to come and many congraculations to all o the round winners who made the final judging so tough ‘For me, the best thing abour winning round ofthe WPOTY competition was being recognised by photography professionals for my work,” says James Davies, “liked the organised format ofhaving to send in your very best wor, with a deadline for each specific round and for it then toe judged with the winner announced in Profs Photo magazine and on Loxley Colour’ social media. My win was also very useful from ‘marketing point of view. Tobe ableto put on ‘my social media that It got through to the final ofthe WPOTY awards generated alot of comments likes and hits tomy website cntthe day I posted the news” Alan Magner was another round winner who appreciated the chance to demonstrate topo ity ofhis ‘work, “To win a round of WPOTY tal clients the cally 9 was hesays Togain the approval and appreciation of my peers means agreat deal to me, Inbrings everything fll circle and shows me Pm progressing my skillsand talent inthe right direction es something I'm immensely proud of” “Asa matketing opportunity, compe fe yous hook from which to promote your photography,” adds Andreve Billington, our round one winner.“ don’t ED: pput much store inthe contests that rely on ining the most votes through social media since they seem to bea measure of how well you can squeeze “likes out of people, but one ‘that is judged by areal panel of human beings ‘who are respected within the industry is something worth shouting about.” Loxley Colour was founded ina small shop in Glasgow in 198, na very diferent age were silver halide was king.and wet processing the norm, In the intervening 35 ‘years, the landscape of professional photography has changed beyond recognition, but the principles ‘of serviee andthe acquisition ‘ofcutting-edge technology have remained consistent Behind the scenes, the team at Loxley Colour has blazed trail around the world, searching forthe hardware it knows will enable the company tooffer yet another service to its ‘customers, always seeking to stay one step ahead ofthe field, bt unimpressed by mere gimmickry. This philosophy has fuelled phenomenal growth, to the point where ING PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR Lowey famously had to relocate five times in xs years and now inhabits cavernous square feet of space witha separate facility down the road offering 20,000 squat fect, and even thes Despite the size ofthe operation, and Loxley Colour desling with thousands of customers, the emphasis has always been ‘on personal service and that a professional can sil get through to speak to the person ‘outputting their product, ‘You won't be put on hold bya robot here: rather there will be someone atthe end of the phone you may well have spoken to before and who will know c facilities ar being outgrown, war amend be up to speed on your order history ‘With all six round winners available to come up to Glasgow for the prizewinning dinner, it was the perfect opportunity for 8 tour the following day around the cavernous premises ofthis mul award-winning pro lab, While Natale and other round winner, David Bostock, unfortunately weren't available, that still gave Ben Bull, James Davies, Andrew Billingron and Alan Magner the opportanity totake a look around and to see firsthand the ale ofthe Loxley Colour operation Even the pre-tour cup of coffee i Loxley Colour reception area was aneye-opener, with a huge range ofthe lab’s products on the walls ready for inspection. “Thetour started witha look a the images coming in for printing, and Loxley Colour offers the option of a free colour management service to ensure everything hits ahigh professional standard. This is carried outby hand, with anything up to 800 t0 1000 files boeing checked every hour by slled operators. Everything from heres barcoded, s0 each stage of production can be tracked around the building, helping speed up the process, Loxley’ proud boas is that print orders received before spm are despatched the same ay, while even prints that need to be mounted and laminated are ona five working day ‘ummaround, while albums take jst seven working day from start tofinish, Despite the huge volume of work passing through, inwas interesting to see throughout the tour how ‘much hurnan intervention theres during the various processes, whether this is creating frames to bespoke sizes or puting albums together and ‘making them ready to bake in one ofa series ‘of giant ovens. Quality contel is erucial throughout and the fact that Loxley Colour staff take pride in thelr work is evident from the length of time so many people have worked atthe labs. “The vist was fantasti” says Alan Magner. “Tve used Loxley Colour for about eight years and the rour reinforced every reason [already had for using the company and recommending its services over the years. Plus, our tour guide was worth her weight in gold: her enthusiasm and working knowledge was refreshing to encounter. My favourite Peis pierce artsy rth, likea calm place to work” — products are the acrylic gallery and edge print products twas interesting to see and hear about haw they're made and to see such skilled people patting them together Por James Davies, another Loxley Colour regular, i was interestingto see how the acrylic gallery prints that he sels to cients were put together, He also appreciated the chance to take 2 Jook at the new alumi print methods, which is something he'l be offering from nowon, “The seal ofthe place was impressive,” he say, "but Iwas stil fascinated by the neatness and how everything was kept ‘mninimal” and inorder, with zero cutter. I fel ikea calm place to work with real print professionals, als liked the reception area with all the examples of Loxley Colours print produets. This was really inspiring” 1s worth not g ve. It felt that Loxley Colour has an active policy of encouraging visitors]and would be more ‘han happy'to accommadate any professional who might wish ‘tohave a look around and o see more ofthe operation for themselves. ‘With such a busy business isin surprise pre-booking is essential, ut the feeling is thatthe more photographers who ean se and handle he products for themselves the more likely is they willbe encouraged osiga up for te I's services. Obviously the same goes for customers, which is why photographers are encouraged by cut price samples so that they can show clients the full range of finishing that’s on oer MOREINFORMATION Hoxteycolourcom THE PARTNERS. PROFESSIONAL PHOTO PROFESSIONAL PHOTO Dedicated tothe needs of working professional photographers for morethan a decade, Professional Photo regulaty showcasesthe workof some the worl’ greatest wedding photographers. Read around the worl, the magazine's the perfect platform fo those at the top oftheir gameto shout sboutthe quality oftheiwork al Photographer ofthe Yearhavereceivedamassive dose of publicity in print andontine-and we have no doubt that they wl then multiply this with their own secial media activity FUJIFILM ‘Value from Innovation round winnersandthe Wedding FUJIFILM PHOTO IMAGING Even inthis fulton gal era, Fujifilm crystal Archive media, with tsroots stil rly buen wied and tested silver halide technology, sthe paper ofchoice for ‘mary wedding photographers, delivering bigh- ‘quality rests that willast for decades. criginalphotopapet.com ea Loxley Colour LOXLEY coLouR ‘OurWedding Photographeraf the Yearhas received £1009 worthofvoucherstospendon Loney Colours vastcange of products, everything from prints to albums, wall product, ramesand presentation options. Thisisabusines bulton ‘qualtyandservie,hencethe decisonta print ‘on Fuji Orginal Photopaper. At Lovley Colour, you'renevera number: customersare business partners. Thefocusison working together with photographersto help develop the business by offering ccesstoa range ofceativ, quality productsand acessories todelight cents, loxleycolourcom LOXLEY COLOUR BELLISSINO ALBUMS Loxley Colour’ malt award-winning album ‘ange, Bollsimo Albums offers an uarivalled choiee of styles and finishes. From the beautiily creative FineArt and Haris Tweed albumstoclent favourite the Perfeto, there's _acover, paper and style to sult everyone, plus a range ofadéon products that complement ‘the range. Each ofthese round winners won 9 30-page (15 spread), 14x10in album, loxleycolour.comalbumsibelissimo“Bom into the’ Business . Our Wedding Photographer of > he € nthe arrival of a new baby couldn't stMartin ‘watching him way to learn" she: swith wonderful ima edifcal to maintain the ‘momentum fora personal business wher children come along, but thisis something Natalie id Thomas, her p Alice, anda uhe latter that could have potentially caused a Marcus. twas the aztival of cisruption to the carefully planned schedles when he arrived in April ast yeas in the middle Toesof practice when several just at this was the wanted to fois on, idingssthe love corded. Hove people therein the middle ofall telling a story and turing thes na real moments fr the couple rsh forever. esa pretty In terms of style Natalie does ike to be pinned down to any one set approach,gave her the shot chat ultimately something spe occasions ndod her the Wedding Photographer of the Year title and she’s constantly on her toes looking for heb about tohappe “Often these willbe the moments that will}ook back on and cherish the most, as will clic a reaction, However [don't consider myself to bea fll time reportage wedding ad amily and group photographs, plus photographer alongside like to rected -rather than posed - bride and 0m photos. These are also precious tothe amily and they fil up their album nicey oc 1 would call mystylea mixof storytelling might al these things mixed together bat | nd stylish. ound alittle bizarre tohave all of c¢tohave aneclectc style ait depends on the people the day, the dress and the feel of the wedding ssf. Pven thowgh my app ich isa mixture that they can tll its aStory of Love" picuure when they seit, which I lve because I feel this is important PERFECT WEDDINGS or Natali, the perfect wedding is one where the couples don’t hold back, where th out thelr emotions tothe point where they stvely forget she is there. This san opportunity forthe creative juices to flow and without an diction from behind the camera. I don't particularly plan my phorographs in advance plan ona sysNatalie. “However, Ido got a feeling for when a picwure is going to happen, as I did on the day I took my winning picture. for the day to be eapeured as it since things don't always go wedding da” and just had to be aware enough to cate it.” Upuntl now Natalie ha her own at weddings 1d concedes that ican, attimes, bea lonely profession with pressun see how having another shooter ould relieve come of that butt the omen its not for me since [ike the day my way and I quite enjoy the running around sinceit ges the Jrenaline pumping and keeps me on my toes “The best partof the jobis thacittakes me ‘to somany different venes, towns and cities. Although I primarily sh also worked in Wales and England many times, and the grear part ofthis busines in Scotland, Tve how word of mouth gets you jobs from people Probably che most high-profile wedding ‘covered was tha of Scotish ru back of Given that wedding photography canbe such an insular business, the re cancome alo thought, why have wo it, es up against ve other ‘would just like to say vba what P of mareting i will help me to attract more have seen you in action aa wedding, by eaptain Laidlaw in 2013, don follows rughy and dida’t know who he was until the paparazzi 31 for Netalie, winning such x prizeas Wedding Photographer of the Year has been profoundly uplifting. Whe first heard about thy secially when, in the final, Iwas saphers. I done to everyone he quality oftheir work and it's yet to fully sink in that I was picked out as the winner ‘Entering competitions like ths on build my confidence up and tells me producing has value. In terms ps tellthrough social media and it will generate ty for ‘Story of Lov’ and potentially ised within the industry and toactua win something ike thisis even beter" storyoflove.co.ukWEDDINGS / |NSURANCE 5 REASONS TO SAY “1DO” TO COMPREHENSIVE WEDDING INSURANCE It may not be the sexiest of topics, but decent insurance is an absolute must, especially for the added pressures wedding photography can bring WORDS DAISY DICKINSON) IMAGES MEGAN ELLE GARRATT TORRENTIAL RAIN ON A summer's day, bossy brides and card errors ~ wedding photography certainly comes with a unique Set of potential pressures and problems, and with no second chance to shoot the big day. Add to this the likelihood that you'll be carrying several thousand pounds w of ic around with you, and it's easy to see why you should be taking care to find the perfact match when it comes to your insurance policy. ‘There area number of insurance companies that eater specifically for professional photographers and its wise to deal with someone who bas specialist knowledge ofthe photographie business, Do this and you'll have access to ‘ff the shel? packages that have ogether ‘with know-how from the industry, making itrelatively quick and easy to get covered. Tailor-made policies should also be available for those needing extra coverage You'll need toinclade material property, liability and professional indemnity —but ‘what else should you be aware of, and ‘where could you be left vulnerable? Reputation an you insure against clients toad-mouthing you on social media? Social media is changing the way photographers work. It for generating new business and communicating with cients but could work against you when it comes to poor reviews “Wedding photography comes with a unique set of potential pressures and problems” bn by disgruntled clients, Morgan Richardson hhas over 24 years’ experience in the photographicindustry, where Ross Edgar Schemes Development Manager, recognises that in the eurrent social media climate poor reviews can havea significant impact ‘on business, which unfor typically be covered by an “It is often best to try issue amicably.” he advises, “bearing in ‘mind your response to such criticism will also he seen and can often be more important than the review itself. There ‘may be an option to add coverage for Crisis Containment, although this would typically assist where there has been an event that causes significant adverse publicity, rather than individual reviews, “On the subject of reputation, however akey coverage I always discuss Increased Cost of Working, whieh, following an {ngured event, will cover the cost of hiring alternative equipment or even premises to ensure the shoot goes ahead. Not turning Lup toa shoot or a wedding because your ‘equipment had been damaged prior to the {event would have significant implications for your reputation. If however you have Increased Cost of Working, cover you can ‘continue to trade while your claim is processed. It wasn’t me! Someone moves your kitbag anda guest trips over it, seriously hurting themselves, It wasn't you that moved i areyou liable? Public Liability is considered essential by all insurers of professional photographers aandis included in most standard scheme, Its purpose isto protect you against claims if persons injured or thei property damaged asa result of your professional negligence. Depending on the policy, his ‘may start at €im, ising vo €5m, Ross Edgar ‘explains tha as you are responsible for your it as well as che safety for members ofthe pili, likely you would be found lible forthe injury. “This i where Public Liability «not only for any ‘compensation, bu also the costof defending you, which may include investigating the ‘ircumstances of any given incident”pieatee eae Crossing the pond You takea wedding abroad and your kit travels in the hold. Your bag gets lost and you don’t have what you need for the wedding. Are you covered for this? ‘Most insurers will automatically cover ceqitipment in the UK and Europe any many ike InFocus Insurance the rest ofthe world as standard. IPs worth checkin this on your policy a some may have resteictions as to how many days are covered abroad per policy year ‘With increasingly ight restrictions onhand haggage it a given that many will require you to stow your kt in the , and while most policies should cover this for damage and theft many insurers may require thei customers to seek remuneration from the airline inthe first instance, and they will then pay any directly, recovering any money from the airline themselves. Ifthe worst happens and equipment is lost, stolen or dan the fitst course of action isto notify the local authority sd while on location, n the case of theft) and then to company immediately Look for polices that include hire coststo make sure you havea backup plan and, as a general rule, i's sensible ro travel with ke essentialsin your hand luggage. Assistance You hire an assistant, and they hurt themselves or someone else while on a shoot. What happens? Or what if on the day, they don’t turn up? Ross Edgar explains that this covers a numberof issues and that firstly, ifyou have you are legally required to hold Employers Liability insurance. “Check f the policy covers this as standard and, any employe not, you will ned to add this on, This will protect you fan employee takes legal action against you following an injury they sustained whilst i your employment, including any compensation that may be warded, Ifthe employee was to cause njary to someone else, Public Liability Pro perspectiv Megan Elle Garratt is a professional wedding photographer who offers photography with real character and charm. Insured Norma ccseules oc ao) Se moran day ee o that each couple gets the best of me! Themajorty of ened ee Se eee earn eee reas Cee Poe Pre arene eae eee ee Sone eet’ DSc eines Insurance ee eet eee ng ee ee ered ee errs part din eet) See eee eee etn tee feereier tenner See eer Ti) See eet Pee Ceres tee Pere gers perenne Pee estes fullofloveand et eens cr poets ements poten tee eae Cece con Seater rl eee rd eee ee oar oc eter peeerren ret er ees pe eat oe eran indemnity insurance would come into pa and cover the costs of defending andor ayWEDDINGS / |NSURANCE insurance should extend to cover the typically be covered and is one of those unfortunate circumstances that area onstant challenge. You may beable toadd your policy for Personal Accident, which would provide a benefit following lental injury toa named person, although this can be costly and would typically be utilised for key members of staff and would not inelade sickness.” Kit cover ‘Avhome and on the road Allinsurers operate a system called averaging. Explained by Aad, this m ‘that if you havea total loss claim and iis worth over £10,000, a car alarm is usualy requiced. not insured all your equipment, then you | won't cover kit in your car overn will only geta proportion ofthe valueback, parked at your registered property They advise you insure everythi ‘will no extend to coveragein a ear not Important cavea ‘owned by you. Where cover is available all MORE INFORMATION equipment in unattended vei expect photographers to take / morganrichardson.co.uk is not always automatic. i reasonable and sensible precautions, The /infocusinsurance.co.uk will offer diferent packages, and many equipment should be out nd, if aadukicom be aware of Insurance for Photographers We can provide insurance for: - Photographic & Computer Equipment - Hired in Equipment - Public & Employers Liability rofessional Indemnity 01837 658880 info@aaduki.com Insuting today, Protecting tomorrowCALL US NOW FRE= ON 0800 731 2940 or email quotes@morganrichardson.co.uk (Telephone cals may be monitor morganrichardson.co.uk corded)ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE / LIGHT BLUE SO) AUTOMATED ASSISTANT If you're running a small business, then staying organised can be a real challenge. Light Blue, designed by a working photographer, has all the tools you need to run an efficient business. ARE ‘omany photographers got into the profession because they're creative, visually aware types who love the ‘dea of being behind acamera and lneracting with clients. To tun a successful operation, however, you need more than just che ability to produce a great shot: you also need tobe thoroughly organised and cn top of all ofthe administrative duties associated with small business. These ‘can be onerous demands that take up huge amounts of ime. (One solution istohire a dedicated individual to take care ofthis side of things for you, bur chere’s obviously an ongoing cost involved, However, another option that ‘caries less of a cashflow implication isto invest in business management software, ‘This is where Light Blue comes in. Designed from the ground up by Tom Catchesides - ‘who, at the time, was a working Cambridge ‘based wedding photographer -the package ‘benefits from the input of someone who very much understands the market. “I started my wedding photography business tthe same time my wife started her portrait photography business,” he explains, “and we both immediately knew ‘we wanted to build our businesses around providing greet service to our clients. I bit the original version of Light Blue vo enable us to keep on top ofall ofthe details that ‘would allow us t build great relationships ‘with our clients and to make the most of allof the opportunities that can makea fledgling business success.” Central to the package s the automation of time-consuming but essentials tasks, such as the sending out of online contracts and the forms)questionnaires that enable clients to inpar all che information required fora shoot, like timings for a wedding, making sure there's enough time for group photos and getting alist of specific requests ‘This, in turn, frees up the photographer to focus on providing a more personal service tnd being the human face ofthe business ‘This is something that’s crucial forall professionals, no matter which genre they ‘might specialise in, WELCOMING AND EFFICIENT Alex Beckett created a highly successful wedding photography business from an ‘unusual beginning, originally studying computer science (alongside fellow wedding photographer Ross Harvey, as i happens) a UEA in Norwich, before graduating and landing ajob as « computer hacker albeit ‘on the right side ofthe law, guarding the country from potential cyber attacks, “TU always been told Ineeded to have ‘proper’ ob,” says Ales, “and although I Toved photography, it didn't really seem to fi that particular bill In my spare time, I took lots of pictures for my own pleasure, but Ionly moved into wedding photography in2009 when, by seer chance, I got the chance to cover a ceremony and the reaction tomy work was so pestive I Booked an cason of work from that single job, ings just grew from there and I've never Jooked back, but [realised from the early days and from my computer-based background just how important it was to havea strong and well-organised database Light Blue i the third piece of software Pve worked with and i's proven tobe the most versatile fora numberof reasons DREN rT Pree tcotee Ber etd Boden teas nt aceLigh tue Sofware fae nied wedding Brstogrpher heetecet to catng hr pete instead oforying tbowteseh ow, ‘chedingan Fora start, it enables my in-house studio ‘manager and Ito work closely together, sinee allows us to log in separately from ‘our computers to access information and to both plug into the calender directly. “From both mine and the client’ point ‘of view, bookings couldn't be simpler and ‘more efficient, which is exactly what Iwas looking for. The client finds me online and fills out form to book my services, then Light Blue tells me whether Ihave any dave clashes or another client interested in those dates. From there, we can then schedule meeting to discuss everything *Oneea client agrees to hack, they're seat acontract and they fill that out online trough Light Blue. Then i automatically directs them to a page where they can pay their deposit va eedit card. Closer tothe ‘wedding, it reminds me to contact them again to ask for the balance. Filling in the and is completely automated. Itjust makes life so much easier. [can even take deposits xc takes around five toten minuresfrom international clients this way and there's no need for bank transfers. “Lrealy appreciate thatthe sofeware has been created by a UK-based person as well, since, on che tax front all the things (uch | as tax rates and VAT and soon that need to be tied in to UK tax laws) aretaken care of. We input incomes and outgoings as we go slongand atthe end ofthe tax year I print out a spreadsheet and send it over to my accountant, and t's all pretty much taken care of I get regular reports on my finances as the year progresses, so 'm always on top ‘of cash flow aswell.” PERSONAL TOUCH Alex also highly values the fact that Light Bue has never los its personal touch, an Tom is contactable and receptive to feedback ~ always willing ogo the extra mile to ensure the software is doing snded todo, “Easly some features on other CRM @ustomer relationship management) LIGHT BLUE SOFTWARE / ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE software that I mentioned I would Like to see and Tom quickly went away and added those in” says Alex. “He genuinely does listen and you always fee! that you're valued asacustomer” ‘Tom explains: “Supporting our ‘customers means alot to us, regardless of whether they've just started a trial, have been using Light Blue fora few months or have been with us for years, We offer fre fast and helpful email support to everyone and we'e incredibly keen to help customers businesses succeed and grow. We also offer ‘aone-to-one sereen-sharing service, so photographers can book time with us to help set up ot learn to use specific features, “The software is continually evolving ‘Our online contract signing andl contact form features, for example, are really popular with photographers because, a well ‘as making the photographers admin easier, ‘i makes it simpler for their clients vo work With them. We understand the modern photographer has alot of pressures and demands on their time, so our automation features help to free them up to focus on ‘ther important things, such as marketing, ‘post production, or some much deserved ‘time with family and friends” Alecadds:“As a professional ‘Photographer, the fact is you probably only get to spend around 10% of your time actually taking pictutes, so anything that ‘comes along to make iteasir to run your business and gives you alitle more time todo the things you want to dois hugely ‘welcome. I's meant I've got more time to spend on the editing of my photographs rather than having to outsource them, "That's something I feel very strongly about and appreciate being able to do." If light blue Jalexbeckett.co.uk ightbluesotware.comWEDDINGS / WORKFLOW The new rules of wedding | workflow With social media, the cloud, bigger files and cheaper backups, wedding shoots have changed - and you need a whole new system to keep up WORDS ADAN DUCKWORTH ‘The fast-paced world of digital media ‘continues to fuel changes in what couples expect from thelr wedding day and, more specifically their wedding photographer. ‘The days of shooting the wedding, dropping off the rolls of Kodak 120 film at the lab for proof prints and boshing them into a pre-cut window album seem ike a hole different age now, e Booking the couple Prom the first meeting to signing a show the couple exactly what ¢. Plus, ask where they got your details from, Ever since digital took hold more than & decade ago, there has been aseismic shift in what i expected froma professional wedding photographer. And there's hell 10 pay -or worse - Ifyou get it wrong, In this feature, we take a look atthe wworkdlow of a modern, digital wedding photographer and offer helpful tips on how toget trightin 2019. 4 2 ) Pre-wedding eo On the big day Choose and format your memory cards, sort your card etiquette through the day. Make sure to organise on-site backups and all the real-world logistics, Get properly prepared with a meeting ‘with the couple, an engagement shoot, ‘our of the venue and a questionnaire about the day wy, a Ex] ;a After the shoot nr Online marketing Delivery of images Issue 187 p20)WEDDINGS / WORKFLOW Booking the couple | / 030 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO ISSUE 1ST You've done your marketing, You've Joined your assoclation of choice, bull the website, built up a social media following and done the wedding fairs, Now you've finally managed to attract a couple who love what you do~ and are willing and able to pay for the services they want. Great news! Now its time to get icin writing. ‘You remember which album package they’ expected to work, what happens if you're illon the day. all stuff that might not seem too important = right until the point its critical, because a client thinks they're going to get something you didn't agree to ‘bought, how many hours you're You need to get everything in writing with a formal contract, You should get a solicitor to draw it up, or you could get a template from a professional association and make ityour own, just get something in writing. And include a phrase about not being able to guarantee every shot they ask for. Delivery, payment, compensation and copyright all eed to he nailed down, Remember things like asking permission to use the images in your ‘marketing in future, what ean be done with the images and, crucially, when, You need to agree what will happen in terms ‘of sharing the images online, and whether the couple ean ‘enhance! their favourite shot with e cheesy Instagram filter prior to sharing with your name on it, Get it all agreed before the big day. Crucially be sure to ask where they ails from in order to help with ‘hey go it from a bog like rocknrollbride ‘com rather than a Yellow Pages ad, but do ask, Usinga client management software like Light Blue can help you keep track of ‘what's working and what ist, “Remember things like asking permission to use the images in your marketing in future, what can be done with the images and when” — hbthtcht, Pre wedding Inthe run-up to the big day, i's time to get properly prepared. Meet with the couple, perhaps do an engagement shoot, organise ‘tour ofthe venue and give the couple a questionnaire about the day A questionnaire is your best chance of spotting possible problem areas. It’s your chance to see the timeline, the family, uapand the list of wha is supplying which services, This helps with social media tagging and sharing, so itis a vital part of your marketing, A tour of the venue also helps cement relationships with potentially the single biggest referrer of brides a wedding professional can get. ‘A pre-wedding or engagement shoot allows you to earn how to shoot the eouple and build up trust with them by getting tid of any awicardness before the wedding Wsalsoa chance to upsell some of the photos as prints, and another opportunity toget your name out on social mediaif you are tagged in their posts. And make the formal lineISSUE 157 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO 31WEDDINGS / WORKFLOW Afier the shoot [Now it's time to get serious about downloading the precious Raw files 19 ahard drive ~ preferably set up in RAID configuration in case of a hardware gli ‘Then back up, back up again and back up ‘Some photogeaphers swear by the 9-2- 1 system: three copies ofall the files, on at least two different devices, one of which isheld offsite. Others say four copies are essential, with one offsite for safety anda final Raw backup using cloud storage. This will ake time to upload, of course, but lett overnight to transfer vi a fast internet connection, i's possible. Teall depends on how confident -or paranoid ~ you want to get about your technology. Remember, it may be cheaper to keep just one set of memory cards straight from the camera until all the ing is done, External hard drives are definitely the way to go for storage. Although SSDs are faster, they arealso alot more expensive - often prohibitively so, Look for large drives that can be set toa RAID configuration and can use fast connections like USB-C or Apple Thunderbolt. Some ofthe best are the LaCie ebig or 1zbig ‘Thunderbolt 3,or the G-Technoloy Speed Shuttie series. "The Thunderbolts ideal for Mac users. It offers good integration across devices, but s pricey in comparison to PCs, which can offer the same spec at a much lower cost - and can nin just about anything a Mac can, Chillblat will custom speca PC with shockingly high speed and power for significantly less than a similar spee of Mac computer The most popular editing programs for lots offiles is Adobe Lightroom, although some people use the Adobe Bridge browser or standalone Photo Mechanic software, Which was initially designed for spores shooters For Lightroom users, its good practice to start a newr catalogue for every wedding cor else speed is compromised, Lightroom is great for batch processing, then final retouching is best via an export ro Adobe Photoshop. And there are lots of plug-ins available to speed up workflow and give a certain look to your shots ‘There are other editing programs like Capture One or Afinity Photo that are starting to make an impact, too,Online marketing Like itor not, social media is often a huge part of bride and groom’ life. And that’s not only for mllennials, but the more macure generation, 100. You have to give your clients what they want, and that means speed is ofthe any people want to show off the best bits of thir big day as soon as possible and they value ‘likes’ and ‘shares’ Keep in mind people share the most within the first 2g hours. Tt might be the end ofa long day after shooting a wedding, but that’s the best time to download cards. With agreement from the couple, aquick edit ‘ofa few shots the same day or next day works wonders. ‘You could even goas far as putting together a few photos ina smal video slide show with your best stills and some music - perhaps their firse dance — so they can share that on social media, too. I's agreat way to get your work shared around quickly. And to show how much better itis than the phone piles many people shace. ‘When editing the shots, it maybe 1 good idea to drip feed some shots as you go, rather than waiting until everything is edited to perfection ‘That way, you wil be building up anticipation and hopefully more shares and likes for your work “You could even go as far as putting together a few photos in.asmall video slide show with your best stills and some music - perhaps their first dance” © Delivery of images Online proof galleries are the most popular way of showing off the finished Images tothe happy couple. Website firms like SmugMug, Zenfolio, Amazing Internet and PhotoShelter offer a range of services ‘Many areallied to professional labs, so clients can share the link around and let their family and friends order prints and other products. You just take the revenue. Although it's been a bone of contention for years, some photographers are happy to deliver a USB stick ofall the final mages. customised version in a nice presentation box looks good. However, i's far better to upsell so you hhave some control over the final output, and, ultimately, make more money. ‘printed proof book can be a good add-on, then there are designed albums ‘and framed prints, which are the goal of most professional wedding photographers. ‘Weave a whole Buyers’ Guide to some of ‘the best albums and frames inthis issue cheek i out on page s8 on’ discount printing images yourself ‘as an alternative to buying in prints from professional labs. You have total control ‘and can offera range of fine at papers Check out printers from Epson, such as the EeoTank ET-7750, and papers from the likes of Permafet or Hahnemtihle to add a real creative edge to your work. “Then, after the wedding is done, remember to blog al about it. Great for ‘SEO, helpfl for new clients to check out your work and a chance to show off your ‘personality. Most importantly, it attracts ew business. ISSUE 87 PROFESSIONAL PHOTO 033BOND Pegaso esas les DO\ehrnes BONE ONLINE TRAINI Why using free web-based t Tc) be the best way of upping your s Pre ma Coyae ese em CYL DT ‘camera and aecessry companies to review ee erty ster eserce mea! Cae EO eae a To aoe _ photographer spending hourson the net Deore cee eet tee Pere eee eT)TRAINING / PERSONAL SERVI team with current working experience, mixed with th doing and how you can doit, That narrows ability to puc across what they are the field down massively as many working professionals are hopeless at teaching. And Some photo trainers just don’t have the right experience of working professionally Globally, there are some big players in the market. Cre photographs ive ran by American pro 1d online superstar Chase Tarvis, ofers lots of online training from some ofthe most well-known shooters in the business. "The pay-per-view price per videos typically $99 although i often discounted ‘or you can subscribe to everything for $099 per yr. And beinga US site is heavily biased towards the American market which the UK 0 jarope. And many ofthe classes are relatively basi, aimed at enthusiasts rather than totally for professionals. sasimila story at KelbyOn Scot Kelly, For run by Photoshop legend 0. year, youget lots of photo and editing courses streamed on demandbut again ‘they'e largely Amer enthusiasts rather than the sn-biased and aimed at portal Lynda.com, which has los of photography and editing tutorials, again's very US-focused and aimed at technical skis Iteosts £240 a yearbur there arelots of on photo tutorials on therefor ign serything from video editing tow and much more By farthebest ar in’ biggest earning portal specifically aimed a UK profession phot :dueaton and Mark Cleghorn's The Photog iphers Kad Taylor also techniques and lighting forthe mos popular subjects - shooting peope. But they do ditfr in whac they offrin other ways, so do check them aut before you buy youre after more ofa commercial focus, then Kar! Taylor is unrivalled fr inspiration it ofthe market. Te sie isalso packed with ching or eve nde advice and techniques forthe ‘general te ing fom sports and stu igh atthe nique ee i the very commercial esto boudoir, city shooting, oeation fash and lots more. tutorials from shooting business headshots to high-end fashion and product shots. Andis not just nthe capture butalso on the final delivery of finished images that Kal focuses make al of the training mater available throu h streaming fora set fee of fi2 a month,’ say Karl, I've gotan open door polieyand evergthingis available fom the rmemient you siga up. An area thatattractsalovofin post production. In teaching both entry level and advanced Photoshop sls, covering Bone gem nee eee Peers amnabout professional wi indary animal ec et eee are Pees pees ont eenae Pee cate eee Cee emer ee eee Ce er ott ee pe rae ing rom shooting techniques and Mark Cleghorn also offer eal business advice and moreareas asthe retouching of beauty portraits, classe black&white conversions and the liens. I youre carrying ou your ow retouching e's particularly important to have afirm grasp ofthese techniques that your work finshed toa high standard.” One key area that’s exten a taboo subject is that of how to ran your business ineluding how much to charg And Karl tackles these subjects don,as well as offer ke model releases, info on BS Vetoicg realistic pricing ET Vay muy ‘While Kat Taylor's video offerings are predominantly by Kar! himself The Photographer Academy uses a wbele range ‘of top professionals in a range of diferent Silds. Although there are some commercial and product videos its real strengths in phccography of people from socal porta andkids to boudoir, wed ssand fashion the type of workthe majority of UK ng with supporting marketing help such as social media expertise The website is based on copyright, marketing video conten tha capeures and eashtiow templates in different rar peter Settingupa a work, with rel client shoots spy business sno erento setting upany other kind of husines," says Karl, “You need to see how strong the competition sand towork aut whether there is enough businesses for everyone. I the competitions too strong locally you might need to lok to startup elsewnere or conse aifferent gente to oper “tteanalso be difficult know bo ‘much you'e worthy’ says Kat, *You need to cdomore than just ook atthe competitio We'l offer realistic pricing advice for those diferent sectors based on what the Assocation of Photographers recommends bo also important to have a handle on igs like usage rights and what territories your work willbe used inf you're a ‘commercial photographer, and these ate all things that training can help you with rin spocally setup flms,alng wth techniques in Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, There are mare than 2800 films as monthly webinars and photo critiques al included in the membership subseription which, f to watch on demand, as £199, includes ull access tobusiness adv and downloadable resources fr the first dropping to £99 after that The beauty ofthese online serv that they areon-demand, so you can wate Setaled sant information for professional photographers when you nocd it instead of web sufi or hours in the hope yr uncover apriceless magget offi. [MORE INFORMATION ‘artayloredcation.com [thephotographeracademy.com professionals and high treet studios NAL SERVICE / TRAINING BAD PHOTO ADVICE WE FOUND ONLIN eee ee Pet ee rene eee ee ts et) PNT asec) GEO Nets Mea erc I) CE Sua ON aR ks TO YOUR SUBJECT. OR Baa ena Dea Nee) CROPIT LATER ON. ONLY EVER SHOOT a) Mae aoe ar) Soeur Eine aelacr ae ONLY PRIME LE! saa elcr) faves ve) YOU DON'T NEED AN ema rose eT IS PERFECTLY FINE. YOU DON'TNI rier DMR e OLE oa Cami conceit te Miter Tues) Eaiessen eae ans Mca Taper oy Tam Lee Poe en eons CUP nan a Crema yee Cee Ne rr io) Une eas lsThe latest generation of LEDs, typified by the Rotolight line-up that Jean Noir uses, is powerful, flexible and capable of being used pretty much anywhere, WoRDs TERRY HOPE implicity is very much the name of the game for German portrait photographer and trainer Jean Noir, Co-owner ofthe NOIRstudio in Prankfure with his friend and fellow Rotolight Master of Light Peter Malle, this location s flooded with natural light, which isused extensively by Jean alongside his regular AEOS and NEO 2 LED lighting kit. “The studio ishoused inside a really old IMAGES JEAN NOIR warehouse with plenty of period features, such as large leaded windows and a polished ‘wooden floor” says Jean, “ts.an amazing place to be based andl from which to offer workshops and really suits the way T work im always utilising its features and, being A photographer who works on more ofan emotional than a technical evel, Tkeep things as simple as I ean from a lighting point of view “When think about lighting T'm asking myself many diferent questions. How should Fuse ie? How ear Teombine it with shadow? How can I work with contrast and tse light asa mystical element? How do I ‘combine all ofthis and work specially with the people infront of the camera? Tn many ways what I'm doing is paine \with light and incorporat language into my images, Jean isalso concerned with the treating his models as human ‘than mannequins and to focus ‘on character rather than to seek perfection. “In the end it's the personality you want to picture, with features,” he sys. “Teaching isa fundamental part of what Jean is setting out to do, and he holds regular workshops to share his ideas and to enable attendees tovunderstand the value bbehinda picture. “We're trying to do more and more intense classes in out NOIRstudio bring int as wellas others that are more intimate with ewer people lot of people come in not understanding the advantages of continuous light, it’ important for us to hich can open all kinds of creative doors “The Rotolight line-up of products fits ‘seamlessly into the setup since, being ‘continuous itenablesthe scene to be lit infrontofan audience, makin explain the lighting arrangerment. However, there are oth Ihsuch ‘asafaclity forthe lights to workin. a flash as wells continuous mode, while colour tem the time of day or mood that's required and to.enable ito work alongside the ambient light that's available, ream also addan sential kick tothe highlight in a subject's to bring an image to life advantages ature can also be adjusted to match ‘tve been struck by how closed-minded some people who attend my work Tean, and how some of them can't inspired by light or might not be able to see (of feel the light a all. They move in their ‘comfort zone and work with the familiar and are closed to new things. As result ‘many will rake the same photos over and an I'm trying to get them totry ‘our new things and votake more risks”German-born and based eae) Poe ren enn) eee ener Soc Teeny ene ce) TELLING A STORY This hoc by although tattle that confuses some, once ital makes complete and rather poignant sense jean is entitled “Felis and, the story behind the pictures t ‘ noticed this old lady standing around ‘outside the front of th ‘and | wondered what she was doing there When I spoke toher it all became clear and was an amazing story. She told me that around 50 years earlier, as a fifteen year old she had fallen in love witha young man, ed inthe building. He then needed to leave but told her that he would bbeback the next year, bt never returned “Looking at her face I fel that she tudo,” says Jean, would be perfect for me to photograph, particularly given her relationship with the building, but it was quitea change from the kindof picture I'm usually assoc ated \with. Pm more likely to be working with beautiful young women, producing pictures REVEALED / LIGHTING SECRETS for my Instagram page, bu this was very different and relished the opportunity t ‘ry something new. “[ decided to open the door into the studio a fraction to allow some natural light ‘come through and to hit my subject, This ‘made up about 30% ofthe light for this shot and the rest was supplied by a sof lash from my Rotolight AEOS head, positioned up high and to er right to bring out the exture inher face “inthe studio I can work with the really lose to my subject, about half'a metre away, andthe flash the AEOS produces is Jenty s dialled in wo around 53 ng enough for my needs. [aso on the colour ‘temperature control on the back of the ABOS to match the fee! of the narural light ‘and that was essentially all there was to ngand made the picture,andit'sa shot that’s fll of char ‘with agreat story tell”LIGHTING SECRETS CREATING A BIZARRE In terms of lighting, along with th natural light from AEOS head was placed pack glass and angled I would seifto be more of an artist than rd photographer.” 4s) / LIGHTING SECRETS ViLIGHTING SECRETS / REVEALED ADDINGROTOLIGHT S. “if oS. REET | Deel Cy Cw Kates a ow LIT WITH AEOS BY MASTER OF LIGHT JASON LANIER “POWERFUL, YET PORTABLE, AEOS WILL SIMPLY ENABLE YOU TO GET SHOTS UNLIKE ANYTHING ELSE” BEN eo ee Ueto Si Ree en een an on sare no ee a Rae) era aoe enka ee PLO ee TAAL LPF CURD RD Se ea) a (c)TULL Sele Ws iF a ALG Cy a MIRRORLESS Silent right Marianne Chua explains how using a silent shutter allows her to shoot more creatively at weddings How would you define your wedding, photography style? came from a non-photography background, so never had any preconceptions about ‘what I needed to shoot. think my business tock off because ofthe freedom halo ow in mown direction, Iwas naturally dling candid, documenary-styl sho and not worried our the more clas Setups like ing sors or group, an there happened to bea growing market fortis relaxed stylet the time, Pr mol looking to get people's presslons and quitks- the rel sul? formal approach misses, Lust thought was anormal thing to det Ca oem a ‘What kithave you been using for ‘wedding work? I started on DSLRs; Nikon Doo, then two D708, thena Nikon Df, before switching tothe Fujifilm X Series about three years ‘ago. The Df body had a good number af ‘manual inputs, which I iked, and those tactile features continued with the X Series cameras [now use. ‘Why did you switch to mirrortessand how does it better serve what you do? For me, it wasa very practical choice. The X Series are beautiful eameras with relly appealing aestheties and a look that's well received at weddings, but for me it was more about thei lightness and how quiet they canbe with the silent shutter. got a taste of thatbrefly using the Fujifilm Xi00S and the same benefits apply to my X-T3, even though ia bitlarger and more SLR ike. 1 started outusing an X-Proa, bu realised 1 wasn't using the optical part of the hybrid ‘viewfinder much and T wanted a fip-out sereen, too, so that's why I went forthe Xa, was using the X-Taright until the rocent release ofthe X°T3, where the ister autofocus and greater image detail enticed ‘me to upgrade once more ‘You mentioned the silent shutter: how docs thathelp you at weddings? often sayitdisarms the subjects, and that's true, but indie makes a differenc tothe way I shoot, too. The noise of my old itwas quit invasive, and although know people who still shoot with DSLRS who are willing to get in close, I prefertobe as dlisereetas possible as many of my clients prefer that. Knowing I can shoot silently _makes me less conservative in shooting, taking more risks and pushing myselfto create interesting compositions. I don't seit all the time, just when it's required, ‘because I think people lke that eulible feedback ifthey’te posing for something like agroup shot. “And how does the lighter camera benefit you? emeans I can work one handed, I coulda. hold a heavy DSLR for as longas 1do nove. ‘The lightness alsoheips me cut down on. camera shake, which isa risk as I work so ‘much in ow light. The X21 front-curtain shutter obelp with that, to. ‘venotgot the steadiest of hands, so tend totzy tokeep it at /20osee. {ike to work“Knowing I can shoot silently makes me less conservative in shooting, taking more risks” es ‘with Fuifilm’s small, fas prime lenses for ‘that reason too. There's @ great range now, and something lke the XF23mm 1.4 means I ean shootin really low ig ‘Tilting screens aren't limited to mirrorless cameras, but how does the X-Ty'shelp youat weddi ig deal for me, Statics harder to see and don’ allow you to work high, I a that ad upto more guesswork and chimping. That arn takes my attention away from the events unfolding, and thats not the way 1 Tike to work. Basically, you get more control with a lip sereen and that means ye rte efficient. 'm5'3" 50 I need to pat m armsintheair alotand ther ppands ‘what I can do physically Also, when spa is tight really helps; can put the camera against a wall and flip the sereen our. There's a shot really ike of some guests playing requet where I got really low and right into the game ~ something I coulda’ have done therwise, o atleast one that would have been a lot more difficult Are thereany other! ble to miss the timing now perfectly. To me, thi omething I cant go back to not us Fhange exposure nowt’ al ‘onic shutter) function, you fly press the shutter, |, getting that instant feedback feels archaic without it now tll shootin atv, but [know people who're just shooting PEG for weddings aquick peck, s0 very to smariannechua.com Sear)TUL Sole Wa! \lirrorless stills and v eddingw How would you describe your wedding photography work? ok me for acandidand relaxed ok Basically, L want to immerse myself swith the guests and ge that perspective — the one the eouple don't get to see, which any couples feel they miss. til formals, bu I don’ doa lot of fine-a shots. No brides looking whimsically the window for me.I want to ceptuse th atmosphere of the event ‘Why did you move on from DSLRs? 2 years, shot stills and video an a couple cof Canon BOS sD Mark Is, then Mar ls. Video has become a more important thing, so went equipment wih the S some really great features for videoand great ISO performance. I bought an adapter Touse my existing Canon lenses ont What about for stills? What was the reason to change there? I needed an upgrade anyway, as thesD Mark II's AF and ISO performance were beginning to grate. I ide opera lot the time using fat primes, but I could never use the fll fi.4as I didn’ trust the tonal focus. Twas work! nd not making the most of the lenses. Backlighting was also a problem and caused Joes of hunting, which isnt whac you want onabusy wedding day. So at the beginning on gear and nowy have ait ean share between stills and ‘video again, I just work with agmm, somm and 135mm Sigma Art lenses. ‘What made you pick the Sony system? "new I wanted to stick with full-frame, So it was pretty much the only mirrorless eee Tad hychoice when I picked up the 47S IA lt of had todowith the video bodies. Sony has for ages and has build age sharing kit across n doing mirrorless| mature now. The on med hing 've noc wa ois the menus; they're eryptic and can be confusing, Were there other reasons for switching to mirrorless? ght was a big pul. In truth, Tas ver really bothered by the weight of my Sizeand (Canons hut Ihave felt so much difference snow, Weddings can be quite physically ‘demanding and you need tobe Free to move around ale, usually with a couple of bodies Tnow use a Spd ‘combined with the smaller cameras, ‘made my day much more manageable ‘eamera belt holster ane, What about focusing? Have you found advantages there? Face Recognition AF has made my life so such easier ~ even for candid shots all you the AP point near someone’ and it knows that's where you want nave wo doisg a ‘lock, Then you're off and shooting, The choice of AF area is a big improvement too. You're far less limited than on a DSLR, ‘where AF points are lustered inthe mid, That can compromise your composition -oF atleast force you to focus and which isn't as accurate, espe The lst wedding | did tere was justo shot where the wide open, amera missed focus. Have you found any drawbacks to switching to mirrorless? Not yt, Even usingan EVP, which was abig stumbling bloc for me, has proven beneficial “They sed tobe jerky and slow to switch on shen you wanted them, and even a facto ‘of soconel’slag can fel like an eternity ‘compared oan optical view, I's feeling more natural to me now and there's big advantage in seeing exposure straightaway. Anything that helps you be more ecient sslluse the viewfinder frombabt, btm soy geting set thescreen, too, whicha hunchingever the camer barrier between me and ey tomcaltonweddings.o.ukLight fantastic Esther Ling on how smaller, lighter bodies and articulating screens have helped her wedding Ze ‘What's your wedding sty Iwasa full-vime wedding pro for many years and now I balance it with my food, stile and portrait photography, People book me fora combination of those sill ar ‘the fact | photograph in avery relaxed and candid way - not ikea traditional wedding approach at all [do shoot groups, but L want animation and fun, nota load of people standing in line. The last wedding’ a good example. Alot of twas outdoors in woods and they just wanted an off-the-cuff feel. To do that, younoed to be unobtrusive. 1 dress ike ag as muchas possible and use smal, light gear. fest, bndingin with the day that? I's an unusual combination. offer something abit different sometimes. sa saturated industry, 50 [ve increasingly found people spend so ‘much time on the look ofthele wedding “the lighting, pops and decorations - ork, rant that to bea big part ofthe phocography, too, So, as well as th images, I shoot alt of lifestyle food and ssl life on the day It draws nic on all my skillstogive me a USP. Did moving to mirrorless bodies shape ‘your approach? Switching to a mirrotess camera did't really change the way I shoot it just made it ally shattered after obs; people stand howe physical the joi, 1 about upgrading anyway and was asked if wanted to ry outa mirrors camera, The first one Lused was a Lumix Gwh. Iewas tiny and {justhad kit ens. was suspicious, but images with itand 1 ot some incredible ought ‘ifm getting this with just an entry-level version, wha could it be lke with pro-evel ki What kit are you using now and how does it help at weddings? Right novr Ihave a Lumix Go, Gis, GX8, small GX8ooand articulated 1,80 I choose from ns area huge help, mainly being to do low-and high-angle shots more easily and efficiently With a static sereen, there's always an “Switching toa irrorless camera didn’t really change the way I shoot, it just made it alot easier. A big benefit of changing was the size and weight...” SSclement of guesswork in those shots and the risk of missing focus ora terrible ‘composition. For me t's made life so much ser. Many DSLRs have articulating screens, but Lalso need lightness to make use of them. What about lens choices? My most used lens ithe Leica DG Nocticron 42.5mm f.2, whichis absolutely stunning for both the detail shots and portraits. Also for weddings Ihave the 3s100mm fa. Tl, which isa fraction ofthe Size of my old 70-200mm fa.8and identical {nrange when you take the sensor size into aceouint, Mostly use primes though Ti rather use my fet than zoom, and with the smaller lighter bodies, that's now far easier todo, People tend to forget that Micro Four “Thirds has been around for a decade now, 50 the lens choices complet. Do you havea preference now between using the sereen or the EV? Tedepends on the subject, so it's great to have both. For my Rat lay and stile style shots Il predominantly use the sereen, “There's something about Famning that way that gets you closer tothe finished result Por portraits, il stickto the EVE, but use ouch focus via the sereen, which sa le faster than manually moving an AF point, Has working with mirrorless improved ‘your workflow, t00? Definitely Being able to see what Ive got ‘compositionally and in terms of exposure immediately means I can be a lot more cfficient. I's ke a throwback to 3smm film, where you didn’t waste shots or have tospend ages sifting through huge numbers ofthem afterwards. Instead of taking four images, now only take one. That precision helps my workflow, don’t want to have toagonise over loads of slightly different pictues, Ijust make some minor tweaks and then get on withthe next job EM estherting.co.uk