So why post the picture at all? Simple really. The image above is pretty much the colour and look we went hunting for. Just not the subject or angle we had in mind. It has been through Photoshop, we added the logo, and the black line around it plus retouched out a couple of roof tops, but that’s it. Now take a look at the image below.

This image is a straight jpeg conversion from an original camera file. Some of you will think there is something wrong with lower photo. Or that we have worked the top image heavily to change it. Or as someone said the other day fix it. Truth is the photo at the bottom was exactly what we wanted to see from the cameras raw format. A flat, low saturated image that contains all the information that we could ever want. The image at the top hasn’t had it’s colour changed. All we have done is striped away the information we didn’t want which left us with the photo you see  at the top of this post.

The really cool part is, I can reprocess the bottom file again tomorrow and get a completely different looking photograph without losing any of the quality of the original. You see when we process a raw image in  raw conversion software, we are still keep the original in tact, returning to it as many times as we like to reprocess it without every losing image quality. If however, we let our camera process the file at the time of shooting. A popular method used by many photographers. The camera discards any information not needed to produce its final image file. The picture straight from the camera looks way better than one of our raw files. But that’s it. Any significant reprocessing to change colour, contrast or saturation is difficult, and also destructive because the reprocessing again chucks out more file information. Often lowering the image quality dramatically.

I’m not going to kid you. Not all of our raw files look this flat and lacking colour. But even if they did, I would much rather a raw looking like this to an out of camera file looking like the image at the top. Why? because the flat uninteresting file has virtually unlimited possibilities. Why the one at the top is about as good as it can get without going south in quality terms.

When someone says to me,  just burn the files from the shoot to disk and we’ll get them printed. I wonder if they have any idea what the print may look like.

We get a lot of would be wannabe photographers through our doors. Or enquiring about job opportunities via email. Lately there has been a whole bunch with dreams of becoming a photojournalist. I’m not sure why. I guess it does sound rather glamorous. Travelling around, getting paid to go to all sorts of exotic places. Meeting people from all cultures. Living the lifestyle. On the other hand I always think of the old saying about joining the army. It went something like this. Join the army, travel the world, meet new and interesting people…. and kill them.

I’ve been in this game for a long time. Most of that time, the photojournalist’s I have known, have worked very hard, and made very little money. Today with media and communications changing rapidly. The lot of the photojournalist is not improving. Jobs are getting fewer and fewer. Real hard core photo stories are becoming more dangerous for less and less money. This week in Mexico, four journalists were pulled from a canal. They hadn’t been in for a swim. Killed presumably because the had poked their collective noses into some drug lords business. Or maybe they were seen as a possible threat.

Today I read in a magazine, that a French photojournalist with ten years experience, spent 2 terrifying weeks in the same area as the above four were found. He shot for a widely recognised agency. He was surprised however, that after risking everything for a picture story. He actually lost money doing the job. So two weeks working in a place where his life meant nothing, for photos that were important, but not enough that anyone would fork out good money for them, he was out of pocket $1500

During the last half of 2011 he also covered two war zones. Literally dodging bullets and incoming heavy arms fire. Working obscene hours under appalling conditions. For what. He made about the same as a kid working part time at the local super market. Then at the end of last year this same photojournalist was assigned to shoot a political sex scandal. A job that cost him next to nothing to shoot. Involved nothing more than waiting for said politician to turn up, snap a couple of pics, days work done. You know what I’m going to tell you next. Yup, he made more from that assignment than any other for the year.

It seems teaching photojournalism is the flavour of the month. I often wonder why people rush into studying and devoting themselves to a future career. A career that may not even exist by the time they complete their studies. I’m not saying photojournalism is dead, but we should think about the future possibilities of our chosen path. Ask questions of people who should know before embarking on a course of study that potentially may lead nowhere.

As a footnote to this. Editorial shooting is suffering a fair bit as well. A friend, who is a good shooter. Recently related to me that compared with ten years ago, he is now paid half the page rate he was back then. Same work, obviously higher costs but half the pay. When I asked, why with his experience didn’t he just say no, I want to be paid fairly.  He said simply, there’s always someone who’ll do it cheaper.

We think engagement photos are important. So important in fact that we offer a free engagement photo shoot with any wedding booked. Free engagement photos! Why would we do that. Well for starters, it gives us a really great opportunity to get to know our future brides and grooms. It lets us discover their good and not so good angles photographically. We get an insight into how they will react to the camera. Plus of course it just simply gives us a chance to take photos. Which is kinda important to us.

From the other side.  Our bridal couple to be, get a chance to be in front of a camera. They get to feel how it will be like on their wedding day. That’s really important. Because not everyone is instantly comfortable in front of a camera. Lots of folk haven’t really been involved in a real live photoshoot before. They don’t know what to expect or how they should react. The boys, are usually more reticent about having their photos taken. Interestingly they are the ones, who often warm to the idea of photography, and often start getting into the swing of a shoot earliest. Don’t whatever you do tell the blokes, that they might enjoy the experience though.

So what type of engagement photos should we try and create. Honestly, we have done just about everything. However, shooting engagement photos can be preety much divided into two main groups. The very formal, dressed up. This is what we are going to wear at our engagement party style of thing. Often shot on the day of the party. So hair makeup and outfits are just perfect. This style of shoot is often in the studio or at the location of the engagement party. Bigest drawback to having the engagement photos done on the day of the engagement is the availability of the photographer. Most parties are held on Saturdays. Guess where we are on Saturday afternoon!

Alternatively, you can go for a more casual look. We often suggest that incorporating something you enjoy as a couple into the photography. That can be almost anything. Recently when did Rebecca and Stewart’s engagement photos, we included their family. Not their human family but their doggy family. Ruby and Hunter came along for the shoot. Recently we posted about including pets in family photos. Why not then engagement photos?

Nice relaxed family portrait of Rebecca and Stewart with their family. Hunter and Ruby, who just happened to be great models. Once we got over the pickles  in our feet thingy. Sorry…. Forgot that some of use are walking around in bare feet.

Anyway you should seriously consider having  a set of engagement photos created. Record that special time in your lives. Whether you chose a casual outdoorsy shoot, or go for the fully formal portrait in our studio, or something in between. Give some consideration to having so great engagement photos taken.

This is not the first time a supplier of dresses has gone down. I can remember another some years ago who went belly up and cost a lot of brides a lot of money. Our hearts go out to all those effected. Most especially those with weddings in the very near future.

Real quick post today. One that I hope will help out clients sorting photos in their excitations online shopping gallery. Honestly your best friend when sorting photos in a gallery is our lightbox feature. Simply to use. but even better you can add and subtract pictures from you lightbox at any time. Plus you can save your selection to view at a later date.

I’m assuming that most of you know how to get into your password protected gallery. If not here’s a very quick recap. Navigate to www.excitations.com.au Currently you will get a screen with 3 options, Website, Blog and Stock, select Website and when that opens select Client. That will take you to the screen below.

Scroll down the above page until you find your gallery. Click the thumbnail, then when prompted enter your password. That will take you to a screen similar to the above except of course all the photos will be from your excitations photoshoot. Now is a good time to set up your lightbox… Oh you can do it later but why put it off. At the top of your thumbnail screen, just like the one above you will see in the menu bar the word lightbox, click it, you will be asked to create a free account. When setting up your account, please note your password. (Don’t ring us to find out what it is. It’s your password we don’t have access to it)

Once your account is up and running (instantly) adding pictures to you lightbox is simple. Click on a thumbnail to enlarge it just like the screen shot below.

Top right hand side of your screen, below excitations online shopping there is a link to add to lightbox. Click the link, you may then be asked to name the lightbox, if it’s the first picture you’re adding. Otherwise it will go straight in.

So now you have a lightbox. What next? Add your fav’s to the lightbox, and save the lightbox. Now the best of the best, will all be in one place, so that you can easily compare them. And  of course remember which one you selected, last night, last week or whenever. Another handy feature of the lightbox is you can have more than one lightbox.  So, you might have one called family and another from your gallery called kids… Lightboxes make sorting your photos so much easier. Try one today…. The cost nothing and will save you some much time.

We hear it all the time. I love this photo, hate that photo. Very next person through the door has exactly the opposite view. Nobody’s right or wrong. We just have different tastes. In food, cloths, cars, the list goes on. Photo styles are many and varied. We as photographers have a way of seeing each subject we look at. I would approach photographing a wedding differently to most other photographers. That’s the excitations way. You like it or you don’t.

Problems arise  for you as buyers of photography. When photographers, lacking experience, copy the style and or the approach of another photographer. You see, the problem is photographers who copy, will usually copy more than one photographer. Resulting in a confusing array of photo styles. Many fail to actually understand what they’re copying. It’s easy to copy a photography  technique but almost impossible to copy a photographers eye. So when you choose a photographer, you should be looking at their work. Importantly, looking at a variety of shoots they have done. Try to get a feel for how they see things. If you like the work…. book the photographer. If you don’t like the photo styles…. move on.

While we’re talking about photo styles. This image of Sebastian and Sam, taken last year on the eve of their graduation ball.  I’ve been meaning to post this shot  but just never quite got around to it. This was the last shot from their shared  portrait session. We made a lot of images around the GT, but to finish up, decided to go for a totally casual image. Shot very much in a style that I used heavily way back in the 70′s. Very gritty, lots of film like grain and contrast. Not one of the photo styles we use much now but still good to dip into the old bag of tricks now and then.

Speaking of old photo styles, there is a version of this style that I have carried around in my head for years. Just never got around to doing it. The shot involves a bare but covered top half of a lean blonde woman. If this is you, give Robyn a call 5025 3368 during office hours and we’ll do you a deal on a shoot that you won’t believe.

Family photos which include the family pet are a terrific idea. Over the years we have photographed lots of different animals while creating family photos. Even once photographing the entire family around a gold fish bowl. Not the easiest photo session we’ve ever done. Most often it is the family dog, occasionally a cat or a pet bird, rarely in the same shot though. Dog, cat and bird adds up to a disaster looking for a place to happen. Despite all the jokes about not photographing children and animals together. It mostly works. As photographers on such assignments we just have to be, shall we say fluid in our approach.

Going into a session which includes pets in  family photos, requires a fair amount of flexibility in our approach. Also being ready for the unexpected is a bonus.

This photo of Hannah with Bessie wasn’t planned this way. Nor I suspect will it get a guernsey in the final selects. But when a horse decides they are not happy with the posing arrangements, it’s hard to argue. I love the spontaneous reaction from Hannah in this image.

So I guess it’s up to Hannah’s twin sister, Lucy and her equine friend Monty, to show us how it’s done. Classic girl and her horse portrait. Helped  by some stunning available light and a casual and totally believable pose.

Pets, like young children get bored with photography really quickly. Trick is of course to keep changing it up. Or giving them something else to think about. In this case Bessie may have been distracted by a packet of sliced bread… Bit like the photographer really. Easily distracted by food.

Change of location for Lucy and Monty for this image. Very simple pose, again the classic horse and owner type portrait. Technically this presented a bit of a challenge. Requiring a bit of quick thinking. Because… let’s just say the available light, she was no longer available. Let the darkness prevail… no way. Lit by a single radio controlled hotshoe flash, VAL mounted to the right of camera.

One day I’ll tell you about a photo session in our studio. Ten puppies and three children…. Now there’s a real challenge.

I know animals, certainly, excitations two studio horses, are far more relaxed in Autumn. I put that down to the lack of wind. Wendy and Toffee, our two equine, child distractions, absolutely hate windy days. Letting  us  know of there displeasure very quickly on any day when the wind picks up.

So, what do I hate about Autumn? Well it’s the best time ever to shoot outdoor portraits here in Mildura. Great time to photograph families in the outdoors. Kids, just love to play around in Autumn leaves… so it’s also a great time for outdoor children’s portraiture. But, and it is a big but. Autumn is also the time of year where we traditionally photograph less families and kids outdoors than any other time of year. Don’t know why. It’s the same most every year. Fabulous weather, great outdoor locations and nobody seems to want to take advantage of it.

Hey I’m not saying that we don’t get kids and families to photograph this time of year. Just that over the 30 odd years I’ve been photographing children and families, I’ve noticed the trend is for lower numbers of kids and families outdoor photo session during the best photography months of the year. That’s what I hate the most about Autumn. Opportunities missed. Photos I didn’t get to take.

Totally not a normal portrait of a child playing with Autumn leaves. However it is one that I love. We don’t need to see Alessandra’s face in this shot to know that she has the biggest smile on her face. Probably because we remember running around in fallen leaves and having a great time as kids ourselves. Hell, I’d still do it now if I thought no one was watching. Ahh, I can remember it now. Holidays in southern parts, cool evenings, the smell of freshly fallen leaves and of course that other smell that kids of today may not be familiar with. Burning leaves…. Remember that. Every town you visited during the evening on an Autumn day had someone burning leaves. The smoke just drifted around all over town. Loved it.

I’ll try and get a couple more pics up from this shoot, later but for now that’s it. You know the drill to much to do, to little time to do it.