Here’s a brief observation to chew on. I’m curious what other people are experiencing, both in my locality and around the country. But basing my information predominantly on New York weddings, I’ve observed a disturbing trend accompanying the shift from shooting portraits after the ceremony to before the ceremony. Don’t get me wrong. I love having the extra time to take some nice portraits. But along with that, I’ve also noticed that wedding days have gotten longer. Where the majority of my wedding days in 2009 were 8 hours, in 2012, I’ve watched them expand to 9 or 10 hours on average with 8 hours quickly becoming the exception. Now that would be just fine, but in casual observation, what … Read more...
Archives for July 2011
My time on the radio
Yeah, it’s true. I just wrapped up a session on the radio with the amazing Jeannie Uyanik from C&G Weddings. And there are few things worse than having to listen to your own voice. Oy! The things that come out of my mouth. But, in case anyone wants to hear me blather on about weddings…
Picture of the day: Ira Lippke
Photo by Ira Lippke Studios
www.iralippkestudios.com
Humor is a hard thing to convey in a picture. I’m not talking about showing a picture of something funny going on. I’m talking about making a picture funny. Seeing the world and recognizing how it conveys a very specific idea that others will get is anything but easy. Humor tasks you with razor sharp perception and quick wit. You need to know on the spot what not just how you see a situation, but how people will react to it, and there’s no way to resort to visual devices for security. You have go all in and make sure it’s really about the moment.
This shot from Ira Lippke Studios grabbed my attention. … Read more...
Don’t shoot for the client
I was watching Top Chef Masters one day, when it hit me. No one gets kicked out for producing great food that barely meets the criteria of the challenge. But people get kicked off all the time for producing mediocre food that perfectly fits the criteria of the challenge. Most challenges force the contestants to cook meals for someone other than the judges. It might be a rock band, an actor, a tailgate party, or a couple about to be engaged. But they don’t really matter. The judges do. And no one is impressed with people who just show they can follow the rules. You cook down to the people, you get kicked off. You cook for yourself, and you … Read more...
The Lord will save me and the nature of risk
Spencer’s Law:
The level of risk you take directly relates to the benefits you receive.
The funny thing about information is that there’s never enough of it until it doesn’t matter anymore. So, there’s little that makes me happier than the fact that hindsight is 20/20. It means we live in a world filled with opportunity. It gives us all the chance to be pioneers by staking our own claim. Being bold. Finding our ponds. And it’s all as easy as taking a risk. Forget about wait and see. If you wait, you die. Because once everyone has access to the same information and tools, competitive advantage is lost.
Take the case of the camera that doesn’t need you … Read more...