Having a Second Shooter or Assistant Photographer is Essential

The short answer is yes. Assistants offer a second point of view which is very important when one photographer can be in two places at once.

There's two types of people that can assist me at a wedding.  One with a camera and one without.  In some circumstances I will bring along two people, one to act as a second shooter, and one to carry some gear.

Second Shooters

Picture this scenario, with one photographer.  The groom is standing at the alter, or in front of the marriage celebrant, waiting expectantly for his bride.  The bride is standing outside the church, or around the corner, waiting to walk down the aisle and see her groom.  The music starts playing, the bridal party walks down the aisle, everything perfectly in synch with the music.  When the bride walks down the aisle, the groom turns around…

For about two seconds, both the bride and groom's faces light up.  They show an expression that can't be made on purpose, it can't be re-created.  The single photographer has one change to capture both images, in just two seconds.

This is very hard.  Not impossible, but it takes an enormous amount of skill, anticipaton, and technical ability.  Therefore it is better to have a second photographer. When we meet before your wedding, I'll go through your plans in detail.  I love details.  It means I can assign positions to my second shooters so that these opportunities aren't missed.

I do not charge you extra for a second shooter, I think it's essential to have to capture all elements of your wedding.  Because it's essentialy, it's not an 'add-on' or a 'luxury'.  Everyone deserves to have a second shooter at their wedding.

Having a second shooter is great during the portrait photos because while I'm focussing on the bride and groom, they can take bridal party photos.  I make sure that the people I use are skilled, and will deliver images to my standards.

Second shooters are usually photographers that have their own wedding photography studio.  In return for their services they are allowed to use the images they took to promote themselves as wedding photographers.

Assistants to the photographer

There are some cases when I need to bring along some lighting equipment.  I'm taking more and more photos where I create my own lighting conditions, rather than rely on the natural light.  This means I can shoot in a wide variety of locations and times, and still deliver amazing images.  For this I will bring along an assistant.  Their responsibility is to setup and pack down lighting and act as a Voice Activated Light Stand.

Katy & Gareth's beautiful wedding at Narrowneck Beach and Mantells

It's 2:00am, the day after Katy and Gareth's amazing wedding. After a beautiful and heartfelt ceremony at Narrowneck Beach, we took some photos along the beach front, then travelled to the Pumphouse theatre for some fun. Finally we ended up at the new Wynyard Quarter which has some excellent locations for wedding photos. Katy and Gareth's reception was at the gorgeous Mantells on the Water, and evening filled with excellent food, sincere speeches, and lots of great company. It's so late, and I'm totally going to fall asleep at the keyboard, but I had to share some photos before I hit the hay. Watch out for the full post on their wedding soon.

Sitting back to watch love grow.

We need to teach the next generation of children from day one that they are responsible for their lives. Mankind's greatest gift, also its greatest curse, is that we have free choice. We can make our choices built from love or from fear.  ~ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross

Every weekend I take the kids up to see my Mum and Nan, and watch as Emma climbs all over her Great Nana, telling her the stories of the week.  And what a good story-teller that girl is!  This week Emma was playing babies with a toy dog, and I snapped this quick shot of Great Nana just watching patiently as Emma cares for her 'baby'

Beautiful Scenery for Weddings at Riverhead Forest

I've lived in Auckland for over 20yrs but have never wandered out to Riverhead Forest.  I I didn't really know how to get there, and was surprised after looking at the map that I've cycled past it a dozen times.

So with the kids out for the day, I packed the camera and set out to get lost.  And get lost I did.  Luckily all roads lead to Rome, or in my case, the motorway.

I love the colours of the landscapes, and the different shadows that the clouds bring over.  There are some amazing homesteads out that way, and I think I'll have to write to some land owners to let me use their gardens for some wedding photos.

All of these shots are a 7-shot HDR processed with Photomattix

The colours in this shot were amazing, but after getting home I decided that it looked better in black and white.

I hate the over-done look that HDR gives, so with this one I wanted everything to look as natural as possible, without too much saturation.  I wish I had waited another few minutes as the hills in the distant were then lit with the sun instead of being under a cloud shadow.  The key to great landscape photography, I'm told, is patience.

I just love the colour in this field, if that fence wasn't there, and an overly zealous forestry person watching, I would have gone down to those trees for a little looksy.

Creative Wedding Photography

The Best way to become creative

Wouldn't it be great if there was a special pill, a creativity pill, that when taken allowed us to open up our minds to the possibilities and generate something that's never been seen before.  I wonder what the limits would be, how many new and unique songs or movies we'll encounter, or how many photographers will start seeing the world that little bit different.

But of course, that's just a pipe dream.  People have been wanting special little pills as a substitue for hard work for eons.  When it comes down to it I think that everyone is creative in some ways, but more often than not they're not recognised by others.  I think that everyone has the ability, when focussed, to come up with something truly unique, and what those people have isn't a level of unique creativity, it's the ability to channel what they do have.

Someone with the tiniest creative bone in their body and create something magical with a little focus or inspiration, whereas some artists can go years without making something they deem valuable.

Creative Wedding Photography

When I shot my first wedding, I took the advice of someone I respected at the time and write down a 'shot list'.  This list was to be my saving grace, a detailed play by play of every shot I wanted to take, where I was to stand, and even the settings to use for the shot.  As you can imagine this turned out to be a complete disaster.  Not the wedding, that went very well, but my plans turned to custard, and I ended up not taking one pre-defined photograph.

It was my first wedding, so mid way through I had a wee panic attack that I wasn't producing anything of quality because it wasn't part of the shot list.  This worrying, panic, and restictive thinking did abolustely nothing for my creativity on the day.  Thinking about a shot list meant that I wasn't opening up my imagination, or tapping in to my ability to just go with the flow.

I'm pleased to say that a quick review of photos during the wedding reinforced to me that I can't work with a definitive shot list, I need to be able to see what is around me and react.  Or indeed react to the people I'm shooting and bend with their needs. To put it simply, my creativity comes out when I simply let go.

What triggers the creative process

Firstly I do still prepare.  I'm a stickler for details about the wedding, and like to understand the timeline of the day, get phone numbers for everyone, names and addresses, have a list of people that are to be in the family shots.  At times I feel I'm sometimes too prepared, but when it comes to the actual wedding, I don't have to worry about any of the hard details.  There's one list in my assistant's and my pockets that we can refer to if we need to.

I thought I'd share what goes through my mind during a wedding shoot, hopefully it will allow you to understand the process a little more.  I've taken these headlines from one of my favourite talks by John Cleese, a man whose creativity knows no bounds, and who has a very large role in my life, forming my sense of humour.

Sometimes you just have to leave things alone and get a cup of tea.

OK, not literally, I don't mean that I'm going to put my feet up as the bride walks down the aisle.  By this I mean that when something's not working, I will leave it for a few minutes and come back to it.

Quite often during the portrait photos, I can see the photo I want, but it's just not appearing in front of me.  That's no one's fault, it might be that I just have to approach from a different angle or try in different light.  I learned very early on that if I have the opportunity to take a rain check on a particular shot, then it's best to do that.  Of course that doesn't apply to shots that are critical to the timeline of the wedding, e.g. the first kiss, or Dad handing his daughter off to the groom.  These moments are critical to the wedding, and have to be shot right first time.

You're allowed to get this wrong, the first time

Some photographers swear that they never look at the back of their camera to check the photo.  They might say this is sacrilege as a good photographer should know they've got the shot.  Well yes, a good photographer does know when the button is clicked that they've either got it or not, but I have to say I chimp at the camera (that's what it's called, I think it's a throw back to sports photographers who reviewed their cameras at the same time, looking like a row of chimps).  I like to see what the shot looks like on the histogram, which is a fancy graph that tells me if the photo is properly exposed.  Know that I can do this, and take another shot is another tool in the belt of relaxation.

avoid interuptions

I love having an assistant with me on weddings.  It means I can focus on you, the bride and groom, without having to deal with interruptions that might come up.  Let's say we're shooting in the perfect spot, and you're loving it, I'm loving it, by a mean security guard isn't so much.  Well my assistant can stall them while we finish up.  I love that!  Plus they're great at entertaining the bridal party while we do your portrait photos.

We don't know where ideas come from

This goes back to my lists from the first wedding.  I approach each wedding know that we're going to shoot at location A, B, and C.  And although I'll do a reccy at each location before hand, I'm not so obsessed that every little detail is pre planned.  I think that will make for a very boring shoot for you, and it will stress me out if I can't allow myself some free thinking.  I think you can take beautiful wedding photos in any location, and being a good photographer means that you can be placed into any location and just deliver.  Having this confidence is so liberating on the wedding day, and being confident in front of a few hundred people is a good thing.

I turn to lots of things for inspiration, but rarely other wedding photographers.  I'm not a photocopier, so I don't find much value in duplicating other's work.  There are only a few wedding photographers that I pay any attention to, not because the others are bad, but because I don't want to be saturated with just wedding photography to inspire my photos.  Instead I turn to fashion adverts, music, paintings, and good old nature!  I love simple, clean, and honest photography, so I'm always looking for patterns or backgrounds in which to use in my photos.  All of this is sort of catalogued inside somewhere, and when the time's right it just erupts.

Create a little oasis

Currently my wife and I are living with her parents while we save for a house.  We have to kids who, rightly so, demand our attention most of the time.  So creating an oasis at home is pretty much impossible, or it has to be planned.

My oasis is me, a map, and my camera.  I love to just get away from people and shoot stuff.  I turn the phone off, Twitter, Facebook, and Google+ are all silent and I can just be me.  I love the isolation this gives me, and pretty soon, probably out of boredness, I start to create.

So that's a bit about how I think, right now.  I'm sure in a few years time I'll have a different outlook as I think it's important to succumb to the way your mind works best in order to achieve your goals. Fixed, rigid, and stubborn thinking doesn't help anyone.

I leave you with the eternal wisdom of John Cleese.

What is the Right Price for your Wedding Photography?

Welcome to 2012. I hope you all had a great break and are now ready to face the new year with a sense of excitement. Those that follow this blog will have seen that we were forced to move house, well that's now happened, and we're slowly settling in. I do love that new house smell!

This year I've decided to do something quite different with my wedding photography packages, I'm going to let clients choose to pay what their photography is worth to them. But before I share that, I want to talk a little about how things currently work with most wedding photographers. I'll also add that I'm not in any way dismissing their approach to running their business, this isn't a critique, it's an alternative.

How Photographers Set Their Pricing

There are hundreds of posts, directed at photographers on how to set their prices.  There are also, equally, a large number of posts directed at clients detailing why photographers charge what they charge.  Rather than regurgitate all that,  I will summarise.

Photographers are running a business that must, by definition, produce a profit to survive.  Prices are set to cover costs, produce a profit, and set themselves into a market position.

The most common advice to photographers is to calculate the fixed costs for the year, and the variable costs for each wedding, and then add a bit so you're in line with the competition.

Clients have posts directed at them detailing these costs as justification for the prices they are charging.  It's as if all anyone is talking about is pricing.

The Problem with Quality and Pricing

I think that when clients browse photographer's portfolios, they're looking at the quality of the photos, but ultimately they're shopping within their price range.  I think that it becomes confusing for brides when there's not a clear relationship between quality and price.  Some pricey photographers perhaps don't meet the quality needs of that client, and some photographers are incredibly talented but do not charge very much, perhaps leading the client to believe they're not quite as good.

It's extremely hard to compare photographers on price alone, and without that direct knowledge of each photographer, you don't know what your experience will be like.  I hope to make that a little easier.

Pay What it's Worth to You…

Please read that again, "pay what it's worth to you…".  I would like to focus on the value of my photography to you, rather than try to meet an arbitrary price.  The concept is quite beautiful, I think.

I will shoot your wedding, for as many hours as you require on the day, and I'll give you your pictures afterwards.  After experiencing the service I provide, seeing the quality of the pictures I give you, and the speed with which you get them, you decided what is a fair price to pay.

There is a small deposit involved, which is to cover the fixed costs I mentioned, and to save the wedding day.

Only you can answer the question of value

You're hiring a professional photographer because they're experience and reliable, and skilled to give you want you want.  You may have drawn inspiration from magazines, your parent's wedding photos, your friends pictures.  You might have a style that has to be captured, or a large family that demands to be documented.  The point is, that this wedding is your's, you call the shots, and as a professional photographer I work for you.  You hire me to fulfil your requests, and of course bring along my style of shooting.

After the wedding, the question then becomes "Did he give us what we want?"  If the answer is yes, then you will know what that is worth to you, and what falls within your budget.

UPDATED:  Here's my fancy-pants webpage on the subject http://www.shotbyrobins.com/#/pay-what-it-s-worth-wedding-photography/

I'm Interested… now what?

I'd love to hear from you and talk about this some more.  Get in touch and we'll get together.

• gareth @ shotbyrobins . com (remove spaces)
• Phone: 021 682 111 or 09 889 0061
• Contact me on Google+

Today I decided that I’d had enough of the house and needed to get out and be among the people, lots of people.  So I bustled the kids into the car with a few hats, sunblock, and snacks thrown in after them, and sped towards the Devonport ferry (obeying all speed limits of course).  Once again I decided to take my big camera in the hope of getting some great shots of the All Blacks parade.  With my phone number proudly tattooed on the kids’ arms in case they got lost, we ventured to the ferry.

It was such an amazing day! I’m sure that summer’s just around the corner.  I got these panoramas only because the water was so calm.  These small photos dont do the big ships any justice!

The slug was in full form.  It’s growing on me, and I think it makes for an interesting feature on the waterfront.  Certainly no Sydney Opera House, but it’s a start.

After squeezing through the crowds, we managed to pick out a spot.  There was a delightful bin next to us which the kids stood on to get a better view.  Part of me wished I was in one of these offices.  After a long, hard wait of at least 4 minutes miss4 decided that my shoulders were more comfortable than standing on her own legs.  So I became a chair again.  This isn’t so bad when walking, but standing still for an hour does tend to cramp ones shoulders.  Added to that Mr-nearly-6 got hungry (again) and refused my suggestion of eating the left over burger king on the bin he was standing on.  I’ve calculated that kids whining is inversely proportional to the length of time left to wait.  So at one minute to go before the parade started, I was ready to scream.  I do love them really.

I call this the Steve Job’s salute.  It’s impossible to point an iPhone camera at anything without looking like a complete idiot.

Love some of the characters in the crowd.  Black-statue rugby girl was awesome.  Didn’t have a patch on the Grenadier Guards but she stood still for almost 2 minutes.

Finally there were some All-Blacks.  At this point I was stuck behind a team of basketballers, so couldn’t see much.  I managed a few snaps between elbows without really looking.  To put this into perspective, I had Miss4 on shoulders, Mr6 leaning on me, a big unwieldy camera cos I was stupid enough to bring the biggest lens I had, and people pushing me this way and that.  So all in all I think I did pretty well.

Photographic evidence that Graham Henry smiled.
Were you there?  I’d love to hear how you got on…. leave a comment.

How to take great photos of kids

Make your invitations personal

Every year, for both kids I've shot a photo for their birthday invitations.  It's one of my favourite things as I get to choose a photo that reflects their personality at that age.  This year was no different, except that we've decided there will be no more parties after the kids turn 5.  Even so, we're going to have a bunch of his mates around for a movie, some minigolf, and fish n chips, so I had to do another invitation didn't I?

It's really easy to do this for your kids' parties, just find a photo with enough negative space so you can insert some text.  By that I mean having a background that's not too distracting, and fairly plain.  If you can't find one, then look around and take a new photo.  Leave about half the frame for text.  Whenever I take family photos or baby photos I include at least one photo for this reason, so you can make invitations or cards from the photos at a later date.

How to get kids to look good for a photo

As usual, the process of getting the right photo is more fun that taking the right photo.  Mr5 (soon to be 6) loves pulling faces, and hates instructions.  So to get a natural look from him takes some time.  I start by just telling jokes, asking him to pull the craziest faces he can (the photos of which he wouldn't let me post; always get a model release!!).  He knows too well what I'm trying to do, and will try his best to resist!  I'll bet you've experienced this with your kids too; have you ever told them to smile and received the cheesy grin face?

My trick is to never say "Smile!" or "Cheese!" I've never said it, and that forces me to try other ways to get a natural smile.  You have to be patient, and plan to spend 10mins taking a photo that should only take 1min.  Just when you think you've got it, he'll change his mind, move off the spot and pick up some random item to start playing ninjas with.

So, have fun, turn it in to a opportunity to learn about what makes your child tick.  For Mr5 the thing that cracks him up every time with when I accidentally-on-purpose crash in to something, fall over, or whack the camera against my head.  Kids love slapstick, so if you can pull it off you'll come away with some real reactions.

How to get invitations printed

This is the best bit.  Once you've edited your photo and put some text on it (there are heaps of programs out there that will let you do this, or use picnik.com ) you just take the photo to your local print lab and print out some very cheap invitations.

This one isn't a contender for the invitation, but I love it.  He was thinking about the best character from Ben10 to mimic for the photos

This one I love, and will probably be the invitation photo. There's heaps of space on the left to put all the details on.  It's the gruff  'don't-mess-with-me'  stance, but he's got a twinkle in his eye, and that smirk that I just adore.  This photo is screaming "You're mine! come to my party!"

Yesterday we found out that the house we’re renting sold at auction.  What’s more it sold for an unbelievable price, which was far out of our reach.

We moved here at the start of the year to be close to Mr6′s school, Bron’s parents (who live in the same street), and because we love the area.  I took on a one-year lease as opposed to the two-year one that was offered because of the state of the house.  The mould, dampness, and general lack of maintenance was worrying.  But the rent was cheap, and the location was perfect.

It didn’t take long to realise that we really love this house.  We  have so much space for the kids to run around in, a REAL garden for us to pitch a tent in, and a large indoor studio in which I’ve been itching to start more baby photography, as well as a big garage for the cyc and big-people portraits.  All year we’ve spoken about the changes we would make; rip that wall out, put new bathroom in, strip that ceiling etc.  and give the state of the house we thought that by the end of next year we could afford to put in an offer.

It caught us completely by surprise when the landlord called to say the place was up for sale.  Straight to auction and we wouldn’t have the opportunity to put in an offer beforehand.  Needless to say this annoyed me immensely.  I’ve rented for 20yrs, since coming to NZ, and have never experienced this.  Yes a rental is someone else’s house, but it’s our home.  To have someone phone and say you have to move out is heart-wrenching.

So onward with yet another move, hopefully in the same area.  I’m adamant that Mr6 is not moving schools as he’s doing so well, and Miss4 is due to start there next year.  I’ll lose the studio, so back to photographing babies in their homes as before.  But I know we’ll manage. I will miss the space, the garden, the studio, and the security of an enclosed space for the kids to run around in.  But I will certainly not miss that god-awful wallpaper!

Just had to share this image from this morning; both kids happily painting away on a Sunday morning.

The peace and quiet in the house was deafening!  Both kids painted a card for their Great Nana who turns 80 on Tuesday.