…it’s more about the actual journey than the destination sometimes. Besides, usually when I get to my destination I’m ready to get out and explore. Enjoy.

Hey friends! I wanted to invite everyone to the East Bay SMUG meeting next Monday, July 25th in Concord, CA. I’m going to be speaking about “Strong Photographs and Kindness: Creating a Meaningful Business.” For those of you who know me, I’m passionate about teaching and will truly be sharing my heart with you and many of the things that have helped me build a business that is thriving. I don’t believe in “secrets” and I’m totally open to sharing “what works” for me with you guys. Here are some of the topics I’ll be covering and of course we’ll have an awesome Q+A set at the end of the night:

-The Myths of the Modern Wedding Photography World.
-Your clients are key.
-Why do I shoot film? How to get started shooting film coming from digital?
-Composing killer images.
-Why keeping your photo sets simple on the wedding day is good for your clients.
-Details with meaning.
-Shooting personal work to develop your vision.

I’ll be debuting some brand new work at this talk and look forward to meeting everyone! It looks like we’re on track for over 100 attendees right now and I can’t thank Gustavo Fernandez enough for his vision and hard work in making this great meeting happen. I’ll see you guys on Monday!

I’m the kind of guy that always has more fun lounging around talking in smaller groups at an after-party than at “the party”. That is why I finally gave in and made a Facebook page for Scott Andrew Studio. The blog and website are “the party” but the FB page is going to serve as an after party where I’ll post images, offer commentary, post videos, talk about random happenings and maybe even post photos before they even hit the blog (like you know, today). Anyhow, I promise not to be annoying, bombard you with spam or ask you to help me pick radishes. While you’re there, you can suggest the page to friends you know who might be engaged or just anyone who loves beautiful photos. Thank you to all of my loyal blog readers and friends, your support is immensely appreciated! Take care and get on over to “like” my page. Enjoy.

In one of the busiest times of my wedding and portrait photography business, I came across an article that stopped me in my tracks. You see, I am a huge fan of photography and the arts in general, and to see an industry struggle in any segment is sad to me. There are way too many amazing artists who are sitting at home without work right now due to the digital revolution in photography. Read the entire article, it will definitely be worth your while, but here is a good quote that sums up some of the “change” that is happening:

Concurrently, digital photography took off. “It used to be you really needed to know how to use a camera,” said Keith Marlowe, a photographer who has worked for Spin and Rolling Stone. “If you messed up a roll, you couldn’t redo the concert.” Now, though, any photographer can instantly see if a shot is good, or whether the light balances or other technical aspects need to be adjusted.

I like to think of myself as somewhat of a purist, even though I’ve had very little formal training (high school, some college), and it does bother me to see *so* much bad work out there. With the realization that “art is subjective” we have to be careful in judging “good and bad” photography so take my sentiment with a grain of salt. Having received several inquiries recently from couples who are having bad experiences with their photographers, it seems that there is a lot of “bad business” going on out there as well. In all reality our job as wedding photographers is to tell the story of the wedding in an artistic fashion and create a great experience for the client in all matters of transaction as well. Simple right? Anyone can take a photograph right? Well, here is where things get tricky and sticky. Here is another quote that stood out to me:

“Can an amateur take a picture as good as a professional? Sure,” Ms. Eismann (School of the Visual Arts, NY) said. “Can they do it on demand? Can they do it again? Can they do it over and over? Can they do it when a scene isn’t that interesting?”

At almost every wedding I have someone, a bridesmaid, a friend, another wedding vendor who will come up to me and say how excited they are for their friend/family member to have a professional wedding photographer because their wedding photographs were a disaster. It makes me feel good about what I do and also reinforces the effort I put into what I do, the rates I charge, etc. I also feel good about the photographs, the art and the experience that my clients are receiving (especially knowing that they could have easily walked the same path as stated friend/loved one).
Back to “how easy it is to take pictures!” There is a saying that says “even a blind squirrel finds a nut sometimes.” This statement makes me cringe when it is applied to the arts. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, NY does not hold the work of blind squirrels, neither does NYMoMA, SFMoMA or the DeYoung Museum. A great wedding photographer is doing the absolutely unthinkable for their clients on the wedding day. Wedding photography covers almost every type of lighting condition throughout the wedding day. Wedding photographers have to be able to photograph portraits, commercial product photography, photojournalism, editorial, landscape photography, etc. All of this in one day and on a rigorous time schedule that doesn’t allow for “oh, let me check the back of the camera to see if that turned out” moments. The bride only walks down the aisle *one* time, there is no “hey can you go back and do that again, I’m still trying to figure out my settings here.”
Wedding photography is important. As cliche as it is, your photographs are all you have left from that special day and they hold the memories that you will pass down to future generations. I think this article has simply refreshed and reinforced a lot of things in my mind. What a valuable art we provide, what an amazing gift we give. I’m truly humbled. If you’re a photographer thinking about photographing weddings, I encourage you to take the right steps to learn the craft and *then* hang your shingle. If you’re a bride or friend of bride thinking about letting their cousin who is “into photography” carry the weight of photographing their wedding, take a moment and talk to your local professional photographer. There is a lot that goes into making those “pretty pictures.”

Here are a few questions to ask your wedding photographer (whether amateur or pro):

-How many weddings have they photographed?
-Can we see a complete wedding gallery either online or in prints?
-Do you carry insurance?
-Do you have backup gear?
-What is your process for storing/backing up the digital files/film negatives from the wedding day to ensure they’re safety?
-Do you have references from more than one bride and more than one industry vendor?

Have you had a chance to check out Formspring yet? It is a great place where you can ask/answer questions publicly and I’ve been having some fun with it lately. If you have questions about wedding photography, photography in general, skiing, surfing, Louis L’amour novels, etc. feel free to ask away. Its more fun if you sign up and have a username, but you can ask anonymously. Check it out and ask away.