Now here's a thing...

I thought in this weeks post it would be nice to showcase one of my landscape shots - a night shot of the famous 12 Arch Bridge in Ballydehob.  I'd waited for around two years to photograph this bridge, every time I'd tried to capture it, the sky was wrong, the weather was awful, the water level was too low, etc, etc.   Then in August 2013, at 22.04, I finally managed to get this shot 'in the can', as it were. 

I'd had a good walk around the bridge on my previous trips, so knew whereabouts I wanted to set up my tripod and take the shot.  So I set up the gear, pressed the shutter, and here's the result. 

I'm really happy with the image, all the waiting was worth it.  I've sold a number of copies of this picture, so I'm not the only person that likes it! 

For the photographers amongst you, the camera settings were as follows

30 seconds
f5.6
ISO 200

Gear used:
Nikon D700
Nikon 24mm f2.8
Manfrotto tripod

Now here's a thing...

So you're getting married and you're looking to book a wedding photographer.  What kind of things do you consider when booking a photographer for what is, undoubtedly, the most important day of your life? 

First of all, does your potential photographer have insurance, both liability and indemnity?  Liability insurance protects both you and the photographer in the unlikely event that one of your guests trips over a light stand or a camera bag.  Additionally, many local authorities require the photographer to be insured before they're allowed to photograph in local parks, etc.

Indemnity insurance gives peace of mind to the bride and groom - if the photographers equipment suffers a catastrophic failure, or a memory card full of images is corrupted and the pictures can't be salvaged, you, the bride and groom, are covered.

All professional photographers should be insured as a matter of course, most amateurs aren't.  If you're thinking of asking Uncle Bob to photograph your wedding with his nice, new, shiny DSLR, think of the repercussions if something were to go wrong and he has no insurance.  If a piece of my equipment fails, breaks or gets corrupted, I simply reach for one of my back-ups.  Uncle Bob, with his one camera and one lens, has a big problem if a piece of his equipment fails!

Do you like the photographers previous work?  Has the photographer shot weddings before?  There's no point booking a photographer if you don't like his style or his previous weddings.  When you meet a photographer before you book him, make sure he shows you images from a few weddings, not just a handful of shots of the same couple. 

Do you like the photographer?  What is their personality like?  You'll be spending a lot of time with your photographer on your wedding day, so it's important that there's a connection with him/her.  If you find the photographers demeanour and attitude to be undesirable, your images WILL suffer, so think carefully before booking them.  Your photographer needs to be friendly and be able to make you laugh without being over-bearing, but also assertive, as organising 150 guests for a group shot requires a certain degree of assertiveness.

And then there's the most discussed part of finding a wedding photographer.  The budget!  With prices ranging from €100 (I kid you not!) to €10,000, it can be very confusing.  Make a list of all the services/bits you expect to pay for on your wedding day in order of importance to you and if photography comes high on your list, then budget accordingly.  As we've all heard before, once the drink has been drunk, the cake eaten and the dress is in the attic, all that's left are the photographs, so it may be important to invest a decent amount of your budget into your photographer.  Want an album?  Most photographers will keep your pictures so you should be able to order an album at any time.  Again, quality comes at a price, so expect to pay well for a nice album that will last for generations.

I hope that helps any bride and grooms to be in your search for a photographer.  If you haven't booked a wedding photographer yet, why not send me an email or give me a call to discuss your requirements?  My email is: andygibsonphotography@gmail.com and my phone number is: 086 738 8863.

Now here's a thing...

Many peple think professional photographers shoot for 8 hours a day, 5 days per week.  I can assure you, that is certainly not the case.  So what do I do on non-shooting days?

As I work from home, I always go for a walk first thing in the morning, every morning so I arrive back home, as if I'm arriving at the office.  After making myself a coffee, I settle down and answer any emails that have come in.  Business development is crucial, and I search for new business every day, whether that be for commercial or private clients.  I always tinker with this website, renewing photographs, adding content or writing a blog post (like this one). 

Accounts is a dreary, yet important task, that needs addressing on a weekly basis.  I'm also constantly learning, by reading trade magazines, watching photography videos and talking to my fellow professionals.  I might research new photography gear, but only purchase if it's beneficial to the business. 

As a member of Cork Chamber I attend many networking events, as well as other business oriented occasions.

Of course, after I'm back from a shoot, I have to process the images, and either send them to the client via the internet or on disc.  Then there's an invoice to generate, banking to be done, and so it goes on...

I hope you've enjoyed this snapshot of how I fill my days when I'm not photographing, it certainly isn't a glamorous job, but I wouldn't change it for the world!

Now here's a thing...

As a professional photographer, I own quite a lot of gear, all of which is professional grade.  The photographers amongst you will know that gear lust is a huge thing in the photographic community and everyone wants to know who shoots what system and what cameras, lenses, flashguns, bags, etc, one owns.  To that end, I thought I'd list all my gear and post a picture to go with the list. 

Nikon D3
Nikon D700

Nikon 14-24 f2.8
Nikon 24-70 f2.8
Nikon 70-200 f2.8 VR
Nikon 50 f1.4G
Voigtlander 58 f1.4
Tamron 90 f2.8 Macro

Nikon SB910
Nikon SB900
Nikon SB800

Think Tank Airport Accelerator Backpack
Think Tank Airport Navigator Rolling Case
Think Tank Retrospective 30 Shoulder Bag
Lowepro Pro Roller Attache X50 Rolling Case

Black Rapid RS-7
Black Rapid Double Strap

Eneloop and Maha batteries
Various light stands, light modifiers, umbrellas and triggers
Other bits and pieces

What photographic gear do you own? I'd love to read your comments and lust after your gear!

 

 

Now here's a thing...

So a new website, a new beginning, of sorts! 

This is the first Blog post of many on my new website.  I thought I'd change it around a little to freshen it up and, what's more scary, I did the whole thing myself!  

I used Squarespace as the template for the site, as it's geared towards photographers and claims to be user-friendly, which I would argue with as I've pulled out a lot of hair and turned the air blue during my attempts at building it!  However, it's pretty much finished now, apart from a couple of minor tweaks, which will be sorted on an on-going basis.

I'd love to read your thoughts about the new site - don't be afraid to leave a comment!

Thanks to everyone for stopping by for a look, I really do appreciate it.