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Portfolio Module

JON HANCOCK 0913396

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Contents

Page 005 Idea

Page 027 Part 1 Commercial Wedding album Review of Wedding 1

Page 029 Wedding 2 Editing process

Page 045 Review of mocked up photo book

Page 047 mocking up photo book

Page 065 Research Trip NEC ( Wedding Fayer)

Page 084 What do I need to achieve to the best price for my work.

Page 087 Research to find suitable course

Page 100 Contact sheets selected images from First Shoot With Models.

Page 115 Engagement Shoot (Real Couple)

Page 117 Thoughts on Branding

Page 121 Target Market and customer expectations.

Page 130 Alice Shoot (Studio)

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Page 134 Laura (outside)

Page 144 Business Info

Page 164 Portfolio Shoot selected Images contact Sheets

Page 171 Contact Sheets

Page 177 Album Style Research

Page 182Research Fonts for Album

Page 183 Options on how to make album

Page 189 Making the Album Layout

Page 193 Mock-up of Album

Page 212 Feed Back of Album

Page 214 My Evaluation of Commercial Album

Page 215 Part TWO

Page 065 Research Trip NEC ( Wedding Fayer)

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Portfolio module.

I thought long and hard about what I wanted to do for this module.

I view my practice as documentary and my major project is to document the changing land. This I view as a potential gallery work. From last year’s contemporary

practice module I shot protests which I found difficult to make money from. Also I had to reconsider my position as I now have a young daughter to consider as well

as my wife. She was terribly upset after my car was damaged whilst shooting in Birmingham city centre during the riots. I did not have the heart to tell her I was

threatened as well. I could not make any money from these images so it does not seem worth the risk. I am considering becoming a freelance photographer and

this means I must consider how to fund my business. I will be based around documentary practice. I am doing Landscape for my Final Major project and would like

to balance that with some portrait work.

Main Ideas

Print sales

Gallery work

Photojournalism

Social Photography

Weddings.

Stock photography.

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For my gallery work, this will only give a sporadic income and I must do so I must have another income stream

that is flexible.

Stock photography does not pay well at the moment. There are so many sites offering pictures for a small fee

some even free.

I have shot two weddings, so far and one Asian after party (all low budget) but they gave me an insight into a

way of making some money to support my documentary practise.

My Intention is to make two Albums each with a different purpose.

A Commercial Album to Use as marketing material for a wedding

photography business

An Album to be used in a documentary / fine art context.

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Part 1 Commercial Wedding Album

Sam and Shaun a review on the results.

Wedding 1

Depth of field used to show

rings in best mans hands.

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The blue in the background is a

little distracting, also the man’s

expression is a bit weird.

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The Groom and Best man arriving. It’s a shame about the cars.

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The major problem with this Wedding in regards to using it as a

marketing tool is the location. This was a budget wedding at their

regular church. It is part of their life and community. The couple

were happy with the images as they recorded their day.

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This shot is dominated by the yellow lines!

The trouble with total Reportage against posing is that it’s almost to

get the couple into a more photogenic location and for them to look

good. Some intervention is necessary.

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This shot alludes to the “off screen space” The couple are happy

and relaxed enjoying the interaction with their guests/friends.

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This shot above could have been improved by posing the hands rather than trying to capture it naturally.

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.

The expression is a bit off putting.

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Here there is a nice relaxed emotion being shown.

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Here the Videographers light has cast a heavy shadow that looks harsh.

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This is a good detail shot.

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The Black and White version I feel works better. Getting kids to stand for the camera is hard. Need to set up poses

quicker.

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This wedding photography is ok but it is not my best work. The couple were happy with the result but I feel things could have gone better. This is not the sort of work that I would market myself with. The venue is too real and not enough fantasy.

It was difficult to meet up before hand to discuss requirements. I did meet them at the Church for the rehearsal but they did not really specify any shots they wanted. They had no time to go to the reception venue with me but they did say there was a garden there. I should have suggested shots after researching the location for myself.

The wedding has a traditional feel. The photography reflects that in the group shots.

The part of the wedding that works for me is the informal reportage of the guests.

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DAVID AND ANNE MARIE

Wedding 2

See DVD for Full Images.

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EDITING PROCESS.

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The images are loaded into Lightroom. They are automatically ordered into date time order. I

have a chorology to use as a base for the Album.

The Album will be split into sections.

The Bride getting ready. (Main Photographer)

The Groom getting ready. (If requested – Main Photographer)

Crowd arriving at the venue and general shots throughout the day. (Second shooter if

requested)

Bride Arriving at Venue

The service (If allowed by venue)

Leaving the venue.

Reception.

Cutting The Cake.

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EDITING FIRST PASS.

Deleate technical failures.

Second Pass

Rate images. Only Images that have impact and emotion get 5 stars.

Set rating stars in thumbnails in the Grid view

1. In the Grid view, select one or more photos.

2. Click one of the five dots below the thumbnail in a cell.

Clicking the first dot assigns a one-star rating, clicking the second dot assigns two rating stars, clicking the third dot assigns three rating stars,

and so forth.

Note: For rating stars to appear in compact thumbnail cells, choose Bottom Label > Rating in the Library View Options. For rating stars to appear

in Expanded thumbnail cells, select Show Rating Footer in Library View Options. See Set Library view options for the Grid view.

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Reject satellite dish

Growing out of head

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Good emotion, Best man and groom 5

star important part of story.

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Crop this one to tighten up

composition. And remove as much

clutter as possible.

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The Kiss is almost the hardest shot to get

to look natural, better get the posed one

done and then wait and get a spontaneous

one if it happens.

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After the second pass

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Go back through and compare similar images so you are left with one of each image – the ones that

have the most impact.

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Process the Images in Light room

Colour correct

Convert to B+w ( If required)

Levels

Clarity

Tone Curve

With light room you can apply the same setting to every selected image using a simple copy

and paste process.

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Once All the images have been processed they can then be exported to the required size.

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Photoshop is only used for retouching. This depends on price. Only the most expensive

packages will be retouched extensively.

The images are now ready to burn to DVD for the client.

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Mocked up books (Not sent to Print)

Creation of wedding album using software that someone who bought a DVD only

package may use (Blurb). This is to see how to construct an album.

Mock Book 1

The day is put into the album in chronological order. This Works well to tell the story.

The purple back ground is horrid!

Some of the pictures have borders round them. These do not look professional.

Mock Book 2

The background has been changed, and some ornaments added on the text pages,

which have more personal texts. There are some questions of the location in some of the

pictures. This was a real wedding and this may not bother the bride and groom, for

marketing purposes this is unacceptable. Care will be needed at future weddings in not

very good locations to keep the background out of the shot.

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Maybe make this

image black and

white

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Evaluation of Final Book.

This is better. The spurious objects have been removed.

This I could use as an indicator of my style depending on how and what market it was it

was intended for. (lower end I would place this)

A quality book is needed. Something more apparitional is needed for high end clients.

Making albums like this is cheap but quality may not be high enough for many brides.

The range of templates is limited. Need a better way to be creative to stop all albums

looking the same.

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How can I make future weddings better?

Training It is better not to practice on paying clients and learning from a practising wedding

photographer could open up new styles.

Research Look at lifestyle magazines as well as a range of fashion and wedding magazines.

Attend bridal fairs to see competition and see trends.

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How to Choose Your Best Shots for a Photography Portfolio

Posted by Jaymi on 21 Jan 2011

Photo by Robert Marin, via Flickr Creative Commons

Building a portfolio of your work can be a daunting task. It's much like writing a resume -- how do you highlight all your best skills and experience while keeping it all on one page?

Selecting photos is equally difficult because you have to narrow it down to just a handful of shots in order to show only your best work, and nothing more.

In an article titled Edit, Edit, Edit, Nick Turpin writes, "Especially now in the digital age when we produce so many images so easily and quickly, editing has become crucial to the

success of your photography, every 'poor' image that sneaks through weakens your whole portfolio dramatically."

Eric Kim states on the topic, "When people stumble upon your portfolio, they rarely look past the first few images or even past the first page. Therefore make it a point to keep your

portfolio as tight and well-curated as possible. It definitely is true that first impressions do count, and people do judge books by their covers."

So how do we figure out which photos are strong enough to be included, and which are bringing down our portfolios?

A great article from Photo tuts+ walks us through the process from conception to printing, in 10 steps. It guides photographers through everything from understanding what the portfolio

will be used for (getting a new client, pitching your work to a gallery...), to printing the shots, to adding in anything extra like an artist's statement. For learning the key steps for building

your first portfolio, it's a great article. In the step for choosing shots, the article recommends starting out with around 100 shots, and slowly narrowing it down to about 20. If you want a

really tight portfolio, I'd suggest narrowing it down to 10.

Consider this -- National Geographic photographers take thousands of photos for an article. And maybe five or six end up being printed with the final article in the magazine. If they can narrow down their best work after weeks or months of shooting, selecting only the photos that make you stare for hours on end, then you can too.

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Tips for narrowing down your best photos:

1) Leave out any photo that doesn't make you want to look at it for longer than one minute.

2) Leave out any photo that you have to look at for longer than 30 seconds to decide if it should be included.

3) Leave out any photo that is almost-but-not-quite -- if there's anything you wish you could change about it, you probably don't want to include it.

4) Leave out any photo that sticks out from the theme, or the effect on your viewers, that you're trying to create. Even if it's a great shot, if it causes your portfolio to become a one-of-these-is-not-like-the-others game, then it needs to be nixed.

5) Leave out anything that you wouldn't want immediately framed and displayed in public. If you're feeling shy about it, or have a pang like, "It's good but why not frame that one instead..." then it probably shouldn't make the cut.

Keeping a tight portfolio of only your best work is important -- it trains you to be critical about what you produce, to look deeply at a photograph and identify its best and worst features, to

hone your skills for seeing quality. And even more importantly, it doesn't waste anyone's time when you are pitching your work for a project. But, I believe there is a caveat here.

Be Critical for Your Portfolio, But Don't Hide Your Weaker Photographs From The World While You're Learning

A portfolio of your best work (and only your best work) is a must-have for any photographer, but it is also important to allow yourself to display a broader swath of your photographs in

order to get feedback and perspective from others. Outlets like Flickr allow us to upload unlimited photos, and thus give us a chance to put up two or three versions of an image, get

critiques from our peers, and decide what works and doesn't. It's an important tool for those of us who are just learning the craft and appreciate input from more experienced

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photographers. Sometimes displaying all the images you like from a day's shoot helps in narrowing down your best work (or even in getting a good laugh about the day's disaster shots -

- I love this post from Scott Kelby on his "Football Photography Hall of Shame" which illustrates the point).

For instance, if I'm on the fence about which photos from a shoot are the best, I'll upload all of them to Flickr. Once they're live and I know people can view them, I start seeing right

away which are decent and which aren't good enough to display. The idea of someone's eyes -- and judgement -- on the photographs at that moment has a way of making the good and

bad parts pop out, and I can quickly delete the images I don't want people seeing. Usually out of every 10 photos I think might be good enough to upload, I'll only keep about four live. Of

those, my Flickr contacts do a great job of telling me which single photo is the best from a series, and I learn from that feedback.

Part of a photographer's education is learning to cut out the ho-hum photos, but in the same way that it is tough to edit out your weakest work, your overly critical eye may leave you

unable to spot your greatest pieces until someone else points out why they're so wonderful. So while it's important to edit, edit, edit, it's also important not to be shy about showing your

work while you're training your eye. Sometimes you'll be surprised at which of your images make the biggest impact on viewers.

Now, of those four images that stay live on my Flickr page, most likely none would make it into a portfolio of my best work. Selecting the top 10 out of hundreds is when the real

headache of choosing images starts. While Scott Kelby has fun showing his "hall of shame" shots, he also states in his popular Digital Photography Book Vol 2, "If you want to be taken

seriously as a photographer... only show your very best work. Period. Just ask yourself what you would rather see -- 80 pretty good shots, or 10 outstanding shots."

You've got to decide what represents the top 1% of your work...and those decisions can be agonizing.

Here are a few lenses through which to look at your work and really narrow it down:

1) A gallery gives you space to hang any 10 photos you want, with the condition that it is your one and only shot to get noticed in the photography world. Which 10 photos do you trust

the most to get you recognition?

2) You are going to print 10 photos to hang in your home, and you will have to keep them hanging for the next 10 years. Which would you want to look at for the next decade?

3) You know that after selecting 10 photos for your portfolio, every single person on earth is going to see them simultaneously. Which photos would you want nearly 7 billion people

seeing at the same time?

4) All of your photos are hanging on a wall in your home, and a fire starts. You have time to grab only 10 before dashing out the door to safety. Which 10 will you grab?

5) A book is going to be printed of your top 10 photos, and those are the only photos anyone will ever see from you. Which 10 would you want to have define you as an artist for the rest

of your life?

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Finalizing Your Photography Portfolio

Take your time with the process. Say you start with 100 photos -- edit out 10 or 20 each week until you have your 10 best. You might end up swapping photos out again and again until you're content with your decisions. Once you've selected your photos, let them marinate for awhile. Come back a week later and see how you feel about them. Share your portfolio with a handful of other photographers you respect and admire, and ask them for their feedback. Perhaps show them your top 15 photos and ask them what they think are the best 10, or which two or three they think are the weakest, to help you make your final decisions. As I mentioned, my Flickr peers are great about telling me which image in a series is the strongest -- use resources like this to hone your best work.

Eventually, you'll have an outstanding portfolio that you will be proud to show to your next clients, or even just to keep out as a coffee table book.

Time is Important when choosing images for the portfolio. You must weed out all the weaker ones

and only present the ones that have your style and passion in them- may need more than one

portfolio for different types of commission.

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Trends in Wedding photography.

Wedding Photography

The photo-journalistic (candid) approach to wedding photography is preferred by many brides to the traditional posed shots. Capturing the day's events as they happen helps tell the story of your wedding. Naturally, posed pictures are still enjoyed and requesting that some of the photos be black and white is common.

http://www.yourweddingcompany.com/index.php/action/createTrends/planId/1/

With over ten years of experience, wedding photographer Critsey Rowe has seen trends come and go. These days, she finds that couples

want photos that are "much more photojournalistic but with a fashion edge." This kick-start in creative ideas

doesn't just come from the photographer, it also comes from the clients who are interested in having their sessions styled or centered around a particular theme, genre

or era. "Sometimes it is incorporating props and other times it is thinking of creative posing," says Rowe.

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/creative-trends-in-wedding

In the business of photography, it’s dangerous to get too far out of touch with trends in your own industry. Services and features have a way of moving from valued added extras to expectations in a hurry. If you don’t keep up, you could find yourself losing business and not knowing why.

Some of the latest trends are repeats of older fashions, some are brand new. All are becoming expected options when considering a wedding photographer.

Boudoir Sessions

These used to be a trend all on their own and have maintained popularity as a portrait style on their own. Recently brides have started asking for boudoir shots as part of the engagement and pre-wedding pictures. Sometimes offering this service can be a tricky addition to your usual line of services. I have a policy not to every do a boudoir shoot without an

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assistant and, whenever possible, request the client also have someone else there. That keeps everything on the up and up and there’s never a question about what transpired.

Proposal Pictures Even though it can take some of the surprise out of the moment, more couples are requesting proposal pictures. As the proposal takes on more grandeur and planning, it’s becoming more common for couples to want to have a photographer there to record the event.

I’ve gotten two requests to do the proposal pictures for photographer friends who weren’t able to make the specific time the groom wanted the pictures taken in just the last month. One of them required coordination with the PR department one of the local amusement parks. Happily they were glad to help out.

Photo Booths

Set up a place where guests can arrange themselves and take their own pictures that appear on a monitor in real time. They’re a kick at receptions and it’s usually the kids making the most use of them.

Use a fairly low-end camera anchored to a tripod so you don’t have to worry as much about it walking off or getting knocked over. The booth pictures inevitably end up some of the most popular.

The Day After Shoot Also called “wreck the dress” this isn’t so much a trend as an expected part of the service now days. For the photographer it’s the most fun because you get to encourage the bride and groom to get in swimming pools, mud pits, the ocean, and lots of other unlikely places to take shots in formal dress.

Do your clients a favour and check for wallets, cell phones and wrist watches as those can get forgotten in the rush to get the shots. Also check the bride’s earrings to make sure she isn’t wearing anything wildly expensive or easy to lose.

http://blog.proudphotography.com/2011/09/09/four-new-trends-in-wedding-photography/

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Styles and taste change

rapidly do keeping up to date

with the latest trends is

essential. Regularly checking

key sites on the web will

keep you up to date with

what brides expect.

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Here the couples sense of fun is explored with this modern take on the going away shot.

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Treating the

wedding like a

documentary

can give a fresh

approach to

the wedding

album.

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TRENDS TO WATCH

Pilster also shared some emerging wedding photography trends he has been noticing recently and that are poised to continue gaining traction for the rest of wedding

season and beyond.

Vintage style: A lot of photographers are adding a vintage look to their photos and shooting weddings that have a vintage feel.

Wedding week pics: Pilster says couples are starting to request wedding week coverage, especially if they have friends and family in from out of town. He's already

being asked to cover more rehearsals and rehearsal dinners and day-after sessions, so why not just extend the photo fun to a whole week?

Detailed images: More couples are asking for detailed photos of all of the centerpieces and everything that goes into the wedding day. This includes creative shots of

shoes, rings and the dress.

A range of skills is now needed to produce an

modern wedding album.

Portrait, documentary, and Still life shots need

to be taken. The detail is becoming more

important. Brides are spending money on

centrepieces that are disposable so the

recording of them is more important as a

status symbol.

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Pre-wedding portraits: Different styles of portrait sessions done before the big day, such as a boudoir session as a gift for the fiancée, are becoming more popular.

More creativity: As couples want to get more creative with their portraits, they need more time to get the type of shots they want. More couples are scheduling a few

hours before their wedding to go out and have a pre-ceremony shoot where they can be more relaxed and get some images that show them enjoying the moment.

A number of popular wedding trends have been created by wedding industry professionals over the last few years. Here are the wedding photography trends to look out for:

Engagement Photo Shoots

Boudoir Shoots

Trash The Dress Shoots

Bridal Fashion Shoots

Shoot and Burn

Five Things To Think About When Asking For Wedding Photos to DVD

These days it's common for budget photographers to just burn your wedding photos to DVD. This is called called 'shoot and burn'.

Here are five things to consider if you're thinking about this kind of option:

These are things I

need to understand

and offer to clients

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1. Post-Production

Some shoot and burn photographers do literally just that. They shoot your wedding and burn the wedding photos to DVD. I.e. they don't do any photo-editing to your pictures. This undoubtedly means they won't be as good as they could be, as all digital photos benefit from even basic Photoshop work.

Some will do full post-production work, so you receive fully edited, professional quality photos.

2. Pro or Part-Time?

Offering 'all wedding photos to DVD' can be a sign of a part-time photographer. As in, an enthusiast that shoots weddings whilst still working a full-time job.

This has benefits and drawbacks.

I will only give clients edited work- It’s a reflection of my business.

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For example, a part-time photographer is usually looking to supplement his income and fund new equipment purchases. So he should be cheaper.

But, he may not have any insurance or be able to offer as high a level of customer service as a professional.

Also...

...the most underrated aspect of digital photography is colour management.

Have you ever noticed how colours look different on your home computer than they do on your work computer?

That's colour management. If you're only receiving a wedding photo CD, it's crucial that your photographer has a professional quality monitor that is colour-calibrated. (This means the colours are set to an internationally recognised standard).

This may be beyond the scope of part-time photographers, so do ask

I use a colour management tool; Huey Pro at the moment

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The Facts Don’t Lie

Wedding budgets are smaller than they were before the recession hit in 2008. But they are also slowly beginning to increase again; the average wedding

cost increased 21.9% as reported by The Wedding Report in the first half of 2010.

The average wedding guest list has been shrinking and brides are increasingly cutting costs on services they perceive as “luxuries,” like flowers, décor

and video.

Competition has increased with the rise of unemployment, especially for photographers, DJs and wedding planners. ( this is a concern how do I still make a living?)

The conclusion reached in these articles is that diversification is necessary for wedding businesses to survive.

An example of “diversification” might be a wedding officiant who also offers wedding planning services, sells invitations or becomes a travel agent.

Another example might be a wedding photographer who creates two separate business identities, one for the mid-range market and one for the budget

bride.

The idea is that it’s better to not have all your eggs in one basket, so that when one of those baskets drops you’ll have another basket full of eggs to turn

to.

# Photographer/Owner — 2010-11-04 11:00

Each year we add 2 new free items to our packages and send out e-mails to all past and future potential clients. We never pay for advertising except for pay per clicks (under $100.00 a month) and we have the Highest positive reviews in our area. We also didn't listen to the critics and have FLASH on our site (a BIG NO NO they say) and the public always comment that this is what lures them in, The results, each year we increase our prices by 5-10% and we initially started doing 35-40 weddings each year, now we are up to 65-70 per year. We also have a 95% success rate of keeping the clients during the initial consultation. SEO is handled in house (free) and we are listed #1 in our area in 7 different keywords (organic and pay per click) If we listen to the

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naysayers and forget about our customers’ needs we will fail. Believe in your yourself and your product, never stop learning and you will succeed! Your Wedding Business Tips make a huge difference and makes us think and explore new options. Love your feedback

# Well said! — Stephanie Padovani 2010-11-04 19:13

Bill, I have to agree with you here. Things are NOT going back to the way they were. The buying behaviour of brides has changed; must like after the Great Depression, the effects may well last generations. The luxury bridal market isn't the only place to make money in the wedding industry. You can make a really good living serving the mid or low budget markets, too. I've been really intrigued by Christine Boulton's continued advice to diversify by offering products that serve both the high-end and budget markets. She used the example of Vera Wang creating a line for David's Bridal. Brides can still get the brand they know and love, but a slightly less frills version with a price tag they can stomach, too. Creativity is key and I believe there is always a way.

http://www.bookmorebrides.com/wedding-industry-trends-2011-diversify-

or-die

By not basing all of my

income on Weddings and doing

other photographic work such as

Portraits and documentary work

this will, spread the risk.

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6FP001 Portfolio draft

Jon Hancock 0913396

Project Aims

I view my practice as social documentary; this means that I will need different types of portfolio to suit different audiences. The focus in this proposal is Wedding

photography. Building on previous experience I will continue to develop a contemporary style of Wedding photography as well as how to generate sales.

Project Outcomes

I will attend a workshop which covers every aspect of getting started in the wedding business, covering new and up to date shooting techniques, a full Mock

Wedding shoot at in hotel location. I will also seek out unpaid assistant work to gain experience. I may advertise for couples to undertake an engagement shoot on

location to develop my skills as well as looking for unpaid assistant work.

Creative Content

The emotive power of lighting will be explored to capture the moments they happen documentary style. The Full fill the customers’ expectations but provide

alternative view points and camera angles. Develop a photojournalistic style that is as unobtrusive as possible. I wish to make a natural approach with lots of candid

shots but be flexible as the Bride and groom may want some posed shots.

Methodological Approach

The project will be shot on a Canon 5d Mk II, full frame digital camera, with speed lights or available light will be used. The work will involve shooting

on locations. The weeding will be proceeded by an engagement shoot.

Contextual Research

Magazines such as Wedding Ideas, Brides Magazine and Local ones (Your West Midlands Wedding) will be researched for style and expectation.

Steve Gerrard,

Practicing photographers (Su Conway and Mari turner) have agreed to help.

Professional Considerations (State what particular professional skills you will be developing in the project)

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Project management, creative synthesis and working with others. I will improve my portable lighting techniques and low light photography. Business procedures

will also be developed. Consideration will be given to joining a professional body such as the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers or The Master

Photographers Association.

Please indicate what form ‘the body of work’ submitted for assessment might take..

The outcome for this project will be a package of a typical wedding to use as material to take to marketing events and to show to individual clients. This package will

include a box of A3 C type prints, a cd of images, A wedding portfolio (book)

Album of Images, Test web site complete with password galleries

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TO RUN A PROFITABLE WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY BUSINESS

Price your work to make a profit & develop an ongoing viable business

Why Customer Care is King

How to advertise

Where to advertise

How to win that Wedding Booking in a highly competitive market place

Why other wedding Photographers miss out on bookings

Booking & planning a Wedding Shoot

Take images that sell

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Research Trip to NEC Wedding Show.

Tips on Choosing a Photographer.

Choose a photographer with confidence, energy and

organizational skills - they need confidence and organizational

skills to ensure they can be in the right place at the right time

and get everyone else there too! They need energy to last the

distance…

Rightshot Photograph

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Only one Album and 3 prints on

display on MY Love Story

stand..

Also on the outer edge, did not

attract many customers.

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Too many different styles, a

bit confusing.

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Very arty, one to one service.

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Good Photography , an interesting stand with

options for up selling on display.

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Too much going on at this stand

the images have been put up like

wall paper and the stand did not

seem to attract many potential

customers when I watched it for

30 minutes.

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Clean simple, plenty of

different types and styles

of Albums which seemed

very popular.

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This guy shows his range of styles

simply and elegantly.

The consistency in the framing

helps with this.

The white on white frames are crisp

and clean they look really good.

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Here they are aiming for a wide

range of clients. The high class

Magazine is to aspire to for many

brides to aspire to. Lower budget

brides will look at there but will be

able to tailor their budget if they like

the images.

So showing lavish weddings can

work in attracting more clients.

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This Stand was very

popular. Here customer

care is important for

sales. They offer a

premium service and a

fashion based wedding

shoot.

The Images look like they

come out of magazines.

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Why Photographers GO!

This stand went for a multi media approach to

maximise appeal.

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EXHIBITOR AREA Valued at £5.5 billion, the UK wedding market is bursting with opportunities. It’s highly competitive, but potentially highly lucrative.

With the average cost of a wedding now pushing £20,000 (nearly half the average annual salary), the rewards can be high for suppliers who get their marketing right.

And how better to do it than by exhibiting at the UK’s biggest, most vibrant and most successful series of wedding events - The National Wedding Shows?

Timed to perfection, in three key UK venues, the shows attract 60,000 highly acquisitive consumers each year - The National Wedding Shows are the only UK event to carry ABC

certificates so you can be confident in knowing who we deliver.

89% of our visitors are in the ABC1 socio-economic band, with an average household income of £54,500 - our audience has the ability as well as the desire to splash out!

A strong track record, an independent audit, and a distinguished pedigree are just three more unique and valuable reasons why the shows are so successful. We also own the strongest

portfolio pf wedding and bridal products in Europe including trade bible Bridal Buyer Magazine, and the premier trade showcase, British Bridal Exhibition

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Some Photographers Who Caught my eye (Stood out for some reason) Inconspicuous. This is the word I like to use when anyone asks me to describe my approach to photographing

a wedding. The dictionary definition puts it best; Modest, Quiet, not attracting attention. For me a wedding should be

approached in a sympathetic and truthful manner, providing an honest and beautiful record of the day.Wedding

photography has taken me all over the UK and I have covered small, intimate weddings in country barns through to

grand affairs at stately homes and even photographed a wedding in a lighthouse and one in an orange grove in

Sorrento, Italy.All packages are inclusive from start to finish. There are no hidden costs if you want to include the

Bridal preparation, the first dance or even fireworks at the end of the evening.

After the wedding I personally edit every image and my clients receive all images in colour and black and white, high

resolution and copyright released. A web gallery and a DVD slideshow is also provided.Clients can choose between a

digital package or two album packages. Parent books come as standard with both of the album packages, keeping with my “all inclusive” philosophy. Please have a look at the website

for full details of the different packages and to view my online portfolio.I greatly look forward to meeting you at the NEC this October, where I will be offering all visitors an exclusive

opportunity to save 25% on all packages. Please stop by to have an informal discussion about your wedding and photography requirements in greater detail, or just to say hello.

See you there.

Matt Brodie

Matt was very friendly when I spoke to him. He told me he shoots with a high end DSLR as his style is reportage. He shoots alone.

He commands a high price for his services; his base package is £1600, for 3 DVDs of images.

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Clive Blair.

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Clive Blair shoots reportage style and sells his

images on his website. This is in addition to the

printed album.

Is it worth the time? There must be a lot of admin

to this.

Do you have to order a minimum quantity /value?

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Here he uses quirky colours (probably done in post production) this

gives him an edgy look (will it last? Does this matter? No not if the

customer buys it now. Fashion and taste change riding the wave

can be good for business.

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Wedding Photography – £2000

Price includes the following -

* Complimentary engagement shoot

* Unlimited wedding coverage

* 2 photographers including Steve

* Private online gallery for viewing, sharing and ordering

* Two new friends

Wedding Photography (Up to 8 hours coverage) – £1700

Price includes the following -

* Complimentary engagement shoot

* Up to 8 hours wedding coverage

* 2 photographers including Steve

* Private online gallery for viewing, sharing and ordering

* Two new friends

You then have the option of purchasing the hi-res images on disc with full permission to print as you wish for £500.

Albums are priced at £25 per image (minimum 30 images)

We only use Queensberry albums. We have yet to find an album manufacturer that comes close to the quality of Queensberry.

DVD of hi-res files, albums, parents books, frames, wall prints, thank you cards and more available. We have plenty of samples in our studio.

For international weddings we ask that travel expenses and accommodation are covered plus £150 per additional day.

Prices include VAT

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HOW DO I GET MY PHOTOGRAPHY TO COMAND THAT KIND OF PRICE?

A Good Portfolio is a start.

All the images must have impact.

Choose a style and develop it.

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How do I get started?

Train with a professional.

Shoot a Mock Wedding.

Practice outdoor portraits with couples to gain people skills

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What will my style be? From research in Wedding Magazines, Bridal Faryes and talking to photographers my style will be:

Reportage meets fashion editorial.

I want my albums to be like a high class lifestyle magazine.

A story book album in which the couple’s day is recorded for posterity is the intended product.

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Research into a Suitable Course.

http://www.barrettandcoe.co.uk/wedding-photography-courses.html

Wedding photography courses

Our Wedding Photography Courses will teach you how to take outstanding images and show you the excitement and fun of having your own business. Spread over a 3 or 6 month period, the Wedding Photography course gives you the time to assimilate all the knowledge required to help you run your own successful business.

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The UK's most experienced photography teaching team

We are the most experienced trainers in Wedding photography in the UK with an

outstanding team of tutors. The success of our ex-students in developing a

profitable wedding business is unparalleled. Some of our students actually book

weddings (typical £2,000 package) before completing their wedding course with

the information and knowledge we give them. All those who reach the required

standard are provided with wedding leads from our national advertising

programme. Our tuition team includes David MacDonald, former Kodak

Photographer of the Year. All are leaders in their fields with proven stunningly

successful career achievements.

More on our teaching team >>

Proven track record

Following completion of a Barrett & Coe Wedding course you will look like you

have been a wedding photographer for 10 years. Included in your course fee is

the opportunity to observe accompany a Barrett & Coe photographer at a real

wedding.

View images taken by ex-students at some of the UK's most prestigious

venues >>

Click here to view just some of the many customer satisfaction forms from

brides that have had their weddings photographed by our ex-students >>

Turn your passion into a career

It is simply not possible to learn all that you need to know to start a successful

wedding photography business on a short course lasting 2-4 days. That's why our

courses are spread over 4-6 months giving you the time to assimilate all the

knowledge required to help you run your own successful business. We can

change your life and make photography your career. During 2010/11 we have

supported over 20 students to open successful studios within 4 months of

completing their course.

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Read biographies from former students >> View our recent studio openings

>>

Wedding Photography Course benefits

Held mostly in Ware, Hertfordshire (close to London Stansted) our Wedding

Photography Course has the most in-depth syllabus for wedding photography

training in the UK. As an add-on, included in your course fee is access to

Wedding leads through our national advertising programme. On average 50% are

converted into bookings.

For more information or to book your place call 01603 629 739

This course runs over too long a time scale to be useful to myself.

http://www.thetrainedeye.co.uk/the-courses/short-courses/weddings/

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This option seems to be both very comprehensive as well as modular. It covers the post processing and business

side of things. But unfortunately not in time for this module.

http://www.thetrainedeye.co.uk/contact/

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.

91

The Albums on this site look like

the ones I viewed and seemed

popular at the wedding fayre .

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http://www.pictureinspire.co.uk/click-for-courses-and-prices/

Group based workshop with 3-6 delegates - Price £695

Overview of the 4 day workshop

Day One - The Wedding Business and shooting Technique

Day Two - Attend a Mock Wedding at Littlecote House

Day Three - Image Review, Workflow, Lightroom3 and Photoshop CS5

Day Four - Story Book design, Suppliers, Pricing, and the web

A packed 4 day workshop which covers every aspect of getting started in the wedding business, covering new and up to date shooting techniques, a full Mock

Wedding shoot at one of our superb hotel locations, with our bride and groom, digital workflow from camera to album and the web, the latest software tools for

post production from Adobe, including Lightroom 3 and Photoshop CS5, Story Book design software, the best suppliers, pricing, business, and lots more......

we'll show you how to shoot a real wedding, process the files and design a story book in just two days.......

Who is this course aimed at:

This course is aimed at delegates who are competent in the use of their DSLR'S and know their way around the camera, so already understand aperture priority

shooting, ISO etc.

If you are a complete beginner we can train you on a ONE day BASICS camera skills course before attending the POWER COURSE.

What do you need to bring?

To attend you need a DSLR either consumer or professional is fine, with a general purpose zoom lens, and have a branded flashgun such as a Canon speedlite 580EX,

or Nikon SB800/SB900. You also will need to have an OMNIBOUNCE Stofen diffuser for your flashgun when using flash based lighting (costs about £16 from Jessops

or Warehouse Express). You should also bring a laptop just to sort through your images and select sample files for feedback and "developing" on the course. We will

be shooting in RAW on the workshop, so please let us know if you need access to software to view your files on your laptop whilst on the course.

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This is worth applying for when I complete my Degree. I can then use it on

business cards to get more Weddings so that I can apply for :

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The Master Photographers Association

The Master Photographers Association is the UK's only trade body exclusively for full-time professional wedding, portrait and commercial photographers. Choose from our extensive list

of qualified members of the Master Photographers Association. Professional wedding photography is a specialised subject that requires great skill, knowledge and commitment. Don't be

tempted to use a part-time or unqualified wedding photographer or you may not get the results you desire.

Qualifications of The Master Photographers Association

Licentiate (LMPA)

Indicates the award of qualified member of the Association. Applicants must show competence in their chosen field of photography, show a thorough understanding of camera

techniques, lighting and composition and ability to create merchantable quality photography.

Associate (AMPA)

Is awarded upon the submission of photographic work and in recognition that the photographer has shown excellence in technique, lighting and composition. The candidate must show

creativity and an understanding in the art of professional photography.

Fellow (FMPA)

Is awarded as the highest qualification within the Association. The award is made for excellence in photographic technique and interpretation. The photographer having exhibited an

individual, innovative, artistic and creative style in their submission demonstrating that they are at the leading edge in the art of photography.

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Final Proposal.

6FP001 Portfolio Proposal.

Jon Hancock 0913396

Project Aims

I view my practice as social documentary; this includes recording relationships and social history. This will to include weddings which as Jo Spense

maintains “ that’s just visual anthropology on the move”. (Spence p42) Building on previous experience, I will continue to develop a contemporary style

of wedding photography that has commercial appeal but then produce a separate constructed document (from existing photographs) that challenges

the idealised wedding by creating an alternative narrative.

Project Outcomes

On October 20th, I am booked on a four day workshop which covers every aspect of getting started in the wedding business covering: up to date

shooting techniques both with natural light and small flash units, a full mock wedding shoot at a hotel location with models as bride and groom, digital

workflow from camera to album and preparation for the web. This will include the latest post production techniques, using adobe lightroom3 and CS5

the best suppliers, pricing and business aspects. After this course I will have one wedding album plus the skills and contacts to produce another based

on the previous weddings I have undertake and images taken by guests. This will be reconstructed from existing re-contextualised photographs.

Creative Content

The emotive power of lighting will be explored to capture the moments as they happen in a documentary style to fulfill the customers’ expectations. I

will develop a photojournalistic mixed with editorial style that is as unobtrusive as possible on the day. I wish to make a natural approach to the crowd

with lots of candid shots but be flexible as the bride and groom may want some posed shots but try to take them in a less formal way. The idea is to

create a story book of the complete day whilst ensuring the couple’s needs are met. A second series will be curated, from recontextualised images for

use in a fine art documentary context.

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Methodological Approach

The project will be shot on high end DSLR. This will be practiced using models. Getting the poses to look natural is essential for good images;

therefore, part of the package will be to do a pre shoot, where the couple is photographed in surroundings in which they are comfortable to ensure they

are confident. Digital post production techniques such as converting to black and white colour popping or toning will be applied to produce creative

effect.

Contextual Research

Magazines such as Cosmopolitan Weddings, lifestyle magazines such as Dazed and Confused, Celeb, Wedding Ideas, Brides Magazine and Local

ones (Your West Midlands Wedding) will be researched for style and expectation. Wedding Fayres will be attended to research the competition and to

investigate the pricing structure. Jo Spence, Nick Waplinton, Steve Gerrard, Matt Brodie, Clive Blair, Fashionable Weddings and Lee Garland will be

researched. Research will be done into consumerism and the wedding industry.

Professional Considerations

Project management, creative synthesis and working with others. Business procedures will also be developed. This is a chance to also study how

groups interact in different cultures. Consideration will be given to joining a professional body such as the Society of Wedding and Portrait

Photographers or The Master Photographers Association.

Please indicate what form ‘the body of work’ submitted for assessment might take.

The outcome for this project will be a top of the range, package of a typical wedding to use as material to take to marketing events and to show to

individual clients. This package will include a box of A3 C type prints, a DVD of images print ready, a wedding portfolio (book) and a CD with a slide

show. A test password protected gallery will be added to my web site ready to transfer at a later date. A second book will be a fine art documentary

piece that explores wedding culture from re-contextualised images.

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Bibliography

Boden, Sharon(2003) , Consumerism, Romance and the Wedding Experience, Palgrave Macmillan Gordonsville, VA, USA

Morgan,K.(2010). Wedding Photography A Guide to Photojournalism, London, Oliver Cameron Publishing

Siegel E (2009). The fashion Photography Course. London, Thames and Hudson.

Spence ,J.(1986), Putting Myself In The Picture. London. Camden Press.

Oswin, J; Walton, S (2010). Contemporary wedding photography

Cincinnati, David and Charles

Waplington, N (1991) Living Room. Manchester Cornerhouse Publications

Waplington, N (1996) Weddings Parties, Anything. NY. Aperture.

Journals

Strano, Michele M. (2006) Ritualized Transmission of Social Norms Through Photography.

Communication Theory Volume 16, Issue 1, pages 31–46, February 2006

http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-2885.2006.00004.x/full

[Accessed 09/10/2011

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Steve Gerrard.

How will I achieve that?

Research

Wedding magazines

Contemporary wedding photographers web sites

Bridal Fayres

Practice and build on existing skills

Investigate the family album as social document.

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Wedding Tutorial Shoot:

Models Elena and Oscar

Nice expression , but

not sharp

This would

not be

suitable for

an album.

x

x x

√

√

√

101

Too staged

Good looks

like a

magazine

shot

Looks startled

Convert

to black

and

white.

Remove

circle of

light on

right

102

X

X X

X

Like this outdoor shot

103

You would see this

kind of shot in a

magazine advert.

He looks strong

and in control.

104

105

106

Strong eye

contact and

a quirky

angle make

this shot

stand out.

107

From the shoot this was considered to be my most successful shot. It is the

most magazine like.

108

This looks classic

and timeless.

109

110

Good pose,

looks totally

relaxed.

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These types of images are more in line with my vision. They fit within the wedding magazines I have been

researching. I have learnt some important lessons about posing and making the couple feel at ease with the

process. I have learnt a lot about technique with this course practice is now needed.

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Wedding Test Shoot - Portfolio module

Description: Let Me know what you think. Processed but not retouched

Size: 68KB File: Jon wayne edited035.jpg

Download | View

Remove Link

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Comments about this

Subject: Re: Wedding Test Shoot - Portfolio module Posted by: ELLIOT CRUDDAS on 24 October 2011 20:29

Really like the composition, my ideas of wedding shots are all straight and narrow. is that it then for your project or is there another

step to be done?

Elliot

Reply | Remove

Subject: Re: Re: Wedding Test Shoot - Portfolio module

Posted by: JONATHAN HANCOCK on 24 October 2011 20:57

This was stage 1, Learn, business, technique and work flow.I have about 30 shots from this shoot

Stage 2 is to do the shoot again and get good shots for each part of the album just like a real wedding I will then make album

From this feedback it appears that this is seen as a fresher approach and I must develop this style.

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During the shoot I shot over 500 images, processing now becomes a major problem. Time is money so spending

a long time processing either makes you uncompetitive or you are working for little money.

It was apparent my work flow was in need of an overhaul. Shooting in RAW gives better quality but Bridge is to

slow.

Light room or Aperture are currently the best tools for processing RAW files.

I got a copy of Light Room 3.

My Flow is now

Import into computer

Delete images with technical problems and ones that have no impact.

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Mock Engagement shoot.

Laura and Elliott.

The wall is very distracting

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117

118

The image on the left works better than the one on the right, they look

more natural.

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laura

10:34 PM on November 09, 2011

by laura_wellings@hotmail.com

I like this one Jon, nice and natural. In our own little

world.

This is despite the fact the pose has been set up. I posed them and told them to talk amongst themselves and waited then caught this moment! This is the most successful shot from this shoot.

I have now started to think about

my Brand. I came up with the name

Celtic Heart Photography. This

draws on my Welsh roots. I will use

it to watermark my images on the

web

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What is my target Market? Demographic classifications in the UK and the ABC1 grade Demographic classifications in the UK refer to the social grade definitions, which are used to describe, measure and classify people of different social grade and income and earnings levels, for market research, social commentary, lifestyle statistics, and statistical research and analysis. The National Readership Survey (NRS) is a non-profit but commercial British survey concerned with monitoring, analyzing and providing estimates on the number and nature of people who read Britain's newspapers and consumer magazines. It is funded by the UK Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA), Newspaper Publishers Association (NPA), and Periodical Publishers Association (PPA). The social grade definitions by the NRS are widely used as a generic reference series for classifying and describing social classes, especially for consumer targeting and consumer market research by theadvertising UK media and publishing sectors

National Readership Survey (NRS) demographic categories

Social Grade Social Status Occupation

A upper middle class higher managerial,

administrative or professional

B middle class intermediate managerial,

administrative or professional

C1 lower middle class

supervisory or clerical, junior

managerial, administrative or

professional

C2 skilled working class skilled manual workers

D working class semi and unskilled manual

workers

E those at lowest level of subsistence

state pensioners or widows (no

other earner), casual or lowest

grade workers

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ABC1 categories and their spending patterns in the current economic recession

Statistics reveal that the past few years have seen a steady increase in the number of adults who fall in the A, B and C1 socio-economic group. This can be attributed

to various factors such as the changes in the economic conditions, rise in educational opportunities and changing employment patterns across the globe. All these

factors have resulted in a shift of focus from the traditional 'blue collar' jobs to those in the 'knowledge professions.'

The rise in the ABC1 social grade, and the subsequent increase in spending power, has had a strong impact across industries and markets in the UK. It would be

interesting to analyze the change in spending patterns of the ABC1 category in the current economic scenario.

Food markets: Historically, the ABC1 consumers have been ready to pay more for their food as compared to the people in the lower social grade. Figures point to the

fact that since 1999, ABC1 consumers have strongly been influencing on many of the trends within the food market. This trend is not just based on higher affluence

but also on other factors such as a greater awareness of health issues and ethical concerns relating to food. Also online shopping has been a very strong driving force

for increased spending on premium food products. But trends now show that during the present economic crisis, manufacturers and retailers would find it harder to

charge a premium on top of the already inflated basic food prices as the ABC1 consumers would not really be willing to pay more.

Housing: In the times of the housing boom in the UK, it was the ABC1 consumers who drove the buy-to-let market by investing in property as an alternative to

pensions or other financial investments. The 'correction in prices' in the housing market in 2008 will have deep repercussions for the home-related products market.

Studies reveal that although consumers in the A and B groups are unlikely to change their spending

habits in the prevalent uncertainties in the market, those falling in the C1 would definitely change theirs

to weather the crisis.

MY TARGET CUSTOMER IS AN ABC1 Couple.

My Portfolio and web site must reflect this and be a professional product.

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Hi Su,

Hope you are well and business is good.

I would like to ask a few questions about the wedding business for my portfolio module.

What information is useful to ask the client, I.E what do they think you will do automatically?

What do you think is the best way to present information to the client on an initial visit? Is it necessary to have a printed Album?

Is it best to have one couple per album or is a range of shots from a number of Weddings.

What do you present at Wedding Fayres?

Thanks for the help.

Research:

What are customer expectations from a fellow wedding photographer?

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Jon

Hi Jon,

Apologies for the delay, been hectic the last few weeks. I always ask them if they have thought about any special photos that they would like with special members of family or friends and if they would like to give me a list of photos. and of course all the details of the day place times etc. I always take a slideshow and my portfolio and ask them if they have looked at my facebook page as it has the latest work on it and reviews from customers. 90 % of the time my couples have a disc to print out albums for themselves so I don’t take a printed album with me. I have a few different couples in different poses in my portfolio and full weddings on facebook so they can see start to end. As yet I had never been to any Wedding Fayres, all my work is through recommendations.

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I hope this helps Sue

This was useful for budget weddings on DVD only but I aim to go for a higher earning and spending

couples. This means the full package. I need to provide all this information.

Having the Right Expectations:

A lot of people are lured to the wedding photography industry due to false expectations. Some are lured by the idea that you can earn a great

amount of income by working part time on the weekends. Some are lured by their shear enjoyment of photography, “I love taking pictures as a

hobby, therefore I would love doing it for my job.” Even more are coaxed into the industry by praise from friends and family, “you take such

great pictures, you should do this professionally.”

But Regardless of how or why you got into the industry, we welcome you, and want to make sure you have a clear understanding of what you

are getting into:

1. Income Expectations – Starting a photography studio is no different than starting any other business. You need to be prepared to spend

50-60 hours a week building your business while not really earning much money for the first couple of years. Expecting to jump right into the

industry and have clients knocking down your door is unrealistic. In fact, make sure your income/expenses are covered by savings or a spouse

for at least your first 1-2 years, as during that time you will not be generating much income. Also, recognize that the Joe Buissinks, Dennis

Reggies and Jerry Ghionisis of the world are the outliers and are the exception to the rule. Here is an idea of what you can expect to earn during

your first 4 years.

Income Figures (Before expenses/equipment costs) Year 1: $5,000 – $10,000 Year 2: $20,000 – $30,000

Year 3: $35,000 – $50,000

Year 4: $50,000+ Certified Compensation Professionals median expected salary for the average experienced photographer $53,906

2. Equipment & Cost Expectations – Many self proclaimed professionals are using sub-par equipment to create

their product. While you may be able to get away with this for a while, you are doing yourself and your clients a major disservice. We agree

wholeheartedly that it is the photographer not the camera that creates the images, but there are many images (particularly low light scenes)

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that cannot be created with sub-par equipment. You will need a minimum of around $8,000 – 10,000 to get a base set of professional

equipment. Here is a basic equipment starter list:

Basic Professional ); 2 x 8GB SanDisk Extreme III (or better) Misc Equip: Pocket Wizards, reflectors, Flip-it Bounce Card, extra camera batteries, etc.

Other Misc Costs

Keep in mind that, although the margins are high in this industry, there will be other costs that you will have to factor in before you can estimate

your bottom line.

Insurance: Depending on your coverage, you may have to spend $300 to $500 a year on General Liability Insurance and between $500-$700 a

year for Equipment Insurance

Accounting fees: Accountants may charge anywhere from $1000-$5000 a year, depending on the complexity of your organization; and software

like Microsoft Accounting and Quickbooks will cost anywhere from $250-$500, in addition to the time and effort it will take to learn and research

basic accounting concepts

Other business fees: There are fees associated with getting a business license, forming an LLC or S Corp, establishing a DBA, and more. These

time and money costs can be very overwhelming.

3. Time Expectations – Regardless of what people may tell you, being a wedding photographer is not a part time gig. While you may spend the

weekends shooting, you need the rest of the week to advertise, answer client/new client emails, meet with new clients, assist existing clients,

edit images, post produce images, backup images, write blog entries, train, manage finances, complete administrative business tasks like taxes,

etc. While after several years you may be able to get your business down to a science, it is a full time job requiring at least 40-50 hours a week.

4. Development Expectations - If you are new to photography and starting a business, you need to give yourself time to grow your company,

as well as time to develop as a professional photographer. We recommend that those who have not studied photography professionally spend 1-

2 years shadowing an established professional photographer in order to gain experience. While you wont be making much money, give yourself

time to grow as a photographer and to gain a portfolio. For those that are more experienced in photography, or have studied it in school, take at

least 6 months and work with one or more established photographers to understand the business. This was our development timeline:

Equipment List Body: Canon 5D Mark II (Nikon D700) and Canon 40D/50D backup body (Nikon D300) Lenses: Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM, Canon 24-70mm F/2.8L USM, Canon 50mm F/1.4 (or Nikon equivalents)

Flashes: 2 x Canon 580EX IIs (or Nikon equivalents) Flash Cards: 2 x 16GB SanDisk Extreme III (or better

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Lin and Jirsa Photography’s Development Timeline

Months 1 – 6: Shoot with various established professionals (often times for free)

Month 5: Begin compiling and finishing our portfolio Months 6 – 7: Complete our online website, portfolio and blog

Months 8 – 12: Begin advertising and accepting our own jobs, while still shooting with other established photographers 5. Package Pricing Expectations - While new in the industry, you will be tempted and told by many people to make sure you are always

charging what you are worth and not to accept low budget jobs ($500 – $1000). I agree and disagree with this statement. While it is important

to charge what you are worth, when you are starting out in the industry its more important to get experience, get exposure and meet potential

clients. Accept as many jobs as you can your first year simply to get experience. As you become more and more in demand, raise your package

prices accordingly. You will develop much faster as a professional photographer if you can overcome the elitist mentality that plagues this

industry.

6. Pressure Expectations - Don’t for one minute let people convince you that photography is an easy job. It goes without fail that the first

thing most of our new assistants say after their first shoot is, “this is a lot harder than I thought.” Wedding photography requires you to be on

your feet, hustling and bustling for 8 – 14 hours each shoot. You are expected by brides and grooms to get every important moment without fail,

to capture the day with your artistic vision and to deliver a flawless professional product. A wedding photographer needs to be prepared and

know their equipment through and through in order to deliver results in any lighting situation. Could you imagine a client forgiving you for

shooting blurry or underexposed first dance shots because “it was too dark?”

In our opinion, to be truly great wedding photographers, you must be a master of every type of photography including:

a. Portrait & fashion photography – Shooting engagement sessions, couples shoots, bridals, etc.

b. Photojournalistic photography – Shooting timeless imagery in the moments they occur (a much harder task than it sounds)

c. Macro photography – Capturing beautiful close ups of ring, dress, bouquet and other detail shots

d. Architectural & event photography – Shooting breathtaking grand venue and establishment shots

7. Personality Expectations – Wedding photography isn’t for everyone. You must have an A-type (energetic, outgoing, take control)

personality if you want to truly do well in this industry. Don’t give up though, because while difficult, this can be learned. One of our good friends

and an amazing photographer worldwide once told me, “Sometimes I feel like I should be teaching charm school rather than showing

photographers camera techniques.” While his statement was made as a joke, there is a lot of truth to it. Wedding photographers not only must

be masters of photography and of their equipment, but they must also be masters of people and social interaction. As a wedding photographer,

you are tasked with becoming friends with the bride and groom, making your clients feel comfortable in front of the camera, posing and assisting

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your clients, being gracious and entertaining to their friends and family while not being a distraction during their wedding day. This is a people

industry and those that do well with people, will do well in the industry.

Closing

Hopefully this little article will give you better insight into what to expect as a professional wedding photographer. If you have any additional

insight or experiences you would like to add, please post in the comments below, we would love to hear from you!

By Lin and Jirsa Wedding Photography

http://www.slrlounge.com/business-wedding-photographer-expectations

Whilst the expected earnings are in dollars here the principle here is sound. The time

scales are realistic.

My Current Kit list

Body, Main: Canon 5D Mark II

Backup: Canon 450D (This needs replacing as soon as funds allow for a higher spec 7d is best at the moment)

Lenses: Canon 70-200mm F/2.8L IS USM, Canon 24-105 mm F/4L USM, Canon 50mm

F/1.8

Flashes: Canon 580EX IIs

Canon 430Ex (upgrade as soon as funds allow)

Flash Cards: SanDisk Extreme IV x 8GB, 4 X 4GB SanDisk Extreme III

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Where Am I Now?

Level 1 at the moment. The Plan is to get to level seven by November 2012 having started with level eight.

Steps needed to move forward.

1)BUILD PORTFOLIO Do another shoot and make Wedding Album)

Do some Portrait Work.

Practice light room with images taken

Build Website with Images and keep updating

Build Brand

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This image has captured a different side of Alice to how

she photographs herself. There is a smile in the eyes and

she looks feminine.

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I prefer the colour

image but the body

is too full on to the

camera.

This shot

makes the

best of

Alice’s

body

shape

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This edit was to try and emulate the request by Alice for a

very high key image .This was the sample Alice gave me

Too much tilt.

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With Post production we reached

an Image that gave the desired

effect. This shoot was useful as the

client had a particular style in mind

and we had to collaborate to

achieve the shot

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Laura @ Stanton House.

The light is soft which flatters the model, the pose is

good, hand shape looks professional.

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Retouching too severe, this soft

glow is a bit much. It looks old

and dated. The face is too much

like a doll.

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This is a more natural finish.

The Client was pleased with it.

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The colour version was preferred

by the client. This was due to the

vibrant autumn colours. Even

though I was asked to produce

some black and white images.

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Vintage & Magazine colours

Looking at magazine to see what kind of

colours and post processing is currently being

used as some clients may like this.

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Looking at magazine to see what kind of

colours and post processing is currently being

used as some clients may like this.

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Developing presets for vintage colours in Lightroom3.

These colours do not Work for me!

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This Vintage look

is popular with

some clients. I

prefer this yellow

to the purple.

The purple can be

much. On Pale

skins it can make

the person look

dead!

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This will help me

when I redesign

my web site. The

Web will be my

shop front so I

must treat it as

such and entice

people to

contact me.

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My Web site is under construction content will be

added later but it is fully functional now and I will

purchase the pro package in the New Year to make it

slicker.

http://www.celticheartphotography.webs.com/

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Wedding course.

Recap of techniques for shooting and growing a business.

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This demonstrated to me that processing time can be

reduced to a minimum with the right work flow. I am

going to need to have creative control over a large

number of images per wedding and have to have

consistent results.

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These are the industry standard

products and are proven to sell by

many top photographers.

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This will make me

competitive in the crowded

market place. The market is

saturated with poor quality

work I must rise above to

make my business

profitable.

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See note book for start of plan.

Fully detailed plan will be done

as part of creative industries

module.

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See note book for start of plan.

Fully detailed plan will be done

as part of creative industries

module.

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This must be my target

market. Time are tough in

all sectors of photography

but quality sells, may have

to have more than one

income stream.

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DEVELOPING A BUSINESS PLAN

How does the completion do it?

Option 1 is to have a

“from” price.

This does not frighten

away potential clients.

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Costing up a wedding shoot

Job Estimated time

Meet and pre wedding shoot 2.5 hours

Wedding Shoot 10 Hours (Plus travel time)

Meet and choose images 2.5 hours

Design Album 4 Hours (again tight)

Admin 2 hours

25 Hours Total

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If we say £50 per hour. = 1250 £40 per hour = 1000

Costs @ £40 per hour for equivalents to gold package by Jo Hastings

Task

Labour Cost

£1000 Album (30 page basic) £350 Fuel £50 Marketing £100 Cd Cases £20

Total cost would be £1520. (Jo Hastings £1695, david Wadley £1645, paul goode £1195)

@ £50 per Hour = £1770

To do it for £1200 I would have to lower my rate to £ 30 per hour. This is not ideal but may have to do this to get

work at first then as I get more experienced I can produce more marketing material that commands a higher

price

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Price Structure

Images to DVD £850

1 Album £1500

1 Album + parents album £1995

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Plan to get £2500 per month income

2012

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MY WORK FOLW WILL BE: Shoot In RAW

Download – Rename to client and date

Delete any un-sharp un-dynamic or badly composed images. Emotive images needed!

Import to Lightroom3 for Processing. (Cropping, levels white balance etc)

Export to Photoshop for retouching only. Save as Jpegs.

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In the Album you are looking for consistency. These settings will help; the

depth of field will be uniform.

The centre point is the most accurate focus point so focus then

recompose. If you use multi focus it may not be Sharpe where you want it

to be.

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MODEL SHOOT 2

SEE DVD FOR ALL IMAGES.

SELECTED AND EDITED IMAGES.

Selection Process

The out of focus images and technical mistakes where deleted on the first Pass.

The second pass was to get the images with the most emotion.

The third step was to only use well composed and dynamic images.

Fibonacci’s Ratio

Aids to composition, based on

aesthetics of art history.

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Light Room 3 allows you to have an overlay of , rule of thirds, golden ratio, and other

compositional aids Via the Crop tool. The “O” key on the keyboard lets you cycle through

them. This allows you to choose a strong composition.

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These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

One of these will be removed

depending on which one fits the

page layout best.

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These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

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These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

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These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

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These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

Get rid of tomb!

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jv

These images have all made it

through the selection process and

are currently under consideration

for the wedding album.

The images are sorted by time order

so the chorology of the day can be

maintained.

See DVD for low res of all images.

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The term Magazine Style Wedding Album is a bit misleading, because Magazine

Style is a look, not a type of album.

The look is often fairly busy, containing around four to eight images per side.

Special effects are frequently used, such as placing photos on top of a faded photo in the background.

(The faded look means the photos have what's called a low opacity).

Also, techniques such as border effects, as well as graphics and text contribute to the overall look.

The magazine style creates a modern wedding album. It has a high impact. It's like watching an old episode of Batman with the sound effect speech bubbles - Pow! Kazam! Bang! So if you prefer subtle, they may not be for you.

But, because of how they're laid out, digital albums often allow more photos to be included than matted albums.

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These are the type of album that tells the

story of the day. This is the style I am looking

for.

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Looking at Fonts- I need them for my

website and Wedding Albums. Need

one that is associated with quality.

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FONT SELECTION FOR TEXT IN ALBUM.

As I wish my albums to look like

a magazine it seems

appropriate that I use a font

that is similar to those found in

high end Magazines. After

browsing, ID, Cosmopolitan,

and Vogue it was clear that an

Advert reaches more people as

it is in a lot of places at the

same time.

This font is Contemporary yet has a romance. The Closest match I could obtain was Edwardian script ITC which

is only a little different.

Agent Provocateur- Laura

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Options for getting the Album Made.

1) Get someone else to do it!

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TO have an ALBUM MADE by someone else IS FAR TOO

EXPENSIVE! Even if I spent 10 hours making it, I could do

it cheaper by going direct to Loxley.

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Option 2 Do It yourself.

Loxley Range of products. Good Quality

Loxley make a wide

range of products

and it makes sense

to use a single

supplier as it cuts

down on admin time.

There are a number

of Album suppliers

but I chose Loxley as

they were

recommended by a

number of

photographers at the

NEC wedding fayre

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This is a good

deal and can be

used to up sell

the wedding

package.

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Creating a wedding Album:

The Chosen Supplier is Loxley in Glasgow because the quality is good and they

offer a range of other marketable products. This company allows you to order as

needed, both other good suppliers (GRAPHI and Queensberry) require you to

commit to at least 12 albums a year and at the moment this is not feasible.

The Design software I was shown on the Course was Yervants Photogallery but

this costs $600. This allowed albums to be made for any supplier. This may be

purchased later.

For now I will either Use the free Loxley software or Design each page in photo

shop as a PSD which I will flatten to send to LOXLEY album producer. This takes longer

than using the Yervant photo gallery software.

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The Story book will be chronological and document the day. This shoot with models is missing

some elements of a real wedding. There are no group shots or reception details so I am going to have to use

more couple shots than normal to fill the required number of spreads. So order will be

Bride in hotel

Groom In Hotel

Service (Ring shot)

Going outside to garden

Outside Church

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ALBUM EVALUATION.

Feed back

Hi Jon

It’s a beautiful book.. Really lovely shots..Maybe next book not so formal ( as you can tell they are

models as they are too beautiful .. I do really like your lay out and the over laying. Can I ask how

much is it going to cost for you to print.

This is a fellow Wedding

photographer, who was looking

at technique as well as the feel

of the book.

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The Album does look professional. It is on the conservative side but that was to try and appeal to as many people

as possible.

This album will appeal to a bride who wants to look like a magazine model. The choice of models for Bride and

Groom was, I believe the correct one I need a real wedding in a nice venue to truly make my vision of a more

reportage style album with the guests to get a start to finish album.

The shots in this album flatter the couple with the minimum of retouching. It is Leather bound and high end and

compares well with some of the ones I looked at on the Stands at the NEC WEDDING SHOW and researched on

line.

The Vignette to white

I feel is dated but the

faded effect I like if

used sparingly

Too many images

on one page.

Simple cover is for some

a classic look

Black and white

mixes with colour

adds interest

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Portfolio part 2.

My aim is produce a separate constructed document (from existing photographs) that challenges notion the idealised wedding album records the

event accurately by creating an alternative version from existing snapshot images taken by amateurs and mixing with some of the photographers on

the day . This is to examine how the family album can only show a little glimpse of the real situation.

The Family Album.

Phil Coomes | 09:17 UK time, Wednesday, 8 July 2009

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BBC NEWS VIEW FINDER.

As time passes I find that my eye turns more often to pictures that depict little moments in people's lives. Photographs that capture the tales of

a life passing, dreams realised, and those that just got away.

The family album is something we all treasure and is often cited as the item we'd grab if we were allowed to keep only one possession.

Yet, I'd guess we have all seen old family albums for sale at auction, in charity shops or at photographic fairs, and this seems odd, personal

pictures so out of context, images of loved ones no longer remembered. How do they get there and what stories do they hold?

Dawn Parsonage is also interested in this field. Indeed she likes to collect things, pictures and children's books

anyway. She is the proud owner of a large collection of children's books that were once owned by the late Spike Milligan, including one with an

inscription from Peter Sellers.

Fascinating stuff, but of course my interest lies in her growing collection of old family photo albums, not her family you understand, those of

strangers.

I asked Dawn to explain why she is drawn to collect other people's pictures:

"I'm fascinated by photography and social history so old photo albums are the perfect marriage of the two. They're windows into a day, a

moment, a captured fraction of a second a long time ago that can tell you so much about the person and the time they lived in.

What can you tell from a photo?

Is it just conjecture? Are images enough? I think context is important as

well.

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"I've been collecting old photo albums for 10 years now. It all started with a 1930s album and diary of a Brownie leader and her antics on

camping trips I found in a market for £8. Some of the pictures are beautiful, some comical and some surprisingly modern.

"After that I kept my eye out for other interesting albums with images that were more than just the snaps on the beach, or pictures of the new

baby. I love images that tell a story, which have humour; images that show the personality of the subject or the photographer, bringing the

moment to life again. We do not know the real story we are happy provide our own narrative.

"I think it's so sad that all these images could so easily have been lost. When I see a ripped album page I wonder what moments have already

gone forever, and how long it will be until the photographs I work so hard to create and capture today are forgotten and lost too. I guess there's

part of me that holds onto other people's memories and moments to give them a second life.

"I love photographers such as Robert Capa, and I guess these albums do a similar thing to his work, documenting life, but the difference being

these were never published. Why? Because the person portrayed was not famous or important enough at

the time.

"In my bookshelves I have the album of a sailor who travelled to the Far East and proud of his ship, the Glaswegian who tried to document his

city with the modern technology of photography, the woman who was amazed by the life sized inflatable elephant hovering over the corner shop

and a picture of a hideous dress lovingly made and never worn again. I'd love to share all of these images and stories somehow, ideally getting a

book together in the future.

"I not only collect these images but I also take photographs in the old way too, with a twin lens camera with no light meter. I guess the exposure

the same way as they would have done for most of the images from my albums; this has so far worked well due to the latitude of black and

white negative film.

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"I love the silence and unobtrusive nature of my old camera, the preciousness of each image in this day of digital. There's something about old

techniques that feel warmer, with more of an atmosphere to it, although it's difficult to put you're finger on why I love it so much really."

Indeed, how long before the photographs we all take are forgotten and lost too, and if you follow that through

to its conclusion, how long before our lives are forgotten and cast aside at a car boot sale.

It's not just pictures of people, places too, photographs of record that are abandoned without any captions. Can you identify any of these found

by Nicky Clark?

Pictures can be cruel, all photographs are in some ways about death, the moment that will never

come again, mantelpieces dotted with children's faces, long grown and now hidden in the world.

Clarisse d'Arcimoles, who has just completed a photography course at Central Saint Martins College in London, has attempted to turn back the

clock, restaging her own family pictures. The details are exquisite, and each frame took days to plan, yet for all that she notes that "what is

being reconstructed is no longer reachable".

These frozen moments also play an important part in shaping our own history and can over time begin to shape our memories. Do we remember

the event as it happened, or do we remember it because there is a picture of it?

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That of course doesn't only apply to personal pictures, but also the grand moments of history, those split seconds caught by the lens that define

whether a moment is important or not, but maybe that's a post for another time.

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Photo elicitation refers to any approach in which

participants are shown photographic images and asked questions

relevant to the research topic. The photographs, usually a series

of related images in printed or digital form, provide a means of

stimulating comments, memories and open discussion. Photo

elicitation can be used in structured or semi-structured

interviews. It is a useful tool for exploring abstractions,

generalities and reactions to specific events or themes.

Interviewing with images can also be used to gather

encyclopaedic information, document knowledge distribution

within a community and validate data gathered during other

interviews or field methods.

I could take this approach with my

wedding day photographs

http://www.bdln.net/node/614

The Hand written notes add

more depth to the images and

make them more personal

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Strengths

+ Photographs focus and sharpen the memory and can be used to assess informants’ knowledge of specific topics.

+ Photo elicitation is useful for

identifying, in the early stages of fieldwork, “experts” or knowledgeable individuals who may later become key informants or hired as field research assistants

investigating folk classification systems and gathering vernacular names of flora and fauna

understanding the ways informants identify and distinguish objects.

+ Interviewing with photographs can be useful for alleviating the discomfort informants can experience during intense periods of questioning.

+Photographs are engaging. They offer the informant a gratifying sense of self-expression, as he/she is able to explain and identify the image content and educate

the interviewer in the process. Furthermore, photographic content that includes the informants may generate considerable amusement and as a novelty can engage

surrounding family members who are eager to see the images. This can lead to group discussions, which may be helpful for revealing differences of opinion or

understanding within a household unit.

Weaknesses

- Photographs do not always adequately represent an object in its natural context. Seeing something in the flesh is distinct from viewing a photograph and in

contexts where people are unfamiliar with photographs, items may be misidentified because they are “out of context”. For example, if images are being used to

elicit information about flora and fauna, informants’ responses may significantly differ from the data collected in relation to living or collected biological material.

- In some communities people are uncomfortable being photographed or in general with the depiction of people or even animals. In these areas, photo elicitation

may have to be limited to plants, artefacts and other images that are culturally appropriate.

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These Images are not your typical wedding album shots. They capture the “Real” what is actually

happening without causing offence. There is no illusion or fantasy in these images unlike my

commercial album where the focus was on making everything perfect and magazine like. Leeming’s

images show how these people live. Their pride and culture is played out for all to see.

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Layering is a technique that I have tried before but the feedback I got was people

found it hard to understand the resulting abstractions and I want to create a

narrative with my family album so I must consider other options.

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We all have pictures of moments that “have” to be

recorded but these really tell a false story. We are

smiling yet our world may have fallen apart.

Moods and emotions may be guessed at

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'Jo Spence characterizes the 'Family Album' exhibition as a first step in investigating her own family and class background, and

what it means to be a woman', she quotes Spence in saying, 'the cross-fertilization between class and sexuality has informed all

my work since this period.' She goes on to outline how an interest in class politics is central to all her work, but how in later

years 'questions around class are nuanced by concerns with the psyche, with the inner life and fantasy; by concerns raised in

1980s feminist thinking on representation and sexual difference and, more importantly perhaps, by Spence's less overtly

theorized work on the family album and in phototherapy.'

Spence described Beyond the Family Album as a work-in-progress aiming 'to better understand how, through visual forms of

representation, our subjective views of selves, and others, are structured and held across the institutions of media, and through

hierarchical social relationships.'

Spence identified popular photography as the complex site of ideological negotiation between family, class, gender and social life. She emphasised the need for a 'counter-photography' of the family, one that breaks with the strict conventions of popular photography, to portray a more realistic representation of family life. She critiqued how most family photography is reduced to a limited set of typifying narratives and how much of what constitutes family life remains undocumented. She advocated collaboration between participants, willing to engage with questions of sexuality and complex family relations.

Beyond the Family Album, Private Images, Public Conventions, was originally shown at the Hayward Gallery, London in June

1979 as part of a survey show of contemporary British photography called Three Perspectives on Photography. Alongside this

work, the exhibition includes some of Spence's early work with the Hackney Flashers on childcare and work on family produced

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by The Polysnappers while studying at the then Polytechnic of Central London. It will also include photographs that she made

with her brother during his divorce, Phototherapy work examining her relationship with her mother and some material from her

leukaemia diaries. Jo Spence's work on extending the categories of the family album continues to function as a stimulating and

practical model for thinking about what photographs do. Her project becomes more complicated when considered in relation to

current media trends of confessional display and sensationalised depictions of dysfunctional family relations displayed in contemporary art galleries. However, in a context where art is increasingly viewed as entertainment, her contribution can be valued as a

necessary intervention into everyday social practice and as a tool-kit for understanding and critiquing representational and

media conventions.

What do photographs do? They please, excite, horrify and record what’s in front of them. They can be

manipulated by selecting a view point or post production. With context they can be used to document the world

around us. We interpret them or treat them as aesthetic surfaces. Old family snapshots can tell us things like

style at the time but not the emotional state of the person in them, we may guess that the person is happy

because they are smiling but that smile may be a performance for the camera. Does shooting candidly improve

the situation, marginally I believe.

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photography quickly assumed a documentary role in anthropology, based on the underlying premise that photographs are visual transcriptions of reality, which appear to contain fact, evidence, and truth in an objectivity that is the cornerstone of factual documentary reporting. Objectivity also requires the image maker to be as unobtrusive and candid as possible in taking photographs, and to reveal visual information impartially in a manner that can both describe visual contexts and alter events as little as possible from reality. However, the photographer also has to frame the scene and choose the moment, so perfect objectivity is not possible. It is not always possible to be unobtrusive; for example, if a dark scene has to be lit with electronic flash.

Within these limitations, anthropological photographers adopt a strictly documentary approach and combine it with scientific method to interrelate, synthesize, and finally interpret visual and written information. When used in this way, photography is a valuable adjunct to anthropological and ethnographic research.

As a research tool, photography’s apparent verisimilitude creates a special category of document, which can be used as a visual counterpart to written observation, merging direct observation with realistic representation. Within its limitations, photography thus provides a consistent, tangible record for analysis and recordkeeping in an objective and commonly understood visual language. It is also a reliable means of storing, ordering, and interpreting visual information.

Most of the photographic evidence that finds practical use in anthropological research is concerned with counting, measuring, comparing, qualifying, and tracking. More specifically, the primary applications of anthropological photography demonstrate patterns in cultural diversity and its integration, societal control, religious behaviour, marriage customs, festivals, etc., as well as to document the effects of

these patterns on both the culture and the environment of interest. Photography is especially useful in this regard, because it allows the wholeness of each behavioural pattern to be essentially preserved while maintaining the spatial and contextual separation necessary for analytical cross-referencing and scientific study.

Read more: Anthropological Photography - Visual, Cultural, Scientific, and Research - JRank

Articles http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/articles/pages/1110/Anthropological-Photography.html#ixzz1eNzejUnX

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As a result of my research I will look at photographs my wife and I were given of our wedding from all sources.

The aim is to create an album that captures more of the emotions than the official album. The official album

skirts certain issues. I intend to use Photo elicitation to draw more of the story out.

Whilst Sian and I wanted to get married we were both apprehensive and aware of issues that could ruin our day.

My Mum being a prime concern, she has caused trouble before at both my sisters and brothers weddings. I

wanted my step dad Tony Hancock (George Anthony Hancock) as my best man (Tony and my mum were

divorced) this took some negotiating.

My mother has never been not very fond of the chief bridesmaid. (Rhian Hancock, my Brother, Mark’s wife. My

mum caused a lot of upset at my brother’s wedding. First by refusing to come (I cannot remember why), then

drinking as well as taking prescription pills and being very embarrassing at the reception. She had to be taken

home.

I decided to arrange the images in the same chronology as my commercial wedding album.

The exception was to put the Wedding days of both sets of parents.

When I searched through the packets of photographs, it awoke emotions that I had suppressed. The family

politics that had been forgotten by both sides are hinted at but when forced to recall they resurface.

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I had a very disturbing childhood and this effect’s me today. I times of stress I can revert back to how my parents

behaved. I do not want my daughter to suffer like I did so things have to change perhaps I can stop it from

happening , un learn the behaviour.

Making this album as a work of art has kept memories of people alive. The re-evaluation and questioning of the

characters portrayed is important social history. Also the retelling of key events has a cathartic effect. In getting

people to look at the photographs and recounting experiences some of the hurt is reconciled. Also some of the

joy is preserved.

I chose to put the photographs in a cheap album representing the ones I was used to as a child.

I started to put texts with the images and had done a few pages before presenting it for feedback. The feedback I

got was that it was that my spoken descriptions were more interesting than the photographs. The images only

hinted at what I wanted to say. The work needed a shock value to it. I have to ask myself how personal I want to

be. How much I want to reveal.

Would almost essays of text give that shock? No I needed something that would focus the personal. I remember

some of Tracey Emin’s videos from the Exhibition “love Is what you want.” They were not highly elaborate piece

of cinematography but made using low tec equipment; this may work in some form with my wedding memories.

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I thought about this and decided to record people’s reactions to the photographs. It’s a shame the conversation

with my mother about when she married Tony was not recorded. I think she was avoiding the question. I am

unable at this time able to pursue her about it.

From the feedback I decided to include the spoken word in my project. Text was rejected because it can be a bit

dry to go to a gallery and be faced with a novel to read on the walls.

What did I want? Do I record voice only or a video interview? I thought as we are looking at photographs it

would be appropriate to show the photograph with the voice over.

Did I want a long Interview? Not really that could be as dull as text so I thought just to record short sound bites

max 10 minutes for each photograph.

The First photograph I chose to talk about myself. It was the Picture taken by the official photographer of myself

with Tony outside the church waiting for the bride to arrive. (He gave us a CD of all the images as well as the

Album.)

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I was so disappointed that none of the pictures of us outside the

church are technically correct; Tony was being prompted by the

photographer to show me the rings so he nearly stuffed them up my

nose messing about. This is the only time during the wedding that

we were photographed together with no one else in the picture.

None of the sequence is in any way aesthetically pleasing.

This is exasperated by the fact that a few months later he was dead

and this was our last day together.

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This was my best effort to Photoshop the image to see

if it could be recovered. It could not so I typed over a

digital copy to show my disappointment.

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The recording was not scripted and was done in one take. I did not want it to sound rehearsed. I wanted the raw

emotion to be there. I have a cold as well which affects my voice but this is what I will use. It is a un-mediated

response to the image, my initial feelings if I go back and polish it will not sound like me, I might edit the content

after I have had time to think of the consequences. (One consequence is that the written comment 7 years after

the event might upset Sian’s dad who arranged the photographer)

Now I have the voice over what do I do with it?

Options

Display as a print and use ear phones for sound

Display as a print and sound loud in gallery.

Video projection in dark room.

Display electronically video or interactive display

Web video.

I think making a show reel will enable many possibilities.

I think I should only show the comment for a short time during the voice over then fade it out as it

becomes less important with time more important is the memory of Tony. I decided to fade the photo out

and just end with a blank screen.

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The second photo

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Repression

Explanations > Behaviours > Coping > Repression

Description | Example | Discussion | So what?

Description

I chose this Picture of me and my Mum. This was directed by the photographer. I was

feeling apprehensive. I just wanted everything to go smoothly and it had so far! I was

reminded of my Brother, Mark’s wedding. My mum had started drinking early, upset

people misbehaved; fell asleep, in her dinner.

I phoned Mark and recorded the conversation I was surprised how casual he sounded

about it. He did not tell me anything really that I did not know but enabled me to laugh

about it now. It was very traumatic at the time. But this conversation brought back a

repressed memory of the day. I remember my mum’s attitude as she arrived. She was

looking for trouble. (Still not sure why she does not get on with Rhian marks bride, I

suppose the feeling is mutual.)

This made me nervous and I did not see the signs that one of the bride’s maids (Sian), was

interested in me. Lucky for me she persevered! And this is our wedding day!

I guess it was easy to repress the negative at Marks wedding but talking about a

photograph it still brings the memory back perhaps only in part.

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Repression involves placing uncomfortable thoughts in relatively inaccessible areas of the subconscious mind. Thus when things occur that we

are unable to cope with now, we push them away, either planning to deal with them at another time or hoping that they will fade away on their own accord.

The level of 'forgetting' in repression can vary from a temporary abolition of uncomfortable thoughts to a high level of amnesia, where events that caused the anxiety are buried very deep.

Repressed memories do not disappear. They can have an accumulative effect and reappear as unattributable anxiety or dysfunctional behavior. A high level of repression can cause a high level of anxiety or dysfunction, although this may also be caused by the repression of one particularly

traumatic incident.

Repressed memories may appear through subconscious means and in altered forms, such as dreams or slips of the tongue ('Freudian slips').

Example

A child who is abused by a parent later has no recollection of the events, but has trouble forming relationships.

A woman who found childbirth particularly painful continues to have children (and each time the level of pain is surprising).

An optimist remembers the past with a rosy glow and constantly repeats mistakes.

A man has a phobia of spiders but cannot remember the first time he was afraid of them.

A person greets another with 'pleased to beat you' (the repressed idea of violence toward the other person creeping through).

Discussion

Repression (sometimes called motivated forgetting) is a primary ego defense mechanism since the other ego mechanisms use it in tandem with

other methods. Thus defense is often 'repression + ....'.

Repression is unconscious. When we deliberately and consciously try to push away thoughts, this is suppression.

In Freudian terminology, repression is the restraining of a cathexis by an anti-cathexis.

It is not all bad. If all uncomfortable memories were easily brought to mind we would be faced with a non-stop pain of reliving them.

To Freud, the goal of treatment, i.e., of psychoanalysis, was to bring repressed memories, fears and thoughts back to the conscious level of awareness.

Repression is one of Anna Freud's original defense mechanisms.

So what?

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When a person is being defensive in some way, think about the repressions that may be at the root of their problem. Also listen for speech

errors and other signals from the subconscious. You can even start a conversation about recent weird dreams and then listen for further symbols, though be careful with this, as dreams can be very symbolic.

Help a person recover from the discomfort and dysfunction that repression brings by digging out the original memory. Be very careful with this, of course - done wrong, it may only cause more pain.

If you have caused a person stress and they feel unable to respond, you may find that they act as if nothing had happened. This is a surprisingly common attribute of persuasive situations. It can gain compliance in the shorter term, but can build up problems for later.

The Third Image Sian Talks about

her experience at Marks

Wedding and her fears for our

wedding day.