Entries Tagged 'from behind the lens' ↓
April 18th, 2011 — from behind the lens, links, photography, planning, suppliers
This week I am very pleased to showcase Shireen Louw, who is based in one of Cape Town’s Northern suburbs, Brackenfell.
You must go to her website and check out the galleries, and she has a blog- and I believe I have mentioned how I love to browse photographer’s blogs. You can also find Shireen on Facebook and follow her on Twitter.
Read on!
Tell me a little bit about yourself. I am an opinionated and passionate photographer. I am proud of who I am, and what I have accomplished so far in life. I love to travel, I love people and I am absolutely addicted to silly reality shows.
How did you get into photography? I have always had an interest in photography but my father was the one that helped me get into it professionally about five years ago. I started by assisting him when he photographed weddings, and later started Shireen Louw Photography.
How do you describe your photographic style? I think I offer a combination of styles. I have a mixture of journalistic, candid and portrait photography. My favourite style or kind of photography will definitely be the moments when I capture true emotion, unscripted, unedited, just raw, fantastic, and gripping emotion.
How long have you been photographing weddings? I have been professionally photographing weddings since 2007.
What type of camera do you use? I use the Nikon D700.
How do you market yourself? Nowadays I don’t really market myself, except on social media sites like Facebook & Twitter.
What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Keep true to your own style! Don’t try to copy someone else’s work, since you will never be successful that way. To be successful you need to be unique, take risks and stay true to your own style.
How do you put nervous or camera shy brides and couples at ease? I honestly don’t have a set remedy, but I have found that when you approach a bride with an energetic, upbeat personality and never seem bothered about small things, and act professional, yet playful and always complimenting them on how good you think they look, they will soon forget to be nervous. I tend to talk to them while shooting, not always about how to pose etcetera, but literally about anything that is relevant at that moment. I joke and have fun with them. I honestly think it totally is about the person behind the camera and how you approach your clients on the day that sets them at ease.
What is your biggest challenge as a wedding photographer? When the couple do not allow enough time for the couple photo’s (aka RUSHED photography), bad weather conditions, and when the couple have friends and family with camera’s that keeps intervening with your poses, are in your way or just basically just makes your job so much harder with their constant flashing of point and shoot camera’s.
What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer? I must be honest and say that to be part of so many wedding days is a big highlight in my life… but some of the highlights I would say are when I have been booked for destination weddings where I need to fly to the location.
Which of the wedding photographs you have taken are your favourite? I don’t have specific favourites, but I think my favourite photographs have happened when myself and the couple are having the time of our lives while their photographs were being taken.
How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? I absolutely love post production, where you can retouch, and tweak your photo’s to look exactly like you want them to look. When I open my images after a wedding in post-production, I feel like an artist putting my own stamp/feel/look on my photographs.
Do you have an assistant, or invite second shooters to assist at your weddings? I do have a permanent 2nd shooter, but if she is not available, I most definitely invite outside second shooters to assist me with my weddings.
Which of your photographs would you use to show off your creative and artistic side? I think I am most creative with bridal portraits during the pre-wedding ceremony and during the couple’s photo session. This is where you have to take initiative and tell the couple what to do and how to stand.
What would you love to add to your equipment? Oh I do have my eye on a few lenses 
Where would you love to do a wedding shoot? I would love to do a shoot in the Black Forest in South Western Germany just after it snowed. I would also like to shoot in the mid of Upper East Side New York at night.
What is your work-flow after a wedding? Downloading the images, backing them up and then I start editing.
How many images do you average for a wedding, and how many do you deliver to your clients? I take between 1000 and 1500 images at each wedding and I give the client the amount of photo’s stipulated in the package they have chosen.
Is there a wedding photographer you admire? There are quite a few that I like, but I recently started to follow a guy called Sam Hassas! He is brilliant!
Whether its animals, landscapes, nature or portraits, most photographers seem have a penchant for a particular subject. What is yours? I love people, I love expressions, candid moments!
If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… walk around photographing people up-close when they think nobody is looking.
If you could photograph any musician, who would it be? BONO!
Is there anything you’re learning to do? I am learning to be patient
What will you be up to in 2011? Shireen Louw will be going from strength to strength in 2011!
April 11th, 2011 — from behind the lens, links, photography, planning, suppliers
This week, I am pleased to be interviewing Susan Nel. I found Susan’s website via Wedding Photojournalist Association and I was simply gob smacked by her gallery! You have got to visit her blog and see even more details on the shoots she does, you can find her on Facebook too.
She was kind enough to say yes to an interview, and you can read it- exclusively- right here!
Tell me a little bit about yourself. I started exploring photography when I was about 11 years old. I got hooked on film photography and to this day I still think there is something magical and authentic about film photography and a dark room. I went on to digital but out of nostalgia I try doing a film shoot every now and again. I am an absolute chocoholic and I love people, any people and all people and all the little moments that marks their lives. I am also an active member of the WPJA and did the Namibian shoot for the Bridal Guide Magazine in 2008.
Where are you based? I am based in Windhoek, Namibia and I am very privileged to do a lot of destination weddings in the Dunes of the Namib Desert. I have done shoots all across Namibia & South Africa.
How did you get into photography? I’ve always had a special way of seeing images & emotion everywhere I go. I received my grandfather’s camera after he passed away when I was a little girl and from thereon I started to explore with photography. From the first time I heard a shutter go off, I was hooked!
How do you describe your photographic style? I definitely have a photojournalistic style. I love capturing moments that no one even knew happened or remember happening.
How long have you been photographing weddings? I have been photographing weddings since 2006. My sister in law had enough faith in me to let me capture her big day. I loved it and decided to go for it!
What type of camera do you use? Mostly my Canon EOS 50D. Some of the images on my website were taken with Canon Mark 1D and 5D as well.
How do you market yourself? I would have to say that word-of-mouth is getting me very far… but I also have a website, a blog and Facebook page that does the job.
What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Find your style and be true to it… when you have a gift, explore it, develop it and mostly, enjoy it!
How do you put nervous or camera shy brides and couples at ease? As my style is mainly documentary, I do not prep the couple too much as this will make them nervous. When I see they need some guidance I try to remind them to focus on each other. Mostly I ask them to try and ignore me as far as possible – and then I disappear!
What is your biggest challenge as a wedding photographer? In Namibia my biggest challenge is harsh light. Trying not to interfere with the natural happenings of the event by interfering with the location that the photos are taken I sometimes have to be VERY creative to avoid the harshness of light… 
What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer? I love sharing big moments with people even when they do not know I am sharing them. The highlight for me is meeting new and exciting people and getting to understand a little piece of their life’s story… It’s boring I know, but it is exhilarating when a bride and groom love their images It’s always nice when your work is appreciated. If I have to choose a specific moment during my career I would have to say it was when I got admitted as a member of the WPJA.
Which of the wedding photographs you have taken are your favourite?
I love capturing those small moments – especially the humorous ones. This one was a classic example of the stressful moment where the bride was not sure she will still fit in her dress… It makes me smile every time!
This is a shot where I conquered the harsh Namibian light – and it actually highlights the subjects and therefore the moment.
This couple crawled deep into my heart. They share a deep love, intimate friendship and that something amazingly special that not all couples can bring to life. This moment captured in this image speaks louder than words!
I love children at weddings! This little girl was in absolute AWE of the bride… so sweet. An absolute brilliant example of all girls dreaming about their own wedding day – even at such a young age!
The lines of the Namibian Desert – priceless!
To me this is such a romantic picture. The wind was blowing sand EVERYWHERE, but these two managed to find that perfect moment in between all craziness!
So much fun reflected in everyone’s faces. This image makes me giggle every time!
How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? Photoshop is a smaller part of my work, as I mainly work with Adobe Lightroom to process a higher volume of images and use Photoshop only as an extra when necessary. Although Photoshop compliments Lightroom very well, retouching is not really my thing. I try to retouch and edit as little as possible, as this could change a genuine moment into one that feels a little fake.
Do you have an assistant, or invite second shooters to assist at your weddings? I have two assistants, yes- one of whom I am happy to announce, is my husband!!
Which of your photographs would you use to show off your creative and artistic side?
I always loved to paint – but I could never get it as real as I wanted it. This image gave me the creativity to “paint”. When you look closer it seems that there is a frame on the wall and the sand is pouring right out of it.
I can’t explain it, but I love the light in this image.
I see images in strange subjects. The black & white compliments the “old feeling” of the subject.
I took this image in the Cinque Terre Villages in Italy, 2009. I just love the colour and contrast of the ocean and the little houses sitting on a cliff.
Again, I just loved the colour of the inside of this house in Kolmanskop, Luderitz.
This image was taken on a junkyard on my parents’ farm … maybe a bit sentimental, rather than a brilliant image, I know, but I love it.
Again, Kolmanskop. What can I say – I spent 7.5 hours there and loved every minute of it!
What would you love to add to your equipment? I am upgrading my Camera to Canon EOS 5D MarkII soon.. and would love to add a 100mm F1.2!
Where would you love to do a wedding shoot? I have been very fortunate to do weddings in a range of different venues, but I would LOVE to shoot one in India, Malaysia or Indonesia. The colour in their weddings always amazes me!
What is your work-flow after a wedding? Downloading the images straight away and making a back-up. Then sorting through the images to find the ones that best tells the story of the day. Then I do start on the hands-on post production work.
How many images do you average for a wedding, and how many do you deliver to your clients? The average images I take per wedding = 2000 images. I try to give nothing less than 600 images to the client, as I want to make sure we cover the entire story of the day!
Is there a wedding photographer you admire? I worked with Christian Keenan, a UK based photographer, in 2009 for a short while. His work is absolutely breathtakingly beautiful.
Whether its animals, landscapes, nature or portraits, most photographers seem have a penchant for a particular subject. What is yours? It’s definitely people. No doubt about it. People in their truest sense while life is happening around them.
If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… walk into the squatter camps, aids orphanages etcetera, and capture the real need people experience every day. I will then take those images to the separate associations and charities to inspire them to help those in need.
If you could photograph any musician, who would it be? I would love to follow a band or a group and capture the story of their entire tour. For instance, I would love to join the Passion Conference group that takes place in USA with Louie Giglio & Chris Tomlin and take images for a part of the tour. That would be amazing!
Is there anything you’re learning to do? Yes, I am sharpening up on my knowledge on how to crack Sudokus…they are addictive!
What will you be up to in 2011? Hopefully I will be traveling to Switzerland in May, presenting a series of photography courses in June, July & August and carry on doing what I love doing!
April 4th, 2011 — from behind the lens, links, photography, suppliers
Andrew Howes Photography is the subject of this week’s wedding photography interview.
Andrew Howes Photography is an award winning and long standing stalwart of the wedding photography business. With over 500 weddings under his belt, Andrew manages to give his photographs a classic look and feel without making his subjects seem staged and formal. You can find him on Facebook and on Twitter, and I just know you’ll go back to his galleries more than once.
How do you describe your photographic style? Fun, creative, natural & with some classic old school!
How did you get into photography? I finished my degree in I.M.M. and started working for advertising agencies while I was there, I had the opportunity of working with photographers on campaigns – I loved what they were able to create from the use of some clever light and artistry – I then went to the UK to study photography, wedding photography was not what I wanted to do back then, but after returning and assisting some top photographers with weddings – I was hooked! That was in 1998 and I’ve never looked back!
How long have you been photographing weddings? Since 1998. To date I have captured over 500 weddings!
Where are you based? Sandton, Gauteng
What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer? Apart from winning numerous awards, and having the honor of shooting celebrity weddings – the real highlight for me in my career has been being able to capture memories with all my brides & grooms. Making friends with and sharing in the most special day of their lives.
How do you market yourself? Mostly through word of mouth. In fact it’s 90% of my new business, otherwise 2 magazines per year and of course the World Wide Web.
What type of camera do you use? I use a Canon EOS 5D MKII as my main camera, my second camera is the Canon EOS 5D, I also bring 2 other cameras as back up to every shoot!
What would you love to add to your equipment? Actually not much, I have selected the equipment I use for a reason – its everything that is needed to capture the big day with quality.
Which of the wedding photographs you have taken are your favourite?
How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? Photoshop. What a wonderful program! I am an old school photographer though, and believe in “shooting for negative” which means getting it right the first time. That said, we do use it on clients’ request to remove or smooth out those age lines or blemishes. But honestly, no, its not always needed.
If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… I would probably take photos of my kids all day – but on a serious note – I would like to do journalistic style photos and uncover some truths of the world!
What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Perseverance! It’s a tough market out there, so just hang in there. Remember, you are only as good as your last shoot – make every shoot important!
What advice do you give to nervous or camera shy brides and couples? I have been told I make people relax, and feel comfortable and I do that by just being relaxed myself – have fun, compliment the client, and constant communication – I always try and explain my shot, the idea I have with it, and then show them the result. It helps them feel involved!
Where would you love to go for a wedding shoot? Somewhere totally unique, like Egypt – The Sahara Desert – Paris. I love a challenge and new looks, so somewhere fresh and new!
Is there anything you’re learning to do? Always learning Photoshop, it’s such an extensive program, but otherwise no. Just learning my children’s characters daily!
What will you be up to in 2011? Hopefully making a million great memories! I love what I do!
March 28th, 2011 — from behind the lens, links, photography, suppliers
I am very excited about this interview!
The incomparable Jose Villa is the first American wedding photographer I have interviewed on Angel’s Weddings, and when I stumbled across his work in a Martha Stewart Weddings magazine I was totally smitten and I just had to know more about him! He is one of the top ten photographers in the USA, highly sought after, and has been featured in numerous bridal and photography magazines around the world!! And as unusual as it is nowadays, he shoots exclusively on film!
I started to see his work everywhere- Grey Likes Weddings, Style Me Pretty, Green Wedding Shoes, The Wedding Chicks, Hot Pink Brides, June Bug Weddings, La Fleur Weddings & Events, and several links through Pinterest- so I took a chance and emailed him and I was thrilled when he said yes!
You can follow Jose on Twitter, find him on Facebook, he has a blog AND he has a book out!
I’m quite sure that you too, will lose yourself in his website’s galleries…
How do you describe your photographic style? Fine Art Wedding Photography, Organic and Timeless.
How did you get into photography? I fell in love with photography when I was in High School. I attended Brooks Institute of Photography in Santa Barbara, CA and received my bachelors in Fine Art and Portraiture. My high school teacher dragged me to the Brooks tour to check out the school, I was scared to death that my parents would not approve, he believed in me and that was encouraging.
How long have you been photographing weddings? I shot my first wedding 8 years ago, the first year out of photo school I shot mostly children sessions.
Where are you based? I’m based in Solvang, California also known as the Danish capital of America… ha!
What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer? There are so many, but the few that make me proud is traveling all over the world to document couples’ families and genuine love for each other. Recently I’m very proud of my first ever book, Fine Art Wedding Photography due out on March 29th, 2011.
Which are your favourite wedding photographs? Oh man, this is a really tough one as well. I have shot so many images that move me in one way or another… these images are my favourite because emotionally they speak so loudly to me and to the couple. These images have a little something of me in the photo…
How do you market yourself? I love to share my weddings with blogs like Style Me Pretty. Blogs like these guys share my work with their fans and my name is shared with so many of their followers. I also provide images to all the vendors I work with like wedding planners and florists so they can share their art through my images on their blog and websites which in turn helps me get my name out there as long as they give me photo credit, which of course is the goal as I share images to these vendors and blogs.
What type of camera do you use? I shoot with a Contax 645 with an 80 2.0 and a Canon 35mm with a few different lenses. My favorite camera is the Contax 645 hands down. I’ve been shooting with that camera for 10 years.
What would you love to add to your equipment? Nothing, I’m not a fan of equipment .. I shoot 100% film and love my simple ways.
How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? Photoshop is a tool that we use for every wedding, but not to retouch or color correct… mostly to resize images and to prep files for blogs and vendors. The beauty of shooting film is that the lab does all the color correcting and density corrections.
If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… Take my camera and photograph instinct animals up close and personal.
Which five of your photographs would you use to show off your creative and artistic side? I love travel photography so these images represent scenes that are simple and composed, images that were thought out even before the shot happened.
What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Stay true to yourself and speak your own photo voice… never stop shooting for yourself.
What advice do you give to nervous or camera shy brides and couples? I don’t give them advice, I just communicate with them as I would while chatting with my friends and family. I don’t prep my subjects it only makes them nervous.
Where would you love to go for a wedding shoot? I’ve been pretty fortunate to shoot in a lot of really amazing destinations around the world. I would love to shoot in Peru one day or Uruguay.
Is there anything you’re learning to do? I learn something every day, but there’s not one thing I’m learning to do on a daily basis…
What will you be up to in 2011? Shooting like I alway have, meeting some amazing brides and grooms, traveling and getting married… yup, I’m getting married.
March 21st, 2011 — from behind the lens, links, photography, suppliers
The fabulous Annemari Ruthven is the subject of this week’s wedding photographer interview.
I found Annemari through WPJA, and I was very chuffed when she agreed to be interviewed. She has been featured no less than three times on Cap Classique and you can find her on Facebook as well as follow her on Twitter. Annemari has a few galleries I know you will enjoy browsing too, take a good long look at her wedding documentary portfolio and wedding portraits portfolio (amongst others).
How do you describe your photographic style? I definitely have a photojournalistic style. I like to document the wedding as it happens without much interference and without directing. This allows every wedding to be unique. You must be able to see the couple’s personalities in the photos and feel like you were at the wedding when looking at the photos.
How did you get into photography? I always loved taking photos with my father’s Olympus Trip 35 when I was in school. In 2003 I got my first Canon digital point and shoot, and I was hooked. I took it everywhere and took photos of everything and everyone!
The fun really started when my husband bought me my first digital SLR and lens. I started taking more and more photos and really liked editing them. In 2007 I decided I wanted to do something different with my life, quit my job in the interior decorating field and stared assisting a wedding photographer. I realised that I really loved photography, especially photographing weddings, and started doing them on my own in 2008. And that is what I have been doing full time since then. I love every moment of it!
How long have you been photographing weddings? Full time and on my own since 2008.
Where are you based? I am based in Cape Town and willing to travel everywhere.
What has been the highlight of your career as a wedding photographer? This is a difficult question. I take pleasure in the small things, so it’s a highlight for me every time I get a “Thank you so much, we love our photos!” email from my clients.
Cheesy, I know. But it’s true.
Which are your five favourite wedding photographs?
My first Jo’burg wedding and what a stunning wedding it was. I just love their expressions and the ray of sunshine with the rose petals.
I just smile when I look at this photo, she was so excited about her ring.
This is Ilze, one of my best friends who got married very recently. This photo just shows that anticipation and nervousness when you finally put on your wedding dress. Now it starts to get real.
Another photo that I just love and that makes me smile. This little guy was such a caracter and I took so many photos of him. That’s him mimicking me with the camera!
Another old favourite that won 9th place in the AGWPJA Q4 consest in the weather category. It was a stormy day in Montagu and I felt so bad for Simone in her beautiful dress having to endure the wind and rain for photos!
How do you market yourself? I’m not very good with marketing myself. I have a Facebook page and I’m on Twitter and I advertise on a few websites. By far my blog and word of mouth has been the best marketing for me.
What type of camera do you use? I use a Canon 5D mkII.
What would you love to add to your equipment? I will be adding the 50mm 1.2 and 85mm 1.2 to my bag soon. I would like to add the assistance of my lovely husband to my list of must-haves for weddings!
How important is a tool like Photoshop in your work, and do you retouch at all? I don’t use Photoshop that much. I only use it for sharpening and resizing. I mostly use Lightroom for all editing. It’s much faster than Photoshop.
If you could be invisible- with your camera- for a day, you would… just wander around the city and photograph people while they work and do what they do with the aim of capturing that one photograph that says it all.
Which five of your photographs would you use to show off your creative and artistic side?
I used very shallow depth of field to focus on the bride’s expression while she put on her dress, and I used the dress and her hands to frame her eyes and that is where the focus lies.
I used a low angle of view to catch the bride’s very long veil dragging across the sand after the ceremony.
I wanted to show the motion of the people dancing and just waited for the right moment for the bride to be in the middle of the frame and then used a slow shutter speed and a quick turn of the camera.
Another one of my favourite weddings where the bride and groom just left me to do my thing and capture the day. That allowed me to quickly catch this photo that is one of my all-time favourites.
A reflection in a window during the reception that allows me to show all the different aspects of what is going on during the speech in one photo.
What advice do you have for photographers who are just starting out? Shoot as much as possible. That is the best way to learn.
How do you get nervous or camera shy brides and couples to relax in front of the camera? I just let them be themselves. I ask them to focus on each other and not on me, and then I take photos while they interact with one another. Positive encouragement always helps a lot.
Where would you love to do a wedding shoot? Paris, Greece, South America, and too many other places to mention. I like shooting in remote and unusual places.
Is there anything you’re learning to do this year? I’m learning to handle the business side of photography. It’s a difficult thing for me to learn, because I’m not business orientated at all and all I want to do is take photos.
What will you be up to in 2011? Shooting weddings all over South Africa at venues I’ve never been to. I’m currently busy redesigning my website and packaging with Louise from Lovelab and I want to start a personal photo project.
