Plagiarism is the Sincerest Form of Flattery

Photographers never know how a shoot will turn out until it is over. There are too many variables. When Donald Keith Photography photographed Jami and Jeff, , 7 years ago no one had any idea Jami would seek me out and ask me to photograph a renewal ceremony, 2 days shy of their 7 th anniversary.

They had a brush with poor health, were fortunate to have it in the past, and decided to renew their vows. The bride scanned the images from the original wedding and provided them to all the guests as a souvenir on a DVD. The photographer, minister, and maid of honor were the same. The colors were the similar, as were many of the guests. When I viewed the CD, I saw them and the wedding 7 years ago. The taste of her dad's back yard bar-b-que returned to my mouth. This time the ceremony was in West Virginia's beautiful Cacapon State Park. Fantastic location for a wedding.

Renewals for the same couple, generational events (Parents-children) for a family, and multiple family events (2 or more wedding of siblings) only come with years in the business and the gray hair that goes with it.

Blogging from Venice

Being without a computer since last Sunday has been more of a pain than you can imagine. Our B and B, had line trouble and had no phone or internet for 4 days. Relying on internet cafes and hot spots was time consuming, very expensive and dangerous to my computer (picked up a piece of malware that junk mailed my address book.)

Venice is a city designed for photographers. Everywhere you look that are 5 photos that you must take. Each is rustic, quaint, and beautiful. Therefore, you keep photographing, knowing there is no way possible to print all or even show them to friends. Our host at the B and B welcomed us with an unexpected meal, on him,we learned later. The photo above is the 1st course. After we unpacked, washed our faces, and changed, it was hardcore tourist time. In Venice that means WALK, WALK, and continue to walk. It was 4 miles the first day. Photography was on my mind and I wanted to capture as much as I could. The bed felt good that night.

3 Yankee Photgraphers

an entry by Associate Rachel Fus

Have you ever heard that phrase "a square is a rectangle but a rectangle is not a square"? Well, when Don approached me a few weeks back about doing a different sort of project a similar thought went through my mind: 

An album is a book, but a book is not an album.

Don FTP'd me the takes of three different photographers (himself included) from a trip they took together to Charleston and Hilton Head. His guidelines were simple: a softcover, coffee table book, 5.5 x 5.5in, illustrating the different perspectives the photogs had on the same scenes. 

Through an extensive filing system using keywords in Bridge, I edited down the 900+ images to less than 50. There's a lot left to do (TEXT!) but here's the first draft.

An album for your mother

an entry by Staff Photographer (and general assistant) Rachel Fus

I was just thinking I needed to refresh my graphics skills when Don asked if I could do an album for him. I was admittedly rusty to begin with but coupled with new layout software (on a PC, no less!) and a bride who prioritized 300 images as "must have, "and this job started to take a little longer than expected.

Mpix, the program from Miller's Professional Imaging, was easily downloaded (once I acquired all the correct account information) and turned out to be very user friendly. But then came the images. As I started laying out each page I realized our bride had chosen several images of the same pose instead of choosing her favorite expression of the series.

Dear Future Bride laying out her album, I DON'T KNOW YOU! I DON'T KNOW WHICH EXPRESSION YOU LIKE THE MOST! WHAT "SIDE" IS YOUR BEST!

...I did my best.

As I got deeper into the project, I realized there were key items missing. I do a series of spreads by significant event: getting ready, walking down the aisle, exchanging rings., etc. Those were all there, but the first dance wasn't and neither was cutting the cake, which leads me to my second point:

Dear Future Bride Laying Out Her Album, An album should be more than just a conglomeration of pictures. An album must tell a story without the benefit of words; the sequence of events, the emotions must be conveyed through images alone.

So here's the product thus far. It's been edited by Don and now it's off to the bride herself. Check back to see if she makes any changes!

A Factoid to Blow Your Mind

According to Fred Molesworth "something over 90% of all images taken on today's digital cameras are NEVER PRINTED."

Wow! I thought about that statement and quickly realized that he was right! I have terabytes of personal photographs that have never seen the inside of a print, wet or dry!

I guess you could say I'm making a subtle pitch for selling an album but it's more than that. Even if you transfer the images to gold archival DVDs, there is no reason to believe that any one will have a machine to read the DVD in 20 years. And what if the power goes out? Will the grand kids be able to flip through your old photos by fire or flash light? It's just like 8mm movies and BETA.

So, I know it might seem silly or wasteful to print those images now, but think about the future and please think about how you want to leave your treasured images for your kids.

Helping the Economy

It was a trade show, I had to buy something! but I entered the two large exhibition halls, filled to the gill with vendors, with caution. I took my own advice and kept a close watch on the goodies I purchased.

1) two new songs for my website

2) a great sample album to broaden the spectrum I offer to brides

3) an R strap

The first two were for the company, the third was just for me. It's a nifty, heavy duty re-adaptation of a regular camera strap. What is different is that you screw into the trip socket, and sling the strap around your head and one shoulder, floating the camera on your tush. Then...when you are ready to photograph...you grab and swing the camera up to your eye, your finger on the release, in one fluid motion. Bang! You have the photograph.