# Give me your best tips!



## sarahkosloski (Jun 24, 2012)

Okay, here's the deal. I've actually been doing wedding photography for a couple of years but I honestly do not know nearly as much as I should about the whole deal and I want to learn more so I can get better at it. My photos are passable, but I want them to be incredible. 
Here's where I am currently at:
Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm lens, Tamron 10-24, terrible awful kit 55-200 that I try not to use ever, Promaster 7500EDF flash
Nikon D40 as backup
Photoshop CS2
When shooting: in auto, JPEG (apparently some think this is the cardinal sin?), attempt to use flash only when necessary but usually do flash and non-flash as a backup. I bounce up and use cardstock as a bounce card with my flash. I have a tripod but almost never ever use it.
When editing: run levels, occasional color edits, sepia and grayscale, lots of clone and healing tool, burn and dodge, etc.
If you want I can link at the facebook page where I store my photography.

What I'm looking for: the best piece of advice you have for a beginner(ish). Think wedding photography. No overlaps! Also, if you can give tips that aren't "buy this thing that costs way more money than you have!" that would be splendid. Please and thank you!


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## Ysarex (Jun 24, 2012)

Learn why some think shooting camera JPEGs is a cardinal sin and have a good answer for them if you continue to do it.

Joe


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## Dillard (Jun 24, 2012)

A faster lens wouldn't hurt....Post some pictures for us to see


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## sarahkosloski (Jun 24, 2012)

I know that RAW is more data. How does this thread feel about Ken Rockwell? I read his take on RAW vs JPEG here: RAW vs JPG

You can see some of my weddings here:Sarah Kosloski Photography | Facebook


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## Ysarex (Jun 24, 2012)

sarahkosloski said:


> I know that RAW is more data. How does this thread feel about Ken Rockwell? I read his take on RAW vs JPEG here: RAW vs JPG
> 
> You can see some of my weddings here:Sarah Kosloski Photography | Facebook



We think Ken Rockwell blows a lot of smoke to make money. We've all had a chance to read through that article; If you read it carefully you'll find multiple occasions where he contradicts himself. Ken Rockwell is wrong because Ken Rockwell says so.

Joe


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## cgipson1 (Jun 24, 2012)

Better glass, faster apertures... especially since you apparently don't like flash.  And if you shoot in AUTO.. then you aren't the photographer, your camera is!  

Rockwell is a combination of fact and Bull Manure (heavily weighted on the manure side). He says some good things... makes up some things... even admits it, if you read his stuff. He is good at marketing.. that is his skill, NOT photography! He is really popular with amateurs and people who don't know any better!

RAW will let you correct for your mistakes and errors far more than Jpegs will...  that is the advantage. Of course, you have to know how to work with RAW...


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## sarahkosloski (Jun 24, 2012)

This is already useful! 
TIL: 
Ken Rockwell = no good.
I need nicer lenses.
I really do need to shoot in RAW.
I should use more of the manual settings on my camera (I'm just afraid I'm going to forget to adjust appropriately and screw up. auto focus is okay at least, right?)


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## SCraig (Jun 24, 2012)

In a word (OK, a few words): Composition and Watch Your Background!  One shot has a cross coming straight out of the bride's head, another shows a paneled wall behind the bride and some people that is tilted about 15 degrees, another shows a spear on a door going right into the bride's back.  Several of them have half-heads because the other half is cut off.  Others are cropped very tightly.

Study composition.  This is what separates a mediocre photograph from a great photograph.  Your exposures are generally OK, color correction is generally OK, composition is not so good.


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## Buckster (Jun 24, 2012)

My bit of advice: Plunk down a measly $25 for a month of Kelby Traiining, and take these courses:

Wedding | KelbyTraining.com


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## Sw1tchFX (Jun 24, 2012)

If you want your wedding pictures to have character and look amazing, do what alot of professionals are starting to do. Shoot Film. Don't use any lenses slower than f/2 and never stop them down. 

I did that a year ago, and not only have I started to have a more consistent aesthetic, but business tripled. (not like I was doing too much anyway..I can be picky on who i'll shoot for)


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## MTVision (Jun 24, 2012)

sarahkosloski said:
			
		

> Okay, here's the deal. I've actually been doing wedding photography for a couple of years but I honestly do not know nearly as much as I should about the whole deal and I want to learn more so I can get better at it. My photos are passable, but I want them to be incredible.
> Here's where I am currently at:
> Nikon D7000 with 18-105mm lens, Tamron 10-24, terrible awful kit 55-200 that I try not to use ever, Promaster 7500EDF flash
> Nikon D40 as backup
> ...



I would think shooting a wedding auto is more of a sin then shooting JPEG. You don't have to shoot full manual - aperture and shutter priority would work as well. That way you'll have more control over your exposure vs. letting the camera do the work. More creative control.


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## sarahkosloski (Jun 24, 2012)

Thank you all for your advice so far! I appreciate the constructive criticism. It seems like there's not much I could do more wrong than I already am at this point, eek.


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## Solarflare (Jun 25, 2012)

Well, i'm only a beginner too.


Ken Rockwell is good as long as you dont take his word for the bible, but as an opinion. Maybe even as part entertainment, or "infotainment", like a Michael Moore movie or a good political cabaret artist (dunno if the USA has any, all american comedians I have come across have been pretty lame).

Not using RAW because Rockwell says so is kind of funny. The guy has photographed for more than 20 years already before digital cameras started their conquest. The guy has photographed until 1992 without ever using autofocus. The guy photographs since 12 years or so digital. So he photographed when disk space was still expensive (relative to today) and he has a strong knack for perfectionalism and minimalism (just like me, by the way). So yeah, naturally he thinks RAW is the devil.

Why do I use RAW ?
- I dont photograph as much as Ken Rockwell. And as of 2012, hard disk space is cheap.
- I want to be able to shoot pictures fast, without always having to fiddle with white balance etc FIRST.
- I am a newbie and even if I try to get white balance right, I might not succeed. Being able to correct that without the slightest loss in quality, as well as performing other operations, is awesome.
- JPEG can only manage a very small dynamic range. Only RAW preserves the full 13.6 stops of dynamic range that my camera manages at ISO 100.

JPEG is a good choice when you want to shoot action, i.e. when you have time to prepare everything perfectly and then want to shoot, shoot, shoot. For example, with JPEG, my D5100 can fill my memory card at 4 pictures / second until the accumulator is empty or, much more unlikely, the card is full, since at this speed my camera can write the memory card fast enough. With RAW, it is limited by internal memory to 4 sec, or 16 pictures, tops, since it cant write the files fast enough to the card.

Its also okay if you dont actually need quality for the shot, only want to make a photo as a note or document of sorts.

Or: Did you take Rockwell serious when you read his statement that a 25$  camera is as good as a 5000$ camera ? Obviously it isnt, although the  25$ camera is not as far away from the 5000$ camera as one would hope.  But the 5000$ camera CAN get certain pictures that the 25$ camera will  miss - its much faster, much more brilliant, has better reach, better macro, better wide, etc.

Ken Rockwell so far cost me 150&#8364; because I bought the stupid SB400 flash because he said I wont need better. Duh, I found out: it cannot be used for fill flash in broad daylight. Gnaaaa !!! The guy even gives detailed instructions how to use fill flash correctly and then he advises you to get a flash you cant use in broad daylight anyway ! Well, I can always get a couple neutral filters instead of simply using the only slighty more exensive SB600, I guess. But still, that proves you shouldnt rely on one source of information only.

What I thought was funny though is that I ended up with exactly the same camera that Rockwell recommented. I mostly choose it because I wanted good lowlight performance (which Nikon is currently good at) and wanted a swivel monitor (which Rockwell only mentions in passing, but personally I think these monitors absolutely rock, since they give me more control when I photograph from unusual perspectives). Had I realized that the D7000 has weather sealing, while the D5100 has not, I might have reconsidered, though.


Oh, and you might check out "digital photography 1 on 1" on YouTube. These videos are free, and I learned a lot from them (including for example the fill flash problem). Naturally I also check out Wikipedia and the internet in general for specific problems.


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## CCericola (Jun 25, 2012)

There are some ok wedding seminars on CreativeLive. You will have to pay for them or try to catch them live. They each have an equipment list that they use. Instead of buying equipment you can rent it when you need it.

Now for the big part. Looking at the facebook page, you have got some lucky shots but not because you understand light. You need to learn the basics before you can really have your images stand out. But there are tons of books and seminars out there to help you.

As far as the raw v jpg. I think of it this way. Shooting raw is like shooting with film. You have all the info on the negative and you can expose that negative anyway you want. Even correct for mistakes. Shooting in jpeg mode is like shooting with a polaroid camera. You only get what comes out and if you want to fix it, you are severely limited.


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## yerlem (Jun 25, 2012)

I was scared of shooting raw, I thought it was going to be a lot harder to manage. But the truth is, it's pretty much the same and you get to do a lot more in PP...totally worth it.
Also, I don't know about Canon, but Nikon includes its own software, which is pretty limited but allows you to read raw files (so the software problem mentioned by KR isn't really an issue at all)


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## Robin Usagani (Jun 25, 2012)

my tip is.. seriously.. stop taking anymore wedding gigs until you understand the exposure triangle and how to edit.  Find a mentor!  I am not sure why people have not grilled you on this forum.  They are usually pretty harsh.  

Start from 0!  Pretend you just got your camera and really learn the camera basic.  Also learn how to process photos.  

There are a few pros out there who shoot only JPEG and do it very well.  They are crazy but hey.. the end result is what matters.


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## Karloz (Jun 25, 2012)

Keep at It don&#8217;t give up - Do some training like others have mentioned. Work on your composition and Relax as much as you can and go with your instincts when shooting. Watch out for what&#8217;s in the background - I noticed one photos of couple cutting cake and the right half of the photo was a totally irrelevant window, which detracts from the image.

Wedding Photographer Wellington


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## Kolander (Jun 25, 2012)

sarahkosloski said:


> ...I've actually been doing wedding photography for a couple of years...
> 
> ...When shooting: in auto, JPEG...


:shock: :shock:




> ...What I'm looking for: the best piece of advice you have for a  beginner(ish). Think wedding photography...



Best advice for events? This one: *take LOTS of pictures*. 800 better than 500, 1.000 better than 800. Then, select.

Greetings.


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## sarahkosloski (Jun 25, 2012)

Thank you to everybody who has given me constructive criticism. I appreciate it and, well, I need it. I actually have three weddings coming up this summer so I am going to make what changes I can right away and go from there.
I just want to clarify that "a few years" of wedding photography means I've been paid to photograph five and I do it for super cheap. I advertise myself as a "student photographer" and brides do see what I've done before booking me. My clients generally do not have super high standards and are pleased with what they get.
I'm not justifying my low ability level, just making it seem a little less cruel to my clients, I guess?
I have some definite studying plans for this week but I was wondering, how would one go about getting a mentor? I understand that I need to double up with a photographer who can show me the ins and outs of everything in person but in the meantime, is there anybody on this forum who wouldn't mind being bombarded with questions? 
thankyouthankyouthankyou


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## TamiAz (Jun 28, 2012)

> I am not sure why people have not grilled you on this forum.  They are usually pretty harsh



Wow..I'm truly amazed. It's a bit refreshing!


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## KmH (Jun 28, 2012)

Okay, here's the deal.

Ya gotta know the fundamentals- both technical and artistic - if you want to be able to consistently make 'incredible' photos.

Best tips is a very poor substitute for gaining the in depth understanding of the fairly wide variety of subjects required to _consistently_ do photography well.

Many people wait for someone else to give them the information they seek, rather than being proactive and seeking it out on their own. By seeking the information independently, one discovers information they didn't know they didn't know, or would need to know. You're 2 years in, and admittedly, you haven't bothered so far. 

Like the oft repeated desire to find a mentor - Any mentor "who can show me the ins and outs of everything in person" would be a very poor mentor. A mentor is an adviser, a guide. The mentee still has to do the work of discovering the vast majority of the information independently. The mentor just helps to keep the mentee from getting side tracked.



> Mentorship is a personal development relationship in which a more experienced or more knowledgeable person helps to *guide* a less experienced or less knowledgeable person.* However, true mentoring is more than just answering occasional questions or providing ad hoc help.*



Thirty second tips, and 5 minute videos won't get it done. Hopefully you will acquire a mind set that allows you to devote the effort required to attain your goals.

As for learning the fundamentals, here are some resources - http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum/267492-info-those-new-photography.html

If you haven't started already, you might start acquiring the hard copy reference materials that are needed to support the approach to doing photography at a more advanced level you seek.


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## ghache (Jun 28, 2012)

First tip, take whatever people here tells you with a grain of salt, including me.
Go outside & shoot photos rather than spending hours a day on photography forums. 

and you can also, 
read books and shoot allot of photos while taking the time to review your photos just to see what you have done wrong/right and what could possibly done to improve, but for the sake of god, don't do it here. you will get nothing but your white balance is off, your horizon is not right and follow the rules of thirds.

network with local professionals who probably know what the hell they are talking about.


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## gsgary (Jun 28, 2012)

Don't eat yellow snow when out shooting in the winter


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## snowbear (Jun 28, 2012)

Use iron-clad contracts.


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## Robin Usagani (Jun 28, 2012)

snowbear said:


> Use iron-clad contracts.



No such thing.  If there was, why need a business insurance?


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## sarahkosloski (Jun 28, 2012)

gsgary said:


> Don't eat yellow snow when out shooting in the winter



This shall revolutionize my photography experience.


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## revenater (Jun 28, 2012)

I agree with Buckster......Kelby Training is awesome and very inexpensive. Its like going on a shoot with a pro and having them tell you what to do and why you should do it.


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