Thanks to everyone that stopped by my booth at the 2008 Crystal Coast Bridal Show. It was fun talking with all the prospective brides. I also enjoyed visiting with other local wedding vendors, both those I already knew and the ones I met at the show. Below are a few images of my booth.
I spent Sunday, November 4 in Raleigh at the “Digital Photography Edge” seminar conducted by retired cinematographer/camera director Bruce H. Dorn and his bride, retired illustrator and designer Maura Dutra. The pair use their film experience to put a very dramatic and artistic twist on their photography. During the program I leanded about Bruce’s event lighting techniques. He has some unique ideas and gadgets to aid in lighting wedding portriats, receptions, engagement photos and bridal sessions. Maura provided insight into their wedding album design process, image inhancement techniques and their photos to painting techniques. The seminar will certainly add some new ideas, concepts and techniques to my tool chest.
It’s fairly subtle, so you may not have noticed, but a new version of my website went live this evening. One of the primary reasons for the change was that the previous version was loading photos out of sync for some folks. It featured three windows on the front page, each loading a separate part of the total image. Unfortunately, it would sometime switch images in one or two panels before all three had loaded.
The new version rotates a single image instead of thirds, eliminating the out of sync problem. It also has the advantage of a “splash page,” with links to the website, this blog and the client proofing area. I think that will help clients find their images more easily and also make things simpler for new visitors. The biggest downside of the new site is the fact that I had to give up the slideshow feature in my portfolio galleries and it does require the latest version of Flash. Hopefully it will serve me well for a long time to come.
I usually avoid jumping on the bandwagon when a new camera is first released. But Canon’s new 40D just offered too many improvements to resist. Faster, more reliable auto focus in low-light situations being one of the most important for wedding photography. Toss in more ISO options, a larger LCD panel on the back of the camera, reduced shutter noise and a number of other new features and it was just too much to resist. Of course for it’s first couple of jobs it will be relegated to second camera duties, as it’s safer to depend on a camera that you know what it will produce. But I have a hunch it won’t take a back seat for long.
I’m also pretty excited that adding a third DSLR body to the mix will allow me more options when shooting weddings. I’ve wanted to be able to set-up a remotely operated (wireless) camera for quite a while. Plus, I think a ‘camera on a stick’ presents some interesting options as well. Improved features from the latest technology… More options due to having an additional body… Greater range of creative possibilities. I think this will be a win/win situation.