It was my great honor to do a guest spot on Brandis Allison’s blog regarding tips for shooting your first wedding.
Read the article/Tips HERE
It was my great honor to do a guest spot on Brandis Allison’s blog regarding tips for shooting your first wedding.
Read the article/Tips HERE
Photogs: What are you doing to BLOW them OUT of the WATER?
For my birthday dinner, we went to a brazillian steakhouse called The Rodizio Grill.
It was delicious! Everyone would take their seat at the table, and waiters would come around
with meat on a huge skewer. SO many different kinds.
Fish, steak, shrimp, pork, chicken, (and even chicken hearts…ewww).
And they would ask if you would like to try it.
You could eat as much as you wanted!
There was this one steak I really wanted to try, PARMESAN steak.
But I couldn’t try it.
Why?
Because it was wayyy to rare for me.
So I had to decline.
Very sad.
About 15 minutes later,
the same waiter came to the table with a smaller skewer and said,
would anyone like more parmesan steak?
I looked at him.
With a sad face and said
no, thank you.
He looks me straight in the eye, and said:
I know you really wanted some of this, so I went in the kitchen
and asked them to make some that was well done, just for you!
NOW that my friend. IS SERVICE.
I was blown away.
I couldn’t believe he spent his precious time
(that could have been focused on so many more customers)
on me.
He went over and above.
He made me feel SPECIAL. He made me feel like an IMPORTANT customer.
I even remember his name, Rudjio.
So, here is a question for photographers…
What are YOU doing to make to make yourself stand out to your clients.
To blow them out of the water. So they SCREAM YOUR name from the Mountain tops!
What are you doing to go OVER and ABOVE for them?
Just FOOD for THOUGHT (ignore my cheesy pun, I couldn’t resist)
Mucho love,
Kari
Here is what I am currently workin’ on. Isn’t she lovely?
-By Radelle
(p.s. today is my birthday!! (hip circles & high kicks!)
(for my present you can fill out this survey!!! Pretty please)
Thankyou to everyone who emailed questions. I really really hope that you find these answers
useful for your photography craft & business. I wish when I was starting out (forever ago) that someone
had done FAQ blog posts for me! Keep the questions coming & we will try our best to get to them.
(the next FAQ post will be on “Tips for shooting on the wedding day”, email if you have a specific question)
Much Love,
Radelle, Kari & Adam
Q:
Honestly, I'm a people person. I could have an hour long conversation with a brick wall,
but when it comes to shoots and posing I am awkward and quiet.
How do you tell people what they are doing looks completely
ridiculous with out making them feel bad or angry?
A: Excellent question! You have to remember that people don’t know what they look like when they are posing.
Classic example: I had Kari photograph Adam and I in a Eternal Love session last year. I was working it baby.
I mean really working it. I thought I looked sexy. I was pursing my lips & giving attitude galore. When we were
going through the images, I totally looked like a weirdo. The pursing wasn’t sexy & I looked in pain + scary.
2 lessons were learned that day 1) That when you are the model, its hard to tell if what you are doing is awesome or weird
2) as photographers we learned that it is our job to say “a little less purse, a little less (or in my case, a LOT less purse)
….there you go!” We are the eyes behind the camera, WE can see what looks great!
I think you can really wreck the energy of the shoot if you are not careful in how you guide your clients. I always try to
remember that they are not professional models & are counting on me to make them look the best they have ever looked.
So if they do pose themselves in a very strange way, the best thing you can do (to keep the awesome energy up) is to shoot it.
Shoot it, encourage them & then guide them gently into a more flattering pose. This way they won’t shut down on you and
get self conscious, rather they get into it!
Another thing is to direct them. I often get right in there and show the bride exactly what I want.
(see photo of kari doing this below!)
I get my stylized high fashion looking (posed) image, and then I go for a more natural look by being funny.
The couple laughs & I get to capture more of their relationship. I also get them talking about who they are as a couple
& funny stories come out, and I just have my camera always ready to start snapping those fun interactions!
A friend of mine wants me to do her wedding pictures for her. I'm not sure I can handle it though.
Is there any tips you can give me in how to handle a crowd as big as a wedding party and not have
them pulling me every different way saying,"Take a picture of this, take a picture of this." I'm afraid I'll
end up not having any time to get pictures of the bride and groom.
I think its important to be open to suggestions as sometimes people see cute little things that are happening
that you don’t, however its also important to remember that it is your job to document the day in a way that the Bride
has hired you to. This means setting boundaries. Just as you cannot follow the flower girl around all day snapping her
every move, you cannot shoot every single person’s suggestion. Your job is to capture the images that the bride wants.
It is your job, as the professional to make sure that you get images of the bride & groom. I have been in situations where
everything ran so late that my picture time was squished down to nearly nothing (the reception was starting). I knew that
I did not have nearly enough images of the Bride & Groom to properly document their love, so in a casual moment at the
reception when people were just mingling about, I grabbed them and said “I need you for 10 minutes outside”. Ive never
worked so hard & fast! But I felt leaving that wedding that I had done a fabulous job. Couples are often caught up in their
big day (as they should be) and they are totally relying on you to capture the things they want most–so make that your priority.
If you need to, just say to whomever is pulling you around “I will capture that in just a few minutes, but my priority right now
is to make sure I get enough images of these two love birds! Thank you for pointing that out to me” (with a big smile).
I keep hearing you & other photographers talk about shooting “manual” but all of my photos are
turning out blurry. How do you focus that quickly on manual instead of auto?
This is actually a question that we get a lot of! I think that this a common misunderstanding!
I think that when people read the word “manual” on blogs or forums they are thinking auto or manual focus.
We shoot (most of the time) with our camera on AUTO focus. When we are talking about manual,
we are talking about the actual camera setting. The dial on the top. There is AV, TV, M ß the M is manual. This is where
you can adjust your ISO, shutter speed & aperature. A great place to learn how to use this setting is your camera manual
& utube videos! Learning this setting gives you complete control over your camera & the ability to shoot well in any
type of lighting situation! It gives you tons of power & full creative control!
lighting- It is a CONSTANT pain in the butt! I'm just starting out and I don't have the funds for any
kind of lighting equipment other than an external flash. Sometimes it's impossible to stay in
the shade though! What do you suggest I do for full on sunlight? Is there a cheap trick you know of?
I am not the type of photographer that you will see with lights stands & reflectors everywhere. I honestly think
that natural light is a million times more flattering, not to mention how akward it can make people feel (when my goal is
to make them look natural in front of my lens) so if I can get away with no flash, I totally do. During a wedding day
I typically will only use my flash during the Reception (and possibly ceremony–depending). When I am outside,
I expose for my clients skin, not the sky. As my darling friend Jasmine Star says, if I cared about the sky more then the people,
I would be a nature photographer. Yes I could expose for the sky & add a flash, but I just feel that clients look
(and feel) more natural with natural light. So when you are shooting, look for natural reflectors–the sun hitting
a light colored building, a car, a sidewalk, and position your clients so that they are getting the glow off of that (see image below).
In terms of situations where there is no where to shoot but full on sunlight, I always choose to back light my clients &
expose for their skin. Not only does this add a glowy look to the photo (less glowy if the sun is really high), but it ensures
that their skin is perfectly exposed. Using this technique I can shoot anywhere.
Hello Photographers!
I am working on a blog post answering the emails that I have from some of you.
This is last call (for at least a month) to get your questions in & we will happily answer them &
do a nice juicy blog post!
Either comment below (anonymous is fine as well!) or email love@eternalreflectionsphoto.com
Looking forward to hearing from you & crafting a hopefully helpful blog post.
xo
Radelle
p.s. more of this E-session on Monday! Stay tuned
It was a huge honor to be asked by Columbus, Ohio
Photographer Brandis Allison for an exclusive interview!
I am so excited! You can read the feature here!
(or below!!)
Where are you located? Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
What type of photography do you specialize in? We only photograph couples in love. So weddings, Engagement & Sweetheart photos (same as Engagement, except the people are usually already married)
When did you get into photography and when did you decide to go into
business? 6 years ago. Yes I am an oldie! I hate to sound cliche, but I have always loved photography. I have 2 younger sisters and I have a box of photographs that I took of them, dressed up as brides, with mom’s white table cloth being their catherdral length veil. I chose a more “safe” education however and have my degree in psychology. As I was going through school, I started my business as a way to a)pursue my passion and b)make money in the summers that I had off. The business took off on fire & when I finished my degree I decided that my heart was into wedding photography and that it seemed way more fun then working as a psychologist. I didn’t have time for both, so I just continued growing my business.
How did you come to be apart of a team of photograhers? I think thats
soooo cool!
Simple. I started the company & got beyond busy. Then, I married my fabulous (& also well educated!) husband & he learned the craft (in like 1/2 the time it took me darn him!) and my sister (who could be my twin we are so similar as people) is our other partner. We each take our own wedding bookings. So on any given Saturday, we are at 3 different weddings. It is an amazing team & who else can have a business meeting on a chair lift at a ski resort with pizza for supper everynight but a family team? I realize that it wouldn’t work for everyone; but I am not lying when I say that we have never had a problem. Never an altrecation at all. It just works.
This is purely selfish of me, but I want to know how you started doing
Destination Weddings. That’s what I want to specialize in
Excellent question! Its one that I get emailed all the time, so im glad to be able to answer it on here. My brother was married in Alberta (in the winter), but wanted his wedding photos in Mexico. We made a trip of it & holidayed and did his photos. I plastered those photos all over my blog & at my Bridal Fair booth. Also, at my bridal fair booth I had a sign that said “Free Destination Photography”. Brides loved it. Essentially, they pay adam & I’s (or Kary & Matts) costs to get there (flight, hotel, car rental) and we cover their wedding for free. They recieve all of the touched up images on DVD along with a fabulous slideshow & other goodies. It is a win-win. They get 2 photographers to cover their rehersal dinner, wedding & day after shoot (1-2 hours) for usually around $2000-3000 (the cost of getting us there…) and we get a free holiday with fantastic people!
Once we booked our first “Free Destination Wedding” (we gave that bride a lovely album as a suprise & she did our advertising for us just by showing it to all of her friends/colleges), we blogged about it a lot. When you are doing something that is a fantastic deal–word spreads. We still offer 3 Free Destination Weddings per year; but we also take paid bookings now as people love our work & our name is out there.
We all want to know what’s in your camera bag!
Canon 5D
2- Canon 20D (back up)
50mm 1.2
85mm 1.2
17-35 L????????????????
24-105 L mm
???ZOOM???
Do you have a favorite “Go-To-Lens” If so what is it and why?
Yes & No. For Engagement/Bridals/Day-After shoots, I am in LOVE with my 85mm. I’d marry it if I could. I use it a ton on the actual wedding day as well (a ton!), BUT if I HAD to choose one lens to shoot an entire wedding with, it would be the 24-105. Although its not trendy right now to love a zoom lens, I do. I love that I can be in a small room with the bride & her maids getting ready & have my lens go wide enough to capture everyone in the room & all the action; and one second later when the bride drops her eyes and looks down..zoom in and capture a magical portrait. Without having to move closer or say “eek hold that! I have to change my lens!”. Similarly, I shoot a lot of destination weddings & Mountain weddings (in Jasper & Banff) and people have chosen those locations for the landscape. So I like the flexibility of a lens where I can have the bride & groom in a romantic pose/cuddle and zoom out & get them with the magnitude of the landscape, and in the next second zoom in on them for a real tender moment. Without wrecking the energy by changing lenses or saying “oh cute! hold that!” <<– because that is when images start to look fake.
In general, during a session, how many pics would you say you take to find “the right one”? With Engagements, I typically shoot around 100 images, and they recieve 80.
With weddings I typically shoot around 1300 shots & they recieve around 1100-1200.
Are you a self-taught photographer, or did you have someone to help
get you started? Totally self taught. Ive never ever 2nd shot for someone.
Can you tell us about your first paid job? What was it like? Were
you nervous and how did the images turn out? I wanted to chase my dream. So I went out and bought a camera & some memory cards. I put a sign up at my church that said “I want to shoot my first wedding. If you need a photographer, I will do it for $299″ I had a call in one day & shot their wedding. It was wierd. I was very confiden & yet I thought I was going to puke. The day went smoothly & I got lots of terrible shots & lots of okay shots. I cut off the top of the tall dad’s head in every single family photo. I went to my sisters house (who, at the time was far me “techy” then me) and said (while holding the memory card in my hand), so how do I get them off “here” and onto a disc? I didn’ even know. She showed me how & I burnt the couple a disc. That was my first wedding. I didn’t even have photoshop or any touchup software. It was humble beginings.
That wedding got me 8 weddings that first summer & things took off from there.
Do you have any formal schooling under your belt? Yes. I did a 2 year part-time diploma (while getting my psych degree & running my business). It was useless however as it was mostly all theory, history and about film & all I remember from it is the history of the camera.
How would you describe your photography style? I have a whole blog post on that HERE, but rather then have a style; I am inspired by each couple. If they are funky & loud & outspoken & hip…I capture that. If they are soft & tender & quiet & shy…I capture that. I just capture them.
Why should a client choose YOU to photograph them? I think because I capture THEM. I watch who they are, who they are together & I make sure to get images that show that. No one wants to look back at their wedding photos and think “well they are nice, but im not into all the sexy shots”..or “well they are nice, but they are so boring…I wanted more sexy/dramatic shots”. I read my couples & capture them. Also, I love it. I LOVE it!! My couples always comment on my energy and how much they love it & how fun the shoot was. I think that a boring photographer who is just doing it for the money can wreck your experience & your images. But when someone loves their job & is seriously smitten with your love, they will capture that in a magical way. That is what I try to do. I seriously tear up at every wedding; whether its in the ceremony or the speeches. People’s love touches my heart & inspires me.
Do you have all-time fave image? If so, can you share it with us?!
Tell us something about photography that you LOVE. I love capturing an image that I would want of Adam & I. When im shooting and see “that moment” through my camera, I get so excited because I know how much that is going to mean to that couple. I have canvases all over our home of “moments” in our life. Images of adam & I cuddling, laughing, etc. Images of my son & his personality & seeing them everyday enriches my life & reminds me how very blessed I am. Pictures on your wall, of the love in your life, fills up the soul.
Now tell us something you could do without, when it comes to
photography. The competitive, cut-throat mindset. People can sometimes get wierd. I have a large network of photographers that I love & share with & mentor & learn from. However, there are some other people out there (new & old photographers) who get so weird as soon as they decide to go into business. I love having photography in common with people! I far prefer people who are open & fun…instead of competitive & sneaky. Does that make sense? Can’t we all just love each other?
Also, I rarely go to photography forums because as I read the threads, people are often so rude to one another & I think it is so sad & uncalled for.
There are a lot of other photographers new to their businesses that
will read this interview. Can you share your generalized workflow with
us? upload. Backup to 2 hard drives & burn to disc. Gut thoroughly. (while gutting jot down the numbers of the images that should be on the blog, and in the album). Touch up images for the blog & album. Hand images over to album designer to design. Process all of the photos in a way that makes them pop & look alive. Process my very favorites in a more time consuming Fine Art way to give them a classic ERP fine art collections look.
If you could give a starting photographer only ONE piece of advice,
what would it be and why?
I typed out this answer 4 times. I had TONS of advice. I think I will save them for future FAQ posts on my blog. I kept coming back to one piece of advice that I think is the most helpful & most valuable. I could tell you to “shoot wide open” or “learn your camera well”, but you can read that elsewhere. If you are just starting out; the best advice I can give you is this. Turn off your T.V. for 2 months. Im serious. People ask me all the time, “how do you do it?” or “how do you find the time”? Fact: I don’t watch T.V. (except the bachelor when its on *wink*)
That frees up hours every day.Uset that free time & buildup/ promote your business.
Here is what you should spend the next two months doing.
- Get super organized
- Offer to do free promotional pictures for a makeup artist showing before & after imges
- Get to know the wedding coordinators in your area
- Offer to take free images of a florists bouquets for their websites
- Blog, blog, blog
- Offer free shoots to your friends & put the images on facebook & tag them (then all their friends see your work!)
- Grab your married friends and do Engagement style shots
- Put your sister back in her wedding dress & do bridal style shots
- Design a nice website & logo
- Practice, practice until you know your camera & lenses to a t.
- Get a part-time job & use that money on awesome equiptment, workshops & mentoring.
- Shoot a wedding for free
- Offer to 2nd shoot for any photographer who is willing
What is the biggest mistake you’ve made when starting your photography
business? I really cannot imagine myself taking any different of a path to get to where I am today; then the one I took. My business grew faster then I even hoped, my passion grew & never died, and I am in love with my life.
I suppose if I were to get nit picky, I should have had better lenses long ago. However, on the flip side, knowing that (back then) I didn’t have all the best equiptment taught me so much about why people book their photographer. It was for me. They liked me. What I may have lacked in top of the line lenses, I made up for in enthusiasm, passion & personality. And my business soared.
Having Awesome lenses now however, certinally helps
What is the greatest accomplishment thus far, in your artistic journey? I have started winning International Awards for my wedding photography, so in my little world; that feels pretty fantastic.
Who influences you personally and professionally? Jesus, Rockwell, Adam <—personally. People’s unique love, Romantic Music & Nature <— Professionally
What was the most memorable photography assignment for you? Can you
tell us about it? I have 4. 1) My son’s newborn photos. I am not a newborn photographer, but I felt a huge responsibility & honor in capturing him. This little man that I had made who was so precious. 2) when my neice was born at 2 lbs at I was able to capture those tender, uncertain moments with her & her parents. 3) My siblings weddings 4) Jessica & Ward’s wedding. Their wedding( & them) had so much style & such an amazing energy & love to it; that it literally helped to define me as a photographer. From that day on, I started seeking, attracting & shooting fabulous weddings for people with tons of style.
What type of shoot is your all-time fave? Weddings. Why? I love the real emotions. The nerves, the excitement, the tears, the joy. It is the biggest day in the couples life up to that point, the biggest decision that they will ever make. Families are together, there is joy & love & reunion. I just love it. It is so happy & celebratory. Im a bubbly person, so things that like that feed my soul. I love to see people in love. It makes me love the world.
Can you share a secret, that most people may not know about you? I wet the bed for far to many years as a child.
If Hollywood made a movie about your life, what would it be called and
who would play you? “Almost a Lady” and I would want Jennifer Aniston to play me.
Give me 5 words that best describe you. Happy, Bubbly, Romantic, Old Soul, in Love.
Describe a typical day in “Radelle Land”: Well there is good intentions of excerzing. sometimes it happends, sometimes it doesnt. I read my scriptures (im LDS) & pray. I make my son breakfast & return emails. Adam & I have work office hours where we edit our weddings/answer emails/etc. I always stay on top of my work; but I always always have time for my family. If I want to leave the office & take a beach day– I do. My clients never suffer or are waiting for me; but I realize that children are only small once. If I have to, I wake up very early & do my work. Just like anyone else, I am always working on the balance between career & family; but when I have to choose, I choose family. When you put that first, its like magic, the work always gets done.
What are you doing when you’re not behind the camera? Kissing my son’s chin dimple & my husband’s scruff. I also love horseback riding (dressage), reading (total book nerd), bike riding and holidaying. We make it a huge point to go on getaways often with & without or son. Even if they are just to the next town.
If you could be on a reality TV show, which one would you choose and
why? None.
Your FAVES…
Food: spaghetti
Beverage: Water or Hot Chocloate with way to much whipping cream
Dessert: Chocolate souflee. But honestly, im a Food girl, so id rather skip dessert & just eat extra spaghetti.
Movie: Im a reader. I rarely watch movies! But I loved blindside.
Book: Could never pick just one. BUT, on beach days, every year; I turn to my shopoholic series. Don’t judge.
Shoes: My pink high heels with rinestones on the heels. (don’t judge. they are sexy not trashy
Word: Kindness
Emotion: Love
Noise: My son’s laughter
Smell: Bleach (seriously, LOVE it!)
Outside Activity: Bike Riding or horseback riding
City: Anywhere with Adam. Vashon Island I loved!
State: Anywhere with Adam (I LOVE California & Hawaii though. SURF girl!!)
What sets you apart from other local photographers in your area of
expertise? My personality, My passion, My experience.
Where do you see yourself professionally in 1, 3 and 5 years from now? I imagine I will still be capturing love & mentoring other photographers.
Are you currently working on anything new and special with regards to
your business? Yes, instead of workshops & phone consulting; we are doing One on One 2 day mentorships. With the 1st day being me sharing the “nity grity” of everything I know & not just inspirational fluff, the 2nd day being either a live wedding or a stylized shoot. Read more about it HERE.
What can we expect to see from you, image wise, in the month of May?
We have some super, super fabulous & stylish brides coming up. Kari will be in Mexico with the cutest couple ever, so stay tuned for that! We blog every day, so check back often
I had the honor to interview my friend & fellow Canadian (shes in B.C) darling & sweet as pie, Jamie Delaine.
Jamie’s work is so exquisite that it appeals to every bride’s sense of romance, and yet so fresh & fun that Bride’s know they
will have fun with Jamie behind the camera. At only 19 years old, Jamie is quite the entrepreneur.
As taken from her website:
A girl in love with so many things. In love with living life, laughing until my stomach hurts, drinking green tea,
rainy Vancouver days, cardigan sweaters, learning to love people selflessly.
The little things make me smile & I don’t mean just any smile… the kind of smile that causes my cheeks to swallow my eyes.
Please read on & get to know more about my friend
Where is home? I live in Surrey, BC -- a suburb of Vancouver! If you could live anywhere on this awesome planet where would you build your dream home? Oooh, so much of what makes home "home" to me is community. Family, friends, my church body: because of that, I'm in love with Langley (a city close to Surrey) that houses most of these lovely things. I'm absolutely in LOVE with Langley and would definitely build my dream home out in the Langley country somewhere. How would you describe your style? I love anything quirky. My mom laughs at half of the things I wear out of the house on most days... I guess I just have a lot of self-confidence. Quirky, colour, laughter, joy.What is your favourite photography accessory, other than your camera? My Shootsac! http://www.shootsac.com If you had to choose one lens which one would it be and why? It used to be my Canon 35mm f/1.4 L lens. But, lately, it's been on the brink and I've been without it for a few months while it's been repaired. I bought the Canon 24mm f/1.4L lens and I'm totally in love. That's my favourite. How important is Photoshop in your final images? Not that important. I do most of my processing in Lightroom and Photoshop is used only for slight toning actions and a touch of sharpening!
Do you plan on buying any new equipment and if so what do you have your eyes on? Not at the current moment, I'm super happy with the line-up I have. A wedding photographer who inspires you? Punam Bean. A website and/or blog you visit often? Facebook. Way too often. Also, Bleubird Vintage. If you could give a starting photographer only ONE piece of advice, what would it be and why? Put so much personality onto your website, into your work and into your client meetings that people will either love you or hate you. Secret to getting clients you love.
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Something you’re still learning? That I'm not invincible. So often, I try to do it all and all I do is end up falling flat on my face.
I need to learn to rely on other people than myself. What or who is the greatest love of your life? Jesus Christ. What is your greatest fear? I don't have any deep, paralyzing fears but: I hate the dark. I hate when people run up the stairs behind me. I have terrible nerves and if you come around a corner too fast, I'll scream.
Something that is overrated? Fast food. Favourite food? I'm such a freak, but... I just love salads. Favourite sport? To watch? Hockey (playoff or olympics, only.) To play? All I do is run. HA! Website: http://www.jamiedelaine.com/#/jamie/ Blog: http://jamiedelaineblog.com/
Leave some BLOG love below!( comment) and become a facebook FAN! (eternal reflections photography)
xoxo
P.S. The Rebekah im refering to (if you need to mentor with someone who has extensive camera & lens knowledge) can be found here. She is beyond FAB!!
(Im sorry that the format on this text today is a little bit wonky. I have no idea why….le sigh)
I know that a lot of the professional photographers who read this blog are going to WPPI in Vegas (as are we),
and we are so excited to be meeting up with as many of you as possible
(and do a little consulting in our free time)!
We are so excited to be going to WPPI! We feel that no matter what field of work you are in, growing & learning is something that should always be a part of your “job”. It feeds your passion & creativity & teaches you improved skills.
Something that comes up in our consulting, is photographers who feel “second rate” or that they
are doing “everything wrong” after attending a workshop or a seminar. They seem to disregard all
of the wonderful things that they do! As such, I wanted to toss out one suggestion to all of the
photographers who are going to WPPI.
Be true to yourselves. True to your gut.
In settings like WPPI, it is so easy to idolize the speakers to the point where you take everything that they say as “gospel” and lose your “gut” and
your critical thinking skills (do I sound nerdy?).
I challenge you to listen critically to ideas/tips/suggestions and ask yourself
“would that further my career/goals”?. NOT EVERYTHING WILL. There is more then 1
way to skin a cat (what a gross description). But the fact is true. One of the industry leaders,
Jasmine Star, uses “auto white balance”, much to the aghast of some of her peers. She bucks against
the norm and does what WORKS FOR HER. She listens to her gut & runs with that. I think that is key.
Learn, but stay true to yourself, and listen to your gut. If everyone is saying that you MUST offer
boudour photography to your brides, but you do not want to, you don’t HAVE to. It is your business.
Do what you love & only that! I promise
you that then, and only then (when you are doing what you love) will it show in your images.
If a company is telling you that their album is “the best” & it is very, very popular, but you honestly
don’t care for the look of it; don’t carry it for your clients! Only offer/carry/do/process what feels right for you.
What fits for you. If you don’t love it & see the value in it, your clients will not either. (this goes for anything
not just products)
Here is a quick example of what I mean. Right now it is trendy trendy trendy to be “all about”
prime lenses only and scoff at anything else. Especially popular is the 50mm. Is it amazing? yes. YES!
But is it the only lens worth using? Not to me. I love a lot of lenses, depending on the situation.
But that is just my personality. I have a colleague that went to a workshop where the gentlemen
teaching the workshop said that “hands down you would never get anywhere unless you exclusively
used prime lenses”. That is certainly his opinion, but it is just that. An opinion based on what FEELS
right with him (and that is totally valid!). That is all that I am asking of you. Do not feel the need to
jump on every trendy suggestion or question everything that you are doing. Leave WPPI with some
great solid suggestions, tips & ideas; but dont check who you are at the door & do not leave feeling like
you do not do anything right. Realise all that you do amazingly (a word?) and BUILD on that.
Just remember, even though you may not be on the stage, you are amazing in your own way and
your thoughts & insights & ideas are just as valuable as anyone elses. Honor them. Hold on to that.
Learn all you can, but be true to your gut.

Tonight I relearned the importance of service (& nice people). As a boutique photography studio, service to my brides & grooms is extremely important to me. I try to reply to emails so quick that it almost makes my brides wonder if I live online (I dont. I live in a normal house like the rest of you folks *wink*) , after a wedding I try to have a sneak peek online within 3 days…this because I think that if I was the bride, I would be dying to see some pictures, any pictures! Also, being an avid facebooker (I feel geeky even typing that, but alas it is the truth),
if I were a new bride I would want my profile picture changed pronto! When I am getting my clients
beautiful image DVD to them, I try, nay, I insist that my lovely couples have them in their hands within 3 weeks.
If my album designer is a day late with her design proofs for me, I am finding out why its late.
Its important to me that things are done in a timely manner for my amazing couples. As such, I feel that I
have 3 advantages in this business, a field that is often referred to as “saturated” and “over run with photographers”
and that is the following:
1) Excellent service. I treat my clients as Gold because I genuinely care. Them having the perfect experience
with amazing portraiture is extremely important to me. When I picture my artwork, portraying their love
hanging in their home ( a post on our lovely Gallery wraps coming soon),I seriously get goosebumps.
(the big ugly kind if you must know. Im not a pretty goosebumper)
2) Unique & Artistic Images. That tell YOUR story, not one that ive made up for you with cheesy poses.
3) A (somewhat *wink*) vibrant personality that puts couples at ease & makes for a fun time
& natural looking photos.
I think as professionals, it is crucial to know what our strengths are. What differs us from the competition.
One of the best things photographers can do this upcoming year is sitting down and writing what
their top 3 strengths are. Are your photos very very abstract & like nothing else out there?
Perhaps this will only appeal to a small portion of brides, however if you aknowledge your
uniqueness as a strength and something that makes you different & sets you apart, you will
do amazingly. However, if you as the professional photographer do not know what your
strengths are, how will your clients? It is not vain to learn what you rock at….it is crucial!
You must know what you have to offer & rock it out!
Tonight we had a consultation with a window supplier (we are building our dream home this upcoming year).
First of all, it must be said that I loved their website. I know, I know, how interesting can a window website be?
Well honestly, not that interesting…however it spoke alot about THEM as a company & what they were all about.
It honestly did not say a ton about what makes their windows unique, but rather what makes THEM unique.
I loved them instantly.
It was clear that they were extremely nice people, with excellent values. In fact they had their values
written on their website. When our consultant came out, I was blown away by how genuine he was.
He knew his product inside& out (and it is an excellent & superior product) and was very confidant in it.
He knew that it would make us happy & suit our needs. He seemed to really listen & care about what was
important to us. I felt that he genuinely cared about making sure that they windows would suit our needs.
I tell photographers in consultations that if you honestly do not feel that you can provide what that couple
is after, do not take the booking. It is not fair to you or them. I had a client ask me once if I can do a very abstract, edgy,
highly textured style like Jesh de Rox (who I totally adore) and I said “no”. Sure, I could attempt it & probably do a good job,
but im NOT Jesh and if that is the style they were really wanting, they really really needed him. Its his brand. He is what
makes that “look” so spectacular. Anyways, ive gone off on a tangent. The other thing that impressed me greatly
about this “window guy” is how quickly he returned my emails. If I had a thought pop into my head or a question,
I could fire it off…check back a couple of hours later (sometimes even faster) and he had a detailed and caring
response sent back to me.
I guess in summary, as someone who provides a service to people, the teacher was the student tonight.
I was blown away & like I said “relearned” how important it is to stand apart from the sea of competition
by having amazing wedding photography service. This is not something you can fake. You cannot fake to care.
You have to really care & really love what you do & when you do; your service level will be amazing & make
your precious clients have the experience they deserve.
Those are my 2 cents for Friday.
3 Things I know for sure:
1) These are probably the two nicest people walking the earth.
2) Seriously the sweetest car ride of my life (thankyou for being so kind for taking me
for a joy ride! that was so thoughtful of you to offer & I LOVED it! I’m STILL talking about it!)
3) They are both tenderhearted & friendly and will use that influence (and their obvious
good looks) to make such a difference in the world!
I think that this wedding is an awesome example of why we dont specialize in “one style” of photography.
We feel that as talented professionals, it is our job & privledge to capture YOU, your love & your personality
(and not have some lame list of the 20 typical wedding day poses).
If we came with a set style (say traditional or photojournalistic or some other limiting word) of photography
to your day, no matter how hard we tried, we would not fully capture you. and what YOU are all about.
So this is how we are able to go from (for example) a picturesque & romantic
golf course with lovely scenery and a veil blowing in the wind, to a funky back alley with graffiti.
Because our ultimate goals as your trusted photographer is to be in tune with you and your love.
We are capturing moments, looks & feelings & yes, we are guiding you as models.
So while we do help pose & direct you (we realise you are not likely professional models, but would LOVE
to look like ones) We are not “creating” your love, we are merely guiding you and capturing your love.
(picture this: ahem…ahem…yes Janelle, just drop your hand…no, more elegantly, and jake…a more happy look
please, and looking at the camera, okay looking happy & in love. good, got it”. BOO. We do not do that.
No one will look natural with that much guiding. But you wonder, well how will I look good with
no one guiding me? Excellent question! With much more savy moves. We are skilled in pose-ing you with
out making you look posed. Giving you an idea (through modeling it ourself & being fun) of what we
think would suit the surroundings & your personality and helping you run with that. Keeping the
attitude light & playful & tender, so that those emotions come through. We also think it is
key to be trained in “watching for moments”, having some trained intuition about certain
situations that will likely emit a very candid and real moment. One that isnt set up at all,
and one where the people involved dont even know that we are capturing it. Being skilled
enough with our cameras that we can nail such a quick & fleeting moment, is something
that is very important to us. Because you can never “redo” those brief interactions, and yet
they are the most important.
I guess folks what im trying to say is this: Photographers who we consult (we offer photographer consulting,
but are filled right up until April) always ask “what do you say your style is”? and we say, “we dont”.
If you puruse our work on our website, you will SEE our style & our techniques & what your photos will resemble.
BUT we do not let “a style” guide our day. We let your love & who you are guide our day & we
capture that. So, THAT is our style.
YOU are.
so that makes sense right? clear as mud?
We encourage all photographers to shoot from this point of view, rather
then go to a wedding or shoot with your main focus being on YOUR style. Get in tune
with your clients, & shoot their style.

I Love the tenderness in this next one. So real. I picture this above their bed on a huge canvas.
This sweet & real moment occured seconds after the walked down the aisle and out the church doors. I love this moment. JUST them.





I love stylish grooms
This is my favorite type of wedding party portrait & love when I get a wedding party whose vibe is one of rock n’ roll.


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Eternal Reflections Photography is an International Award winning studio providing glamorous wedding photography for Fabulous People. With Roots in Edmonton, Alberta, Eternal Reflections photographs Edmonton (& area) Weddings & is an leader in International Wedding Photography. Eternal Reflections Photography also provides consulting and workshops for photographers wishing to grow their business & learn luxury wedding photography.www.eternalreflectionsphoto.com
Edmonton Wedding Photography. Drayton Valley Photographer. Drayton Valley Weddings. Edmonton Weddings. Edmonton Photography. Jasper Wedding Photography. Jasper weddings, Banff Wedding Photographers, Spruce Grove Photographer, Stony Plain Phtographer, Free destination photography, Honolulu weddings, hawaii photographer.
For Photographers (a part of a FAQ segments)
My 2 cents on New Years Goals.
Goal setting is a powerful tool and as a photographer, I think that it is essential.
If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. I heard from Jasmine Star that 95% of all
photography companies will fail in the first 3 years. That is just crazy! You
want to have staying power and while there are many components to that
(that we will discuss in future FAQ posts) one of the ones that we have found most
successful is goal setting.
People often get their back up about "new years resolutions" as they feel that if they dont write any,
then they will not fail. However,
Ever notice how your life never really stays the same? You're either improving it or
damaging it, your actions aren't neutral. Tell me, would you plan a wedding without
all the fine details? What about take an exotic vacation without first making plans?
So why is it that we go through life sometimes and not have a clear plan or vision as
to what we want out of it? By setting the goal and making the plan, this plants a vision in your mind and also your
subconscious mind. During this process the subconscious mind is given a set of instructions
to follow and carry out.
I am a huge believer in New Years Goals. Every year I write goals in my life in categories.
"physical, spiritual, financial, just for fun/family, self sufficiency, Professional".
I would say that in total I set around 70 goals. On average, I complete around 40 of these.
Sure that is just over half (perhaps not THAT impressive), however, how many of them
would I have accomplished if I didnt set any? Not likely very many.
What has been very interesting to me, is that
at the end of the year I have gone back and read them, and there are always alot that
I totally forgot about, yet somehow accomplished.
I think one of the key things, is as you are writing the goals down, really picture
yourself achieveing that goal & imagine what it would feel like.
I know that a lot of people will say pft its a waste of time. But I really feel that
it is worth your time & energy. It gives you focus & it has been proven that your brain
works on the goals & finding ways for you to accomplish them; even when you have long
since "forgotten" about them. Interestingly, I wrote goals 5 years ago for where I wanted
to be in 5 years time. I accomplished every single one of those goals in 2 years and even
blew some of them totally out of the water. While I am a goal focused person, I cannot say
that I was obsessed or really focused on getting them scratched off my list...rather I
had put them out there, and they found a way to me. (if that makes any sense in sort of a hippie way).
I now have 10 years goals....(yes owning an airplane is on them)...and im excited to see
how quickly they will be accomplished. At the risk of sounding like a cheesey
motivational high school guest speaker (although I would secretly love to be one)-----
Deciding what you want is risky. Telling someone else can feel uncomfortable.
You might feel like you've got to preface it with something like, "Please don't
tell anyone, Can you keep a secret, I know it sounds crazy, but" But you know what?
People who set and achieve awesome goals are risk takers, they've learned to be.
They know that they've got the privilege and duty to design their own lives,
make their own decisions. They dare to dream, and dream big. So challange yourself,
set personal & business goals, FEEL them, and then get on with life being excited
about your future. You can be the photographer that you desire to be. You will be
amazed at all that you accomplish.
____________________________ Eternal Reflections Photography is an International Award winning studio providing glamorous wedding photography for Fabulous People. With Roots in Edmonton, Alberta, Eternal Reflections photographs Edmonton (& area) Weddings & is an leader in International Wedding Photography. Eternal Reflections Photography also provides consulting and workshops for photographers wishing to grow their business & learn luxury wedding photography.www.eternalreflectionsphoto.com
About a week ago we reached our limit for our fall 2010 workshop. We are replying to all of those photographer’s who inquired individually, however we have not emailed everyone yet, so we wanted to just put this on the blog & let you know that we will give you a personalized email with the option to be first on our spring 2011 workshop list.
In a couple of months we will be releasing details regarding the Spring 2011 workshop. If you wish to be on that email list (to recieve the details), email us & we will add you. love@eternalreflectionsphoto.com
Those of you who emailed after the Fall 2010 workshop was full, will get first dibs on the spring workshop in a first come first serve basis until it is full.
Stay tuned to a new blog post coming your way soon!
Much Love,
Adam, Radelle & Kari
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Eternal Reflections Photography is an International Award winning studio providing glamerous wedding photography for Fabulous People. With Roots in Edmonton, Alberta, Eternal Reflections photographs Edmonton (& area) Weddings & is an leader in International Wedding Photography. Eternal Reflections Photography also provides consulting and workshops for photographers wishing to grow their business & learn luxury wedding photography. www.eternalreflectionsphoto.com
-By Radelle, Adam & Kari
FAQ photographers
Lindsay wrote, “your work always looks so fresh & original. How do you do it?”
Well Lindsay (& other photographers!), everything! Seriously, sometimes it is the mischevious glint in the ring bearers eyes, sometimes it is the style of the dress, sometimes it is a storefront ad (abercrombie for example) that looks emotional & raw. Sometimes it is visiting our grandparents, sometimes it is Rockwell. Stay tuned to your surroundings & feelings and you will be amazed at how inspiring your own life is.
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Eternal Reflections Photography is an International Award winning studio providing glamerous wedding photography for Fabulous People. With Roots in Edmonton, Alberta, Eternal Reflections photographs Edmonton (& area) Weddings & is an leader in International Wedding Photography. Eternal Reflections Photography also provides consulting and workshops for photographers wishing to grow their business & learn luxury wedding photography. www.eternalreflectionsphoto.com

A: Be ridiculously funny. We’ve been known to make total fools out of ourselves to get our couples to laugh! No but in all seriousness, whether its the laughing-having a great time expression or the really tender moments that we capture, we credit it to our love of love. We are genuinely so excited to go to “work” and love being at the wedding and seeing the bride & groom in love. If you feel “meh” towards weddings or wedding photography at all, do your self a favor and the brides a favor and specialize in something else. You should be there with your full heart, and then that is when you get those really fantastic images. When we first started up a gazillion years ago, we also did family & newborn portraiture. Our hearts were not in it. We did not feel that same excitement as we feel when we are photographing a wedding. So we followed our hearts and now we only photograph weddings. Find what you are passionate about and specialize in that. Not only will you naturally produce happy, emotion filled images of your couples, but you will become an industry leader because all your creative energy is in one area. So in summary, find what you love, love what you do, and the art will create itself!
Q: What are two things that help to make photographing a wedding easier?
A: We are in love with 2 things at the moment. Our GPS & our shootsac.
Q: Can I pick your brain?
A: Yes. We offer consulting & workshops.
Much Love,
Adam , Radelle & Kari
Edmonton Wedding Photographers/Edmonton Photography/Edmonton Weddings