Labels: Bristol, Guide, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

I recently stumbled over a great tip from wedding photographer extraordinaire Jasmine Star. I thought I would share it with anyone reading this blog as it's a real scorcher. Granted, not a resident in Bristol, but she writes a great blog and regularly shares her inspiring work. I’m always after tips to improve the efficiency of photographing weddings, especially the formals. Formal shots can be fun to shoot and Bristol has some great traditional wedding locations. When you mix this with my modern style of photography the results are always great to look and make long lasting memories that I am proud of.


That said formal shots aren't traditionally a fun thing for the bride and groom or the guests. Understandably they would rather be spending time together rather than looking at me behind a black box! The one thing that slows the process down is the organisation of people. Up until now I have always started with the Bride and then worked my way up to the whole wedding party. This has worked well and I can get the whole thing done in about 30-40 minutes. My assistant ticks off the shots as we go and lets me know which shot comes next.

Jasmine recommends you do the opposite. Start with a big group. Pose them well and then strip away the guests, friends and then the family with each shot. This saves people hanging around who are not needed until the end. It also saves a lot of reposing with every shot taken. My next wedding has an unusually large number of formal shots. There are about 25 as the bride has a large number of relatives coming from overseas. It’s going to take a long time whatever method I use but I'm hoping this method will shave a few minutes off what will be a long session.

Doing new things is sometimes a bit scary but I'm relatively confident this will work wonders.

Labels: Bristol, Guide, Techniques, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

I got in to an interesting discussion with a prospective client about post processing trends. We were having a wedding consultation and he commented that he liked the 'cleanness' of my photographs (thanks!) in contrast to some of the other local Bristol photographers he has met. I asked him what he meant by this just as a talking point to make sure I understood his meaning and to get some feedback. He responded that the last photographer's images were very grainy.

Labels: Post Processing, Techniques, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

Labels: Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

Labels: Thoughts, Wedding Photography

This is something I have been thinking about for a while. When a couple visit my website it would be a great way for them to read testimonials about the experience other couples have had with me and my wedding photography.

Whilst I want to keep my site as simple as possible I will soon be adding a testimonials page to help improve my photography business.

For example I was thrilled to receive positive feedback from Rob and Katie whose wedding I photographed just after Christmas at Cadbury house. It was great to read how much they liked my work and how easy it was to work with me. I don't often like to blow my own horn, preferring instead to let my photography speak for itself. However I don't think this is going to take me to the next level and a bit of marketing like this will help drive sales. I will be putting my shyness aside in the hope that this will help me generate more business in and around Bristol.

Labels: Thoughts, Wedding Photography

Labels: Bristol, Thoughts, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

I'm really looking forward to photographing a wedding at the Hotel Du Vin this weekend. I'll be taking a new second photographer along with me this time. It will be really handy to have him to carry my kit around as I plan on using some big lights for the formals. Shooting weddings in winter can be a real pain due to the lack of light. I'll be bouncing flashes off the walls and ceiling rather than counting on high ISO wide apertures. The quality of light can be very natural and lighting is what good photography is all about.

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Guide, Techniques, Thoughts, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

So I recently needed a new bag for my wedding photography and this is what I bought. The Lowepro D400 AW Stealth Reporter. I already own a Lowepro Vertex 200 AW which almost carries the lot. The problem with a rucksack for the wedding photographer is that:

a) A rucksack can be quite bulky and certainly isn't discrete. Sure, I will pack it with everything to travel to the venue but then I'd take what I need and leave it somewhere secure.
b) Changing lenses takes way too long. To have to take the bag off, unzip it, switch lenses, zip it back up, put it back on will mean you miss the moment every time.

So I decided on buying a shoulder bag mainly because I need to change lenses on the go. Sure I use two cameras with two lenses but you still want to switch the wide-angle to the telephoto from time to time. I bought it from Jacobs Photography in Bristol on Whiteladies Road. The staff were really nice and they also had the 550AW and the 600AW. Whilst I had my mind set on the 550AW going in to the shop I quickly decided against it.

Sure it was a lot more capacity for a very small amount of money more however I wasn't prepared for how big it was! It genuinely is a lot bigger than the 400AW. To the point where it becomes the kind of bag you use for carrying a lot of gear from point A to point B rather than the kind of bag you carry around with you on the go. Not to mention that using a shoulder bag to carry gear around puts you under a lot more strain than a rucksack. Still, if you carry your camera(s) in your hand, or on another strap using this as a lens bag makes perfect sense in my mind.

The 400AW carries a 70-200/2.8 attached to the body (a 5DMKII) without any problems. I don't think it would carry a 300mm or a 100-400 though.

Whilst the image shows what I have in it, I would say you could carry another lens if you needed to. In addition there is a lot of space for wedding photography business cards, memory cards, a rocket blower and other small stuff.

Anyway, I hope this has been useful. Let me know what you think.

www.bertpalmer.com
Bristol Wedding Photographer

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

As part of the flickr Bristol Strobist group I was lucky enough to photograph Marina if only for an hour or two. I really jump at the chance to photograph models, especially when they wear a white dress as this really makes me think about the lighting because it can be challenging. When it comes to using off camera flash I consider myself to be able to hold my own up to a point. I've had a good amount of studio experience, but when it comes to venue's things are a bit different! I'm certainly no master but I have a good idea about what will work and what won't.

Sometimes it won't!

The shot here was done with window light only. I tried various setups with strobes, reflectors and all of that but I couldn't deny how good the light was and so turned the strobes off. I'm really trying to push off camera flash at the weddings I do. It really gives a different feel to the photographs, but sometimes the the best shots come naturally.

As an aside Ashton Court Mansion on the outside of Bristol seems like an amazing wedding venue from the point of view of the photographer. The grounds a stunning and I think you could get some really striking formal photographs in this location.

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Thoughts, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

Just a quick post while I have some time. I've been trying to do some more second shooting of late. I always find it a good opportunity to be creative and enjoy myself slightly more when not quite so much pressure is on me. It's also a good way of learning a little bit more about the business, as whilst I am happy with what I am doing (or my customers are more to the point) I have to be realistic that I have only been in the business a fairly short while compared to many other photographers.

Building a good relationship with my peers in Bristol is important to me for this reason, and I know that should one of my second shooters have to back out last minute I am confident that one of my other associates could jump in at the last moment. Especially living in Bristol, photography in general is very popular - even wedding photography!

Labels: Bristol, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

So Adobe have announced the third version of Lightroom, even if it is beta this shows some of the new features. What am I most looking forward to?

Well the watermarking will mean that I no longer have to export to Photoshop which will be a big time saver.
Being able to publish to flickr is really nice. Probably not that much of an importance for the business but its nice to have this feature integrated. I guess Facebook will be next...

Exporting a video slideshow will also be nice. I do hope that they integrate some nice new transitions. I like Ken Burns don't get me wrong, but some funky features like that have in iMovie would be well received.

The printing module looks excellent, hopefully this will save me a lot of time when it comes to making albums in the future.

All in all it looks like a nice update, especially if the speed is improved on. Especially when it comes to rendering the photos for input and output as this is a big bottleneck in my workflow. Unfortunately this could well be due to my ageing Macbook Pro, but I'm currently in denial!

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I was recently asked to photograph a wedding in the Bristol Oncology Hospital at the last minute. The wedding was scheduled to take place in June 2010 and I was deeply honoured that the couple had asked me to come along and photograph their ceremony.

I took a call on Monday night to photograph the wedding on Tuesday night and I was free. I was due to set off on holiday the next day for two weeks so I charged my batteries and made sure all my memory cards were clear. It was a beautiful occasion and I really captured the emotion of the evening. I guess the reason I thought this warranted a blog post was because the event really was set apart by the venue. As plans were set in place literally on the day the ceremony took place in a waiting room in the hospital rather than the country grounds of a beautiful country house.

The spontaneity of the event really set this wedding apart in my mind and whilst the venue may not have been quite so grand the importance and emotion of the event was there every minute.

This kind of got me thinking about how important the wedding venue is for the photography. I always thought that the photographers who charge more, got better images (IN PART) because their clients could afford nicer venues. Thus things look a bit nicer in general as you have more opportunities. Whilst there is no doubt in my mind that a nice/expensive venue is preferable there is no reason why you can't work creatively to use what you have to your advantage as I found out.

Labels: Bristol, Thoughts, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

An easy way to be creative at a wedding is to change the backdrop and get away from the other people at the wedding. For example when going to the Bristol registry office for a ceremony there are some beautiful parts of Bristol that make a nice backdrop for any wedding photographer. All it takes is for you to get the bride and groom to plan this in to their schedule so that you get 10-15 minutes with just them. This really helps spice up the pictures.

Not only do the shots visually change, but getting the happy couple away from everyone else lets them relax. When they don't have a crowd looking at them they will be a lot more comfortable and relaxed. Then you can encourage them to play, have a kiss or just enjoy a few moments together sitting down talking.

Labels: Bristol, Guide, Techniques, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography, Wedding Photography Locations

Put simply, 'give it some wonk.' Two of the simplest techniques for creating an image that seems more interesting are very simple. Firstly you can use the rule of thirds. This works like a charm 95% of the time. You place your subject off centre and ensure the face, or the point of interest rests on one of the four intersecting lines. Secondly you can shoot at an angle. You don't HAVE to keep your camera straight, where it works, tilt it to either side and use this to compose at an interesting angle.

It helps make the viewer look for more components in the scene. It puts the viewers visual balance off centre and adds another dimension to the image. As a lot of photos are not composed like this it quite often stands out and I quite often have the bride and groom liking it more as a result. That said, like many techniques don't overuse it!

Labels: Bristol, Techniques, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

When I first moved to Clifton in Bristol (an area I love by the way!) I decided to make myself a gear list. It was a new start, both in location and in full time career and a shiny, new bag full of gear seemed to be in order. It was a wish list of my most wanted gear. My plan was to take as much of my disposable income as possible and buy the gear now, at the beginning. Then in the coming year the profit would be put back in to the business, marketing, hard drives, a new printer and maybe a wedding fair. O... and wages...

I've shot 12 weddings so far this year and I'm turning away clients for 2010 because I'm fairly well booked up. I've also done a fair bit of second shooting and have a pretty good idea what gear I need. So it was a bit of a surprise when I opened my gear 'wish list' and looked through all of my 'must have' items.

It really blew me away that my list had changed considerably in 9 months. Firstly my new list is a lot smaller. A quick estimation shows that I have probably saved around £4,000. Gone are the desires for the 85mm f1.2 L lens, 15mm f/2.8 fisheye and the 50mm f/1.2 L. I don't need a full set of studio lights, nor ETTL compatible triggers for my 4 speed lights.

I'm even considering selling the 16-35mm f2.8 L zoom lens I own, but it does come in useful at times. So how did my needs change? Practically I simply wouldn't want to cart the weight of all this gear around with me. It would have been quite a burden and a bit of a worry to have to leave it around because I couldn't carry it. I also rented a few lenses and borrowed some others to see whether they worked for me before purchasing. Some worked really well and others just didn't suit my style.

My advice to anyone in a similar position would not be to rush out and buy the gear. You might surprise yourself and save yourself some money if you work with what you have and try renting gear.

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Guide, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I know it's easily said that you should work your client to get the best out of them. Serious shots are nice, but grabbing emotion is what weddings are all about. Saying 'smile' doesn't work and just sounds lame. Encouraging people to play, have fun, be silly is okay for models but not so much for the average bride. This can be particularly challenging with just one person, with two they can play off each other.

Anyway, here a few things to do or say to lighten the atmosphere and make them feel comfortable.

• Talk to them, ask her how she met the groom, plans for the honeymoon.
• Ask her what nicknames she has for the groom that no one else knows.
• Tell them a really bad joke. This works well if you build it up to be the best joke ever... they always crack up over it.
• Try grabbing a small kid from nearby and asking him/her to press the shutter - this normally gets some genuine smiles.
• Compliment them and tell them they look good - don't forget to show them the best ones on the LCD.
• Encourage them to move around - they don't have to be stiffs! This can lead to them doing stupid poses which is always good.
• Say - "now the bride and groom kiss and every laugh" *click* then, "now the bride and groom laugh and everyone else kiss!" *click*
• "Okay, look like you like each other." *click*
• "Okay, now bite his ear!" *click*

Labels: Bristol, Techniques, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

So I've finally purchased the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8 L lens for use on my full frame Canon 5DMKII. I'm really going to try and make sure that is the last lens I buy this year (with the possible exception of the Canon 50mm f/1.4 as an upgrade.) Why is this the best lens for a wedding photographer? Well there is no 'best lens' per se, however there is an obvious gap in my lens lineup and I KNOW with all my heart that this lens will get a lot of use when it comes to the Wedding formals.

Luckily I managed to have a quick play with one a few days ago in the Bristol flickr meetup. One of the members very kindly lent me theirs and whilst I didn't get the opportunity to fully put it through its paces due to the low light I can see why people like it so much.

It's the optimum wideness for group shots, but also very reasonable for zooming in all the way for a few portraits. Perviously I have had to swap lenses here. With the Canon 16-35mm f/2.8 L II for the wide shots and the 80-200mm f/2.8 L lens for the portraits. This is really going to save me a lot of time at this part of the wedding.

Whilst I've yet to review my copy I got it at an excellent price on eBay of £724 inc P&P. The reviews I have read from both friends and other forums online have been glowing in their praise.

Well hopefully I'll get a good copy and a review will follow.

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

It's really important to find out beforehand what the bride's vision is for her wedding. For instance shoes might be particularly important to her or the bridesmaids as I can assure you they will have been carefully selected for the day.

When taking time to chat to them (before the big day) find out the efforts are going in to the creating the day - they will almost certainly be worth photographing in an artistic and thoughtful way.

Labels: Bristol, Guide, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I think this is a pretty interesting subject as a lot of wedding photographers don't advertise even their starting price.

I think there are some good reasons for this depending on your market. People ought to contact you because they like your work irrespective of price. This may result in lots of enquiries, but how many prospective clients actually follow that up with wanted a consultation or even a booking?

Speaking to the brides I meet every week I know they are busy people. In fact they are VERY busy. Even the bride looking for a budget photographer can be busy with family, work and even organising the wedding. I don't think many brides will consider you unless you have at least a starting price on your website. The same way you wouldn't buy a camera advertised on line which didn't have a price so you had to contact the owner.

If people see your pricing and still contact you then it indicates they are more likely to book you. If someone doesn't acknowledge their price it probably means they are going to hard sell you in an e-mail or telephone call.

Most of my clients are web savvy and want the information ASAP, so I'm happy to provide it to them.

I thing to keep in mind is to remind the clients that they are not just buying the photographs, but they are buying YOU!

Labels: Bristol, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

I thought I would put a quick blog post together to mention the focusing test chart. I recently played with it and was happily surprised to see that all of my lenses (except one) focussed perfectly.

I expected the 80-200/2.8 to not fare so well - as it seems to slightly back focus. I have been planning to upgrade this lens for some time and that day may be coming quicker than I thought! At least this gives me a genuine opportunity to test the micro adjust feature on my Canon 5DMKII.

I use this lens for a lot of my weddings in Bristol and do occasionally see a shot not being 100% when using this lens. It's a shame as the qualities of it are exceptional. This test chart is a great resource and I recommend trying it, if only for piece of mind.

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Techniques, Thoughts, Web, Wedding Photography

I was having a bit of a chat with some friends in Bristol over coffee at the Cafe Du Jour on Whiteladies Road (great place, great coffee.) And we got in to sharing thoughts about how we conduct ourselves in a meeting with a prospective couple. I thought it would make an interesting blog post, so let me know what you think.

I can really only say what I do, so on reflection I find that even before the meeting you want the couple to love you, love your work and know you care about their wedding well before the meeting. You can show this from your website, your first e-mail and phone call.

I try and keep the KISS principle in mind because it can be very easy to overcomplicate things when it comes to discussing a wedding.

I try and keep the first 15-20 minutes getting to know the couple. I genuinely love meeting new people and making friends and so these meetings excite me because they are always fun. Getting to know someone and making a connection is crucial if you want to take the best photographs you can of them. Don't mention the wedding or bring out your portfolio until you have got to know them a little.

Don't over pitch especially when they are looking at your photos but don't just sit there either. I guide them through my work and tell them how I created the images and what makes them special. Make them laugh, keep it light and have fun and whatever you do try and make a connection. Show your passion, that's why you are in the wedding photography business. Your passion and people skills will win you clients.

If you sell albums, bring some so the clients can see them, having something tangible is a really nice plus and shows you are interested in quality products.

When you move on to the subject of weddings find out how they met, what mood or feeling they have for their images and the vision they have. Be interested in their wedding, the cake, dress, style and theme. This is the part where you need to listen more and talk less. Bring a nice notepad and pen with you and take notes, it shows you care and helps you not to forget. Tell them of your experience that there is no problem you have not faced. I ask them how their ideal photographer would fit in to their day and other such open ended questions, getting them to speak automatically will help them relax. It is important to let them know how you work and so I talk them through their day from my perspective. "When you are getting ready I will be doing this..."

Being nervous is normal, but if you show your nerves you won't be hired. Speak with confidence, after all you are a professional and you will know what you are talking about. Contrary to popular belief there are enough weddings to go around. I may not be what people are looking for and and likewise I don't have to photograph every wedding that comes across my plate. But couples who love my style and insist that I am exactly what they want are the ones I want to book. I don't take the stance that I'm trying to get them to hire me, rather I'm showing them what I do, how I do it and the results. Hopefully we will make a connection and our visions match we will make a great story and capture it with creativity and passion.

Finally ask them whether they have anymore questions, and if not ask them if they would like to book that date.

Your work speaks for itself, but the meeting is to decide whether they like me or not...

Labels: Bristol, Guide, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I have owned my most recent ipod for the last 5 years. Unsurprisingly it is pretty worn out. Typically a 2-3 hour battery life on a good day, it only charges with Firewire and only syncs with USB so I have to use two cables. The unit crashes intermittently, and unless you plug it back in to the computer it won't restart...

So I was browsing Bristol's shopping district the other day and found myself in the Apple store... 30 mins later I walked out the proud owner of an iPhone (32GB, 3GS, Black if you care!) I was tempted to only get the iPod touch as I already have a phone, but having to carry around two devices is a bit of a pain. That and the fact that the rumour sites are saying a new iPod touch will be released in a month or two swung it for me...

Luckily the upgrade cycles for camera lenses aren't as frequent as iPods and when you buy a lens it tends not to deteriorate unless you treat it badly. So the next lens on my shopping list is the Canon 24-70mm L lens. Unfortunately I don't have the stomach to buy it as rumours have been circulating for a long time that a second version of this lens will be released with IS.

Deciding when to purchase new gear is always hard, but having to continually postpone the purchase because you think there may be something better coming out is a real pain Especially when you could he out there making great photos.

The problem is buying a new lens and have it fall in value by almost half because a new version is released. This is a big dilemma! I hate the feeling of buying something new only for a better version to be released within a month, and quite often for a cheaper price.

Personally I'm going to wait until the 24-70/2.8 II L is released and make the most of the gear I have. With a few lenses a good wedding photographer ought to be able to get a good shot out of any wedding situation. That doesn't mean I am happy about it though!

Labels: Bristol, Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

There are few opportunities to practise shots on the wedding day, but one of the few opportunities we get as wedding photographers is the cutting of the cake. This is a great opportunity to get some 'safe shots' in the bag with no interruptions. Another reason is that sometimes the photographer is only booked up to a certain time and so they need the photographs of the cake cutting before they leave. Since my 'second shooter' days I was always taught to do a mock cutting of the cake for these reasons. However, last weekend I decided against doing this. The reason?

These 'fake' shots never make it in to the final portfolio of images I hand to the clients. When they do the real thing the expressions are too priceless to miss capturing! I always stay until the end of the night so there is no chance of me missing this great opportunity. I also find the same thing when throwing the bouquet. It can be photographically challenging, but doing it live and capturing the real thing makes for better, emotionally charged photographs.

This is part of my plan to reduce the amount of photographs I take at a wedding and concentrate on the quality. This is a time consideration meaning less photos to post process and more highly rated photos.

The only other 'fake' part of the day is the signing of the register. Normally the priest doesn't allow this due to the distraction, but it is his house so his rules... Okay maybe it's God's house but I am sure you understand what I mean!

Photography is all about capturing the moment!

Labels: Guide, Techniques, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I was having a few drinks the other night with some photographer friends of mine in the Alma pub in Bristol. After a few ciders a heated discussion took place about whether wide aperture lenses were essential for wedding photography? Should you buy the 16-35/2.8 over the 17-40/4 when it is twice the price, for essentially a poorer lens in terms of image quality and focal length? This decision tends to come down to a price consideration because lenses with wide apertures almost always cost more. Although getting started in the photography business is probably quite cheap compared to other businesses good lenses probably still cost £600-£1000. When you need three or four of these, a good body, the hardware and software to process and print your photos we are not talking about a 'small' amount of money. So when it comes to making the investment the choice is never easy. So why are wide aperture lenses desirable?

They allow you to get a faster shutter speed in low light situations. In most weddings there is almost always a part of the wedding that is indoors. So a wider aperture lets more light in to the camera which means a faster shutter speed. Pretty essential unless you want blurry shots.

Secondly, wide apertures help create a smaller, more artistic depth of field. To many this can make an image seem more artistic and distinguishes the professional from the amateur point and shoot. A small depth of field is a harder thing to achieve here and is a technical matter due to the sensor size and quality of lens found on most point and shoot cameras.

Can you get by using a wider aperture such as f/4? Sure can can. It really comes down to the personal choice of how much money you are prepared to spend on your equipment. Personally I am of the frame of mind that you may as well buy the best - especially if there is a business need. I know myself well and if I buy something which isn't quite what I need to do the job, I end up spending more money in the long run upgrading.

Labels: Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography

I never got serious about photography before the digital revolution. Sure, I developed prints in smelly chemicals at school and enjoyed the unpredictability of the prints but being at school I didn't have the personal resources to get truly involved. From what I understand part of the beauty of film was the quality of the resulting image. More recently people with a greater technical knowledge than I are saying that we are coming close in the digital world to what we had with film.

Walking through Bristol yesterday I saw a local photo company advertising their work in the local Sainsburys. There were some beautiful pieces of art, all printed at A3 and mounted on the wall. They truly were eye catching and I stopped for a look.

One of my favourites was an 18 year old girl walking her dog in a studio scene. It really stood out to me, the colours were great, she looked at the camera like a model and her clothes were classically fashionable. It was an all round great image and almost any photographer would rightly put it in their portfolio.

However, it doesn't take much to spot the lack of detail in her face. I'm sure this was taken a few years ago and was probably taken with a camera with a lower pixel count than today's models. This was a real shame as the detail in her face will never be there and in my mind this REALLY let the photograph down. Sadly the grain/lack of detail was most evident in her face as her skin had been softened and someone had gone to work in photoshop to reduce the shadows under her eyes. This got me thinking about how important resolution is. I used to think the number of megapixels in the camera didn't really matter as long as it was over 8MP. In my mind many people were being duped by the manufacturers in to thinking they needed more in order to sell more cameras. After all, everyone knows you can make a good print out of a 8MP camera, right?

Well I'm certainly a believer in being able to make a good sized print out of an 8MP sensor (with a good lens), but since buying the Canon 5DMKII (for the ISO performance) my view has changed rapidly. The main reason I bought it was down the ISO performance. When photographing weddings, shooting in low light is always a problem. After shooting my first wedding I was not prepared to see the amount of detail in the resulting images. Details which weren't there before leapt out at me and the location shoots suddenly took on an extra beauty of their own.

Of course, resolution helps when you need to make a crop too, but it does have its down side. Certainly with the increase in the amount of smaller, compact pixels less light reaches them. This means you have to know the limits of your camera's ISO performance. Through some wizardry from Canon I feel happy shooting at ISO3200, although if I can shoot lower I will! Certainly with the crop sensor cameras the limits are a little lower but still pretty good these days.

This got me thinking about how important our art is to us. How much are we willing to spend to create 'quality' art and is it worth it? I have trouble justifying those £1K lenses and the £2K body but the personal satisfaction of getting the best possible image always excites me and wins over. I think this means a lot in the business of photography and the pride you put in your own work. Having said that the biggest most of the wedding prints are printed at is 8x10 and so a lot of detail goes unseen. That said, who knows what you will do with it in the future.

This isn't a suggestion that we all need to rush out and buy the camera body with the biggest megapixel count. But don't think that megapixels don't count.

Labels: Equipment, Gear, Thoughts, Wedding Photography