Behind the Scenes 2: My First Proof Box from Cypress

        K&L's wedding packaging included this 5X5 proof box and a matching dvd folio (not pictured).
  
        February turned out to be quite the stressful month; it took nearly five weeks for Cypress to process my order (granted, they were closed one week for WPPI as well as on President's Day) and the quality of the other disc printing company I used turned out to be even worse than Discmakers. I even struggled getting the proof prints made with Bayphoto because all my digital files were so large. Bayphoto came through for me, though, as did Cypress.

                                
  The beauty of a 5x5 print

Here's what I learned:
      *Cypress's 1000-print proof box only holds about 950 prints, without wiggle room. Next time, allow an extra 50-100 print space.
      *Decrease image sizes before uploading. It will take a lot less time and hassle.
      *Expect about a four-week turnaround time. Editing the photos took about two weeks (I took around 2000 photos and narrowed it down to 950); the proofs came about two days after I ordered them, which wasn't a problem, but the Cypress order took much longer.

        I also learned that all the stressing I did over the whole thing wasn't worth it (is it ever?). At moments I thought I would actually pull my hair out I was so frustrated. But by about the first week of March, the package was finally mailed off. I felt a great sense of satisfaction and a huge weight lifted. A few days later I was stunned by the check I received in the mail. I wrote Katie to thank her, and she replied with this:

Hi Ashley,

You're so welcome!  I feel like it's not enough for the amount of work that you did.  The photos and their packaging are absolutely lovely.  Everyone is commenting about it on Facebook.  Your presence and expertise were such a gift for our special day, and I wish we could do more to reward you for that! Now, to MyPublisher!

Love, Katie

(I saw the 5x5 print size inside a beautiful proof box when I visited Cypress last fall and decided then and there it would be my proof size. The actual photo does not take up the complete paper space (obviously); I thought this was actually beneficial because it helps isolate the image to help a person with enlargement decisions.)

        I guess the thing I'm wondering now is whether or not I'll ever do this again. I hope to. Certainly, if someone asks me, I think I know what my answer will be.

Photo Shoot 12, January 2011

Katie & Luke
1.30.11

Last Sunday, I flew up to Sunol, California to shoot my first wedding as lead (and sole!) photographer at Elliston Vineyards. I'm glad I did it because I learned a lot -- about my equipment, about weddings, about time constraints, about needing help!

Lessons learned:

*First of all, I worked too many hours without a break. I was too tired by the end of the night (I worked from about 9:30am to 7pm!); there was definitely the possibility for human error to seep in towards the end of the day. It could've happened -- but it didn't, praise the heavens! But the truth is, I wanted to be with the bride from start to finish. When I shadowed Valyssa's photographers at her wedding (Photo Shoot 6), I sensed the need for a photographer to be with her all day; thus it was my personal goal to do so with Katie. But seriously. I'm not Wonder Woman! Lesson: Next time, get serious about hiring help. An assistant could have photographed everything that didn't involve people (reception hall, centerpieces, favors, programs, decorations, etc.) I actually wrote that in my notes from last time. I guess I thought I could handle it. . .

Just a side note: A tremendous thank-you to Antonio, my good friend from Whittier College, who just happened to be a guest at the wedding, and who filled in (yet again!) as the last-minute extemporaneous photographer's assistant, usher, party-favor manager and coordinator (lavender-throwing), and the best all-purpose people director in the world! Another huge kiss! (Right: Antonio luring flower girl, Violet)

*I had actually planned on taking an hour or so for lunch because I knew I would need the break, but I lost track of time at the salon (where we spent the morning); I ended up only having about 15 minutes in between salon and hotel because Katie was already ahead of me. Lesson: Plan out the day & take personal breaks. Tell the bride I intend to plan for that so in case there's a moment "I miss," I won't be to blame because it was planned from the beginning. (Of course I thought about taking a break at the salon. But I didn't want to miss anything!)

*Even though I was dutifully prepared, once we arrived at the venue, things were very stressful. Not only did we have less time than I had anticipated, but it was raining -- all challenges for a first-timer. So I began prioritizing. (And suddenly I became the director of things. That was an amazing feeling!) I knew the "first look" was a priority (I didn't know this term before last weekend: it's the industry term for when the bride & groom first see each other), as was the wedding party -- so that's where I began. With the ceremony time closing in (4pm), I had to tie it up, and I still had a list of items I needed to get through with the bride and groom! Lesson: Be more strict about following the pre-planned schedule. Ask the bride & groom to be sure to be at the venue (or appointed place) no later than 15 minutes after the originally appointed time. Other than being on time for the ceremony, I now believe this is the next most important appointment to keep on a wedding day! (Fortunately, we got lucky with the weather -- the rain eased up around 3:30 and there were enough cloud breaks to continue the photos and ceremony as planned!)


Beautiful things:

*I was more than prepared battery-wise. I brought 4 Canon batteries, fully charged, my new battery grip and 50 extra AAs just in case. I only used two of the Canon batteries, which I have discovered are very well made and last quite a long time. I could've used a flash pack so my flash would reboot faster but, finances aside, my Speedlite did a great job.

*I typed up all my notes and thought about them forwards and backwards for months beforehand, and I retyped them the night before. And they actually served me well on the day of. A little unwieldy to carry maybe, but they worked!

*Pre-planning is key: the day before (during the rehearsal), I decided where all the pictures would take place beforehand. It worked out great!

*Once at the venue, I was fast and efficient with the time frame I had. No one became over tired or grouchy.

*I remained with the bride. All day. And I loved every moment of it.

Post-production is still on-going, but here are just a few of my favorites so far. (I will post again when my packaging arrives! Exciting!) Until then, I want to thank you for taking the time to read this and especially to thank you for your enduring support and love. I don't know that I could've done it without you. (Sorry -- I know "you" is a floating pronoun and somewhat impersonal, but all of my antecedents know who they are. . .  I love you!)

(Click once to enlarge)

Photo Shoot 8, August 2010

Last weekend, my sister Heather hosted the greatest dinner party I've ever been to. It took place in her Colorado backyard; as an artist herself, her vision was a "Babette's Feast", "Chocolat", and "Big Night" dream a la Martha Stewart -- a spectacularly planned feast that was finally realized in this 7-course spread of deliciousness! There was even a wine service in between each course! I began taking pictures right when the preparation began on the day before. My vision was to emanate Martha Stewart Magazine a little bit, with the idea of putting together a collage of some of the best images at the end. This won't be a collage, exactly, but at least you can get a bit of an idea as to the event. It was interesting shooting food rather than people for a change. I learned quite a bit, and artistically, I actually had a lot of fun. Be sure to visit Heather's blog at www.artbyhlm.blogspot.com to see more photos of the food and the menu. These are my favorite images from the night. (click once to enlarge)

Photo Shoot 6, October 2009

My science teacher friend, Valyssa, married last Friday, October 9, and let me tag along with her hired photographers so I could build my portfolio. Here are some of my favorite shots from that event. The more I look at my work, the more I notice my photojournalistic approach; I like to tell a story. My favorite pictures are ones with artistic flair and available light as well as those where my subjects are most relaxed.

This is my first-ever wedding shot with a digital camera. I took around 1300 photos (I know!) and it took me about 3 days to narrow it down to about 580. I don't have Adobe Photoshop which, in a way, I'm glad for because I must rely on my skill first. I do have iPhoto Mac which helps with a few minor adjustments. I boosted color, blurred edges, and faded color, but for the most part I kept true to the photo and didn't "edit" much (which some photographers tend to abuse because they don't have any skill or talent in the first place, not to name any names...). Overall I was happy with the amount of time it took me to shoot, edit, and narrow down my work.

Here are some things I learned:

*Much like a teacher, I must direct my subjects. Even when they're told, "Get in a line and walk toward the camera," many don't even really know how to walk appropriately. Valyssa's photographers knew how to put together some great shots of the bridal party, but missed the boat in terms of the finer details. I didn't want to step on their toes, so I sort of stood back and just watched. Lesson: If I'm the photographer in charge, tell subjects to walk with chin up, facing upward, smiling, with equal spaces between them.

*Don't photo the bride and bridal party for longer than 1 hour before the ceremony. Everyone will wilt prior to the party even starting. Lesson: Have an agenda in mind. Have 6-8 location "backgrounds" ready to go before the day of the event.

*Look for golden sunset light. Use it. 

*Weddings are visually easy; naturally, colors coordinate, bouquets are abundant, and everyone looks their best. So naturally, photos come out looking visually pleasing, for the most part. So -- does that make a photographer? Absolutely not! A portion of the afternoon was spent doing family portraits; I watched as Valyssa's photographers positioned the family. Some of their artistic choices were completely different from something I would choose; for example, shooting the family from downhill and focusing on the lighthouse in the background, using it as a main focus. I also noticed their team did not have a female, so I appreciated that I was allowed into the bride's bedroom to photo her getting ready with her friends, which actually turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the day.

*I have realized that the bride is largely a wedding's main focus. I never realized the weight of that fact and how the day really is about her. Lesson: Every bride must have her own photographer who stays with her and whose main focus is her -- all day. How can I work that into my own business?

*I began at 1:30 p.m. and started getting tired about 4. Lesson: Hire some help & bring some treats and coffee!

The pictures at the end are just for fun; they hired two charicature artists to draw the guests. Very cool! Thanks for reading and for following my journey... this whole thing is so existential!

                                                     (Click a photo to enlarge it)