Capturing the extra details during portrait sessions

Something that we have been doing more and more of during our portrait sessions is taking photos of the surrounding area. It is just that added detail that can be used perfectly for blogging with the photos. It is not exactly something that the clients are going to purchase to put on the wall, but it is something that they will look over and remember what the trees looked like that day or to have that extra detail of a building or anything else like that. I think that extra detail is nice to have and I have seen some other great photographers add that detail to their blogging. It is something that we do during our weddings anyway and it is good practice to keep doing it during portrait sessions.

Even if you don't use them for your portrait sessions blog or anything else like that, you still have an awesome image that you can use for something else.

We just recently did some portraits at the Stone Brewery in Escondido. Since we arrived a little earlier than the family, we started taking some photos of the little details around the shooting areas that we were going to be at.

Here are just a few of the images from the details:

We will be posting that family shoot soon and you can see how we integrate some of these photos into the blog.

If we actually shot a wedding at the location, we likely would have added a lot more of the details around. It is an awesome location and we cannot wait till we capture a wedding there.

Photographers: Be Still Phtoog | Ernie Padaon | Fiona Padaon Location: Stone Brewery | Escondido, CA

Check out our main page here: Be Still Photog

How do you write a good blog post as a photographer?

How do you write a good blog post as a photographer? I just got done listening to the webcast from Michael Hyatt on writing a good blog post. There were a lot of keys that I am going to put into effect immediately in order to see if they make an impact.

If you didn't know, I am a successful blogger that still has not been able to find my voice in the photography blogging world. It is a different beast in comparison to the sports and news type blogs that I have been doing.

I currently write about the San Diego Chargers on a successful blog called Bolt Beat. The engagement is high there and I helped build that thing from the ground up. The world of photography blogging is different.

First, I still am trying to figure out my audience. I know that I have the content to make the blog spectacular. The content is the photos. That is what we do as photographers. We just need to find a way to reach people and get people to open up our posts. Who is the target audience that I am trying to reach?

I have struggled with that question for a while. Of course I want it to be brides and clients, but I tend to write more to other photographers on the blog. Potentially, this blog will be for both audiences. I will treat it in that manner and see what comes of it.

The generic titles that I had in the past were not grabbing attention, so I am going to have to switch that up. When I want to get the attention of clients, I have to get a title that will get them to click in. All I want is for people to click in and see what we do as photographers. The headline will be the way to do it.

Just as Michael Hyatt said, you can have the fanciest fish pole in the world, but it is the bait that will bring them in. Our bait has to be the headline. Get that headline out there and maybe someone will make their way into the post.

Some of the principles that were taught will be used on my Chargers blog and I will see how the growth works there. I will be also keeping track of what happens around here. I am expecting some big things to open up.

Time to see some explosion in the photography blogging world.

Wedding Photography: You do what you gotta do to get the shot

Sometimes you just do what you gotta do in order to get the shot... even if you are wearing heels. That photo above is of Fiona during one of our wedding shoots and she is working to get the angle that she wanted for the wedding dress. She is standing with one foot on a chair and another foot on the picnic table and she is looking to get that shot. What did I do to help her out? I took a photo to share the moment with her later. Isn't that what I was supposed to do? I did have a camera in my hand/ :)

These moments happen with both of us often and there are a number of shots that each of us take of each other during a shoot that shows some of the mess that we do get into.

There was one time when I tried to walk across the marsh of a lake and ended up standing knee deep in mud. I almost lost my shoe that day!! I don't know how many times that I have ended up knee deep in water during a beach shoot. We have never been afraid to get a little dirty in order to get that shot.

Next time I might just help Fiona out when she decides to climb on some tables for a shot. That would be after I take a photo of her first.

San Diego Wedding Photography: Be Still Photog | Ernie Padaon

Instagram adding portrait and landscape orientations

Instagram has released a new update that will allow for portrait and landscape orientation for photos. I think it will be cool to allow everyone to post a photo in those different orientations and will be awesome for photographers.

Here is the official release from Instagram:

“Square format has been and always will be part of who we are. That said, the visual story you’re trying to tell should always come first, and we want to make it simple and fun for you to share moments just the way you want to.”

We were already posting most of our photos with the landscape orientation to be a little different from the rest. I do like the idea of using the portrait option though more. I didn't like posting portrait shots in the past since it would add white borders to the sides and would make the photo look strange and small. Now the portrait option will take up more space on a timeline and grab an extra millisecond of attention for people.

Make sure to follow our work on Instagram: @bestillphotog

Time to give this new update a test drive to see how we like it all. I think it will be an overall great thing for everyone. I did like the clean look of squares everywhere though.

San Diego Photography | Purple hair style

San Diego Photography: Be Still Photog | Ernie Padaon | Fiona Padaon Hair Stylist: Casie Germonto

There is always some sort of art project happening at the house. This time around, our roommate got her hair colored in the kitchen by Casie Germonto. Our roomie was looking to get some purple in the hair and of course we had to pull out the cameras and the light to take some photos.

While it was great to get some images for Casie to use for her portfolio, it helped us understand what some of the hairstylists are looking for in these shots. We try to provide some of these shots to the stylists after the wedding. We all are in the same industry and we will try to keep as good a relationship with all the people in that line of work. It could lead to a referral of some sort.

In our last wedding, we took some photos of the bride's and bridesmaid's hair and the stylist said that a photographer had never offered that for her in the past. We will take every referral that we can get.

Check out some of the colors in this hair though:

Blogging with SmugMug... Not so hot

I tried to work with creating blogs through SmugMug and I just don't see it working out in the same manner as WordPress. I have been working with WordPress for so long and know how to quickly get something posted on the site and just didn't want to deal with customizing each page to make it look the same on SmugMug.

SmugMug will still be the spot where I hold images and such, but it will not be the location where I will have the blog running from. Wordpress has this thing on lock and is what they specialize in and will be the way that I continue to post. It is so much easier to get found on google with wordpress posts as well. Have to stick with the right tools if I want the proper results.

Sorry I left you for so long WordPress... .and by so long, meaning not that long at all!

Capturing the moment

I thought I was great at capturing moments until I watched a Creative live with Tyler Wirken this week. I am on Creative Live constantly and learning all the time from the epic photographers that they bring on set. I pick up a nugget from everyone that is on the show and this time around, I learned so much about moving my feet in order to capture moments.

“A good photograph is knowing where to stand.” - Ansel Adams

I know that Ansel was a landscape photographer, but that quote speaks so much truth about capturing moments. I can't say I agree with everything that Tyler said on the show, but everyone has their own style and their own way that they shoot. Most people shoot in Manual mode, but one of the best photographers on the planet, Joe Buissinck shoots in P-mode.

I will not argue with the way people shoot. It is the images that will completely shut me up. You can't deny the images that are produced by some of these greats.

The thing with Tyler, there was a video of him during a wedding and you would see him working through the scene and getting into the proper spot in order to catch moments. Catching a photography of the bride laughing is not enough, he had to get the picture of the bride laughing and have the thing that she was laughing at as part of the photo as well. He would hustle his way through in order to make his photo. It may be a bit disruptive for me, but you could not deny the images that he had at the end of the day.

When you catch the moment, you catch everything about that moment and can tell the story in that one photograph. You don't take a photo of the laugh in one image and the thing being laughed at in another image. You position yourself in a manner that you are able to gather the whole scene in one shot.

There was so many moments that have been missed in the past simply because I didn't move my feet. That will be a thing of the past and there will be a whole new way of capturing the moment. Move those feet and know where to stand.

Bringing the prints

I just ordered my first few prints in forever from Richard Photo Lab. I chose Richard Photo Lab because I wanted to use the best and they are one of the top names in the business. I want to see what I will get in return and will see if they are the company I use for proofs.

There is something about holding a tangible image that is so powerful. The plan moving forward is to make more prints of these images. In the digital world of facebook and instagram, the art and appreciation for prints has gotten a bit lost.

I plan on bringing that part of the world back. There is something powerful about it. There is something great about running across an old box of photos and skimming through what is in there. I don't think that happens in the digital age as often.

Any time I am asked to do a shoot or have my camera for some type of deal, I plan on making prints and bringing that as a gift to people.

There is a shoot today that I plan on making prints for. I also will be doing the baptisms at church and believe that printing those out would be awesome as well. Just a small gift, but I think it can go a long way.

Bringing back the power of prints!

Addicted... to photography

The addiction to wedding photography is real. Just the addiction to glamour and editorial photography and nature and all kinds of other photography is real. I have an addiction and it is bad! I can't get enough of photography. My favorite photography is of people. I love the photojournalistic approach to things, but the love of editorial photography shoots is growing on me. I think it would be amazing to have models and makeup artists and hair stylists and fashion designers all working for a production. Having those high class portraits would be amazing.

The wedding photography admiration is taking over at this time though. I am all over instagram looking at all kinds of images that people have taken at other weddings to get me inspiration. I think I have more wedding magazines at the house than people that are getting married.

I want to be the photographer that people look up and are inspired by. I want to be the photographer that people lose their minds on. When people see their images from their shoot or wedding, they are in awe.

Nerded out on this old school camera

Fiona and I were given this old school camera and I spent a good amount of time nerding out on it. Was trying to figure out how the thing even worked. Didn't' even know where a person was supposed to look through the cam to see the photo.

After messing around with it for a while, I noticed that you don't even look through the back of the camera to see the image. Then I noticed the aperture settings on the cam and all kinds of other things.  Then it became full nerd mode on the old school camera. I appreciate the digital camera age now and love everything that cameras are able to do now.

I still don't fully know how to use that Kodak camera, but it is pretty sweet to have sitting on a shelf in the pad.

First time using BorrowLenses.com... and I love it!

We used BorrowLenses.com for the first time over the weekend for an engagement photo shoot. It was nice to get some new glass during the shoot.  We already had a few prime lenses for the shoot, but we wanted to get a chance to use a zoom for the day as well.

We borrowed a Nikon 24-70 2.4 lens for 3 days and everything worked well and was clean. I wanted to see how the service would work before we had to get going on a wedding. It worked out well.

The lens arrived on time and was ready for use out of the box. I placed it on my camera and was ready to shoot. The return dropoff was easy. I just took it over to FedEx and they picked it up for me and gave me a receipt. AWESOME! Out of my hands and good to go.

I can't wait to pick up more lenses for the different events that will be coming down the pipe. I expect to use this service often until I can afford to buy some of those pricey lenses. It would also be an option to use for any new gear that comes out that I would want to test. I wonder if they have the new D810 available right now....

I love the service that BorrowLenses provides. They have a happy customer so far.