Category Archives: fine art photography
Why I Photograph
one reason why i photograph
I think that every once in a while people should stop and take the time to reflect on various aspects of their lives. Recently I was asked, for about the millionth time, why I photograph. And I had to think about it for a bit and search to find a real answer. Like many photographers I began photographing when I was young. I do not remember how it started. I just know that one day I was interested in the camera and it continued to grow from there. At first I just dabbled. Then I began to read everything that I could get my hands on. I was an amateur, then a serious amateur, and somewhere down the road I turned around and I was a professional photographer. That took many years, loads of learning, and lots of practice. For more advice about this you can read my posts ‘4 Simple Truths of Photography.’ If you are really the philosophical type there are several other ‘truth’ posts like ‘Even More Truths About Photography‘ and ‘Photography Truths- Christmas Edition.’
So back to the ‘why’ question, why I photograph. For years my first response was because I was passionate about it. And I am, but then someone pressed me for a more unique answer. They pointed out that many photographers are passionate about their work. I think that if you are a professional photographer and you are not passionate about your work then you should be looking for another job. Photography, especially wedding photography, is hard work, and you have to gain great pleasure from producing unique, creative, artistic work. I knew that I was passionate about photography but I had to really search for my unique position. And then it came to me. I am obsessed with photography. I mean truly obsessed with it. I constantly am striving to improve my work, to challenge myself, to learn more, and to do anything that I can do to produce better and better work for me and for my clients. My fine art sensibility won’t let me produce anything other than my best. Everyday for me is a photo day. I am either teaching, photographing, working on photographs in the computer, designing something, planning a photo session, or reading about the subject. And it has been this way for a long time now. I am never fully satisfied with anything that I do. My satisfaction is only temporary and then I am looking for the next great image. This is the fine art photographer mentality. And rather then letting it be a curse I use it to fuel my artistic drive to produce better and better work. Read more about this philosophy in ‘Becoming a Fine Art Photographer‘ and ‘Fine Art Wedding Photography.’
I am drawn to photography like a moth to flame. I encourage you to ask the next photographer that you hire ‘why they photograph.’ Then listen to their answer carefully. It will be very telling, telling you whether you should be working with them or not.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Tagged digital photography, houston wedding photographers, inspiration, wedding photograph
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Hiring the Perfect Wedding Photographer
a natural light portrait of a bride and groom in houston, tx
Too often people are quick to hire a wedding photographer. In most cases they either hire the first person that comes along, because it is easy and they want to get it out of the way, or they hire the lowest priced photographer that they can find. I recently wrote a post about the pitfalls of hiring a low price, inexperienced, non-professional wedding photographer. You about that in my article ‘Photography is not a Commodity.‘
To help people find the right wedding photographer I recommend the following six points.
1. hire a pro
We live in the digital age and one of the downsides of this great technology is that anyone can go down to their local store, buy a cheap digital camera and lens, and then instantly go into the wedding photography business. Weddings are tough places to photograph and you want to make sure that you hire a professional photographer with the proper training and experience. Don’t take changes here or your precious wedding memories could be lost forever. These special moments only happen once. Are you going to trust that to some poser?
2.look at their work
Don’t just take someone’s word for it. Look at lots of samples of work including website images, Facebook posts, and blog posts. A blog, like the wonderful Red Photo blog, will showcase the photographer’s work and give you a sense of their true style and breadth. Look at their non-wedding work to to get a real sense of their skills and style.
3. meet face-to-face
We are all strapped for time, but take the time to meet with the photographer candidate face to face. Anyone can post images, but you need to know that you and the wedding photographer are on the same page, that you get along, and that you like each other. People who like each other will create a better working environment. Remember that you are hiring a person first. They need to have a good personality and good manners.
4. make sure they are insured
The easiest way to spot an amateur, or a weekend photographer want-to-be, is to ask them if they have insurance. Any reputable, professional photographer will have liability, indemnity, and equipment insurance. You can read more about the different types of insurance in my post ‘Photographer’s Insurance.’ If they do not have these then they are fools and they are not serious about their work. Please do not hire uninsured photographers. This is a recipe for disaster. Venues do not want an uninsured photographer on the premises.
5. hire someone who is good
This may sound so obvious, but make sure that the wedding photographer that you hire is good. They should be competent and skilled. Who wants ordinary photographs? I know that I don’t and I strive to do everything to produce unique fine art wedding photographs all of the time. I am constantly looking to improve my work because I am totally obsessed with producing great photography for my clients.
6. find a good fit
Just because a photographer is good does not mean that they are right for you. Just because your friend loved him/her does not mean that you should work with them. Most of the time a recommendation is the way to go. But make sure that you fit with the photographer. If you love country and they are rockers you might want to consider someone else. It just depends on personalities and you need to make sure that you both get along and are on the same page.
I hope that these tips will help you to hire the perfect wedding photographer. If you take just a little time and do some legwork you will get the right photographer, a professional, experienced, insured, one and you will have great images that will last a lifetime.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Photography is Not a Commodity
i give you money
Everyone seems to be looking for the best deal. We want to buy things at the lowest possible price. While that may work for some items, especially products that are all the same, that approach does not work very well when it comes to services, like wedding photography. Too often customers looking for a wedding photographer will make the mistake of going after low price without realizing that they are sacrificing many things and will more than likely not be pleased with the level of photographs that they receive. You should read my post ‘Why Wedding Photographs are so Important.’
In my experience everyone who is making a buying decision is looking for three things; high quality, great service, and low price. I have found, and I would think that you have too, that you can not get high quality and great service at a low price. The equation will never balance out. Low priced items are cheap, both in cost and in workmanship. Yet people mistakenly believe that they can go out and look for the lowest priced photographer for their wedding. Or worse yet they have their cousin Joe or their hobbyist neighbor do the job. This is a bad idea on several levels. So which part are you willing to give up. High quality, great service, or low price? Which ones are the most important to you?
Wedding photography should be done by an experience professional photographer. You do not want a jack of all trades. Your wedding is a very special day that will only happen once and you want to capture those memories in great, creative photographs. Those are precious memories that you and your family will have for a lifetime. Now do you want your cousin Joe with his $200 digital camera to do that job for you? I hope not. You see, wedding photography is not a product. It is a service, and with services the high quality, great service, low price equation is in full effect. Too many people make the mistake of seeing photography as a product. Well it is not. I am a fine art wedding photographer with years of experience. My business partner and I at Red Photo have years of photography experience in the wedding, portrait,commercial, and fine art worlds. We know what we are doing. We have been there and captured beautiful, timeless images before and we will continue to do it. That expertise and experience demands a higher cost.
People have to see the value in something before they are willing to pay more for it. If I show you two oranges and tell you that one of them is 50 cents and the other is $1.50, which one are your going to take. Most people will go for the lower priced one. But if I told you that the $1.50 orange is organic, has more flavor, more vitamin C, lasts longer, and does not have mold like the cheaper orange, you might change your choice.
Photography is not a commodity and you should not be buying it based on price alone. Wedding photography is an important service and you should buy it based on what you want and the level of product and services that you need.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Tagged commodity, fine art, fine art photography, houston wedding photographer, wedding photography
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The Power of Silhouette Photographs
silhouette of bride and groom at wedding reception
contemplative bride before her wedding ceremony
bride and groom portrait at sunset
In photography there are certain techniques that are often guaranteed to create dramatic and memorable images. One of these photographic techniques is the use of the silhouette. I have found that they can work especially well when I am photographing weddings. There are many ways that they can be utilized, but I find the results are always stunning. There is just something about the drama and the mystery of having your main subject be very dark. The silhouette technique can come in very handy when you find yourself in a backlight situation. This is where you have a strong light source behind your subject. Many times it is better to put the light source behind someone then in front of them. If you are outside, putting the sun in front of your subject creates flat light and squinting brides and grooms. This situation can be really uncomfortable to your subject. And the last thing that you want to do is make your subjects uncomfortable and teary-eyed. There are more appropriate parts of the wedding for people to be teary-eyed and portraits is not one of those times. When you place the sun, or your light source behind your subject you can get very dramatic results but you have to know how to handle this type of exposure properly. You could use a flash unit to light the subject, and this is very common. You could also choose not to light your subject and let them go dark, thus creating a silhouette image.
There are some important factors to keep in mind when producing a silhouette image. They usually look better if the subject goes very dark. You can see this above in the two images with the bride and groom. Letting your main subject go very dark creates a great deal of drama. As I mentioned before there is also that air of mystery because you cannot always see who they are. Another aspect of these dark subject images is that you get to work with the form and shape of your subject(s). I have written several times before about how I like formalism and use in my work often. You can read more about formalism in my posts ‘Photography Movements- Formalism‘, ‘Simplicity in Photographs‘, ‘7 Steps of Better Black and White Photography‘ and many others. I actually talk about formalism a great deal and it is one of the most searched terms on my blog.
The other type of a silhouette is the partial one. The image above of the bride looking out the window is an example of this. Here we can see details in the subject. The key is to find that fine line between showing too few and too many details. If you show too few, it becomes the type of photograph that I spoke about before. If you show too many details you loose the allure of the silhouette.
I have used the silhouette technique countless times over the years in my commercial photography and in my fine art wedding photography. It also works great in color or black and white. So keep to the shadows, go into the light, and create some dramatic photographs.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Tagged fine art, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographers, silhouette, wedding photography
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Anatomy of a Wedding Gown
vera wang wedding dress
Being a wedding photographer I get to see my share of weddings and record the events and details. The more time that I spend working at weddings the more that I learn about every aspect of the day from the bride and groom preparing for the day, to the wedding ceremony, the wedding reception, and all of the little details in between. Many times wedding couples are not very familiar with all of the aspects and traditional of their special day. So I find that it is very helpful if I can tell them some information. I have studied wedding traditions like the white wedding dress, the wedding cake, and the bouquet. You can read more about these in my posts ‘It’s All About the Wedding Dress‘, ‘Let Them Eat Wedding Cake‘, and ‘Bridal Bouquet Photographs for Spring.’ You can also see my article ‘Trends in Wedding Dresses for Spring 2011.’
For many brides the wedding dress is the most important item of the day. Brides-to-be spend a great deal of time search and shopping for that perfect wedding dress that fits their style. In an attempt to learn more about what seems like a simple dress I wanted to give you a small anatomy lesson of the wedding gown and its various parts. I will probably have to expand on these areas in a later post, but for now let’s just get down the basic parts.
1. silhouette
An important aspect of any wedding dress is its basic overall shape, referred to as the silhouette. This shape really sets the mood of the dress and can quickly classify it as modern, vintage, sexy, or eclectic. Common shapes include ball gown, with a fitted bodice and a very full skirt (think Cinderella), empire, with a high waistline and slimmer skirt, a-line or princess, which has vertical seams from the shoulder down to the flared skirt which gives an inverted V shape, sheath, a form fitting shape, and mermaid, which is form fitting at the top and then flows out around the knees.
2. bodice
This is the body of the gown, the section between the neckline and the skirt. Common forms include corset, empire, halter, midriff, princess-line, surplice, and tank.
3. neckline
This is the most noticeable part of the dress, especially in wedding photographs. It is the part of the dress that people notice first and frames the bride’s face. The neckline really adds character to the dress. Higher necklines include the bateau, mandarin, and jewel/T-shirt types. Low necklines include the portrait, one-shoulder, and sweetheart types. Halter styles wrap around the back of the neck and create deep armholes. The scoop is a U shaped neckline that works well for all body types. There is also a V neck style.
4. train
From long, opulent, royal style trains, to no train at all, this elongated back part of the gown can really send a statement and create a majestic appearance. Longer trains bring with them a more formal style. I have noticed that many brides that I photograph are wearing smaller trains, or none at all. But I think that wedding ceremonies are becoming a bit less formal overall. Train types include, from the longest to the shortest, royal, cathedral, chapel, court, sweep, and watteau.
5. hemline
The hemline refers to the length of the gown. Traditionally dresses were floor length until around World War 1. In the 1920′s the hemlines of wedding dressed rose along with the styles of the day. Since then they have moved up and down with the fashion styles of the day. The longer the dress, the more formal, with floor length gowns being considered the most formal of all. Knee length and shorter is considered informal.
Well that is a starting lesson. In the future I will look at fabrics and details some more. I will also be interviewing some experts at local bridal boutiques and passing on their great information. So stay tuned for our next wedding class.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, photography, wedding photography
Tagged bride, houston wedding photographer, wedding, wedding dress, wedding gown, wedding photography
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Why Use a Wedding Planner?
fine art photograph of wedding rings
Wedding are very special events. There are important moments in someone’s life and therefore they take a great deal of planning and preparation. I have written before about the vital importance of having great wedding photographs taken to preserve your memories for a lifetime. You can read about this in my post ‘Why Wedding Photographs are So Important.’ Unfortunately some people think that they will save some money by hiring a less expensive wedding photographer. That is a mistake because you are not going to get high quality and service from an inexperienced, low priced photographer. I am especially sensitive to this because I get to hear the horror stories about people who skimped on their wedding photography budget and received a CD of lousy images that their neighbor could have taken. Please make the investment in a good, competent and experienced photographer. In the long run the extra investment will be well worth it.
Recent I was speaking to a wedding planner, Alexia McWhinney with Savvy Consulting and Event Management in Houston, TX, about this very thing and she mentioned that people are also trying to save money by not hiring a wedding planner. Again, this is a mistake as I see it. Wedding planners and coordinators are well worth the price that you will pay for them. They are professionals with the experience to make your wedding day run smoothly. So often when I am photographing at a wedding the couple is asking me what to do in which order and when. A wedding planner provides the knowledge. She/He can tell you when things should occur and keep you on track. Their experience is valuable. Along these lines, that level of experience will allow the bride and groom to be freed up more to enjoy their day. The bride and groom should not be worrying about when the cake cutting should take place, etc. Let the planner handle that.
Planning a wedding takes a great deal of time. Some brides really enjoy it, but a planner can take a great deal of that burden from you. They know many competent vendors, like Red Photo, and can help you to book the right people for a great event. They do not procrastinate or get inundated with the opinion of ten different relatives. They know how to schedule themselves and build a timetable. There is actually a logical order to setting up a wedding ceremony and reception. I think that creating a great wedding is really an artform. A planner can also provide a bride with moral support and a solid outside opinion. They have been through this before and can help you.
Many people think that wedding planners are expensive, but as I mentioned before, hiring them can save you money in the end. Their connections can bring you discounts or special advantages and access that you might not have on your own. Their vendor connections will bring you reliable people who will perform a great job. Their attention to detail will really add that finished dimension to any wedding event.
So if you have been considering saving a little money on your wedding by hiring a cheap photographer and leaving out a wedding coordinator, I caution you against both moves. You wedding is a very special event and you deserve to have great people supporting you and working to make it a beautiful and memorable event.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Tagged fine art, fine art photography, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographer, wedding coordinator, wedding planner
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The Devil’s in the Details with Wedding Photography
tiny shoes at the wedding reception
wedding dress detail
gift table at an asian wedding ceremony
fine art architectural detail from wedding reception
One of the great things about photographing weddings is the there are so many interesting things to capture. Besides the preparations of the bride and groom, the wedding ceremony, the family portraits, and the wedding reception, there are many other opportunities for great photographs. This is where noticing and photographing the details of a wedding can be so important. The small things at a wedding, like favors, or beautiful flower arrangements, really add a signature to the event. By capturing these things via images you are helping to tell the whole story of the couple’s wedding day. I like these detail photographs because it gives me an opportunity to be very creative. I enjoy seeing the beauty in form, shape and design in my work. This is the formalist component of my style that I spoke about before in my post ‘Photography Movements – Formalism‘ and in several other posts. Objects really give you an opportunity to accentuate the form and shape of an item in an creative and artistic way.
Details photographs from a wedding are also an important component when it comes to designing and laying out a wedding album. As I have mentioned before every one of the wedding albums that we produce is custom designed by me. It is very helpful for me to be photographing and then later designing the album. With the design of the wedding album in my mind I will photograph extra elements from the wedding day, usually detail shots, that will help build the story of the album. Details shots are an ideal way to personalize an album for a client and they can also be used as great design elements.
Because of my style and with the album design in mind, I find that I have been taking more and more of these detail shots. The other great thing about them is that they can stand on their own as art. My fine art style has me constantly thinking about ways that images from a wedding can be seen as fine art pieces and not just wedding photographs.
To read more about this and to see more wedding detail photographs see my posts ‘Don’t Forget the Details‘ and ‘It’s All in the Details at a Wedding.’
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Tagged details, fine art, fine art photography, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographer, wedding dress, wedding photography
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Jessica and Antonio’s Houston Engagement Photography Session
sun flared bride and groom at houston engagement session
engagement photo by the lake, near houston, tx
a light moment during the engagement photo session
fine art engagement session moment
We just finished up a recent engagement photography session with Jessica and Antonio near Houston, TX. Yee ha y’all. I did resist the urge to put them in cowboy hats and boots. I did’nt think that it fit their style. I really like engagement sessions because they are lighthearted, fun, and there is not the pressures and schedules of the wedding day. It also gives us a chance to spend more time with our clients. One of the things that we valued highly at Red Photo is our demand that we spend adequate time with our clients during the wedding photography process. Most people are not used to having someone follow them around with a big camera system snapping off photographs repeatedly. The flash makes it very obvious. In the case of our customers, they have to contend with two photographers running around taking pictures all the time. The engagement session is usually our first photography opportunity with the bride and groom and it serves everyone well. For the couple they start to get used to having someone follow them around. Hopefully, after a short time, they get used to our being there and relax back into their normal selves. This is a principle of photojournalism, which is a large component of our style. You can read more about our fine art documentary wedding style in the posts ‘Becoming a Fine Art Photographer‘ and ‘Developing Your Photography Intuition.’ For the photographers it allows us to get to know our subjects’ likes and dislikes, styles, level of ease in front of the camera, and how best to instruct and interact with the couple.
We cover both posed and candid photography. Jim leans more towards the posed side and I lean more to the candid. I really enjoy that unposed documentary style and you have to get to point where you have built enough rapport with the subject that they go back to being natural and do not look posed or stiff. I will usually give my subjects some direction, like where to stand, how to interact with each other, but then I will just let them be. While this may not be pure, hands-off documentary work, it none the less is in that style. The other component, the fine art one, is evident. I trained as a fine art photographer and have had many exhibitions, so I like to infuse my work with that art gallery look. I like the fact that many of my images can be enlarged an placed on a wall as art. Hence the fine art wedding photography idea.
The more time that we spend getting to know our clients the easier it will be for them and the more true their images will be. The upside is that it is fun to meet people and hang out with them, especially when there is photography and possibly sushi involved.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Trends in Wedding Dresses for Spring 2011
grace kelly looking beautiful in her wedding gown
With all the recent buzz over the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, and especially Kate’s wedding dress, I thought that it would be good to look at some of the current trends in wedding gowns. Obviously, one of the newest ones is long sleeves and lace.
kate middleton in her wedding gown
This is a throwback to a classic style from the 50′s which you can see in the beautiful photograph above of Grace Kelly. With one simple act Kate Middleton has now influenced the current world of bridal gowns and I think that we should be seeing more of her style in the near future. There has been so much talk about her dress that you can visit one of many websites totally dedicated to it here.
Wedding fashion has been influenced by the royal family in England for over one hundred and fifty years now. Many of our current wedding traditions, like white wedding dresses, wedding cake, and bridal bouquets, were set my Queen Victoria when she was married to Prince Albert in 1840. You can read more about these wedding traditions in my posts ‘It’s All About the Wedding Dress‘, ‘Let Them Eat Wedding Cake‘, and ‘Bridal Bouquet Photographs for Spring.’
Photographing many weddings and bridal portraits allows me to watch the new dress trends up close. While I have not seen all of these ideas materialize here in Houston just yet, I wanted to list a few that I have seen appearing lately. Besides the long sleeves and lace trends here are some other fashion trends for wedding dresses this spring.
keyhole neckline wedding dress
1. keyhole neckline
I have seen a great deal of these on dresses lately. Instead of just having a regular strapless dress this neckpiece gives the bride the ability to add some sparkle or pearls to the top of the dress but still give a revealed and open neckline look. Sometimes there is no embellishment, just fabric.
billowy wedding dress
2. billowy skirts
These wedding dresses take on more of a ballroom air with lots of volume in the skirt created by layers of tulle. Even though they have more material, the tulle and the layers give them a light, airy look.
sheer back wedding dress
3. sheer coverage
Sheer necklines are coming in, bringing with them an elegant and slightly sexy look. These could include V-necks, one-shoulder, or bateau styles. the bateau style is the one that closely follows the collarbone and has a little more of a conservative look.
modified mermaid wedding dress
4. modified mermaid style
I recently photographed a bride with a modified mermaid style dress from Maison de Mode in Houston. It had a very sleek and elegant look. The dress produces nice clean lines which are great for design in photographs. The modified mermaid style makes it a bit easier for the bride to move around on the dance floor because the dress flares just above the knee.
embellished belts on wedding dresses
5. embellished belts
I have been seeing many brides with wedding gowns that have these beautiful sparkly belts. Chelsea Clinton helped to fuel this trend. These belts can be very dramatic when placed against a simple white dress. Most of them are silver and jeweled. They are a lovely addition to any dress, but I think that they are the most effective when they compliment simple dresses.
So there are some wedding gown trends for this spring. I will be interviewing some local wedding gown experts and photographing some wedding gowns in the near future so I will have lots more information for you soon. Stay tuned.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Houston Bridal Show Photographs
a lovely wedding dress from misora bridal boutique
some delicious and elegant wedding cake from dream cakes
a beautiful and elegant wedding invitation from invitation solutions
tasty wedding reception food from chef brian pashoff
Red Photo recently attend an intimate bridal show at the Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks hotel. You can see some images from a photo session of food, interiors, and brides that we did there recently in the post ‘Photo Shoot – Crowne Plaza River Oaks, Houston.’ Once again our hosts, Jeana Auger, the Catering Manager, and Brian Pashkoff, the Executive Chef, did a great job with the venue and the food. It is a great place to have a wedding reception and we really love photographing there.
We really enjoy participating in these types of events because it gives us a chance to meet and speak with many potential brides and grooms. An important part of our fine art wedding photography business is spending the time with our clients to get to know them better. This helps us to capture better images during their engagement sessions, bridal portraits, and wedding ceremonies and receptions. Taking that extra time helps put them at ease as they get used to having two photographers around popping off flashes. We only work with clients who we get to know before the wedding day. This level of service is really important to us.
The other great thing about bridal shows is the chance to meet and speak with other vendors. I think that it is important that local wedding vendors work together to get our clients what they need to have a spectacular wedding. Many different types of vendors were present at this show including florists, cake makers, wedding gown salons, DJ’s, lighting and decorating professionals, event planners, and some great food vendors that provided a beautiful flowing chocolate fountain and wonderful espresso drinks. I will be posting various reviews on these vendors in future posts. It is important that Red Photo helps our customers to find other wedding vendors. Since clients book their wedding photographers early in the wedding planning process we are often asked to recommend all types of vendors. By speaking with the couple we can help them to find a perfect vendor to match their style and needs. Sometimes I feel like we are part of the event planners.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Tagged digital photography, fine art, fine art photographers, houston wedding photographers, wedding photography
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