Category Archives: photography techniques

Houston Wedding Photographer

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The Communication Power of Photography

By gmiller | Published August 30, 2011

petroglyphs in Monument Valley photograph

petroglyphs in monument valley, az

Photography is a powerful medium, but many people forget how important it is in its role as a communicator. Photography is all around us most of the time. Pick up any newspaper or magazine, go to any website, wall around any store or mall, and you will be surrounded by photographs. We now use our phones to take pictures and nearly every person in the industrialized world has a camera. We use photographs for many different reasons. As a fine art wedding photographer my job is to capture the memories of people in unique photographs so that they will be able to look back on these images and remember a special time in their lives. I freeze moments, fractions of a second, of details and emotions, and places. So it alarms me that many people do not take their wedding photography very seriously and they look to spend as little as possible, and in the end get little in return. You can read more about my thoughts on this critical area in my posts, ‘Hiring the Perfect Wedding Photographer‘ ‘Why Wedding Photographs are so Important‘ and ‘Photography is not a Commodity.’ If you have been following my blog at all you know that I am a big proponent of educating the public about not hiring lame photographers who are not experienced professionals just to save a little money. The memories that are being captured by your wedding photographer as your memories. They will communicate the wedding day tomorrow and for years to come. Many couples are so busy and occupied during their wedding day that they are genuinely surprised when they see the images from the ceremony and the reception.

Besides photography serving to preserve memories, this is part of the history recording aspect of it, it is a form of communication. I used to teach a Visual Media class at Texas Tech University. We covered all types of media. Many students were not surprised when we spoke about art, printing, movies, TV, and graphic design. But many were surprised when we spoke about photography. It is everywhere, as I mentioned above. And it is so powerful that people rarely see it’s strong communicative side. Photographs can influence society and laws. When Jacob Riis photographed child laborers and slums in the early 1900′s in New York, laws were enacted to change things. That is the power of photography, that is communication.

The image above is from some petroglyphs in Monument Valley, Arizona. This is a very ancient form of communication, the photography of the day if you like. Like photographs these petroglyphs recorded history, opinion, and daily events. These were memories that were important to the people who put them there. For us today, photography is fulfilling that same role. Even though there are many other media out there, some newer and some older than photography, I still think that photography remains the most powerful and the most cherished.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged communication, fine art, fine art photographer, houston wedding photographers, Jacob Riis, Monument Valley, petroglyph, Texas Tech University, Utah | 1 Comment

Jessica’s Houston Bridal Portrait Session

By gmiller | Published August 26, 2011

jessica at the chapel at briscoe manor, houston, tx

a detail photograph of a beautiful wedding gown

bridal bouquet and wedding dress

flowing veil and wedding dress detail

I have been working with Jessica and Antonio on their wedding for several months now. You can see some of the photographs from their engagement session in my post ‘Jessica and Antonio’s Houston Engagement Session.’ As I mentioned in that post we like to spend adequate time with our clients leading up to their wedding day to help them become used to being photographed and to help us to learn more about their likes and dislikes. We care about our clients and want to provide them with the highest level of fine art photographs that will preserve their wedding memories. To get this level of imagery you have to invest the time before, during, and after photograph sessions. This post is about the bridal portrait session that we did with Jessica at the chapel at Briscoe Manor, located just outside of Houston, TX. Since this is where the wedding reception was to take place, and they have a lovely attached stone chapel, we thought that it would be a great place for a bridal session. With the weather in Houston already hot and humid we look for indoor locations, especially for bridal portraits. We like to keep our brides comfortable and relaxed. Briscoe Manor provided the perfect setting with a beautiful bridal preparation room and a very cooperative staff. It is a wonderful place to be married, have your reception, or any other type of special event.

The portrait session day was a complete one. We were allowed to photograph at the chapel from 9-12. But Jessica was going to have her hair and make up done beforehand. This process can take up to 2 hours and then there was about 30 minutes of travel time from her home to the portrait location. This meant an early start for me, the make up artist, the hair stylists, and Jessica’s friends who were there to help. I am so glad that she had some people around to help her get dressed and to give her support. I attended the make up session to take some preparation photographs. The make up and hair styling was going to be done again on the wedding day, but at that time there would be seven other people involved and you can never be sure how much time, or room, you will have. I wanted to cover myself by photographing the first make up session.

Once we arrived at the Briscoe Manor Jessica was able to quickly change into her wedding gown and we were able to get started. The chapel had lots of natural light so we had many options for our portrait session. Jessica did a great job posing and we are all excited with the results. I purposely have waited to post these photographs. Many people do not like to show off the dress until after the wedding. I will be posting images from their wedding reception shortly so stay tuned. During the session we covered both conventional and fine art photographs.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, photography, wedding photography | Tagged bridal portraits, fine art, fine art wedding photographer, houston fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographer, wedding photography | 1 Comment

The Power of Silhouette Photographs

By gmiller | Published August 24, 2011

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

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged fine art, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographers, silhouette, wedding photography | Comments Off

The Devil’s in the Details with Wedding Photography

By gmiller | Published August 22, 2011

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

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged details, fine art, fine art photography, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographer, wedding dress, wedding photography | Comments Off

Jessica and Antonio’s Houston Engagement Photography Session

By gmiller | Published August 22, 2011

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

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged engagement, fine art, fine art photography, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographers, wedding photography | 3 Comments

Everyone Want to Sell Me Something

By gmiller | Published August 22, 2011

Everywhere that I go these days it seems that someone is constantly trying to sell me something. It does not matter if it is in the wedding photography world or in other businesses. I can’t even go to the post office without the person behind the counter trying to up sell me and everyone else in line, more things and wasting our time. Somehow I do not think that I want to spend $15 to mail a letter that will cost me 44 cents and still be there tomorrow. I do not know what bothers me more in this situation, the up selling or the cog-like role of the postal worker who is forced to give the same lame speech to everyone in line. Doesn’t the USPS realize that this technique is ineffective and only serves to annoy the customers and cause longer wait times? For more advice on how not to be a cog read ‘The Courage to Stand Out‘ and the excellent books of Seth Godin. Or the dumbness of the guys dressed in stupid costumes on the side of the road holding cheap signs. Really now? Are you generating more business because you are dancing around like some idiot in a santa costume? Did you even take to time to figure out if your efforts are that effective? Probably not.

This type of situation occurs, and is occurring all over the place, because people are reading books and articles on sales and sales techniques and then thinking that if they just blindly apply them their sales will magically increase. It is a common lazy cycle where people want everything now, without having to put forth much effort or practice, and then expect to get brilliant results and be rich and popular. Well it does not work that way. Being in the fine art wedding photography business I have to deal with sales on a daily basis. And even though sales are important to any business, they are not my prime motivating factor. I see sales more from a buyers perspective. I look for ways to help my clients get what they need and not to buy things that they do not need. I am not in some sort of sales race to see how much I can get someone to buy. I do not blindly follow some ideas that I read in a book on sales. Rather, I took the time to learn from these ideas and then incorporated them in a way that works best for my clients and me. You have to be true to yourself first before you can fully serve your clients.

The digital age has brought technology and information right into our homes. There is easy access to information. And overall, this is a good thing. But technology and information still have to be utilized properly to make them valuable. Just owning a thousand books doesn’t make you smart. You have to read those books and then internalize that information. Everyone wants the easy way. Well, the easy way is not the way to go. You want the best way and that means work, practice, and patience. You can read more about these ideas in my post ‘Don’t Be a Lazy Photographer.’ You can also read more about the customer service disappearance in the world by reading ‘What Ever Happened to Customer Service?‘

With just a little effort and education we can bring back proper selling and customer service and in the end better serve our customers and ourselves. If you don’t do it your competition will.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, philosophy, photography | Tagged digital photography, marketing, photography, selling, Seth Godin | Comments Off

7 Steps to Better Black and White Photography

By gmiller | Published August 21, 2011

fine art black and white photograph of texas amusement park

I adore black and white photography. I think that if my fine art wedding photography clients would let me I would only photograph in black and white and produce stunning fine art wedding albums. In fact Red Photo does offer a complete vintage black and white photojournalistic style option. But most couples prefer color images and a few key black and white ones. Many of my clients have become more and more interested in monochromatic images. I have also had many students recently want to create black and white images. And unfortunately they make the common error of taking their color images and just taking the color out. While that will create black and white images it rarely creates the best images. Producing good black and white photographs require seeing the world a little differently, setting up your shots in a different way, and then a new skills set in post production to convert the images. To this end I have created an elective class for my students called ‘Black and White Digital Photography.’ The basic principles taught in this class have really helped people to produce compelling and effective images.

I have given some tips and thoughts about black and white photography before in my posts ‘The Allure of Black and White Photography‘ and ‘Ode to Black and White Photography.’ I wanted to give you seven ideas to help improve your black and white images.

1. Look at shapes, textures, and forms

The abstract nature of black and white photography lends itself well to accentuating texture and detail. The shapes of objects really comes into play because you no longer have color as a design element. And ‘Don’t Forget the Details When You Photograph. ‘ Small details can really make a big difference in your photographs.

2. Composition is key

When you take away color you are left with tones. I think that this helps accentuate your composition because you are not distracted by color. There are many elements to a good photograph. Read ‘Improving Your Composition in Photography‘ for more suggestions. I place composition high on my list in both color and black and white photography. I have a large formalistic style to my work.

3. Use harder light

I am not suggesting that you take photographs in ugly, contrasty light, at high noon. But black and white can stand more contrasty light and this can be used stylistically. You can see this done well by many of the well known photographers from the 1920′s and 1930′s like Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, and Paul Strand.

4. Learn to see in black and white

This idea may not be as obvious as you think. We see in color. Your camera captures in color. Your computer shows you your photos in color. Unlike when we used black and white film, it is hard to see without having color pollute your vision. With a little patience and practice you can learn to see what your image will look like in black and white. And no, I do not suggest using the black and white mode on your camera. That just throws out data and that is bad. Shoot in color, convert to black and white intelligently.

5. Shoot in color on your DLSR

I just mentioned this above, but I wanted to give it a separate line to show how important this will be. Don’t throw away data. Shoot in RAW format and in color. This will give you the most options later when converting to monochrome. Just do it.

6. Convert to black and white properly

I could write an entire post on effectively converting to black and white, and I will in the future. For now I recommend using a black and white adjustment layer in Photoshop. It is the easiest way to start and the tool has become very effective and easy to sue. But be warned that it takes time to develop your eye and your skills to get those beautiful conversions. Again, be patient.

7. Shadows and silhouettes work well

These are a good place to start to develop your eye and seeing in black and white. Working with shadows and silhouettes is good to develop your compositional skills. They help you to simplify things.

So take this advice and go try it out. Let me know what you come up with.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in black and white photography, digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged Ansel Adams, black and white photography, digital photography, Edward Weston, improving your photography, Paul Strand, tutorial, wedding photography | Comments Off

Improving Your Composition in Photography

By gmiller | Published August 21, 2011

As many of my regular readers know I am very much into composition. You can read more about good composition in photography in my posts, ‘Good Composition in Photography‘, ‘Photography Movements- Formalism‘, and ‘10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Photos (Part1).’ These articles go over the general ideas behind good composition and the effective placement of elements within the photographic frame. There are many things that make a photograph good. Some of these elements include lighting, emotion, content, message, color, lack of color, form, texture, narrative, and composition. There are many other components. The way that I see it, every time that you have one of these components in a photograph it makes it better and more memorable. The more hits that you, the more likely the photograph will be remembered and seen as being good. A good example of this would be Dorthea Lange’s ‘Migrant Mother.’ It shows several of the listed attributes. Now a good photograph can have only one of these, but I am talking about a general principle that makes images more memorable. I will address these components more in future posts.

Since I have a large formalist component to my work I feel that composition should go high on your list of elements. I think that good composition skills can make something ordinary special. As photographers, part of our job is to see the world in different ways, just like any other artist. But a skilled photographer really does see the world and then is able to capture it in interesting and unique ways. Fine artists are like explorers. We go out and search the world for new and interesting items and then we bring back our photographic souvenirs to show other people, to hopefully broaden their view of the world. We are adding to the world aesthetic and informing, or just conducting visual alchemy. When I am photographing a wedding I am constantly looking for new and fresh image ideas.

Two compositional components that I tell my students to try when they are struggling with those general compositional things, like asymmetry and the rule of thirds, is to isolate and simplify.

1. isolate

Many times when you are creating an image a busy background or other distracting elements can easily creep into the frame. This can be especially true when you are shooting with a wide angle lens. It is hard to control things as you get more and more elements. The greater number of things in your frame can cause confusion in the viewer. They are not really sure where to look. So by isolating things, either by composition, lens selection, point of view, or a shallow depth of field, you make it easier for the viewer to see your main subject. They will like your image more because of this, even though they may not know why. Order, not chaos.

2. simplify

This goes hand-in-hand with the isolation idea. When you isolate and get rid of the clutter and the excess visual noise, you simplify your image. Most powerful photographs are simple in their elements, lighting and composition. This does not mean that they were easy. Simple means clean, ordered, and tidy. Minimalism is a great example of this. Objects or elements in the frame are pared down over and over until very few, sometimes only one, element remains. You can read more about minimalism in ‘Photography Movement – Minimalism.’

What is nice about this photographic compositional suggestions is that they also work well in other life situations. By isolating and simplifying things you will relieve stress, reduce clutter and waste, and allow your creativity to flourish.

Gary Miller

Eye Candy and Brain Veggies

Also posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography | Tagged digital photography, fine art, fine art photography, formalism, improving your photography, tutorial | Comments Off

Bridal Bouquet Photographs for Spring

By gmiller | Published August 21, 2011

Since we are now into Spring I thought that it would be a good idea to post some lovely fine art photographs of brides and their wedding bouquets. Flowers pay such a special role in any wedding. They really add beauty and some great smells, but they contain a great deal of historical meaning and semiotics. The tradition of the bridal bouquet goes back to Queen Victoria and her marriage to Prince Albert in 1840. She was one of the largest influences on modern day bridal traditions. Victoria is the main reason why brides still traditionally wear white dresses and why wedding cake is served at the reception. You can read more about these in my posts ‘Let Them Eat Wedding Cake‘ and ‘It’s All About the Wedding Dress.’ Queen Victoria ushered in a very modern age for the time. During her rein the industrial revolution was in full swing in Europe. She was very much a celebrity of her time and just like with celebrities of today, people followed what she did and wanted to be as much like her as possible. The traditions set forth at her wedding to Albert have remained strong even to this day. It is amazing how many influences from the Victorian era still exist today.

Prior to Queen Victoria’s marriage it was still common to have herbs and spices at the wedding. Remember that these items would have been a great deal rarer than today and they held a higher value in society. They were a sign of prosperity, fertility, and happiness. Victoria replaced these traditional items with fresh flowers, especially marigolds. At the time most of the components of the bouquet were edible. The bride carried her bouquet with her as she walked down the aisle. One component of the bouquet was dill. It was regarded as the herb of lust, and the bride would eat some of it was she walked down the aisle. Later, during the reception, the groom and the wedding guests would eat this dill also. This was to insure fertility in the marriage.

During the Victorian times flowers came to symbolize secret messages of love and each flower had a different meaning. This was based on a scientific language known as ‘Florigraphy.’ Many flowers were given means, both good and bad, that still remain to this day. This is where the concept of roses symbolizing love began and the idea of different color roses being used for different occasions. Today flowers at a wedding are chosen more for their colors and shapes than for their meanings.

I am still fascinated by all of the tradition and ceremony that surrounds marriage. I will continue to make posts that unlock some of the hidden meanings of the wedding ceremony. Stay tuned.

Gary Miller