Tag Archives: houston wedding photographer
Building Loyalty is a Necessity for Photographers
loyalty is a great commodity in photography
Loyalty is a much prized trait in both business and personal matters. But unfortunately, it is often missing in many of the relationships that people engage in today. As a wedding photographer, loyalty is important to my business. I value my clients and provide them with top quality service to go along with their fine art wedding photographs and custom designed wedding albums. I go that extra mile all of the time, and I am sincere about it. I don’t go through extra work to make more money. I do it because I want to satisfy my clients. I am dedicated to the art and craft of photography and I want to preserve their special memories for them. It is my personal ethic. For me, it is my way of remaining true to them, loyal, and in return they are loyal to me. It is an integral part of my fine art wedding photography business. You can read more about this philosophy in my post ‘Fine Art Wedding Photography.’
Loyalty is an interesting commodity. It is very two sided. Like many other commodities you both give and receive. When you are nice to someone they are usually nice to you. The same is true for loyalty. People who are loyal to business will always get great treatment. Not that the other customers are ignored, but loyalty builds a deeper bond and a deeper friendship which naturally leads to a higher level of commitment.
Do not think that this idea just applies to business. True friends are loyal to you. They care for you and respect you and are there through the good times and the bad. Many of us have experienced friends who were mostly opportunistic and not loyal. They wanted our friendship for a period of time because they saw it as a way of getting something from us; love, attention, money, popularity, etc. Your true friends, like your true clients, are spending time with you because they value the relationship. And that brings mutual respect and a stronger relationship all around.
Many companies, and individuals, today are all about instant gratification. Unfortunately this usually pushes them into the opportunistic category. They will buy whatever item is the lowest price. They will befriend whoever will advance their career more. These are fleeting relationships and we all need to recognize them such. Once we can recognize them, then we can weed them out and find the genuine people that we want to spend time with in our lives.
We can learn alot from animals. They are loyal and they bring a great deal of happiness to our lives. We should be doing the same.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged fine art wedding photographer, loyalty, photography, wedding photography
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Becoming a Fine Art Photographer
It is great being a photographer. It is great to be a wedding photographer. But being a fine art wedding photographer really takes things to a whole different level for me. I have always loved photography, especially documentary style. I was fascinated by photojournalists from an early age and lulled into the mystique of the National Geographic photographer. I wanted to travel the world and photograph all types of people and culture. This was my initial drive and what originally led me down the photography road. When I went to graduate school, I was at a point where I wanted to continue making documentary photography projects, but by that time I was becoming more and more interested in the fine art aspect of the photography world. I noticed that there was a nostalgia and a romanticism that was creeping into my documentary projects. I was no longer satisfied with the ‘straight’, classic documentary photography that I was producing. For a long time Sebastaio Salgado was my lone photo hero. You can read more about that in my post ‘10 Easy Ways to Improve Your Photos (Part 2).’ To this day I am still heavily influenced by him and his use of light and his brilliant black and white images. But my hero list has expanded and now I follow more styles than people.
Just prior to entering graduate school I took a few photography workshops. One of them was at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, Colorado. The workshop was on documentary photography and it was with Sylvia Plachy. If you are not familiar with her wonderful work you need to look at it. The first day of the class she asked us to bring in prints to display and then the class would review them. I brought in some very classic, Salgado-like work from Mexico. The class and Sylvia liked it, but she could see that I was not satisfied, that something was bothering me. The beauty of Anderson Ranch is that you spend all day with your classmates; class, darkroom, meals, lounging time. And the instructors are around and available most of the time. So after class, later that night, I had a chance to talk with Sylvia one-on-one. I told her that I felt torn. My mind was telling me to stay with regular documentary work. I wanted a magazine job, a career with National Geographic. But I was feeling that romantic, fine art component creeping into my work more and more. I thought that she was going to be very strict and make me stick with the safe road of photojournalism. But much to my surprise she told me to do whatever I wanted to do. This surprised me at first, but then it really made sense. Someone who I knew and highly respected just told me to follow my passion and to follow my creativity. It was so simple, but I just needed that outside push to make it sink in.
That week long workshop literally changed my life. I left and began graduate school where all I did was let my creativity flow with no regard for what I should be photographing or not. The more I let go the more my true style came through. I wrote more about this in my post ‘Finding Your Own Artistic Style.’ When I began my wedding photography business my first impression was to photograph what clients wanted, to be safe and do what everyone else was doing. But I soon found that creative, free side creeping in. And that is when I decided to follow my passion to create fine art wedding photography.
Following my creativity is one of the reasons why my blog posts are so varied. I don’t want to just show lots of images from weddings. I am more than that. I want to explore photography subjects and review my art projects, and anything else that comes to mind. We all need to follow our passions. If you are trapped in something else, well now is the time to do what you want to do. Sylvia told it to me, now I am telling it to you.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Houston Bridal Show – Crowne Plaza River Oaks Hotel, Houston, TX
portrait of a bride at the Crowne Plaza River Oaks hotel
Red Photo will be participating in the Bridal Open House at the Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks hotel on Tuesday, September 13th, from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. The event will allow people to meet and consult with local wedding vendors. We will be showcasing our unique fine art wedding photography and would love it if you stopped by to speak with us. Other vendors will be present to discuss your wedding needs including wedding photographers, cake makers, bridal gown shops, florists, lighting and entertainment companies. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks Hotel at 2712 Southwest Freeway, Houston, TX 77098. For more details you can check here. An RSVP is required for this event and it can either be done through the Facebook Page or by contacting Jeana Auger at the hotel, 713-577-1263, jauger@pacificahost.com. The hotel has wonderful reception facilities and great catering offerings.
The Red Photo team photographed at the Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks recently. It is a beautiful hotel with great facilities and a wonderful, helpful staff. You can read more about that photo session and see more images in my post ‘Photo Shoot – Crowne Plaza River Oaks Hotel, Houston.’ We were there to capture the elements of a wedding and to showcase the hotel’s facilities. Our photographs included the brides having their make up done, bridal portraits, interiors of the hotel, the reception area, and some wonderful food prepared by Executive Chef, Brian Pashkoff. He was also kind of enough to prepare lunch for the Red Photo team. Coordinating an all day photography shoot like this can be a challenge. There were brides to schedule and food shots to create and style, along with details like flowers, wedding dresses, and locations. Wedding photographs were taken in the bridal suite and a hospitality suite. We must have been quite the spectacle, especially when we were photographing the brides in the lobby area with a flash popping off every few seconds. There were plenty of guests that were entertained by our little show. We really appreciate all of the help from the hotel staff who made our day run a lot smoother.
I invite you to come and see this wonderful facility and sample some great food. I look forward to meeting everyone there.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Also tagged bridal show, Crowne Plaza River Oaks hotel, fine art wedding photographers, Houston, houston wedding photographers, wedding photography
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Do You See What I See?
montmatre, paris
Do you see what I see? Definitely not. And that is not because my vision of the world is better than yours. It is just because everyone sees the world in a different way. My vision of the world is very attached to my photographic style. The way that I make my photographs is really the way that I see all of the time. It may sound odd, but I see the world in shapes and forms and compositions constantly. I have to fight to ignore my ‘vision.’ I have to turn it off. When I look into a room I see how all of the furniture lines up and forms designs, leading lines, shapes, contrasts, and a host of other compositional elements. When I see a person I immediately think about how to record their features and what light would look best. So when I go to take a picture I am just letting that vision through and using the camera to record it.
I am a big believer in previsualization. I mentioned this concept in my recent post ‘Don’t Forget the Details When You Photograph.’ It was a concept that I learned from reading Ansel Adams’ books. Because Adams was producing most of his work in black and white, a medium that is very flexibly from a photographic stand point, he developed a mathematical and scientific method of exposing his film and developing the negative to give him a certain look. This came to be known as the famous Zone System. A large part of this system of exposure and development to maximize the information on a piece of film is this concept of previsualization. Before Adams even took his photograph he would envision what he wanted the final black and white print to look like. Just like with film, black and white photo paper and chemistry is very flexible and can give you very different results depending on how you treat it. Adams was a master in the darkroom and if you ever get the chance to see his prints in person you should make a pilgrimage to see these beautiful objects.
When I saw the post cards above in the store in Paris I already had the nostalgic look in my mind. The subject matter took me back to the early 1900′s and the height of Art Nouveau and Impressionist art. I felt the age in that place and then I translated the image to get that feel. But there are many more things that give this photograph a unique vision including composition and juxtaposition. You do not want to imitate anyone. Just work on being yourself. For some more tips on this you should read ‘Stand Out From the Crowd‘ and ‘The Courage to Stand Out.’
Now go out and record your vision of the world.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Don’t Forget the Details When You Photograph
bride with bouquet at wedding reception
It is important in photography, and in life, that you do not forget the details. Many times people are in such a rush to get something done that they end up missing so many important things. They have their eyes on the prize, the goal, and they neglect to concentrate along the path that gets them to that goal. I offer more insight into this idea in my posts ‘Slow Down and See‘ and ‘There Are Photographs All Around Us.’ Remember the ancient saying “It’s not the destination but the journey.” And part of the journey is taking in all those little things that non-photographers miss. We should notice light and shadow and shape and the way things fit together or contrast each other. The best training that you can get as a photographer is to train yourself to see. When I was in graduate school in San Francisco I was shocked one day when the head of the Fine Arts Department said to me that he thought that photographers had the best visual skills and saw the world better than any other type of artist. This came from a diehard, classically trained artist and teacher. Normally fine artists look down on the skills of photographers. But here was this prominent artist and academician praising the visual detail skills of photographers.
In the wedding photography business recording the details is very important. It is really an integral part of the contemporary wedding photogrpahy style. Clients are paying good money for all of those little details at their wedding, like place cards, flowers, decorations, etc, and we should record these beautifully for preservation. These small things are what helps make the event unique to those individuals. And seeing these details in artistic ways with nice lighting, shape, and composition, is the task of a good photographer. I really enjoy recording details at a wedding because I am drawn to the aesthetics of form and shape. As I have mentioned before on this blog, I am a bit of a formalist. You can read more about this style of photography in ‘Photography Movements – Formalism.’ Beyond the principles of formalism I really think that composition is a vital element to photography, along with light. So you do not want to neglect the details at a wedding or on any job. Students of mine know that when I have given them assignments, like photographing students for our college catalog, I tell them to also get some detail shots, some close ups, and some abstracts from the surrounds or the person. These all can make great graphic design elements and can be used as icons or screened back on a page or used as a textured backgrounds. If you don’t have these types of images you will be sorry and most people learn the hard way.
Since I custom design all of the wedding albums at Red Photo for our clients I am very conscious of these detail shots when I am photographing because I know how I can use those images later on. This is a form of previsualization, where you picture the final product before you start producing images so that you make sure that you get exactly what you intended to get. So look around. Really see your environment. And then record those great details. You will be happy that you did and so will your client.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Don’t Forget to Have Fun in Photography
a bride having some fun at her wedding reception
Photography is a serious business. When it is done as a profession it seems that there is always pressure on you to get that perfect shot no matter what the conditions. Good photographers are serious and take their job seriously, but that does not mean that you can’t have some fun while doing it. This is a lesson that I was reminded about in a recent photography session at the Crowne Plaza Houston River Oaks hotel. You can read more about the event in my post ‘Photo Shoot – Crowne Plaza River Oaks Hotel, Houston.’ As part of the day I was photographing the lovely Thea in her beautiful bridal gown from Maison de Mode in Rice Village. We were set up in an area in the lobby of the hotel. There were loads of things going on around us; people were passing by, some people were watching us, there are all types of noises, and other types of activities. I was taking fashion style portraits of her in an area with sofas and a mirror and table lamps. I mention these details because as a photographer you have to keep all of the elements of a shot in mind. I was thinking about how I would use the environment to create the best image. With all that was going on I really had to concentrate. I was working with a person, posing her, moving around, looking for odd things in the background, like these metallic balloons that I had someone remove. You are also thinking about the lighting and the technical aspects of the camera. It was not an easy photographing situation by any means. There was also a time constraint. So I was concentrating and I was serious. There were others from the Red Photo teams around and Jeana, our client, from the hotel. Towards the end of the session a few people in my group noticed that Thea was chewing gum. So they asked her to blow some bubbles. Then they asked me to photograph her doing this. Now my first impression was that I am not a snapshot photographer. But I went into the spirit of the moment and recorded a few images for the client.
The following day when I was going through the images I came upon the bubble blowing ones. At first I did not think much of them, but the more I saw that image the more I realized that I liked it. It is fun and silly and very real. That is when the idea came into my head that you have to have fun when you are photographing. I do not mean just the joy that someone gets from being creative, or producing good work for a client, but letting your clients and you be real and enjoy the moment. I see that at many of the weddings that I photograph so many people are stressed out instead of really enjoying the day and those special moments.
I learned a good lesson from this experience and I hope that you will too. Don’t get so close into the trees that you never see the forest. Take a mental and creative break from time to time and just let yourself have some fun. It worked for me and it will work for you. Now go out there and do something silly.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Photography is Hard Work
edward weston dunes, ca
“Photography to the amateur is recreation, to the professional it is work, and hard work too, no matter how pleasurable it my be.”
Edward Weston
There has always been a division between amateur and professional photographers. It actually began early after the invention of photography in 1839. You can read more of the history of photography in my posts ‘Something Old, Something New in Photography‘, ‘We Will Always Have Paris‘, and ‘Photography and What is Art?.’ But being an amateur photographer today does not have the same meaning that it did 100 years ago.
Flashback to 1890. Alfred Stieglitz and his group, The Photo Secessionists, make a move to get photography accepted as a fine art form. At the time there were professional photographers, people who made a living taking all kinds of images, and the masses of regular people taking images. The medium of photography was given to the masses by George Eastman through his Kodak company in 1888. Eastman developed a smaller handheld camera and flexible film. Prior to this time cameras were big, measuring 4″ x 5″ on up to 18″ x 22″ and they used metal or glass plates to create negatives. When Eastman came along with his inventions he gave photography to the masses, a gift we still enjoy today. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing is a debate for another time. But just looking at the historical recording significance of photography it seems like a good thing. Look at how much joy it has brought to millions, if not billions, of people. So when Eastman’s camera, the Brownie, came along the masses were not considered amateurs. They were just the masses. When Stieglitz began his fine art movement he wanted the photography artists to be called amateurs so as to separate them from the professional photographers who they saw as uncreative. This was not seen as a negative term, but instead as a positive one. The use of the term amateur to describe the everyday snapshot person did not come into existence until the 1950′s.
So Edward Weston’s quote becomes very intriguing. He makes a good point that so many people today forget, whether they are full time or part time photographers, amateurs, artists, professionals, or whatever. And that is when you gain income from photography, when it is truly your passion, it is hard work. We should work hard at our craft. We should work hard to perfect our technical and aesthetic skills. As photographers you should never stop learning or pushing yourselves. Just because something is hard does not mean that we should shy away from it. In fact, the idea of something being difficult is what draws me to take on the challenge. The harder the task at hand the more satisfying it will be when you obtain the result. So don’t take the easy path. Take the right path.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged digital photography, Edward Weston, fine art, fine art photography, George Eastman, photo secession, pictorialism, wedding photography, work
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Playing the Waiting Game
a groom waiting to go to his wedding ceremony
I have know RJ now for about a year or so. I have been playing in a band with his father so I was invited to the wedding. For me it was a bit unusual to be photographing a wedding where I was also a guest. But it presented an interesting challenge to me. RJ was getting ready at his parents’ house. That is where I went. His fiancee, Kathy, was getting ready at her parents’ house and Jim Stevens was there to record that. The traditional Vietnamese wedding ceremony was held at Kathy’s parents’ house. This was one of those times where having two photographers was really necessary.
I like working more in the photojournalistic mode. So I spent time with RJ and his friends and family as he was getting ready. At times he was nervous, anxious, and happy. I am always fascinated watching the mix of emotions in both brides and grooms prior to the ceremony. As he was finishing getting ready, and in his clean white suit, I caught this moment of him and his close friends. I like the fact that he is looking off, looking to the future, and probably thinking about what it will be like to be married. Getting married really changes a person’s life. It must be even more of a change when you are young. The fact that I am friends with RJ and his family created an ideal situation for me to be in my photojournalistic mode. Many times when you enter a situation where most of the people do not know you it can be a little tense. All of a sudden you have this person around with a big camera and flash going off. It can be a really strange feeling. I find that even with people that I know they can have a strange reaction. So I do not know if it was the fact that I knew the family and RJ really well, or that he and his family were really caught up in the moment, but they barely noticed me taking pictures. Fading into the background is the goal for any photojournalistic photographer. This creates a great situation for me because I can capture those really natural and genuine moments. And that is the purest essence of photography for me.
Congratulations to RJ and Kathy and best of luck to them.
Gary Miller
Houston Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged fine art wedding photography, photojournalism, wedding photography
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Photography Truths – Part 6
It has been a little while since I stimulated your brains with some photography truths. As we are into the new year I thought that it would be a good time for another installment of truths. Remember, that these are meant to give you something to think over in relationship to your photography and your art. You can read the other post in the series; ‘Some Truths About Photography‘, ‘More Truths About Photography‘, ‘Even More Truths About Photography‘, ‘Photography Truths – Part 4‘ and ‘Photography Truths – Christmas Edition.’
36. Push yourself out of your comfort zone
37. Emulate, but don’t copy
38. Gear is not the answer
39. Capture yourself in every image
40. Be like water (think Bruce Lee)
41. Never surrender to commerce
42. Never surrender to fear
Gary Miller
Houston Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged fine art wedding photography, truths, tutorial, wedding photography
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Style Over Substance in Photography
i fall to pieces
There has been a trend going on in our society for years now. This is the idea of style over substance. One of the downsides to digital photography is that it has made it very easy for anyone to buy a digital camera and hang out a sign saying that they are a ‘professional’ photographer. Now you would think that their lack of skill would hurt their ability to obtain business. But if they are packaged properly, marketed well, hyped, and have ‘the look’ they can actually be very successful. Some of the most successful people in the photography industry now are really very weak when it comes to their work and technical skill. So it begs the question of how much is talent and technical knowledge worth? I think that it is important that people study their craft and put in the time practicing it to get good. You can read about this in my post ‘Don’t Be a Lame Photographer.’ This trend that has been alive for the past thirtty years or so in the music industry, has now invaded all areas of the creative arts. And it should not be this way.
Now we cannot just blame the artists. People buy that music that is long on catchiness but short on talent, and they watch these manufactured melodrama reality shows. They post blurry videos with crappy audio all over the place. And I am fine with that. Be entertained, express yourself, but don’t start packaging and selling it and then think somehow you are great because you are selling empty work. The saying in business goes ‘People buy from people.’ But we can take this to an unfortunate extreme. If you like the guy down at the used car lot because he looks good and compliments you and strokes your ego should you buy a junk car from him? The waiter that was so nice to you wants to sell you frozen, processed, artificial food. So do you buy it? In both cases you would say ‘probably not’, but loads of people do everyday. They buy with their emotions and not their brains. This is why so many people get themselves into credit trouble. We have become a society of sleepwalkers where advertising and marketing controls us and keeps ustrapped in a consumer culture that has spun out of control.
I make the case today that we should demand quality and service. We should wake up and start thinking about what we are buying and what we are getting. I wrote about customer service recently in ‘What Ever Happened to Customer Service?‘ So when it comes to photography please look for good work by a competent professional that you know will give you a good product. It is so easy to hire some cute, bubbly, young photographer, but in the end don’t you really want the best product? Apparently a lot of people don’t and that is pretty sad. Demand better. Wake up and realize the the emperor really has no clothes.
Gary Miller
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Also tagged artist, customer service, digital photography, style, wedding photography
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