Tag Archives: wedding photography
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
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged details, fine art, fine art photography, fine art wedding photographer, houston wedding photographer, wedding dress
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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
Posted in digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, wedding photography
Also tagged digital photography, fine art, fine art photographers, houston wedding photographers
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7 Steps to Better Black and White Photography
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
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
Posted in black and white photography, digital photogarphy, fine art photography, philosophy, photography, photography techniques, wedding photography
Also tagged Ansel Adams, black and white photography, digital photography, Edward Weston, improving your photography, Paul Strand, tutorial
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Bridal Bouquet Photographs for Spring
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
Houston Fine Art Wedding Photographer
Eye Candy and Brain Veggies
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, houston wedding photographer, loyalty, 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 photographer, houston wedding photographers
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Solving Problems in Photography
bride and groom wedding portrait during their wedding reception
One of the keys to being a good photographer is to be a problem solver. I spoke about problem solving in my recent post, ‘Problem Solving and Leadership.’ That post spoke about the general idea of problem solving and how important it is in any field, not just in photography. Every day we are faced with various situations that need a solution. Some need a solution quicker than others, but the ability to identify a problem and then to come up with a solution and implement it are valued traits.
I was photographing a wedding for Kristi and Justin in Houston. You can read more details and see more images in my post ‘Kristi and Justin’s Wedding.’ Sometime between the wedding ceremony and the reception my photography partner, Erica Moncada, and I were taking formal portraits of the two families and guests. I am not a big fan of the ordinary, posed type of formal portraits. I admire them when they are done well, but they just do not fit into my fine art, photojournalistic style. I want to record the people at the wedding in a more editorial, photojournalistic way. Editorial photography is pretty much the style of magazine work. The editorial style, which is a branch off of the photojournalism style tree, is more casual. People are less posed and more interactive. It is a looser style and one that I, and my clients prefer. So I was thinking about ways to photograph the bride and groom that would break away from the ordinary. That was my problem. The couple wanted to be photographed outside. We tried one location behind the Houston Heights Fire Station, but it was either too sunny or too shady. I suggested that we go across the street where there were some run down stores and this beautiful old weathered home front. The light was much better over there. One problem solved. Then I saw the house and thought that it would be a cool idea to pose the couple in front of it to create a movie poster style photograph. Second problem solved. And everyone was very pleased with the results. There was a bit of post-production work to change the color palette to what I liked, but the result is a nice fine art style image that is not too posed. Yes they are all looking at the camera, but it is a looser style, a compromise between static, stiff, boring posed images, and candid photographs. In the end I solved a few problems and produced an image that everyone was happy about.
It is important to find your style and then to find ways to stay within it. Problems will arise but with practice you will be able to conquer them all. Thanks again to my friend Erica for her help and great photography at this wedding.
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, fine art wedding photography, Houston Heights Fire Station, houston wedding photographers, improving your photography, problem solving
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