VANTAGE PHOTOGRAPHY » photojournalism

Tuesday Tidbit: Posing Large Groups (Part Six: You’re In Charge)

vantagep — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:35:18 +0000

Part Six in our “Posing Large Groups” series–the last post of the series! We’ve talked about triangles, building from the center, color balance, posture and blinkers. Whew! For the sixth in the series, it’s last but DEFINITELY not least. In fact, this is probably the most important thing to remember in posing groups: you’re in charge. That does NOT mean you get to carry around a whip and bark orders in German (although, to be honest, sometimes you’ll feel like doing that). It means that you have to remember that everyone….seriously, everyone…is looking to YOU for direction. Here are the things I do to make sure I not only remain in control but that people have a good time too (er, they don’t have a BAD time):

1. Speak loudly enough that everyone can hear you.

2. Smile. Genuinely.

3. Introduce yourself at the very beginning (if you don’t know everyone there) and tell everyone that you’ll be asking them to stand in certain positions. I always ask people to “help me out” by paying attention if/when they hear my voice so that everyone can get to the dance floor/bar/wherever sooner.

4. Have your cameras settings figured out BEFORE placing people so you don’t have a group of 20 people staring at you uncomfortably while you play with your gear.

5. As you ask people to stand in certain areas, either point very clearly or place yourself in the spot to show them where to go. Regardless, the directions you give should be clear and concise. Mimic the pose if you have to.

6. If you must futz with people once you’ve gotten everyone in place, tell them what you’re doing. Even something like “Everyone can relax while I check the settings on my camera” will help people feel more at ease. Then when you’re ready to shoot, tell them you’re ready, have everyone stand up straight….and shoot.

7. Tell folks you’ll be taking a few shots to make sure there aren’t any blinkers. This will prevent the “smile, see the flash go off, relax completely” syndrome that seems to happen when group photos are taken.

8. Smile. Genuinely. Again.

9. When you’re finished, thank people for their time and tell them they’re free to go. If you need to keep some people for additional pictures, make sure to tell those people to stay BEFORE you tell everyone they can go.

So that’s it! Hopefully you’re feeling a little more confident about doing your next group shot. Practice practice practice. And don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Have fu!

Happy shooting from Vantage!

2009: Favorites

vantagep — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:04:05 +0000

It’s that time of year again, when everyone compiles their list of favorites from the past year…favorite bands, favorite movies, favorite flavors of Doritos, you name it. So I’m jumpin’ on the bandwagon and adding my own list….of the visual kind. Without further ado, my favorite pictures taken in 2009. (Taken by me, that is. If I made a list of my favorite images by other people, well, I’d never get any real work done…the list would just be way too long. So you’re stuck with just lil’ ol’ me.)

Katy and David: Married! (The Castaway – Burbank, CA)

vantagep — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 23:10:03 +0000

I really enjoyed shooting Katy and David’s wedding at The Castaway–although it was definitely challenging from a technical standpoint (outdoor ceremony well after the sun had set), their families and guests were welcoming, the ceremony was gorgeous and Katy and David were so easy-going. This wedding was also a first for me in the sense that Katy’s wedding day was also her BIRTHday! Happy birthday Katy!

I have to give a gigantic shout-out to Craig Cardella and his wife of Ixora Floral Studio–their flowers were AH-MAZE-ING. And Katy and David’s DJ, Eugene of Zuno Productions, was the ultimate DJ. Top notch vendors, both of them. And a big thank you to Jamie Lawler, my second shooter for the evening…this girl’s got real talent…and I’m blessed to call her my good friend, too. :)

Enjoy your sneak peak, Katy and David! I wish nothing but the best for both of you in this new year!

Eric and Mariana: Engaged!

vantagep — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:00:19 +0000

When I was in Chicago for Kelly and Paul’s wedding, I was lucky enough to be able to set aside some quality time to spend with one of my best friends, Eric, and his soon-to-be wife (wife!) Mariana, before I boarded the plane for San Diego. And I was thrilled to have been able to celebrate their relationship by doing an engagement session with them in their new city and home, Chicago. It makes me so happy to see Eric so happy–clearly, Mariana, you’ve captured his heart.

Enjoy your sneak peek and slideshow you two. And CONGRATULATIONS! See you in August!

Kelly + Paul: Chicago, Illinois

vantagep — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:01:35 +0000

I was so excited to join Kelly and Paul for their downtown Chicago wedding–Kelly and Paul are just so laid back and easy to be around. And I was psyched at Kelly’s ideas for their B&G (bride and groom) session: they wanted images that showed them as an urban couple IN Chicago, not just in front of Chicago (aka skyline). Now those are my kind of images. :)

We had a great time traipsing around the city before the ceremony (both the ceremony and reception were held at the super chic Allerton Hotel on Michigan Avenue) to get those urban shots in spite of the unusually cold Fall day. I remember remarking to Paul how much fun they seemed to be having and the wedding hadn’t even started. His response? “Of course! How could you NOT have fun on your wedding day??” Here’s the thing: not only were Kelly and Paul joyful and fun….they were also majorly in love and excited to be starting their new life together. Here’s to many happy years together, you two. Enjoy your sneak peek and slideshow!

Image of the day

vantagep — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 17:14:08 +0000

You know those images that you just love, that stick with you, that you don’t care if anyone else loves it, you’re gonna love it no matter what anyone else thinks?

I’m putting the final touches on Alia and Justin’s proofs today and I keep coming back to this image. I love it. Dearly. I don’t know why. I just do. The texture, the light, the ring at the corner that says “bride” ever so subtly. It makes me happy to look at it.

Alia + Justin: Sneak Peek and Slideshow

vantagep — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 03:17:46 +0000

They’re married!!! You know those couples that just seem meant to be? Yeah, that’s Alia and Justin.

They met in high school and Justin developed a huge crush on Alia (his first real crush, he says)….but he never told her. After school, they fell out of touch and then, a while later, randomly ran into each other at a bar in Milwaukee one evening. Justin still had a crush on Alia and still didn’t tell her. They fell out of touch, again. And then, four years later, completely unintentionally, they ended up moving into the very same apartment complex in Madison, Wisconsin. After bonding over their love of pugs and regular HBO-watching get-togethers, things clicked into place and they started dating seriously. Perfect, right? Not quite. Justin was scheduled to move across the country to San Francisco in a matter of months. They tried to make the relationship work long-distance but it got too hard and they broke up. And then….this is so serendipitous…Alia called Justin out of the blue and said she was moving to San Francisco: she had been offered a transfer within her job to move to the Bay Area.

And the rest is history. It must be true: some things are just meant to be. Like Alia and Justin. Married.

Wedding Coordinator (David did a slammin’ job): Dynamic Events

Flowers (soooooo gorgeous): Impressions

Music (um, can we say super fantubulous fun and talented djs??): Sound By Design

Enjoy your sneak peek, you two!

WPJA Q2 2009 Contest Results

vantagep — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 16:23:43 +0000

The Wedding Photojournalist Association (WPJA) holds a competition four times a year and members are invited to submit their best images for judging. Every quarter, I am deeply humbled by the amazing images that wedding photojournalists all over the world are creating–truly beautiful stuff. And because of that, I’m always surprised and excited when I see my own images up in the gallery of contest winners.

This quarter, WPJA introduced a new category: ring details. For those of you that follow my work, you know that I LURVE ring detail shots….and I guess the judges liked my ring detail shots too because the two images I submitted to the category took sixteenth and seventeeth place. Not a bad way to start off my morning. :)

WPJA Sixteenth Place

WPJA Seventeenth Place

Dana + Jonathan: San Diego, California

vantagep — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:38:52 +0000

One of the benefits of transitioning a business from one part of the country to another and building up my local clientele is that I have more time to be a second shooter for talented photographers in the San Diego area. One of those talented photographers is Carrie McCluskey, with whom I had the privilege of working back in June (yeah, I know, I’m just blogging it now….I’m late).

Dana and Jonathan were married at the Admiral Kidd Conference Center with GORGEOUS views of the San Diego skyline. I loved hearing their “how we met” story: both were in New York City as tourists and happened to be hanging out at the same hotel lobby one evening. They struck up a conversation and totally hit it off. And even though Jonathan was from Sweden, and was leaving soon, they liked each other so much that they decided to stick it out…and Dana eventually moved to Sweden to be with him! Now THAT is commitment.

Jamie + Zachary

vantagep — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 03:09:18 +0000

Jamie and Zachary got hitched! They were married during a mid-day ceremony outside of San Diego, California at the home of Jamie’s aunt and uncle, giving the wedding an intimate, at-home feel. Everything was perfectly pulled together by the lovely ladies of Luxe Events and in spite of the heat, everyone had a wonderful time celebrating the union of these two amazing people. Congratulations Jamie and Zachary and thanks Philip Defalco for having me along to shoot with you!