Photography Trends in Weddings

I second-shoot weddings with a local friend of mine and thankfully we’ve gotten some really fun youthful brides who are willing to venture out from traditional wedding photography & trends to do their own thing and add their own personality and stamp on their special day. We have some weddings coming up soon and while doing some research online for new ideas and trends I stumbled across some great ideas and thought I’d share them here with you.

• Instead of a traditional flower centerpiece, fill a photo cube full of photos from your engagement or bridal sessions. They will be great conversation starters and a great way for the photographer to promote their business plus the bride can decorate her home with them or give them as gifts after the wedding.
• Have brides imprint a black & white engagement photo onto cookies and then wrap them up in wax paper & cute ribbon to put at each place setting for guests.
• Engagement cityscape shoots are popular because of the iconic quality of posing by recognizable landmarks. No skyline? Shooting against an urban brick wall can convey the same message. Use your favorite image in your save-the-dates or, for instant reception decor, blow up one of the pictures, mat it, and set it on an easel near the escort cards. Display other shots in your table cards.
• Try some fun casual shots like the bride sitting on a staircase right after the ceremony, breathing a sigh of relief, with champagne at her feet. If your reception is at a country club, take pics on the golf course and take candids of the bridal group making their way there. It’s those between-the-moments photos that always turn out best.
• Have your clients rent a photo booth and have guests tape wacky shots next to their messages in the guest book. Or create a DIY photo studio in a section of the reception room. Hang a nine-foot-wide seamless paper for a backdrop and bring a printer so guests can take photos home.
• Run a slideshow of images from the ceremony and cocktail hour from your laptop and project them on a screen during dinner. Guests will love looking at what they just experienced, and they’ll have plenty to talk about at the tables.
• Advise brides to skip the traditional album (the one with thick-as-cardboard, single-photo pages) in favor of high-quality coffee table books, like Fineo or AsukaBooks. The images are printed on paper, and the layout is more like what you’d see in a magazine. Opt for a leather-bound or Lucite-covered book for a classic look that’s less stuffy than a traditional album and templates for these albums are available here at Pink Ink.

If you aren’t already a member of the message board forum here at Pink Ink you might consider joining because we have fun conversations on topics such as this and it’s a great place for you to come and ask questions. Best of luck with your upcoming weddings and feel free to share your ideas with us below in the comments or on the forum!

Photography Trends: Hats

One of my favorite questions from clients is “but what should we wear?” For me, this is one of the best parts of getting ready for a session – putting together outfits. I always recommend TEXTURE and LAYERING. Layering is great because it gives you options. Textures just photograph well and add depth to the photos. Hands down, my favorite accessory for texture are hats. They work great in winter and summer, and there are so many different kinds to choose from for both girls and boys. Whether you are looking for beanies for newborn babies or a vintage style hat for brides, right now there are lots of beautiful options out there. Even if you were to just do a search on Etsy, you are sure to find what you need (and that doesn’t include the many other places online and in stores to find great accessories). I’m going to focus on hats for newborns, babies and toddlers.

Photography Trends

In today’s economic times, I’m sure many of us are searching for new ways to market ourselves and expand our photography businesses. One of the major growth markets for photographers these days is consumer event photography, more specifically sports photography. Think about how many of us have children in organized sports and how many other parents would love to have the types of photographs that we can provide of their own children. If you are primarily a natural-light photographer this will definitely work to your advantage since you’ll already have an understanding of lighting in uncontrolled environments such as outdoors or in sports arenas. Often event photographers are equipped to print and sell photos on-site however if you don’t have funds or resources to do this but do have a website or blog with a shopping cart, this would also work as a way for potetial clients to see the images. Sometimes all it takes is other parents seeing you at work with your photography equipment at the events to spark conversation about your business which allows you the pefect opportunity to promote yourself, this has happened to me several times. Just ask if they would like for you to take some shots of their child and hopefully the excellent action shots you provide will lead to other portrait work for them as well. Once the word gets out, event photography could also lead to other local events such as school dances, proms, pageants, conventions, parties & festivals. We’re fast approaching an active part of the school year and sports calendar so consider adding this type of photography to your business and see where it takes you!

Backdrops Outside the Norm!

So, the other week, I showed you how you can use our textures and damask overlays to fake out your backgrounds when using the seamless paper options during your portrait sessions. Now, I want to hear more about what you use! I started looking around online for some creative methods and now, I’m ready to use them all! A lot of times, they can be things found in your own home! Maybe even in your surroundings too. It’s about fine-tuning your eye and noticing what you have or what you could use.

My very first, creative use of something for a backdrop was when I found this gorgeous black and white, flocked damask wallpaper at my Hallmark store. I don’t even think they sell it anymore, but let’s just say I go into Hallmark often to see what’s new to add to my stash. To make it sturdy, I simply adhere it to a piece of foam core board. I can temporarily tape it to a wall, or prop it up behind the person (maybe use a reflector stand or person to help). It’s not large enough for a full body shot, but for headshots or product shots, it’s perfect! Here are some I found on Flickr to inspire you!

Beth Armsheimer & Dyxie (do a search for wrapping paper in Flickr for more!)

A spin off the wrapping paper is upholstery fabric. Go buy a couple yards at your local fabric store! You can hang it via stretcher frames, or sew a hem at the top and insert your own grommets. Heck, why not just go grab some curtain panels at your decor store?

I’ve even gone so far as to buy a beautiful shower curtain from my local bed & bath store. I think it works great and for less money.

Get this beautiful shower curtain from Bed Bath & Beyond here.

Look at rugs & blankets for good ideas as well. Here’s a shot I took of a newborn on a simple rug that we use at the door!

Other clever methods could be something so simple such as a worn and shabby door turned on its side. Just look how amazing this looks in Mika Beth Edward’s photos. Hit up the salvage yards, photogs! Old windows work great too. Oh, and I love how Captured by Carrie used a branch from a tree to hang newborns from. This is just divine! And, it’s free in your own backyard (in most cases).

Then, use some of our awesome actions and textures/overlays to enhance your images! Or, share your images with us and inspire us to design cards and other templates to match!

Now, tell us what you use!

If you have an idea for an article that you would like to write, we pay $50 in store credits for them! Please contact us today at staff@pinkinkstudios.com with your ideas and interest!

Photography Trends: January 2009

There is nothing hotter right now than textures!  I see everyone using them from high end wedding photographers, to mom’s snapping photos of their own children.  Textures can add depth and colors to your images….and clients love them!!  We have a ton of textures here at Pink ink Studios, and feature a free texture every Tuesday.

Geotagging Your Photos

Back in the day, “finding your photos” literally meant finding where your photos reside within your computer or perhaps even finding them tucked away in a storage box somewhere when film was king but now this term has a whole new meaning.  Exciting new tools & technology are enabling us to tag not only our photos but the exact location of where they were taken.  This term is often referred to as “geotagging” and it opens up a whole new world of possibilities for your digital photos.  In a sense it leaves you a virtual trail of bread crumbs to remember and showcase your journey by pinpointing exactly where that photo was taken.  How do you do this you ask?  Here are just a few ways to begin geotagging your digital photos:

• Eye-Fi Explore which is a 2-gigabyte card that works in any digital camera that accepts SD cards.  The card uses Wi-Fi data to tag your photo then uploads them to your computer or photo-sharing site wirelessly.  Uploaded photos pass through Eye-Fi’s servers and are then compared with a database of Wi-Fi points.  Coordinates are then added to the photographs.  The Eye-Fi Explore card is priced around $130 which is pricey compared to the $20 a standard 2-gig SD will run you however if you’re snapping alot of photos in various locations, it could be well worth your money.
• GPS Logs – If your camera does not accept SD cards, never fear.  All you need is a portable GPS unit that will create a log of where you have traveled.  Using the time stamps in the GPS logs, software maps your photos based upon the times they were taken so it’s important to make sure your camera’s time is set accurately and don’t forget various time zones when traveling.
• Camera-specific options - The best solution is one that tags photos as soon as they’re taken however few cameras provide built-in GPS however you can find photo accessories that help geotag photos as they’re taken.  Both Nikon & Canon have GPS connectors for their higher-end models.  The transmitters connect to the bottom of your camera and then a GPS unit is attached via a USB port.  You can also operate your camera and upload your photos remotely.
• Photo-sharing Websites – sites such as www.flickr.com, Picasa and Google Earth provide geotagging services for free.

Geotagging is fun and a great way of sharing and organizing photos however use common sense when doing so.  Don’t geotag photos of your home nor children, doing so could put your family as risk.

Trends in Wedding Photography

Probably more so than in any other field of photography, wedding photography seems to constantly be evolving and changing to keep up with the trends and demands of today’s modern bride. “Day After” sessions are just one of the latest trends in wedding photography. Long gone are the days of the formal

stuffy pre-bridal sessions and worrying about getting your wedding dress dirty, now many bride & grooms are opting to shoot portraits a day, a week or even a month after their wedding in a more relaxed, fun and even sexy environment. Shooting portraits after the wedding day also affords the couple the luxury of spending every moment of their special day with wedding guests so they aren’t left wandering around at cocktail hour gazing at their watches wondering what’s going on while the bride & groom are MIA. Day After sessions are often taken in unique locations other than where the wedding ceremony was held that might have special meaning to the newlyweds such as a vineyard, an amusement park, a ballpark or perhaps the bride or groom’s hometown……the sky’s the limit with the stress of the big day being virtually gone and now the newlyweds can relax and have fun with their photographer and truly enjoy the experience. There are a variety of Day After session types including the ever-popular “Trash the Dress” session where the bride sometimes ends up in the sand or jumping into water wearing her wedding gown but if your bride spent a bit too much on her dress to even consider this option or hopes to hand it down to her daughter someday, then offer her a more casual session so even if a little dirt does end up on her gown, it can easily be cleaned and made as good as new. If you’re a wedding photographer, try offering this type of session to potential clients as an alternative to only shooting the day of the wedding and be sure to explain the benefits of a Day After session. How can a bride refuse the possibility of filling her wedding album with fun, casual, timeless photographs that she’ll treasure always??