|
This is where the information provided on websites like the digitalweddingforum and others provide much better information that is useful and current. Do not understand why Glen and others with their books try to glorify wedding photography without a balanced perspective of the cost of all the equipment, the need to stay current with their skills and knowledge of not just photographing weddings but on creating products like gallery prints, DVD's, storybook albums, and business regs for sales tax, insurance, licenses, and liability protection from disgruntled brides when the photographer's equipment fails or the CF cards are stolen and other unexpected events happen. No comparisons of bad and good shots and explanation of why one shot failed and how it should have been shot with the single exception of a group picture taken by green plants and grass. No mention of the problems likely to occur from the green light reflected off green plants and onto peoples skin. Nor the amount of effort to be attentive and anticipate the events of the day and be in position (and on your feet) throughout the day from when the bride starts to get her hair done to the end of the reception with her departure with her husband. What happens when the light level is low as with most churches and receptions or when the single camera fails or key shots are missed while the photographer is checking the LCD display and trying to determine the correct camera and flash settings to use or changing between their two lenses or the flash stops working midway through the day. Someone should have looked at the proofs and realized that all the pictures were much too dark and hardly professional. Glen encourages people to get a camera and a 35-135mm lens and go for it.
Dismayed by yet another book purporting to be a guide to digital wedding photography. One book that is really worthy of praise is the book by the Australian wedding photographer, Marcus Bell. I expect that Glen gives his brides and his families pictures that are quite different from what appear in the book. Recommendations like those made by Glen, to the effect that in these situations I have the camera on auto white balance and the flash at -1EV may be perfect for his Canon 5D and 580EX flash but this is not going to work with another camera, even a Canon camera, or a different flash, even a Canon flash, much less most of the equipment the new photographer will take to their first wedding. The many bad wedding photographers out doing shoot and burn weddings are not going to improve their abilities with this book and worse it encourages people with no experience to give it a try with no understanding of what is needed in the way of camera equipment and skill and knowledge of photographing people and the particulars of wedding event photography. Digital cameras have led many people to believe that producing a few properly exposed and in focus pictures is all that it takes. The topic is really too big to cover well in a single book but Glen Johnson, like many dozens of other photographers charges ahead anyway. As a result there is inaccurate and incomplete information on the digital camera equipment needed to photography weddings for pay without disappointing poor brides who regret for the rest of their lives the boob they hired to photograph their wedding using their Canon Rebel and single zoom lens with a solitary flash unit and little technical skill or knowledge of composition or posing.
It is great for the photographer who can leave the wedding, burn the files to a DVD and put it into the mail on Monday morning on the way in to work at their real job. What Bell covers he covers well.Master's Guide to Wedding Photography: Capturing Unforgettable Moments and Lasting ImpressionsFor getting started with learning posing techniques for weddings there is the very good book by Norman Phillips Professional Posing Techniques for Wedding and Portrait PhotographersPoint is that you cannot get all the information needed from any one book or for that matter any collection of books. With the flood of digital wedding books by photographers eager to earn extra income and gain a little more visibility in the industry it is difficult to sort the wheat from the chaff, especially with the universally glowing Amazon reviews by novice photographers. Too many people photographing weddings do not even have a basic understanding of how THEIR camera and lenses and flash work. These people have never had to take 2000 pictures over a 8-10 hour period indoors and out and with people moving around in dimly lit churches and hotel banquet halls or used their flash for hundreds of pictures with all of the pics correctly exposed, color balanced, and focused, while capturing the essence of the key moments of the day.
Hard to imagine a video camera person giving a couple all the recorded tapes from the wedding and expecting the couple to go off and edit them into something for viewing. For reasons I cannot fathom the book authors encourage people to get into wedding photography when most would find it a lot easier and a lot cheaper and involve a lot less risk to start with portrait photography or corporate event photography or team sports photography but somehow wedding photography has taken on a certain glamor that has resulted in a huge amount of mediocre photographs and doubtless a lot of unhappy brides. Glen defends the shoot and burn photographers and uses the justification of the money they can earn for the little effort put forth but this really begs the question as to whether it is good for the wedding photography industry and whether it really is fair to the bride and groom and their families that are likely a year later to have only prints from Costco and no album. People interested in getting into wedding photography should direct their learning into group posing, composition, lighting, and spend time working with a pro principal photograph instead of learning at the expense of couples and their families. A lot needs to be learned by doing and this does not mean at the expense of a bride and groom and parents and friends.
Books like this one by Glen provide just enough rope for beginning wedding photographers to hang themselves and their brides.Amazingly bad pictures used in the book. Areas like composition are given only the most rudimentary treatment and might as well been left out altogether. And if they can do it at a friend's birthday party or company picnic then they are ready to photograph a friend's wedding or even charge for their services.
If you are new to weddings and already know your equipment, get the book to learn the what, when, where, and how for doing weddings. Will re-read it before I start shooting my first wedding. Just finished reading the book. Was everything all the others said and more.
From the sounds of it, she enjoyed it. My sister is a wedding photographer and thought this book was a good review.
Great purchase. I got this book to help me with my first real wedding as THE photographer.
This book didn't fail.I would recommend it to anyone looking to gain insight into world of a professional wedding photographer. The digital cameras of today have changed my outlook and I wanted to get up to speed by studying successful wedding photographers and their work flow. I was pleased to find this book covered all the information I was looking for. I have been a photographer since 1971 but had avoided wedding photography until now.
|
