Attn Sports Fans

I know many of you will be shocked to hear this...but I am not a sports fan. Despite living in a state with one of the most rabid football fans on earth, I just don't care about sports. There, I said it. I don't care about the Green Bay Packers. I don't wish them ill will, I hope they win, but....I just don't care. I'll watch a game if there is beer and snacks involved, and I have actually been to a Packer game. I went mostly so I could cozy up to the sport shooters on the sidelines to gawk at their lenses. "Hey, is that a 500mm or are you just happy to see me?"

Here are some now semi-famous quotes uttered by me when at a sporting event; In the early 90's I went to a Brewer Game. I noted to my friends "Isn't that odd?? All those umpires are named Al?" The Umpires had their names on their hats...and it turned out it meant American League Who knew?

The Packer Game doosy came when I went with my friend Christal. Christal thinks she IS a Packer. She is one of those people who calls the Packers "We". "We play at noon" and "We lost today". I have repeatedly advised her that she is not on the team, but she doesn't believe me. Anyway, I went to the game with a 70-200 lens so I could take pictures of Brett Farve for her. She pointed him out to me and told me his number, and I set off to work. At one point I turned to her and said "Well, number 4 can't be very good. He's hardly ever on the field"

And yes, there was beer involved for both of these quotes, but I can assure you it would have happened with out it.

So since God has a funny sense of humor, he sent me...two boys. And despite my vigilant signing them up for music lessons, art lessons, acting lessons and even gymnastics...they are sports fans. They play sports. They LOVE the Packers and the Brewers. And because I don't want to give them one more thing to hash out in therapy in the years to come, I go to their sporting events. Here's the truth...Soccer is the devil and I'll never get back those years I spent on a cold, rainy field in a soccer mom chair. It's wrong wrong wrong...but the day they both were done with soccer was one of the happiest days of my life. Basketball I don't mind since I kind of understand it because I was obsessed with a boy named Steve in high school and I learned it so I would seem cool. (It didn't work). Volleyball is not bad at all, but I have found that I suck mightily at photographing it. And Caleb has found his niche with Cross Country, which is the PERFECT sport for sports hating moms everywhere. You drop them off, cheer at the start line, read a book, cheer when they come over the finish. Perfect!

Here are some shots of the last of the Cross Country meets and Volleyball. What you will undoubtedly notice is that while my kids look like brothers, the gene pool split cleanly 50/50 with them. Caleb is the spitting image of his dad, tall, lanky and lean, while Joey got blessed with my genes. Or, as he more aptly put it when he was 7 "Caleb looks like Dad and I look like you because we like bacon"

I love this one..."The agony of defeat".. Joey is #45





Caleb. And the hair I get to take nearly 100% credit for :)

WedComp

Yesterday I blogged about how important I think entering photo contest are for photographers. And I got a few emails (and you know who you are! :) ) from photographers who are newer in the biz (and by that I mean in the last 5 years...I'm an old dog at this point going on 13 years doing this) asking me specifics about photo competition. The resounding fear from each email was that "I don't know what to enter".

Online contest are different from in person photo critiques, but they are a great way to get your feet wet and to get an idea of what to enter. First, I recommend that you spend some time looking through contests that are over to see what the winners look like. In some cases, you will see comments from the judges as to what they liked, and what they didn't. Sometimes not. This is where there are some similarities to "real time" judging. I can't even tell you how many times I've sat in a darkened room with 3 or 4 judges scrutinizing a print I labored over only to stoically enter their scores without a word, while my world came crumbling down when they delivered a score of 60, 65...70. Which in photographic terms means, you are not a hack, but this ain't no merit print. To "merit" you must get a score over 80. And very often when that happens, the judges are talking, and arguing and you get some really good (and sometimes harsh) feedback on the print.

Here are the 12 elements of a GOOD photograph that judges are looking for.

(source...PPA.com. And if you are a photographer and not a member, shame on you. Go register now)

1. Impact is the sense one gets upon viewing an image for the first time. Compelling images evoke laughter, sadness, anger, pride, wonder, or another intense emotion.
2. Creativity is the external expression of the imagination of the maker by using the medium to convey an idea, message, or thought.
3. Style is defined in a number of ways as it applies to a creative image. It might be defined by a specific genre or simply be recognizable as the characteristics of how a specific artist applies light to a subject. It can impact an image in a positive manner when the subject matter and the style are appropriate for each other, or it can have a negative effect when they are at odds.
4. Composition is important to the design of an image, bringing all of the visual elements together in concert to express the purpose of the image. Proper composition holds the viewer in the image and prompts the viewer to look where the creator intends. Effective composition can be pleasing or disturbing, depending on the intent of the image maker.
5. Print Presentation affects an image by giving it a finished look. The mats and borders used should support and enhance the image, not distract from it.
6. Center of Interest is the point or points on the image where the maker wants the viewer to stop as they view the image. There can be primary and secondary centers of interest. Occasionally there will be no specific center of interest, when the entire scene collectively serves as the center of interest.
7. Lighting—the use and control of light—refers to how dimension, shape and roundness are defined in an image. Whether the light applied to an image is man made or natural, proper use of it should enhance an image.
8. Subject Matter should always be appropriate to the story being told in an image.
9. Color Balance supplies harmony to an image. An image in which the tones work together, effectively supporting the image, can enhance its emotional appeal. Color balance is not always harmonious and can be used to evoke diverse feelings for effect.
10. Technical Excellence is the print quality of the image itself as it is presented for viewing. Sharpness, exposure, printing, mounting, and correct color all speak to the qualities of the physical print.
11. Technique is the approach used to create the image. Printing, lighting, posing, film choice, paper selection, and more are part of the technique applied to an image.
12. Story-Telling refers to the image’s ability to evoke imagination. One beautiful thing about art is that each viewer might collect his own message or read her own story in an image.

I budget $500 per year for photo contests...sometimes more. If this sounds like a lot...it's not. Back in "the day" you could spend nearly $100 to have one print made for photo critique. Now you can enter electronically and the fees are minimal, usually around $10 per image.

The next photo contest up at bat is Wedcomp and when I saw the list of judges I was totally stoked. Does anyone stay "stoked" anymore? Just wondering. Anyway, these are some seriously talented heavy-hitters in the wedding photography industry and if they say your stuff is good then you have a ticket to ride my friend. Check their portfolios

Rachel LaCour Neisen


Cliff Mautner


Zack Arias


Jennifer Bebb



So I encourage you to do it. First, go through all your images you think are the best you have. Then begin eliminating them according to the guidelines above. Don't ask your clients, or your spouse, or your best friend if they think the image is good. Remove the rah rah cheerleaders from your life and really focus (ha!) on the elements of the photo. Ask other photographers. I'm always happy to look at other people's work and let them know if I think a photograph is a good contest entry. And no, I won't refund your money if you don't win :)

I will tell you this, the most common mistake I see are photographers who are entering pictures that they think are great that are commonplace. I'm being honest here: weddings have many of the same elements week after week. For our clients, they are not commonplace because it's them getting their gown on for the first time so those images are precious to them. But if you enter a photo of a bride peeking out of her dress when she is putting it on it damn well better be a totally new and interesting angle the judges have never seen before week after week as they are shooting weddings. You have to make them say "That is a great shot, I wish I had taken it"

I'm stepping off my soapbox now and I'm going to go purchase some contest credits for wedcomp.

Who's gonna join me?

Jennifer and Collin

Diego!

3 years ago I photographed his Mom and Dad's wedding and I remember saying to them "You two are gonna make some beautiful babies" I was right....meet Diego, 9 months old and totally adorable.

ISPWP Photo Contest Results!

Woot! I'm #19! The results are in for the second quarter ISPWP photo contest and I'm pretty darn pleased that 17 of the 20 images I entered placed and gave me an overall ranking of #19.

Why do I enter photo contests? Well for a few reasons. Wedding photography in particular is a tricky sort of photography to get real-world feed back on. And if you are a photographer, chances are (hopefully) that your clients love your work, your family and friends think you are brilliant and for the most part you are told that your work is fabulous. It's pretty hard for someone to tell you a photo sucks if it is a photo of a loved one, they just don't see it. So for me it's really important that I get critical feedback from my peers and colleagues regarding composure, exposure and key elements that make a photo great. Not just good, or cute, or "pretty".

Time spent in photo critique will rip your soul out and teach you more than you can image. It's something I'll continue to do year after year, not just for the accolades and the chance to pimp myself out as "award winning" but because it pushes me to be creative while working often in the same venues week after week.

Before every wedding or session I give myself a challenge. Some of my recent ones that I can recall have been


1. Shoot more with the 85 today (Not a lens I love, so I wanted to see if I wasn't giving it a chance. I do have a predilection to have "pet" lenses)

2. Shoot sun flare balanced with flash outside. (This worked! Check out Kyle and Amanda's e-photos)

3. After the safe processional shot, shoot panning with a low shutter speed balanced with flash to show movement and blur(It didn't work...but it might next time! And I'll keep trying it until I get it)


You get the idea :) And now, here are the winners from ISPWP!





Here's an example where panning with movement did work...tech info 1/15 f2.8

















These next two were another challenge: Shoot natural light only (with the aid of the DJ's lights), on a boat, at night with no ambient light. These two images are the results of that, but holy cow did I get sea sick getting them! It seems having a camera up to your face while holding your breath to account for low shutter speeds did not agree with me. I had to sit down for a minute after these images, but it was worth it!

Amanda and Kyle's Engagement Session

Chad and Lucy

These are my favorite portrait sessions to do with kids...unscripted, no huge expectations for the perfect smile. When you just let them have fun, you get the smiles!

Amy and Derek's Engagement Session

Jared and Kelli, September 13 2008

Wedding: St Matthew's Wauwatosa
Reception: The Wisconsin Club

The morning of Jared and Kelli's wedding I looked outside and said a few choice words under my breath. It was raining...and raining...and...raining. I was prepared...6 big black golf umbrellas were loaded into my rockin' Tangerine Honda. My phone rang a few hours before the wedding and a nervous Jared asked me what the rain plan was going to be, and I told him what plan b would be in case of non-stop rain. But then I assured him "But it's going to stop". Jared laughed and said "Ooohkay, Kim". You see, it wasn't a gentle fall rain, it was one of those gray, driving, just not pretty any way you sell it kind of rains.

This year has been one of the most glorious weather wedding seasons that I have had in many years. And I just couldn't really stomach the idea of Jared and Kelli not having outdoor photos. So I said a few prayers, a few chants, and did a rain dance....and...it stopped. IT STOPPED. I don't know who was more thrilled, Jared and Kelli, or me. We got almost all of the photos we wanted in before it started up again, and luckily the few family photos we had were finished at The Wisconsin Club, which is a gorgeous venue.


Congratulations Jared and Kelli!!
















Enjoy their wedding slide show with music here


Or just enjoy it here on the blog.