Photographic competitions

Here is a big comment, but I believe that all photographers calling themselves professional should be entering at least one professional photographic competition a year. If you are a member of that AIPP then it is a requirement of maintaining your membership to enter into the APPA's. Why do I say this? We have learnt so much from the competitions that we have entered and we have had a bit of success. We have also had a few disappointments along the way as well so it does balance out. I will admit we have been professional photographers for 8 years, but only started entering the competitions last year. That was definitely a mistake and in the end, slowed our progress. What better way is there than to get people with huge amounts of experience and technical skills to assess your work.

There are however, a couple of problems with the APPA's. Firstly it is very expensive to enter into the competition and secondly, and my point with this blog, is that you actually need to get the feedback from the judges to really benefit from the competition. That means you not only have the cost of entry, cost of the print and matting and the cost of posting to where ever the location is that year, you also have to travel to the judging. Costly from Townsville and there is also the time factor as well.

This is one of the reasons that I love the International Loupe Awards, (Google if interested). Entry is only $35/image, unlimited entry's and when you get the result you also get the judges feedback from between one and three of the judges. So here is my point. This is one of the images that has just come back from the International Loupe Awards.

The set up is the location shoot of a wedding at The Brewery, one of my favourite locations. We were photographing using the window light, generally in the narrow range, when I noticed the beautiful rim lighting effect that the light was having on Regina. The light is actually coming from the right and reflecting of the wall and through the window, stunning.

So what are your thought about it without cheating and checking on what the judges said about the image. (I have posted their comments below). I knew that I had problems with the reflections and when I took the image should have bracketed the image probably 2 to 3 stops under the exposure that I used. That would give me details in the highlighted areas that were blown out  in the original exposure.

Unfortunately, my Photoshop skills need work and that is one area I did get pick up on. The rest of the comments I completely missed. That being said the image scored 77, enough to score a bronze medal last year, but 3 points shy of award status this year. Still happy with the result and will think a little more about it next time. I also love this image but take on board what the judges have said.

Judges Comments:

Critique Comments:

Judge 1:   line runs directly through her nose

Judge 2:  The light on this is very nice and well handled. There a re a couple of fundamentals here though which weaken the image. Placement of the bride - just an inch back and you would not have that line going through her nose - its very distracting, you have taken the time to set this up so just note small things like this and adjust. She also looks a little stiff but her expression is relaxed. There is a lot of visible retouching which lets this down. Sometimes its good to just leave an image alone..

Judge 3: The line of the window, cut the nose of the Bride.

Finding Your Wedding Photographer

Previously, I wrote about the process of finding you wedding photographer. It is a very difficult decision, made harder by the sheer number of people calling themselves a professional photographer. There is a wide range of abilities and price differences between the photographers and I have to say, like all professions, you get what you paid for, Generally.

There is a lot more to wedding photography than being able to compose a photograph in camera. Most people that get into wedding photography, start with an interest in photography and then get asked by friends to cover a wedding. All very well, except there is a big difference to taking photos for fun and the expectation of a wedding shoot. Suddenly, if you stuff it up, there is no come back. No real way to go back and re shoot the event. Even if you had the resources, the photos are never the same.

So the basics of wedding photography begin with an understanding of the camera and it's settings. Modern cameras are amazing. Really, anyone can pick a camera up and take a really nice, well composed photographs. Cameras come with face recognition technology, large file size, incredible low light capability, motor drive, this list go on. What is does not come with is composition, lighting and posing. Your photographer has to be able to do that.

Where you separate yourself as a professional from the want to be, is in the use of light, positioning of those being photographed, exposure and in the end, how the image is finished using programs like Photoshop. On Photoshop, when you start is amazing. It can "fix" a range of photographic problems that the professional photographer should get right in camera. There is a limit to how long you can fix it in Photoshop before you get sick of it and go back to the basics of the original in camera capture. Get that right and the rest is easy, sort of.

One of the great ways of getting a good photographer is to check their professional association memberships. The Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) or Australian Commercial & Media Photographers (ACMP) are two such associations. Membership requires an assessment by fellow professional photographers as well as a continuing education and assessment process to maintain membership. This means you constantly have to remain up to date with current technology and trends in the industry.

One of the assessments is the APPA's, the AIPP's annual professional photography competition. Four images are submitted and assessed by Masters of photography, people who have been in the industry for years and have a wealth of experience. This is the best way of learning what is required as a professional photographer. Judging can be brutal, but as a learning experience there is nothing like it. Does your photographer enter the APPA's?

Silver award 2012 APPA's

For further information please contact Malcolm during office hours.

Choose your wedding photographer

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Booking your Wedding Photographer. The selection of your wedding photographer is one of the most difficult decisions that has to be made before the big day. Depending on when the wedding is, it might have to be made months or years in advance to ensure that you get who you want.  In terms of photography, the web has a huge amount of information available. This allows you to go to the photographers and scan their images to get a sense of what they are about. Have a look at what the photographer has on their website. Are the images current? What style do you like? Are you after traditional images or more candid images? Once you find a photographer with the style that you like, you need to meet them, preferably in their studios so you can see images and product first hand. Talk to them, have a look at the images they have taken, look at their products. Look for experience, associations that they are members of, gear they use. The question is, are they serious about the photography or just someone doing it for a bit of spare cash. Big question. Will they still be here in 12 months or 2 years or 5 years if something happens to one of your products?  These questions will allow you to gauge where they are in the professional world. One of the big questions is, "do I get on with them"? You spend a lot of time with your photographer on the day. You need to trust that they can do the job you have employed them for and you need to be able to get along with them. Are they great at keeping the day moving? Can they organise a lot of people into images that look great? Do they know what to look for on the day? Can they give advice on what to look, for what you need and where to go. It is a hard decision, who will photograph your wedding, but when all is said and done, all the memories that you have of your day will be the photographs. There are a couple of wedding expos coming up. One is at the Mercure and the other at the Venue. Get along and ask questions. Good luck with your choices. Summer Wedding Offer Getting married or know of someone getting married later in the year? We have several spots open from October through to December for weddings. As a special incentive we will throw in a 16x24" print valued at $300 to your package for anyone booking a wedding during this time. Education Leiden Studios is looking to do a weekend photography course that would cover basic camera function, lighting and posing on day one, image processing on day two including Lightroom and Photoshop. The course will contain a large amount of information. Expressions of interest are welcome.

Best New Talent - Weddings 2012

MEDIA RELEASE – LEIDEN STUDIOS

Winning an international photography award came as both a shock and a thrill for Townsville business Leiden Studios – along with industry confirmation that their small but thriving photography business is destined for greater things.

Leiden Studios, founded seven years ago by the dynamic husband-and-wife team of Mal and Kellie Gillham, was awarded first place in the prestigious Photography Excellence Awards 2012 in the category of “Wedding – New Talent’’.

The Photography Excellence Awards, awarded by The Edge Photo Imaging through major sponsor Seldex, attracts entries from professional photographers across Australia and the Asia-Pacific region, recognising excellence across a range of photographic styles including wedding, portraiture and landscape.

Mal and Kellie submitted an entry to the awards for the first time late last year with a portfolio of four photographs, with their wedding entry taking out the popular “Wedding – New Talent’’ category.

The news would come as no surprise to hundreds of appreciative Townsville couples in recent years, who have booked the Gillhams for their weddings based on the couple’s signature striking art-based stylised images.

Mal is the team’s specialist wedding photographer, with Kellie focussing her talents on incredible and intimate portraits of families and babies, with the Annandale business also highly recognised for its sports photography and commercial work.

The couple – who based their business name Leiden after their sons Liam, 10, and Hayden, 14 – have become increasingly busy over recent years, but have only just started entering competitions, with this latest win following a hugely successful 2012, during which they also took out four bronze medals in the International Loupe Awards, a silver medal in the national Canon Australian Professional Photography Awards (APPAs), and two silver medals in the Canon Queensland APPAs.

Mal, who started his professional career as a medical scientist and photographer with QML in Brisbane, said he had always had a passion for photography, while wife Kellie, who has a medical administration background, developed her interest more recently, with the couple deciding make a huge jump and follow their dream by leaving their regular jobs and starting their own business – and what a wise decision that has turned out to be.

Mal said their latest award was a welcome recognition of their talent by their industry peers, and hoped it would lead to a further expansion of their talents in the Townsville region.

“This award came as a total shock to both of us, but also a huge thrill, because it gives justification to all our hard work, and shows us we’re on the right path,’’ Mal said.

“Our style of photography is art-based – we focus very strongly on excellent photo and lighting techniques, with professionally finished images.

“Our brides and grooms, as well as our mums, dads and babies, all know they will receive a totally professional product at the end, showing them at their absolute best – we produce art-based albums, not just give them unfinished photos on a disc.

“We recognise that a couple’s wedding day is the most special day of their lives, and that portraits of a beloved baby or family are about capturing a cherished moment in time, and we give our utmost to capture those moments in the most beautiful way that will give our clients lasting and treasured memories.’’

Leiden Studios will be present at several upcoming Townsville wedding expos including the Mercure Inn on the 3rd February and The Venue on 24^th February

For more information, contact Leiden Studios on enquiries@leidenstudios.com.au

2013 Wedding Special.

Ever been to a wedding where the photographer did a slide show of the images captured during the day? Did you like it? Think it was a good idea?

 Leiden Studios will provide a free slide show at your wedding if you book with us before the 23rd of December 2012. That is a value of $350, just by booking one of the top photographers in Townsville. Any package, we will provide a slide show at your reception, your guests will be able to see what happens during the day.

Here is one that we did earlier this year. We actually did more slide shows at wedding this year then ever before. They are a great way to allow your guests into your day.

This offer will only be available for a limited time so give us a call to check out our availability.

Summer Weddings

As our last post explained, summer weddings in Townsville are difficult and require a lot of extra planning. With this in mind, Leiden Studios will offer an 10% extra digital images for  all of our packages for wedding booked in the months of December 2012, and February and March 2013. If you are getting married during these months, give us a call and come in and have a coffee with us.

Danni & Paul on the beach at Maggie Island

If you know someone getting married in these months, let them know about this special offer. The offer will only be available until the end of November.