Austin Wedding Extravaganza - January 9 - 10, 2010 - Palmer Event Center

Brides-to-be,

Don’t forget about the Austin Bridal Extravaganza that’s coming up after the new year (Jan 9-10^th)! I’m sure there will be lots of vendors on hand to tell you about their services. If for no other reason you might attend the extravaganza as a part of becoming an educated bride on how wedding preparation and planning works. Think of it as a fun research project with free goodies and giveaways!

Austin Bridal Extravaganza

January 9-10, 2010

Palmer Event Center

Austin, Texas

Hours: 12-5 Admission: $14

There’s also apparently a $50k bridal giveaway. You can read about that HERE.

Official Website: http://www.austinweddings.com/

Note: Martin Whitton Photography will not be represented at this event and has no affiliation with it or it’s sponsors. We simply offer this information as a helpful guide for our readership.

Wedding Horror Stories (How To Avoid Them)!

Some hints on what to look for (and what to avoid) when searching for a wedding photographer.

The Amateur. When I first came to Austin, Texas about 10 years ago my family (my brother, my sister, my mother and I) were all together for a limited time and it was decided that we should hire a photographer to take photographs of us as a family. We all knew that we would be moving in different directions for years to come and who knows when the opportunity might present itself again. So my mother got in contact with a photographer who promised to meet us at Zilker Botanical Gardens and capture some family images. I distinctly remember what the photographer looked like. She was slim, small framed with short curly hair. She was quiet, reserved and she photographed us with what may have been a “Rolleiflex” medium format twin lens reflex camera. At the time I didn’t know much about medium format cameras, so I can’t say what kind of camera it was for sure.

After about 45 minutes of photographing in different locations of the gardens she let us know she was finished and that she’d be calling when the photos were developed and ready to view. Little did we know, that would be the last time we would see her or our photographs again. After some exchanges of voicemails, we accepted that we wouldn’t likely ever see our photos, probably because she really didn’t know the first thing about professional photography. We had simply been her experiment in portraiture – an experiment that went horribly wrong.

The Swindler (allegedly). And this summer I read an article about another photographer in San Antonio who is accused of not delivering what he promised to his clients. The surprising part in this story is that he charges so much and is apparently a talented wedding photographer. One couple even claim that they paid him as much as $7000! Wow! According to the article the photographer in question enthusiastically charmed his clients into paying exorbitant amounts of money for wedding photography. Then when wedding day came he photographed their weddings and they never heard from him again. I personally looked him up on Wedding Wire, and there are a lot of angry brides that are mad at him for not returning their money, and most importantly, not providing them with wedding photos as promised. I would be mad too!

So you’re probably asking, “Well, how do I tell the difference between a wedding swindler and a legitimate photography business?” That can be tough to do, but the most important thing you need to know about any business is their record of service. Do they have a history of providing a quality service? Are people talking raving about how great their experience with the business was? I recommend starting your investigation by reading my article on Finding The Right Wedding Photographer. Bottom line: do your homework! If he/she sounds too good to be true, perhaps you should look elsewhere. I wish you the best of luck in your search!

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. Email: martin@mwwphoto.com

Photos From Monica & Eric's Wedding At Casa Blanca

Ok, so not a whole lot I can say about Monica & Eric's Wedding at Casa Blanca. It is a beautiful place and they made a beautiful match on this Fall Day in Georgetown, Texas. I think Casa Blanca may be my new favorite wedding venue, not only because it's a beautiful venue, not just because it's partially wooded next to a stream, but also because the owners are super friendly and professional.

New Engagement Photos - Downtown Austin and Lady Bird Lake

A sample of engagement photos of Vanessa and Shaun in downtown Austin and on Lady Bird Lake...

If It's Good Enough For President Obama, It's Good enough For My Brides!

I’m excited to announce a new addition to my wedding camera family: the Canon 5D Mark ii!

While it probably doesn’t mean much to my wedding clientele that I’ve upgraded, to a photographer it means a lot. To the photographer it’s the difference in a full frame and partial frame sensor; greater flexibility in low-light situations; the ability to capture high-resolution HD video and more. Ultimately for my brides and grooms it means that they’ll be getting more great shots than ever with an increased quality in images that can be seen in the printing process.

I recently read an article that President Obama’s official portrait was taken with the Canon 5D Mark ii as well, which really surprises me. So now I’m telling my brides that if the 5D Mark ii is good enough for our American President, then it’s definitely good enough for their wedding photographs. It’s definitely an exciting time for photography in America as we watch things change and evolve so quickly. I’m proud to be an American Photographer!

Angels Springs Wedding, Georgetown, Texas

 

 

 

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas.
View the complete wedding photo galleries (including this wedding), photographer bios, testimonials and more at: Wedding Photo Website or email us HERE.

Tips & Resources On How To Find A Wedding Dress

If you are newly engaged and you’ve already secured a location for your wedding, then your next step will probably be gown hunting. You may have been dreaming of an elaborate, fairy tale wedding since you were a girl or you may be looking for something a little less formal; Either way, before you begin there are a few questions you’ll want to ask yourself:

1. What kind of bridal gown do I want?

2. How much do I want to spend?

3. What is my body style?

First, let’s address our self-imposed questions. Do you want a formal gown or just an elegant, informal dress? How you answer will likely determine how and where you shop. These days you have endless options for where you buy clothing and there are advantages and drawbacks to where you shop. If you shop online you may have a wider variety of dress/gown options; however, one major disadvantage of shopping online will be determining whether you and your dress/gown are a good fit. 

Next, include your estimated gown cost in your wedding budget. If you are patient, flexible and shop around there are great deals to be found. I recently heard a bride tell of finding a $900 designer dress on clearance for $75. Was the dress her first choice? …probably not, but in all likelihood she was open-minded, tried on the dress because it was beautiful (or heavily discounted) and perhaps she liked the way it looked on her - which is of the utmost importance.

Finally, know your body type and aim for a dress that will accentuate your shape and style. I’ll leave this topic to the fashion experts. Here’s a great article that briefly touches on body types and dresses styles that match by the knowledgeable folks at I-do.com - Australia.

If you live in a medium-sized or large city you’ll have more options. I encourage my clients to shop locally, but don’t settle for less. The media blitz of negative news about the economy has everyone scared to leave home in fear that they’ll lose their job or spend money that they should be saving. But that doesn’t mean you have to settle for a dress you don’t like. Be sure to check out all your bridal boutique options. Consignment stores are very popular amongst brides who want to save these days and although consignment is often a euphemism for “used”, consignment stores typically have a high standard for the merchandise the peddle.

List of Online Bridal Stores: 

Romantic Gowns, House of Brides, Wedding Dress Online, Isabella’s, Bargain Wedding Gowns, the list goes on and on…

List of Brick and Mortar Bridal Stores: 

David’s Bridal, Alfred Angelo, Nordstrom, Georgio’s Bridal, Priscilla of Boston, Bridal Mart (North Carolina Only), and others…

Local Bridal Designers (Central Texas): 

Unbridaled, Adelle's Bridal Boutique, Balina Bridal, Serendipity Bridal, Alexia Gavela Bridal, Melange Bridal LLC, Belle Saison Bridal, Coutures by Laura,  Designer Exchange, more…

 

Unbridaled unbridaled.com - (512) 444-2743

Adelle's Bridal Boutique adellesbridalandquinceanera.com

Balina Bridal www.balina.com - (512) 719-5900

Serendipity Bridal www.serendipitybridal.com

Alexia Gavela Bridal agbride.com - (512) 419-7818

Melange Bridal LLC www.melangebridal.com - (512) 345-8780

Belle Saison Bridal bellesaisonbridal.com - (512) 452-1199 

Some minor details to remember:

-Not all dresses are sized the same; some vendors like David’s Bridal use European style of sizing, which varies from what you might find elsewhere. In all likelihood, your dress will be a size or two larger than you expect because of size discrepancies amongst designers.

-You can engineer a dress using an online dress creator here: Wedding Dress Creator

-The Knot has a Wedding Dress Cost Calculator based on inputs such as dress style, price range, designer and more.

Wedding At Chateau Bellevue - Austin Woman's Club

Every now and again I like to play around with some editing software and create moody, artistic effects for my wedding clients. I never really know if it's something they will like or not, but I enjoy it and I always provide them with regular color copies as well just in case. This wedding was shot in downtown Austin in October, beginning at Central Christian Church and ending at Chateau Bellevue.

 

 

 

 

 

Driskill Hotel Wedding - Austin, TX

Here's a small group of photos from a wedding I photographed at the legendary Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin in late September. You can view more of this wedding on my wedding website, www.mwwphoto.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weddings From Our Past: 1800s and 1900s

I'm currently doing a lot of research to support an article I'm writing about how to find a wedding gown. In the meantime, I wanted to share some photos that I found recently only to allow others to see what weddings looked like 100 or more years ago. Note the space between each couple (how separated they all are compared to today's couples). If you want to see more just search for "1800s wedding photos" on Flickr.

What Makes A Photograph Great?

I recently read the following on the photo.net online discussion forum:

Question: “What makes a photo a fine art work (that is, special or good)?”

Answer: “When you say it is. The better answer is when others say it is.”¹

While speaking in simple terms this is correct, surely we can explore the topic a little more deeply to find more significant answers to what makes a photograph great. According to iconic landscape photographer Ansel Adams, “A great photograph is one that fully expresses what one feels, in the deepest sense, about what is being photographed.”²

Let’s refine our search a little and ask ourselves some questions. The first question we should be asking is what is the subject of the photograph or image? The most common problem encountered when attempting to create a great image is not establishing an obvious subject. Try to imagine what subject another person might see (if any) while viewing your photograph.

Is the photograph composed in an appealing way? Composition is probably the most elusive concept in photography because it is subjective (what one person likes another person may not) and because the rules of composition are concrete. Here are some important composition concepts to keep in mind:

Simplicity. Don’t try to over-complicate your image with distractions or too much subject matter. The subject of what you are photographing should be clear.
Framing. Try to fill the image frame and make sure there are no voids within your image. There are exceptions to the rule, but there shouldn’t be open space that distracts from the subject.

Law of thirds. If you imagine your camera viewfinder as a tic-tac-toe-like grid where space is divided into thirds, it is considered more pleasing to the eye to place your subject where third lines intersect (instead of splitting your
image in half).
 
Photo Courtesy of Microsoft Corporation

Leading lines. Are the viewer’s eyes guided through the photograph to the focal point? Examples might be railroad tracks, highways, bridges, buildings and more.
Perspective. How your subject appears to the viewer determines perspective. Many times your subject can determine perspective as well. Here are some beautiful Examples of Different Perspectives³ which might better illustrate the concept.

Focus and exposure. Make sure your subject is in focus and exposed correctly. If everything else mentioned here is correct, but focus or exposure is not correct, your photograph’s message will likely be lost.⁴

There are more compositional ideas that were not discussed, but hopefully these give you some foundation to build upon. Now comes the overarching questions. Does the photo tell a story? Does it elicit emotion? Is there an inherent creativity about the image? Is it appealing to people from all walks of life? 

If you’ve followed the compositional rules for photography laid out above, and you can answer the aforementioned questions with a resounding “yes”, then you’ve probably created a great photo. If taking good photographs were easy then you wouldn’t be reading an article about it. Every good photographer takes bad photos; what separates the good from the bad is continuous practice and always maintaining the personal resolve to capture a better photograph. Perhaps that is what defines a passion for photography.

To provide you with some photographic perspective and a starting point I’ll leave you with a quote. As legendary French photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson once stated, “Your first 10,000 photographs are your worst.”⁵

So how many photographs have you taken today?

Martin Whitton is a professional wedding photojournalist who lives and works in Austin, Texas. See regular updates on Martin’s work at  http://txweddings.blogspot.com/. Additional wedding photographs, bio and more can be viewed at http://www.mwwphoto.com/

Sources:

1. Photo.net Forums. http://photo.net/philosophy-of-photography-forum/007Nad

2. PhotoQuotes.com. Ansel Adams. http://www.photoquotes.com/printableshowquotes.aspx?id=10

3. What makes a photo good? A Basic Checklist for Evaluating Photo Quality by Charlotte K. Lowrie. http://wordsandphotos.org/Commentary/WhatMakesAPhotoGood.htm

4. http://www.betterphoto.com/gallery/dynoGall2.asp?catID=385

5. Digital Photography School. 10 Photography Quotes that You Should Know. http://digital-photography-school.com/photography-quotes

What is Depth of Field (DOF)?

What is Depth of Field (DOF)?

According to Dictionary.com DOF is,

“the range of distances along the axis of an optical instrument, usually a camera lens, through which an object will produce a relatively distinct image.” ¹

Viewing both almost identical images you can see a demonstration of two very different DOFs. In the top image, moving left to right, you can see that most of the planks in the fence are relatively sharp and in focus throughout the photo. This would be considered a large DOF. In the bottom image only the very center of the image appears to be in focus. The fence planks to the left and right of center are out of focus, creating a shallow DOF. Each image is also labeled with it's respective aperture (f-stop).

 

In not-so-technical terms DOF is everything that is considered to be “in-focus” or sharp in a captured image or photograph. Consider the two black & white images below...

So what’s going on inside the camera and lens to create these two separate images?

First, we need to quickly understand what aperture means. Without going off on a technical tangent here we know that as a rule of thumb, aperture is determined by how wide the iris of the camera lens opens when the shutter button is pressed (see black and white figure below). Larger apertures (think larger opening, more light) create shallower depths of field; inversely, smaller apertures (think smaller opening, less light) create deeper depths of field. A large aperture where the iris is open very wide might be f-1.2 or f-1.4. An example of a very small aperture might be f-22².

The primary difference between these two wood fence images is the aperture (f-stop) at which the camera lens is set. Even if we didn’t have the metadata at our fingertips that would tell us the exact aperture that was selected for each photo, we could still hypothesize that the top image was captured at a small aperture (small f-stop), perhaps f-11 or f-15. The bottom image was likely captured at a large aperture (large f-stop), perhaps f-2.0.

Predicting DOF. DOF can be calculated based on three primary factors (and one secondary factor): focal length of lens (50 mm, for example), aperture or f-stop (f 2.0, for example) and subject distance (distance between camera lens and subject). The secondary factor affecting DOF is your camera; different digital cameras have different sensors and components which affect DOF. If you would like to calculate DOF for your camera and lens combination you can easily do so by imputing the three primary factors mentioned above here on the fantastic online DOF calculator graciously provided by Don Fleming of Dofmaster.com³.

Using Don’s DOF calculator I compared two of my favorite lens/camera combinations: the Canon 5D Mark ii + 50 mm prime lens with the Canon 40D + 50 mm prime lens. The factors I used were 50 mm focal length, 2.0 f-stop and 10 ft subject distance. The results:

Canon Camera	Lens Focal Length (mm)	F-Stop (Aperture)	Subject Distance (ft)	Calculated Depth of Field (ft)
5D Mark ii	50	2.0	10	1.45
Canon 40D	50	2.0	10	0.91

The differences in DOF from these two examples are significant: 0.14 (ft) [1.45 – 0.91 = 0.14 ft], which is approximately 6-7 inches in difference. I’d rather not cover too much detail here on why and how this works, primarily because I don’t pretend to be an expert in how camera sensors work or in mathematics. For the purposes of this article you only need to know that every digital camera is different and it might be worthwhile for you to bookmark the DOF calculator link for future reference.

So why do we care about DOF?

DOF and blurring created in any image is subjective and will vary from one photographer to another. Where art and science collide there can be no one rule that is never broken. In many cases photographers simply photograph a subject or event in a way that they choose to interpret it, regardless of whether another person may like the image that is captured. My rule (in general) is for the foreground to be in focus and background to blur. However there are always exceptions and the rule of universal appeal supersedes everything else; Can I answer “yes” to the question, “does the image have a general appeal about it and is it pleasing to view? Hopefully so.

If you would like more information on DOF check out the Depth of Field Video Tutorial recommended from one of the Adobe Photoshop Bloggers from The Genesis Project at Adobe.

1. Modern Language Association (MLA): "depth of field." Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 14 Oct. 2009.  http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/depth of field>.

2. University of Victoria. http://web.uvic.ca/ail/techniques/phototechniques.html

3. Depth of Field Master. http://dofmaster.com