Category Archives: Tips & Tutorials

Friday, July 15, 2011

Introduction to Wedding Photography Workshop

Bride with digital camera

With a combined 14 years in the Wedding and Portrait photography industry, Barbara Yasuhara is ready to share her knowledge for your success! This introductory workshop will be complete with information that is ideal for new photographers just starting out or if you are trying to determine whether Wedding Photography is for you. Learn about the basics that are crucial, as well as general tips and receive feedback on your previous work.  Join us for 4 hours of  topics and real solutions that can assist you in getting started with one of the most difficult yet rewarding photography genres in the industry.  Complete with a LIVE model shoot, yes, that means images for your portfolio!

Workshop Date:  Sunday, July 24, 2011

10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

El Cerrito, CA

(location will be disclosed once your registration is complete)

Topics included…
     

  • Image and Branding Critique
  • Basic tools for wedding and portrait photographers - is it the right move for you?
  • Tips & General practice
  • Defining your Style
  • The must have attitude when photographing a wedding
  • Communicating with your clients, family members & guests
  • Gear, gadgets,  and Investment
  • Basic Posing and Lighting Techniques
  • LIVE Model Photo Shoot

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Register TODAY, seats are filling up and we are extending this to a limited amount of attendees.

Register here

Sunday, January 2, 2011

Happy “New” Year! So, what’s new?

San Francisco City Hall Wedding, Christmas Wedding, Blonde bride with white dress, groom in black suit, flower girl in white dress and haku, bridal bouquet, Christmas Wedding , Christmas Tree Wedding decor, stairs, roman columns

I’m not a big fan of looking back, but I can’t help but to reflect back on the past year as a source of wisdom to prepare for the upcoming “New Year”.  As always, we greet the new year with optimism and compile our list of “New Years” resolutions.  But this year, 2011, lets pause and reflex on what was, and what wasn’t working in our businesses.  Lets sweep out the things that didn’t work, and embrace the things that did!
 
If you’re anything like me, you know from experience when something is right, and you know when it’s not.  When your idea, project, or plan isn’t going as planned. don’t let it fester and attract flies!  Nip it in the bud!  Cut your losses and move on!  Learn from the experience, make improvements, and know that everything can’t be as perfect as Cinderella’s castle.  I’m a firm believer that we are our own worse critics. But it doesn’t have to be so bad. If we can’t learn from our own mistakes or even admit we made them, there’s no way on God’s green earth that we can grow and learn from them!
 
As professional photographers it’s easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of booking  new jobs, and checking the checkbook twice to make sure every thing’s rosy and nice.  But, STOP and reflect for a moment!  It’s not all about how many bookings you get or how many dollars you make.  Our business is already 90% “business” and 10% photography!  Granted we could all use more dollars in this economy,  the business will come if you stay focused on the number one priority, client relationships!  Oh!  and don’t forget “your love of photography” , the simple joy of creating beautiful images.  Now, that’s priceless!
 
So this year, learn from last years mistakes, make your clients “Number One!”, and remember why you love photography so much,  Get involved with other photographers in your related field, learn from one another, get honest feedback, and get out there and create the images you love.  Go to seminars, perfect your craft, get involved with your community, and share your knowledge with others in your field (workshops, blogging, tutorials, etc.  ”Money shots” do not come from focusing on making money.  You’re a photographic artist irregardless of money, and your clients love what you create irregardless of price, and that’s why they hired you in the first place! 
“So, always use your head, but always shoot from the heart!”
 
Whatever your RESOLUTIONS may be for 2011,  have a HAPPY new year first, and a PROSPEROUS new year will follow naturally!
 
HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Are you a new or aspiring wedding photographer looking to start or improve your business? Connect with YStudio Photography! This is the business of sharing and if we can help we’d LOVE hearing from all of you!



Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Wedding Photos – Guest Blog by Jenny Wells

I was excited to receive an email from Jenny Wells of Wedding Feet, she was enthusiastic and thanked me as well for many of my blogs which she often visited and referred to.  When she brought up the idea to feature her as a Guest blogger, I was happy to oblige.  Jenny has a background as a Wedding Stylist and has quite a following, and like me, is always happy to come to a bride’s rescue.

Without further, here’s Jenny, please make her feel welcomed by leaving a comment and visiting her blog as well.  And now….Jenny Wells…

What to Do With Your Wedding Photos

Your wedding photos are one of the most important things that you will have after your wedding.  These photos will capture all of your wonderful memories of your wedding – from the ceremony to the cake to the flowers to the love you shared with your groom.  Many brides often wonder what to do with their wedding photos after wards.  They often have a wedding album, but don’t know what else they should do.  Here are 5 of the best things you can do to make your wedding photos last a lifetime.

Leather Flush Mount Album in Ivory (available in various colors)

Leather Willbook Sequoia in Ivory with open spine and flush mount album

1.       Show Them Off:  A gorgeous way to remember your wedding is to choose a few photos that are significant to you and display them around the house.  Many couples enlarge and frame  one or two photos to make them look  dramatic.  These photos are much more personal and are a great way to decorate your home, and should be considered “fine art photography.”    Some couples love to have portraits in their bedroom as a reminder of their love.

Leather Willbook Sequoia in Ivory with open spine and flush mount album

2.       Use them in your wedding Thank You Cards:  One great way to send a thank you to your guests is to use your wedding photos to make a beautiful thank you card.  You can either do it in a collage or just select a few key photos that you loved.  This will help your guests remember the great time they had at your wedding and also make the thank you card a lot more personal.

Leather Willbook Sequoia in Ivory, open spine, flush mount album, flush mount wedding album

3.       Make wedding books:  One of the best things to do with your wedding photos is to make wedding albums for your parents and close family.  Think of all of the people that helped you plan and prepare for the wedding, what better way to thank them than to put together a special album with many of their pictures and yours to give to them?  This is such a special day for them as well and having something to remember it by is one of the gifts they’ll treasure forever.

YStudio’s “Basic Beauty” lay-flat mounted album for the more traditional wedding couples

10x10 art leather wedding album with gold foil stamping

4.       Celebrate Your Anniversary:  Once a year, on your anniversary, you will think back to that fantastic wedding day that you shared with your husband.  When you do this, you’ll definitely want to see the wedding photos.  On your wedding anniversary, use the day to look through the wedding albums and your different photos to remember your vows and the special details of your wedding.  Many brides like looking through these albums to remind them of all of the fun they had finding their wedding dress and  wedding shoes, while grooms like to look at the fun pictures they took.  This will help the two of you remember why you got married and renew those special vows.

10x10 art leather wedding album with gold foil stamping

5.       Frame them for the office:  A great present to give to your husband is a frame with a fun wedding photo for his office.  This way, he’ll have a great picture of the two of you to show to his co-workers and friends.  It’s always nice to make the office feel more like home and what better way than a picture of the two of you looking happy on your wedding day.

10x10 art leather wedding album with gold foil stamping

There are many other things to do with your wedding photos that cherish great memories for you, your groom, and your family.  We’ve shared some of our favorites, but we know there are so many other creative ways to remember your wedding day.  Most importantly, don’t forget to book your photographer early so you will have the option of using your beautiful photos for many things.

Magazine Hardcover Album

Magazine style wedding photo book

Wedding Photo Keepsake Box (for quantities of 100-800 photos)

Large Keepsake Photo Box Ystudio Photography

About Jenny Wells:  Jenny Wells is a wedding stylist and writer for WeddingFeet.com.  She is one of 6 shoe stylists who select the best  bridal shoes to display from all of the online stores.  She has helped countless brides put together their wedding day outfits from the dress to the hairpiece to the bridal shoes.  She also writes about her style selections on the WeddingFeet blog.

Need help with your wedding photography, wedding photos, or wedding albums?

Need help with your wedding photography, wedding photo restoration or wedding albums? Connect with YStudio Photography, we would LOVE to hear from you. You can also find us at Facebook




Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Destination Wedding Photography Tips you can survive with!


Update:  See our wedding featured on Asian Inspired Weddings
Click here for the feature!

I am NOT one that likes to brag, but it would be insane if I did not “share” our experience and just one of the many happy outcomes from a recent Destination Wedding shot in Hawaii.

Being in business since 2007 I still consider ourselves “babies” in the industry.  However, Wayne has been shooting for many years as I have.   After our own wedding we decided to add Photography Services to our already existing business venture of Wedding Consultation & Planning.  I still remember the very first wedding Ceremony I officiated, in 1997 and my love for weddings has never ceased…in fact I think it’s an even larger love now and  just one of the many obsessions I have!

So, what can I share with you  to help you on your next destination wedding?  Well hang on to your seats as there are so many things that if one plans ahead, things can go relatively smoother.  These are just some of the things that I can suggest…so get your notepads!

Here’s just a few ways to make the entire process just a tad bit smoother…..

  1. If your clients live out of town or out of state, it is very difficult to meet up, so make sure you are on the ball with emails and phone calls.  There is nothing more exciting for me than to call a client who is right in the middle of planning her exciting BIG DAY!  If you are paralyzed with fear, get over it …QUICK!
  2. Don’t be shy, your client wants to hear your excitement, this will put her at ease, don’t worry that she will not like you, she already LOVES your work, she wants to know who you are, so LET GO, so she can!
  3. Keep in touch with your clients on a regular basis, have them help you complete your info sheets
  4. Join them on Facebook!  I cannot stress the importance of social media, but in destination weddings it is CRUCIAL!  THIS is how I got to know the family, friends, and wedding party months before the wedding.  The excitement was contagious and FB and Twitter was just what we needed to find out about all of the little details etc.
  5. Contact the vendors.  In this case, Hawaii, I know everyone is really on HAWAIIAN time, so I made sure to contact the venue and vendors prior, and with ample time. I introduced myself about a month prior to the wedding day and got even more details and info from the Wedding Coordinators from the venue.  (This not only helps you as the photographer, but it also helps to start a great business relationship with vendors for possible future interactions).  Offer to give the vendors photographs on a CD after the event, and make sure you watermark each image.  Include all vendors, designers, etc., on your blogs and do not forget to link to them as well as label them.  SEO baby!
  6. Talk or email at least ONCE with the brides mother or father, trust me on this one, it really helps to have interaction and a connection…..
  7. I know we all LOVE LOVE LOVE getting those creative and imaginative shots but remember, the traditional shots are really what sells, and are the ones that usually end up on the mantle or on the office desks.  Think parents, grandparents and business associates.  Trust me, many times, the amazing creative shots you got down on the ground to capture, are not purchased by the elders, but they are great for the bride and groom and it will not hurt your portfolio either :O) But, parents and grandparents = sales
  8. When traveling for a Destination Wedding call the airlines and find out about carry on luggage as well as check in luggage, remember, camera equipment is heavy, and we overlooked the fact that they weigh carry on as well at Hawaiian Airlines….argh! Thank God we managed and did not have to pay extra!
  9. Travel as light as possible, and try to make a connection with a local photographer if you can, trust me there are still some good people out there who can help you with finding spots, or even lend you their studio or equipment.  We were blessed to have met an amazing man and photographer, Eddy Fong of Renai Photography.  We ran into him at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on the night of the Wedding Rehearsal, and he was more than helpful, plus, we LOVE LOVE LOVE his work, see for yourself!
  10. Make sure you have all dates and details of ALL events of the wedding (i.e., rehearsals, dinners, outings, etc.), make yourself available to make arrangements to come along, the more interaction you have with the families and your clients, the better!  Forget about whether you charged for it or not, you are there, in a different place, make it beautiful!
  11. PLAN and make arrangements to take the couple out for an hour or two to capture shots of them in this distant land, yes I know they are busy, but we stressed the importance to our clients, and in turn they needed the little getaway anyways, and POW we got an amazing Sunset Session in Makua Beach the eve of the wedding!  See the video slide herein.
  12. And finally take some time for YOU and your team, we took our assistants out to an island  beach tour where we traveled the entire island and swam, boogie boarded and dived at almost all of the beaches, they LOVED it !  Oh and of course we had some ONO KAU KAU (means delicious food).  And on the day of the wedding they worked hard!  Thanks Nunus and my son Angelo for being such GREAT assistants!

Ok so I can go on and on but you get the idea right!?  Think about capturing the essence of where this wedding is, take shots everywhere that the couple can incorporate into their wedding memories, imagine, believe and create!

Happy Travels & Happy Shooting!!!!!!!!


Images here taken during the actual wedding rehearsal, mahalo to Mr.and Mrs. Aaron Yen, you guys are simply A M A Z I N G !!!!!!!!!!!!

Looking for a destination wedding photographer? YStudio is available in San Francisco, Hawaii and any destination worldwide! Connect with YStudio Photography, we would LOVE to hear from you. You can also find us at Facebook




Thursday, September 16, 2010

The Sunny 16 Rule – A VALUABLE Wedding Day Photography Tip




If many of you “cringe” at the thought of having to shoot the formals at a wedding, trust me honey, you are NOT alone! I remember when I first started shooting weddings how paralyzing this was, and although it’s still a pain in the neck, time and practice as well as constant practicing has helped me a lot. Although being a photographer, one has to realize, we will NEVER know it all, but having that “can do” attitude sure makes it look like we do, and THIS is essential for putting your clients and the wedding party at ease! I cannot express the importance of the following some very important steps to ensure that this process goes as smoothly and as briefly as possible.

  1. LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION! Scout out your location prior to the wedding day, Preferably, do this near the time of your actual shoot. For example if the ceremony ends at 3:00 p.m., you will most likely be shooting formals and portraits from 3:15 – 4:00 or so. Visit and scout out the location near the same “shooting time.”
  2. LOOK for shadows, shade, dabbled light, etc.
  3. When meeting with your clients one of the crucial questions on your info sheet should be: SIZE of the entire wedding party including Bride & Groom
  4. PLAN on at lease ONE assistant, trust me, you can NOT do this alone unless you are seasoned
  5. Prepare of LIGHT LIGHT LIGHT! The SUNNY 16 RULE: Even in harsh sunny light, you will need to play a lighting war game with the sun. For example, look at this photo…See how many people? The posing, they are in the OPEN sunlight at or around 12:00 p.m. Now I could have easily placed them under the shade (as they begged), but I politely refused and tried to explain the shadows would be a nightmare. Specs on this shot 200 ss, 200 iso, and f14, with on camera Canon Speedlite 580 EXII. Keep in mind, Sunny 16 rule is usually 250 ss, 250 iso and f16, but on my Canon I feel that is a bit dark for my taste, adjust according to your taste but make sure you have the light as even as possible over each subject. My assistant is holding an off camera strobe Canon 430 XII just to the right of the camera angled diagonally at the group. I asked the group to close their eyes to avoid blinks and squints due to direct sun, and on the count of 1-2-3, they opened their eyes, I took the shot! We repeated this 3 times, and nailed this right out of the camera in LESS than 5 minutes! It did not help that they had the open bar going so they all wanted to go get a beer, and so we have to think quick folks!
  6. With this taken care of..let the party go have their fun and snatch the bride and groom for their mantle and portrait shots. It’s so much easier…you can go with your clients and your assistant can stay close to the wedding party and capture other essentials such as reception room prior to having anyone enter, etc.

I am NOT trying to pretend I know it all, in this business, you simply cannot as there is so much to learn! But what I DO know, is I want to share my experience, so many pros like Scott Kelby, Dave Ziser and Joe McNally, Jerry Ghionis, Bambi Cantrell, and others have taught me so much, I want to be part of a community such as this!

Please feel free to comment and to ask away OR even better…..if YOU have a tip or two you would like to share with your fellow photographers, please send me a note, I would love to feature you and your tutorial!

Ok folks that’s it for today! See some other examples here where the sunny 16 rule can help overpower sun and window glare!

The glare here with natural light was drowning out the gorgeous blue sky and palms in the background. This was the brides suite’s actual window view of Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, and I did NOT want to jeopardize it in the shot. Sunny 16 rule used here…..Again, my goal here was to make this look like a painting, truly the view from this room was amazing!!! These are the bridesmaids bouquets!


(Here is a sample of the same rule, using an off camera video light), my hubby’s favorite shot!)

Cheers everybody!

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