I recently did a photo shoot in Loudoun County, VA,  a beautiful area where I must’ve passed by 20 wineries.  What was originally scheduled to be an afternoon shoot had turned into an evening one, 30 minutes after sunset.  Situations like these test a photographer’s ability to adapt.  While my original vision for the shoot was under daylight conditions, the time came to apply my lighting skills in the pitch dark.

I planned on traveling light for this shoot so I used the following light sources & equipment–

• Canon 5D Mark II and 1D Mark IV
• Canon 85mm f/1.8 and Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L lenses
• Two Impact air-cushioned light stands
• Three Pocket Wizards (for remote triggering of speedlites)
• Two Canon 580EXII speedlites inside a Westcott 28 softbox as main light source
• One Canon 580EXII speedlite with a 1/2 CTO gel for backlight and edge lighting
• Two Sylvania Silverstar Ultra High Performance halogen headlights, courtesy of my Chevy

We chose the location of a broken down truck next to a red barn where there was minimal tree cover so that some of the stars in the night sky could be seen.  My model Alex did an amazing job leveraging her unique style to contrast the country-like setting on a hot and muggy night – I think keeping her comfortable and cool inside my air-conditioned truck between setups also helped!  We plan on continuing this photo shoot at a later date to capture different sides of Alex’s personality so stay tuned!

Special thanks to Donna, Ryan and Laura for assisting me on this photo shoot!

Photographing police in a controlled environment isn’t something most people that I know get the opportunity to do… let alone TRY to do.  It can be a huge undertaking – finding the right contact, adhering to departmental policies, detailing willing officers to “model”, location approvals, and of course getting the authorization from the top. Fortunately I kept in touch with my friends at Alexandria Police. After going through appropriate channels the photo shoots were commissioned and everything was a “GO”.  The photo shoot took place over two partial days, and despite the heat everything went smoothly.

I think most of us are accustomed to seeing the authoritative and enforcement side of a law enforcement officer.  So I used this opportunity to create a combination of relaxed moments and a few action shots, plus some muted tones and colors in post-processing.  Perhaps next time I can ride along with a few officers and capture the energy and intensity that police officers experience on the street daily.  I imagine obtaining approval for that will take some work.

SPECIAL THANKS GOES TO…

• Deputy Chief Aden
• Public Information Officer Hildrebrandt
• Lieutenant Bartlett
• The officers of the Alexandria City Police Department – Patrol Division, Motor Units, and K-9 Units.

Thanks to Ryan Yorde for assisting me on location with Patrol and Motors, and for the behind-the-scenes photos. Here are some images from the shoots…

Glen Echo Park is one of my favorite spots to photograph with the right client. Abbie fit the bill perfectly.  She’ll be a senior this fall and is excited about what lies ahead.  Even though it was another hot & incredibly humid day in the DC area I managed to get some fun shots of Abbie.  It was a midday shoot that started around noon so I used my “two-flash” setup inside a Westcott Apollo 28

Check out a few favorites…

Despite the 100 degree heat and humidity I had a great time shooting these photos for Jennifer and her family.  My Canon 580EXII flashes were just no match for the strong hot sun and clear sky, so the big lights came out – one White Lightning X3200 and one White Lightning X1600.   I can still use flashes when I’m doing more close-up work.  But since I knew I’d be shooting larger things like a truck and a motorcycle, I needed all the juice I could get!  The X3200 would be my main light blasting 1320 watt seconds of power (at full power), while the X1600 (660 watt seconds) provided catch.  I was having issues with my large softbox so I resorted to the big 60″ umbrella to shoot through and soften the light.  I also used two flashes on one light stand as needed.

I was a total sweaty mess after two hours but I’m pleased with my results.

I’m slowly catching up on blogging more of my work, I’m so behind!  Over the weekend I did a photo shoot for Melinda in a sunflower field in western Montgomery County, MD just outside DC near the Potomac River at McKee-Beshers Wildlife Management Area.  Despite the 90+ degree heat, bees, and other critters everywhere, we had a good shoot.

I used my Westcott Apollo 28

Ideally, using more powerful strobes with portable power would be the way I’d go, much like I did on a motorcycle shoot.  The downside would be weight and size for some of this gear.  Here’s a list of some that I’m looking into:

• Elinchrom Ranger Quadra (starting around $2300 it’s probably the most portable on the list)
• Profoto 900795 Acute2R 1200 (a strong but pricey kit getting close to $3500 or more)
• Alien Bees 1600 (Black) (affordable around $360, then add around $300 for their Vagabond portable battery power system. I would likely buy two or three of these so I can have main light, key light, rim light, etc.)
• White Lightning 3200 (another affordable and powerful strobe for around $550, then add the Vagabond battery for another $300. Again I’d likely buy two or more)

There are a lot more options out there to look at, and many are more expensive than what I listed.  If any photographers out there are considering these strobes listed don’t forget to budget for the variety of accessories to complete your system, including light modifiers (e.g. softboxes, umbrellas), radio/remote triggers, carrying cases, and additional power supplies.  Of course, one other way to go is the Strobist route and buy more flashes.  For example, I would guess that three Canon 580EX II’s would be the rough equivalent to the power of one Alien Bee 1600 light (just a guess, I could be a little off).  While not necessarily less expensive, the advantage of a Speedlite system is having a lightweight portable system.  Not to mention the added dimensions of creativity  with multiple lighting configurations.

Unless you follow me on Facebook, it may have been a while since I posted a photo of our youngest, Jackson. Here is he with his momma

Of course this father is all over photographing his newborn!  … and Jordan too!   Jackson is 8 days old in these photos.

I met up with Andrew in Richmond, VA to create some shots for his performing arts portfolio.  I decided to go away from my normal post-processing methods again and challenge myself using one light, a Canon Speedlite 580EX II Flash

So what are some tips to bring peace of mind to your wedding photography investment?  One thing would be to choose the best photographer for the job.  Here are some steps to do that…

THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD WORRY ABOUT ON YOUR WEDDING DAY IS THE PHOTOGRAPHER

A wedding can be an important part of ones family history, and the wedding album is a keepsake for generations to enjoy.  With so many photographers to choose from, trusting that responsibility to an experienced, responsible, and professional photographer is even more important today than ever before.  The photos are the real tangible things that preserve your wedding day after all is said and done.  Most wedding planners will agree that if you find a photographer you absolutely want to cover your wedding, do what you can to have them document your wedding day.  It’s about having peace of mind at the beginning, middle, and end of the day!  The last thing I want my clients to worry about is photography.

REFERRALS, REFERRALS, REFERRALS!

There is no denying that wedding photography today is not the same it was 5 or 10 years ago.  More and more couples today are placing higher value and higher expectations on their wedding photographers.  My clients do and so do the clients of several of my colleagues.  For one thing there are more of us (wedding photographers) than ever before, especially in large city-regions like Southern California or the Washington DC and Baltimore regions.  With the influx of photography “businesses” growing exponentially in numbers every year, competition is fierce.  It’s no wonder that engaged couples are becoming more overwhelmed with the number of photographers to choose from and the number of referrals they get from their friends.  There are hundreds, if not thousands of wedding photographers in my DC metro area alone.  I personally have met a good number of them.  There’s still no denying that getting referrals from your friends or your wedding planner is the way to go.

CLOSE THE GAP OF UNCERTAINTY

Nothing beats seeing and loving the work of an actual photographer that shot an actual wedding you attended before you even hire them (I get a lot of my business that way actually).  The reason is that you already have a sense of how they work and what they’re all about.  The gap of uncertainty is always there when a bride-to-be is searching for the right photographer.  But when they have a sense of who the photographer is because they watched them work, it makes things so much easier for everyone, especially the bride.  Or if you happen to have watched their intro video on their website, then that’s another way to close the gap.  Several of my brides were confident in choosing me because of my video alone!

YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR

Now that you’ve chosen your photographer, it’s time to discuss fees.  This can bring a bride to a stressful point in the wedding planning – among many stressful points – the investment in photography.  And like any smart spender a bride will have to ask herself “why?”  A few months ago Evan Reitmeyer of MyDeejay asked me that same question, “Armin, why is wedding photography is so expensive?” There’s no short answer to this. It’s like asking BMW, “BMW, why are your ‘M’ cars so expensive?” Or asking Apple, “Apple, why are Macs more expensive than some comparable PC’s?”  We could go on all day about brand, value, and customer service. But we don’t have all day, so let me sum it up with some reassuring words like I did for Evan…

“The value of wedding photographs preserves important memories that can span generations. Cliche, but so very true. Those that understand the high value of wedding photography also understand the pressure and responsibility placed on the wedding photographer to document and create these important memories for their client. There’s no “take-two” on the set here folks. Weddings happen in real-time. Selecting the right photographer should be on the top of a bride’s list. Many wedding planners recommend to NOT skimp on your wedding photographer and prepare to invest in the one you really want.

There is more to it than just showing up and taking pictures at a wedding. Wedding photography today has evolved to a higher standard, almost an art form requiring the right equipment and skill set. Not only is it a physically and mentally demanding job on the day-of, but there are behind-the-scenes work going on before and after the wedding day the client does not see. It’s not unlike hiring an attorney to represent you in court. You’re not just paying him/her to show up on your court date right? You’re paying them for their level of expertise, education, the resources they have access to, and the time and labor put into building your case and executing the mission before and after the court date. It’s a professional service business, very similar to a smooth running photography business.”

I deliver a brand of peace of mind to my clients throughout the entire experience.  The last thing I want them to worry about is photography.  The clients I cater too have a high hopes and set high standards for their wedding, the photography is no exception.

I’m a little behind on some blogging so I thought I’d pick & choose some highlights. Over the summer I was helping out my friends Bob & Dawn Davis at their photography seminar in Maryland at the Liriodendron Mansion. You might recall some behind-the-scenes action I blogged about a while ago. One of the models I commissioned for the photo shoots was Samantha Nicole who did a fabulous job for us and was so easy to work with. If you are interested in working with her you can find Samantha Nicole on Model Mayhem. You can also view Samantha Nicole’s portfolio on her Solomodels website.

I also had one of my former brides, Reanna, come out to model for us. She looked gorgeous as always and was a natural in front of the cameras.

I didn’t spend much time photographing as I did assisting. But I still managed to grab a few…. Thanks Samantha & Reanna!