Another New Jersey wedding...

This week we are back in Long Beach Island New Jersey for another wedding.

Some of you may remember the posts from last year when we were here and had the most incredible weather (see here and here), well we roll into town last night and check in just before the most incredible thunderstorm.

But today is gorgeous, 74 and sunny.

Below are some images of the storm coming in, they were taken with an iPhone and processed (in the iphone) with Hipstamatic.

A bazillion free fonts...

There are times when you are working on a project for a client, like a card, calendar, or book, and the standard fonts you find on your computer just are not doing it for you.

Well here is list of websites that have way more fonts than you will ever need.

1001 Free Fonts

DaFont.com

Fonts.com

Font Squirrel

Get Free Fonts

Simply The Best Fonts

Urban Fonts

If you download any of these fonts for a project I am sure folks would love to see it so email me a screenshot or join our Flickr group and post it there.

How should I price my photography?...

If you have even the slightest interest in selling your photography you need to read the article "How should I price my photography?" by photographer extraordinaire Jodie Otte.

In the article she gives a wonderful breakdown of what we should consider when determining what our pricing should be. It is a few minutes worth of reading that will not only educate you, but has the ability to put thousands of dollars into your pocket.

After you finish reading the article you will want to head over to her website and look at her jaw dropping images. One of the things you will notice is how naturally lit her studio images look, and no she doesn't have huge windows or a bank of skylights, she uses the same strobes and softboxes that you and I use, she just uses them much better.

You can check out her book "Studio Lighting Naturally", in it Jodie will teach you how to achieve natural studio lighting along with tips on photographing babies, expecting moms, and much, much more.

WEDDING DRESS WEDNESDAY

Like a fabulous work of art, a Rivini bridal gown designed by the one and only Rita Vinieris is worthy of appreciation. We chose "Savia" as this month's Wedding Dress Wednesday feature for just that reason. The strapless floorlength ballgown silhouette with beautifully detailed drop waist is quite simply... a masterpiece!

While working for renowned designers like Lacoste Canada in the mid-80s, Rita was also creating evening gowns for friends and family on the side. When two of her close friends got engaged and were having a hard time finding wedding dresses that were simple yet elegant in style, Rita designed the dresses for them. "As it turned out, I really loved working with the fabrics and silhouettes. After that, it was natural for me to move into the bridal realm".

The popularity of her work soon led to the founding of the Rivini bridal company in 1995. Rita saw a niche in the market for women like herself wanting luxury in clean lines and classic elements. Her design philosophy resonates with today’s bride seeking elegance in simplicity.

This stunning "Savia" gown, along with over 60 others, can be found at Ashton Station Bridal located in the Olde Church Shoppes in Carleton Place. Owners Luigi and Tracy Porcari, who recently opened the doors in March, proudly state they're the only bridal boutique in the world to exclusively carry Canadian designer Rita Vinieris' Rivini collection. Please note, Ashton Station Bridal is a 'by appointment only' boutique.

Just starting your search for the perfect dress? Here's a little advice from designer Rita Vinieris herself -

"I believe a wedding venue sets the stage for the overall feel, and it's important to take this into consideration when choosing the style of your dress. For example, if you'll say your 'I Dos' on a cliff overloooking the sea, I would look for a gown made of a light, sheer fabric - silk charmeuse and chiffon would both look stunning blowing in the breeze. If you're holding your reception in a formal ballroom, you might consider a more structured dress with jeweled embelishments. As for your hair and makeup, don't do anything drastic - you want to look like yourself. Everything should work in harmony so no one element overpowers any other."

3 speedlight lighting setup...

A few people have emailed asking about the lighting setup I used for the Mothers Day portrait that I posted yesterday.

I used three SB-800's, one on either side of my subject in small speedlight softbox, the center of each softbox was centered on their ear. The third speedlight was used as a hair/rim light and had the diffuser on (that came with it) and I used a David Honl flag to prevent lens flair.

Each subject was shot individually. So that perspective was correct and light fell similarly on each subject I shot using a tripod and the floor was marked denoting where the subject was to stand.

Clicking on either image will open it larger and in a new window.

Happy Mothers Day!...

Happy Mothers day to all you moms, undoubtedly the hardest (and most important) job out there.

A few days ago I posted about how to deal with the problems that come with photographing a person with glasses.

The person I was photographing was one of my twins and the reason for the shoot was their gift for their mom.

The image below is the finished product, each of the girls were shot individually and them combined in Photoshop, similar to the "Twilight Poster" shoot.

By doing it this way all three girls were lit exactly the same, I didn't have to worry about who was casting a shadow on who, or listen to the inevitable bickering that comes when three teenage girls stand to close to each other.

;)

Click on the image below to view larger and in a new window.

Bumper stickers…

We have been shooting a lot on location = lots of driving = seeing every bumper sticker ever printed (along with way too many people doing things like reading or putting on makeup while driving in the fast lane).

Here are a couple bumper stickers I really liked.


“Remember who you wanted to be?”


“To get something you’ve never had, you’ll have to do something you’ve never done.”