Tangents

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People skills for portrait & wedding photographers

July 25, 2016 Neil vN 12 Comments

People skills for portrait & wedding photographers

The articles on the Tangents blog have focused heavily on the technical aspects of photography - lighting, posing, camera settings and such. But there is another essential ingredient for you as a photographer when you work with people - good social skills. This is invaluable - you can be a phenomenal photographer, but if you don't quite know how to make people immediately comfortable and trust you, then the photo shoot will not be as successful. With New York’s vibrant culture and the imposing architecture, it’s often a  Read more inside...

Wedding photography tips

June 30, 2016 Neil vN 47 Comments

Wedding photography tips

When I first started as a wedding photographer, the biggest hurdle for me was feeling like I had a grasp over the entire day's time-line. For 8+ hours, you have to balance so many things - being creative, working with people, dealing with ever-changing environments and lighting situations, while still hitting every beat. You have to stay on top of things, and deliver the best images you can, as your clients expect of you. It felt over-whelming at the beginning, but eventually I found my stride - my own rhythm where I could more effortlessly do my work as a  Read more inside...

Wedding photography posing tips – For variety, make slight changes

May 27, 2016 Neil vN 15 Comments

Wedding photography posing tips - For variety, make slight changes

Wedding photography often feels like a sustained burst of stressful periods - the processional (where you have a really limited range to nail everything in low light), the family photos (where you have to gain control over a potentially chaotic situation), and the romantic portrait session with the bride and groom. Even with a couple as cool as Jackie and Todd, there is still the pressure to get photos as awesome as the images you show in your portfolio. The time is usually limited, and you have to nail the lighting,  Read more inside...

Photographing the wedding formal groups

May 3, 2016 Neil vN 9 Comments

Photographing the wedding formal groups

Photographing the family groups and the formal photos at weddings doesn't really strike fear in my heart any more. I have the experience to work efficiently, and also work around any challenges that come up. I can take things in my stride, and I'm not often ruffled. I keep things motoring along. With that, I just had to share this amusing photo from a recent wedding - the bride and groom with the 3 nephews. Count them! And that's about the best shot we got with all three of the kiddos in the frame. So even with all the experience and  Read more inside...

Video lights for wedding details

December 4, 2015 Neil vN 9 Comments

Video lights for wedding details

A versatile lighting tool that is always in my camera bag - a video light. With a video light you can localize how you light up something like details at an event. Unlike bounce flash, it doesn't light up the entire scene - just where you point the video light at. Eg: bounce flash vs video light. I love LED video lights (affiliate), since they are compact, don’t run hot, and the color balance can be continuously changed from 3200K tungsten (Incandescent) to 5600K Daylight. Light is produced flicker free at any frame rate or shutter  Read more inside...

My best advice for wedding photographers

November 4, 2015 Neil vN 9 Comments

My best advice for wedding photographers

An interesting conversation I had with another photographer a few years back, had a surprisingly energizing effect on him. At a get-together at one of the photo conventions we struck up a conversation, and he told me how as a newer photographer, he was completely intimidated by the magnificent images he sees on the best photographers' websites and on their FB pages. He felt he would never be able to match those. My comment was that he doesn't have to match those at every wedding. What we are seeing are the cherry-picked "hero" shots. We  Read more inside...

Wedding photography – products delivered to clients

August 17, 2015 Neil vN 14 Comments

Wedding photography - products delivered to clients

I often get asked what album company I use, and what other products I offer my clients. When I first set up my business as a wedding photographer, I was completely green when it came to branding, marketing, as well as the products I could deliver to my clients. Albums, prints, cards, canvases, and all sorts of deliverables I could offer. I was overwhelmed by all the options I found at the various photography trade shows. So many album companies and print labs. Without much of an idea of branding and consistency, this overwhelming  Read more inside...

Wedding photography moments – Anticipation & being ready

July 16, 2015 Neil vN 8 Comments

Wedding photography moments - anticipation & being ready

Wedding photography moments - Anticipation & being ready

Wedding photography has fortunately come a long way since the times when it was more portrait dominant. Now there's more emphasis on the story-telling aspect - the photojournalism - where the moments that happen as the day unfolds, gets rightful attention. Obviously this means you need to have a watchful eye, and be ready to respond. This also means you have to have your camera ready - appropriate settings, and an appropriate choice of lens. You have to be able to anticipate what is likely to happen where you are right  Read more inside...

How to overpower bright sunlight with on-camera flash

June 3, 2015 Neil vN 34 Comments

how to overpower bright sunlight with on-camera flash

How to overpower bright sunlight with on-camera flash

The photograph on the left shows one of the toughest lighting conditions you get to deal with. Your subjects are half in the sun / half in the shade ... and there is no way you could interrupt and change things in your favor. There is no way to have the flower-girls move. No way to bring in additional, off-camera lighting. You can't scrim the sunlight either with large reflectors. There are these times when your options are limited, but you still have to get the best out of this challenging situation. There is one viable option  Read more inside...

Podcast interview w/ Wedding Photographers Unite

March 7, 2015 Neil vN 2 Comments

Podcast interview w/ Wedding Photographers Unite!

Looking at previous podcasts I've participated in, it would seem that the opportunity to sound off in some podcast comes around about once a year. This time I get to chat with Neil Urban and Andy Buscemi who hosts the Wedding Photographers Unite podcast. And I do have opinions! Wedding Photographers Unite - episode 5 - interview with Neil van Niekerk We touch on various topics, including how the wedding photography business has changed over the years. Neil Urban questioned me a week or so later about a comment I made in the  Read more inside...

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