Thursday 8 July 2010

You did it before - you'll do it better Again

so, last time i mentionned a certain wedding where despite feeling that i should have done better, i came through OK.

today, i was reading a guest piece on Scott Kelby's blog by a photographer called John Wright.
click the link to read the whole piece - it's quite entertaining and inspiring.

at one point, John whas talking about over-thinking things in stead of just getting on with the line which spoke to me was:

Okay you could have improved something by doing this or changing that, but that’s called ‘experience,’ and you’ve learned from it, and it’ll be better the next time BECAUSE you put yourself in the situation in the FIRST place
i now realise that making my mistake of rushing because i felt pressured is a mistake i was always going to make. now i've made it, BECAUSE i got on and shot a wedding without angsting over whether i was good enough. that mistake is in my past now. i've got EXPERIENCE.

go and get some experience for yourself.
don't worry about it.
put yourself in front of a subject.
take the shot.

Tuesday 6 July 2010

Slow Down

i shot a wedding recently (my first) (as a the main photographer).

it was a great wedding.
there was a lovely atmosphere. the bride and groom are lovely, laid-back people, who just wanted their friends and family to join in a really special day. i think that, for the most part, they got what they wanted.

they even liked the photos.

however: i came away feeling disappointed that i had failed to do my best. there were plenty of shots i had missed, and plenty where i felt that i could have done much better.

what did i do wrong?

i caved to the perceived pressure of the moment.

i felt very powerfully that i only had the bride and groom for a few minutes. i really didn't want to keep them away from their guests for any longer than i had to. what i forgot was that my job was an important part of the day too, and that nobody was going to complain if i took 5 more minutes, or wanted to re-take a shot.

so next time i am shooting - be it a wedding, portrait session, or anything else - i am going to slow down, not worry about what i perceive as pressure, and take as long as i need to take the shot.