Time: 10AM-5PM

Location: 8732 Rolling Brook Ln. Jacksonville, Flordia 32256

Cost: $99

Topics: “Working with Speedlights & Available light, Shooting and Posing”

Registration is to be made via EventBrite.

The morning will be spent with us, David and Luke Edmonson discussing how to look for and use available light to your advantage, as well as, proper use of speedlights. We will give you some tricks and tips on posing and then spend the afternoon putting all this useful information to work both in a studio and on location shooting!

If you want to improve your shooting, posing and how you use lighting to improve your photography, this workshop is for you!

What you’ll learn from this workshop:

Understanding the types of available light & how to find it

Understanding & Mastering your speedlight

Operating one and up to multiple speedlights

Shooting in the studio vs. Shooting outdoors

Creating systems that work for your business

Providing conistant messaging to your clients

What are print competitons and why they’re important to your business

What they say is true, everything really is bigger in Texas! And most notably – the level of photographic artistry being produced from the highly-regarded father-and-son photography team of Luke and David Edmonson.  In early 2003 when these former commercial photographers teamed up to form Edmonson Weddings, brides from across the state of Texas immediately took notice. And shortly thereafter, so did the rest of the world. Luke & David’s unique editorial style of wedding photography offered couples something fresh; something new. Wedding photography – seeming to fall straight from the pages of the world’s most celebrated fashion magazines.

It wasn’t long before the international photographic community began celebrating this talented twosome and awarding them for their unique contributions to the art. In 2011, Luke and David won silver and gold, respectively, for images submitted to the Imaging USA international print competition as well as the coveted International Photographer of the Year award from the organization that same year. Between the two, Edmonson Weddings have received a combined total of over 250 Accolades of Excellence from the WPPI (Wedding and Portrait Photographers International) organization, including the Accolade of Outstanding Photographic Achievement (AOPA), not to mention a Fuji Gallery Award, a Kodak Gallery Award and David has been included in the Top 50 Photographers In The World list by American Photo Magazine. David and Luke look forward to serving as judges for the WPPI 2012 16×20 Awards of Excellence print competition this February.

Luke and David also take part in several local, regional and state photography organizations including Southwest Professional Photographers of America (SWPPA), Texas PPA and their local Dallas PPA group. David served as the education liaison on the board of directors for the Dallas PPA and in will serve on the board again in 2012. Their work has been featured in several notable industry publications such as Rangefinder, Photo District News, and various regional publications, as well as a number of inspiring bridal magazines including Modern Bride, The Knot and Grace Ormonde Wedding Style.

Luke and David offer a fresh perspective for their wedding clients and for the photography industry alike. Their varied styles, distinct personalities and extensive backgrounds in photography combine to collectively capture all of life’s most important moments. it’s not surprising Luke and David Edmonson have experienced the success they have in the vast and ever-changing field of wedding photography.

We were honored to be the special wedding featured in the front of the magazine with PGA Golfer Hunter Mahan who married former Dallas Mavericks dancer & Dallas Cowboy’s Cheerleader Kandi Mahan in January 2011. Typically Brides Of North Texas do an expanded coverage of a wedding of for each season but for Hunter & Kandi they decided to have a special wedding of the year feature. We were blessed to have not only shot Kandi & Hunter’s wedding but also Kandi’s sister’s wedding Katie & Jason Enloe the year before.

Congratulations to all of our recently wed couples, we wish you well and all the best in your newest endeavor of marriage. May it be full of love and joy. It was an honor and privilege to be your wedding photographers. Thank you all!

When Ramsey & Mary Jabbour, the owners of Competitive Camera in Dallas, asked us to shoot their son’s, Eugene’s, wedding that honor was taken to the highest level.  The Jabbours, in the industry for over 30 years, are well acquainted with an amazing array of photographers in the metroplex and beyond.  Their request was, therefore, a special privilege.  It wasn’t too long ago that the Jabbours attended Luke’s & Bethany’s wedding.  Now, we were able to share their son’s special day in the honored role of photographer.

The wedding was a spectacular affair at the Ritz Carlton, thrown with the same attention to detail that has made their business such a success. This event was one of the highlights of our 2011 wedding season.  We were thrilled to be called upon to share their special day and to be able to contribute in some small way!

Over the years, we’ve spent countless hours photographing couple’s engagement images, so you can imagine we have quite a bit to say on the topic. Because of this, we’ve split up the Engagement Session into two separate blog postings: Pre-Shoot and Shoot. Today we will be going over all the things to think about pre-shoot.

Hair & Make-Up

Ladies, an Engagement Session is your opportunity to pamper yourself. So go get the mani/pedi, set up a trial-run appointment with your hair and make up artist for the day of the shoot. This is a great way to get to know them prior to the wedding day and it gives you the opportunity to look your very best for the engagement shoot. Now this doesn’t mean you get your exact wedding day hair-do, but they can try some different styles, see what you like and what you don’t like and then settle on something your comfortable with for the shoot.

Don’t be afraid to tell them what you are looking for. Sometimes make-up artists will try and push a look they want to see on you. It it’s not you though, you need to speak up. This is your Engagement Session and your soon to be wedding day. Your engagement pictures should reflect you on your best day, so make sure your make-up artist doesn’t go overboard. And remember, more make-up doesn’t necessarily make a better picture.

Keep in mind the location of your engagement shoot and how your hair and make-up will hold up during these conditions. If it’s hot outside, is your foundation going to become shiny and start melting. If it’s windy, will your hair be blowing across your shiny red lipstick?

Eyes are a focal point in your engagement pictures, so take the extra time you may not typically spend to separate the lashes, add the smoky eye-shadow if that’s something you are comfortable with and fits the shoot. Make your eyes pop, without over doing it.

Blend, blend, blend! Check your foundation in natural light to make sure the face to neck tone is seamless. Too many times a bride-to-be has shown up for her engagement pictures with her face and neck a completely different color. It’s not a good look for any occasion.

What to Wear

Ladies, besides prom and your wedding day, the Engagement Session is your biggest opportunity to pamper yourself. And yes, this is a reason to go shopping!  New out-fit, new shoes, new accessories! Whatever makes you feel good will translate into your photos. So  whether it’s an old stand-by in your closet or something new you picked out specifically for the  engagement shoot, make sure you select an outfit you feel great in.

In general, if you love Black and White photography, a good rule of thumb is to wear something that is a darker value than your skin tones. If your skin tones are darker it’s just the opposite, wear a lighter value.

Don’t be afraid of color but stay away from designer prints that go out of style quickly. Your engagement pictures will have a long life in your personal history as a couple. So avoid the mistake of having a fashion craze end between the shoot and the wedding itself. Fun colors can really make a statement and it’s a great way way to make your pictures Pop!

As photographers, we love outfits that allow movement. So that swirly skirt you love in your closet is always going to be a favorite of ours. But you know your figure best, so pick something out that compliments it. Another great look is that little black dress you pull out only on special occasions. If you feel good in it, your pictures will reflect that confidence.

At Edmonson Weddings, all of our wedding packages come with a complimentary Engagement Session. We like to use the Engagement Session to get to know our couples and figure out how to best shoot them the day of the wedding. With our complimentary sessions, we suggest no more than two outfits in order to maximize our time together. Of course there is always the option to add on to your Engagement Session if you do want additional time and outfit changes.

Whether you have two outfits or more, make sure to start in whatever is the most complicated or most elegant. Your hair and make-up is at it’s best at the beginning of the shoot, It will start to loosen up as we progress, so go with the more casual outfits towards the end of the shoot.

Another good idea is to plan your wardrobe changes around the location.  Sometimes it’s easy to find a place to change, other times we are using vehicles. If you give us a little heads up about your outfit changes, we can bring some modesty tents.

And last, but certainly not least, the shoes. C’mon ladies, it’s the best part of an outfit, right? Don’t be afraid to break out your favorite or special pairs… sometimes it even means shopping for new ones!

Now, what should your fiance wear? Here’s a little trick to getting your man to pick out the outfit you want him to wear. Go do your shopping first, or if you’re not shopping, then pull out your outfit and lay it on the bed. Then ask your man to go pick out three outfits he thinks will go nicely, or complimentary, to your outfit. Of the three he selects, there is bound to be one that you agree with. Point at that one and compliment his choice. Tell him he’ll look so great in that outfit and make him feel good for picking out such a great outfit. This little trick will also help him feel more confident the day of the shoot.

What to Bring and more importantly, What Not to Bring

Some of our couples ask if they can bring their pets to the engagement shoot, and we’re all for including your pets! But think about how you interact with your pets. You’re usually on the ground, sitting or lying down with them. If it’s an outdoor engagement shoot, your outfit could get a little dirty or grimy. So what we recommend, is have a family member or friend bring the pet towards the end of the shoot, after we’ve taken the majority of the just-the-two-of-you images.

Props and furniture are a great way to reflect your personal interests into your engagement images.  Bring things that are fun and different. Perhaps a settee in a field or alley, sporting equipment or memorabilia because he’s an athlete, anything that tells your story and would be simple and fun.

Family members or friends are a big no-no. All photo shoots, whether you’re a professional model or the average jane and joe, will start off awkward. You’re not used to having your pictures taken by someone you don’t know so well. And let’s face it, even if they do have your  best interest at heart, friends and family being there will just be an added distraction. So our recommendation is to leave the friends and family at home and surprise them with the images when they’re complete!

Weather & Timing

The elements, such as heat, cold, wind or rain can be a major factor in outdoor engagement shoots and sometimes they are our biggest asset for getting the most dramatic images!  We like to book shoots on the schedule then reconfirm them about 3 days prior to the shoot. If we are working with the weather, let’s be in touch by phone that morning to either go forward with the shoot or reschedule.

Understand what 30% chance of rain means – it doesn’t mean that there is a 70% chance that it won’t rain. 30% chance of rain means that there is a 100% chance of rain for some area within the region predicting rain. For example, it may not ever rain in Dallas that particular day, but it may rain 100 miles north or south of us.

Indoor shoots are not affected by the weather so much, but they can be influenced by timing (where the sun is) and also availability of the venue. Choose the time of day for the shoot, that provides the best lighting in that particular location. Lighting is critical for creating dramatic images and what may surprise you, sunshine is not necessarily the perfect light. Overcast skies are actually more appealing as they provide all-over light, versus the sun’s light which produces light from one direction. So keep that in mind – you don’t need to cancel your engagement shoot just because the sun’s not out in full force!

Nighttime shoots are a great way to do something a little more unique so don’t limit your engagement shoot ideas to strictly daytime activities.

Location/Venue Scouting

What we like to do is start very broad and create something unique to you as a couple. Photography works best when you either complement who you are or juxtapose appropriately. We like to take your ideas and then game plan together on the final concept of the shoot. We can then advise you on a location that is most appropriate.

How much time we have for the shoot will dictate how many locations and/or concepts we can successfully accomplish. For our complimentary engagement shoots, budget about about an hour and a half and one location. If you’d like to add on additional time for your engagement shoot, let us know!

Keep in mind, some venues charge a location fee to shoot on their property. These are things you can discuss with your photographer ahead of time as they would typically know of any possible fees associated with a particular location.

Here are some ideas for Engagement Session location scouting: Buildings and Structures, Manicured Gardens, Maintained Parks, Open Meadows, Woods & Lakes, Farm Fields, Old Downtown Centers, Vintage Motels, Urban Chic Lofts, Old Warehouses, Furniture used in a juxtaposed location, Horses & Stables, Carnivals, Fairs and Amusement Parks, Your Home or Apartment, Museums, Airfields, Old Cars, we could go on and on. But hopefully these ideas or suggestions will help you envision a site that would most accurately represent your unique relationship and love.

And that’s it for the Engagement Session pre-shoot topics! Check back next week for part 2, The Shoot!

Now for some people, the Save The Dates session and the Engagement session will be merged into one photo shoot, which is a great way to save some money if that’s a concern for you. Whichever route you take, you’ll first want to consider a few very important elements.

Timing – Timing is extremely relevant when you are planning your photography calendar. Timing will affect when you can send out your Save The Dates. Timing will affect the look and feel of your Save The Dates. And lastly, timing will affect how you use your Save The Dates.

When to Send Out – Typically, a Save The Date will be sent out 6 months prior to the wedding. Of course there are no hard or fast rules regarding Save the Dates, but the purpose is to give your guests fair notice and warning so they can plan for it. Some weddings may require guests to travel, some may be held on a popular vacation weekend such as the 4^th of July, Memorial day Weekend or Labor Day Weekend. Sometimes, the wedding is near a holiday, such as New Years Eve or Valentines Day, in which case your guests may make other plans fairly early on. So a 6 month lead time is the unwritten rule of thumb.

Seasons – Quite often, we’ll meet with a couple who recently became engaged and are planning their June Wedding. It’s now July and they want their engagement pictures to be full of spring flowers. And they want to use their engagement session photos to create a Save The Date. The problem, is that by the time spring rolls around, it will be time to send out the invites, not the Save The Dates. So you have two options. Either plan a separate Save The Date session for the summer or fall so you can send them out soon, or be flexible with the look and feel of your Engagement pictures. Either way, just make sure you discuss your options with your photographer.

How to Use your Save The Dates – Will it be a magnet or a card your guests can pin on their fridge? Will it be a video montage that is emailed to guests as a link? Will the pictures captured during your Save The Date session be used on your wedding website? Will the images be designed into something creative and unique that you and your fiance came up with together? Whatever your ideas for the Save The Dates are, make sure you let your photographer in on that. This will help your photographer to shoot with your vision in mind. If your design requires a vertical image versus a horizontal shot, that’s something your photographer will need to know. And as long as we’re on this topic, make sure you and your photographer understand exactly what the photographer’s role is in creating the Save The Dates. Are they just taking the picture or are they also designing the Card/Magnet/Video? Most photographers will have separate pricing if they are designng the Save The Date in addition to taking the pictures for it.

Conceptual Images versus Pretty Pictures – There is no wrong way to design your Save The Dates. It could be just the two of you sitting in a garden where you plan to exchange I do’s later this year. Maybe the shoot is more conceptual, using the surroundings and a few tweaks to make your announcement. For example, when Luke & his wife Bethany had their Save The Date session, they incorporated Bethany’s love of fashion with Luke’s passion for photography in one magnificent Save The Date card. Bethany was placed on the bed of an old pick-up truck, her feet dangling over the side, clad in her favorite Christian Louboutin heels. On the side of the truck they had spray painted “Save the Date” and Luke stood by her side with a camera in hand. It made for quite a picture and represented both Bethany and Luke’s interests.

Save The Dates can be done on a budget by utilizing a favorite public location to stage the session and by bringing props from home.  You can also go the other way and hire a stylist to set the stage for your Save The Dates. A stylist can help with venue selection, wardrobe selection, hair and make up, props, scheduling and much more. Like we said earlier, there is no wrong way to design your Save the Dates. The most important note to take from these tips is to start a dialogue with your photographer about what you’re looking for and find out what your options are. Oh, and make sure you get the date right on your Save The Dates!

Next week we’ll be going over The Engagement Session! Stay tuned…

Book Early!

Get the stressful research part of the process out of the way so you can move forward with the fun stuff. Of course, do your due diligence, make some calls, ask the important questions and make sure you’re at peace with who you’ve selected… but then book ‘em Dano! Ok, not really. But book your vendors as soon as you’ve made your selections. A lot of the best vendors (photographers, florists, bakeries, etc…) will get booked rather quickly. So don’t let the one’s you’ve decided on slip away.

Get Your Game-Plan On

Now is the time to layout the schedule of shoots, or at least start asking about it. Make a list of what you need:

Engagement Session. Check! Save the Dates. Check! Bridal Portraits. Check! Wedding Day. Check! Check! Check!

Some couple’s use their engagement session images for their save the dates, which is a great idea. However, Save the Dates should be sent out as soon as you’ve picked a date and location for the wedding. With that in mind, if you have your heart set on a spring engagement session which is months away, you will need to schedule a save the dates session. We’ll go into more detail on save the date and engagement sessions in future blog posts. For now, just make sure you ask the questions to your now booked photographer, “When should we schedule these?” You may also want to ask if they will get in touch with you to remind you of these sessions or if that is your responsibility. As long as you know, you can plan for it.

{Things to think about before scheduling your sessions}

Do you want to shoot in a particular season? Do you want to wait to get a little more in shape, or perhaps after the summer when your skin has that wonderfully golden glow? Even if you do set a date and plan for that perfect outdoor engagement session, weather can sometimes be an unintended factor. So make sure you have some room to schedule a new date if needed. Ask the question of your photographer, “When is the last opportunity before the wedding, that we can schedule a shoot?”

What does the Photographer Need from you?

Sometimes it helps to work backwards from the wedding date to determine what you need and when you’ll need it. Ask your photographer how much lead time they need in order to schedule a particular session. Typically, your photographer will require about 30-60 days notice to schedule an engagement session, bridal portrait session or save the dates session. At Edmonson Weddings, if we haven’t heard from you and the wedding is just 2 months away, we’ll get in touch with you to make sure you’re all set.

The What-If’s

Make sure you have asked the not-so-fun questions as well as all the fun questions before you sign on the dotted line. No one even likes to think these questions, let alone ask them out loud, but it can save you a lot of pain and hassle if the situation does arise.

What is their policy for changing the date of the wedding?

Do they have a cancellation policy?

When you have these answers up-front, there will be less concern later.

What is their payment schedule?

At Edmonson Weddings, we require a 50% retainer at booking, with the second half of the payment due 30 days prior to the wedding. We’ve found that many vendors operate on a similar payment schedule, some varying just slightly. You may find some vendors who have payments split up into three installments; some require the final payment due 2 weeks before the wedding. We’ve found that for the majority of our clients, it helps to have the most amount due earlier on in the process and have it all taken care of at least one month prior. No one wants to worry about money in the weeks leading up to the big day.

What to Expect the Day of:

Will it be the photographer you meet with at booking or another shooter? Will it be 2 photographers or perhaps more? You don’t want to be surprised on your wedding day with a photographer you weren’t expecting. At Edmonson Weddings, our contract says either Luke or David will be present on your wedding day, along with one 2^nd shooter. We base the Luke vs. David decision on a lot of factors. Sometimes it’s a personality choice – some brides just click more with David then they do with Luke – much to Luke’s dismay Sometimes it’s more of an image preference. We may notice that the bride is selecting more of Luke’s images from the engagement session so we’ll have Luke shoot her wedding. Some studios are more like photographer factories. In this situation, you are usually just booking the studio and they will assign a photographer for your wedding. So make sure you ask the question and if you’re not comfortable with the answer, ask more questions.

Albums… book them early too!

You can choose to include albums in your packages or not – the choice is up to you. But our recommendation is that if you know you want it, include it in the package in the beginning. If an album is important to you, make sure you include it in your budgeting process. A lot of couples wait to order an album, after the wedding is over and unfortunately, a lot of other bills come due towards the end of the wedding. If you plan for an album from the beginning, you can avoid the disappointment of not having one.

Many of our clients order their wedding albums up front, not only for themselves, but for their parents and grandparents and sometimes even for their bridal party. All they ask of us is, no surprises. At Edmonson Weddings, we provide our couples with a planning guide so that there are never any surprises. What you see is what you get!

We hope this weeks installment of Tips for Brides has provided you with some guidance and reassurance when it comes time for you to book your wedding vendors, and photographers in particular. If you have any additional questions, feel free to post them here and we will do our best to respond!

When David and Luke shoot a wedding, they think of EVERYTHING! So how do I contribute? What do I have to offer? I really had to put a lot of thought into how I could make my images different, creative and unique for them. All that kept running through my mind throughout the wedding was different perspectives, big picture and details!! While David and Luke’s focus is mainly on the couple and their family on the wedding day, preoccupied with ensuring they capture all the key shots every couple desires, my job is to take a step back and see things differently and be creative. Let me explain more thoroughly and show you just what I mean through a few examples.

On details, well, let me just say that this is my favorite part of the wedding, I absolutely LOVE photographing details. I thrive on details and my eyes are continuously scanning the room for them. Perfect example from this particular wedding was, when David was having me assist with lighting during a moment with the bride pre-ceremony, I couldn’t help but notice how beautifully the light wrapped around the bouquet and how she so gracefully held them, simply a gorgeous detail and I had to grab it.

Big picture is simply taking a step back. While David and Luke stick close to the bride and groom say during the first dance or speeches where expressions are important to capture, what happens when I take a step back and see the full picture. Their images perfectly capture the bride and groom, along with the wonderful expressions which retell their story for years to come. However, what happens when I include various elements, friends and family, or the architecture and design of the building itself, creating a dramatic image which may not capture their unique expressions but has a completely different role in their unique story. In this example, David being much closer, was able to show more expression upon the signing of the Ketubah, while I moved to the end of the table and included more of the rooms beautiful features, more specifically the ornate chandelier.

When I say different perspectives, some great examples of this would be during the formal portraits, angling myself to the side and capturing the more candid images, talking and laughing. Or during the cutting of the cake while David and Luke are focused on the bride and groom, I turn and quickly locate the mom’s and dad’s, capturing their expressions during this time for a more complete story telling. Below you will see a couple of images of the brides entrance at the ceremony, while David shot from the back of the room, I ran around to the side and managed to grab this shot before their guest rose in the brides honor.

Here David was shooting bride’s brother giving a speech, while I angled myself as to focus primarily on the couple for a different perspective.

I’ll leave you with a few tips to remember for the next time you second shoot or perhaps before you embark on your first second shooting experience. When shooting second, it is important to shoot in a way that is complimentary to what the primary photographer is doing and to be proactively thinking.

1. It’s as easy as noting the lens choice of the primary (when shooting the same subject) and choosing a different lens to compliment the subject. In the case with our bride at the window, I might use a 70-200mm lens so that while I’m backed away from the subject to assist with lighting, I can still capture the way she gracefully holds her dress or the bouquet, while she’s having her portrait photographed.

2. Changing the orientation of your camera, what I mean is, if the primary is shooting vertical, what happens when you go horizontal? What various look and feel can you create with a different orientation?

3. Remember different perspective!  Try not to follow in the footsteps of the primary for shots, they already have that shot covered and where I’m positive it’s a fantastic image and great potential for your portfolio, that is not why you are there, think outside the box, change your angle, go big picture and dare to be different. You too can create something compelling, unique and beautiful through finding various perspectives to the primary.

It’s ok to be creative, explore the possibilities, and have fun that’s exactly why you are there!

Where: The Magnolia Hotel- Dallas, Texas

When: August 28-30, 2011

To find out more information regarding details and how to register, make sure to visit our website.

http://eastmeetswestworkshop.com/

We have also created a Facebook page titled “East Meets West Workshop” that you can look at to receive more information.

Here are a few of David and Luke Edmonson, CM Leung and Paul Ernest signature shots, you’ll have to go to the workshop website to see more.