Kristin and Justin

I've just started going through the photos from Kristin and Justin's wedding on Saturday. It was a wonderful day and I'll be posting more pictures through the week.

As far as weather goes, the last Saturday in May turned out to be the nicest one.

This was my first reception aboard the Gateway Clipper, and cruising up and down the rivers was a nice way to spend the evening. There were a lot of folks from out of town here for the wedding and the city looked magnificent from the river.

With the sun setting over the Ohio River, I coaxed Kristin and Justin outside for just one more photo.

Thanks you two for being good sports and stepping away from the Pens game for a few minutes for this picture.

A big thanks also goes out to groomsman Dane for volunteering to be my light stand.

The save of the day goes to my assistant Caroline for going above and beyond the call of duty by not only saving my car from being towed from in front of Heinz Chapel, but actually talking the police into not ticketing me for expired registration. (Took care of that with the DMV today!)

Joe

Membership Has Its Privileges

Andrew Russell Photo

I put a lot of consideration into whether or not I should even make this post. I'm really not concerned with what other photographers do, or don't do.

But I hate to see the actions of a few feed the perception that everybody - including those of us who work hard to provide great photography, customer service, and value to their clients - operates in an unprofessional manner.

After speaking with a number of brides - it goes with the territory - it seems that just about everybody has a story of a sister or friend who got burned by their photographer.

There's a lot of talk about people entering the field of wedding photography since the start of the digital revolution. While there are no doubt some talented individuals getting started, there are plenty of horror stories about photographers delivering poor-quality pictures, or flaking out and not delivering photos at all.

I come to a wedding with my Nikon D3 and D700, lenses, several flashes, and other gear. They're professional grade cameras and give outstanding results.

Big deal. You can get great photos with a Nikon D90 or Canon Rebel - both of which are less than $1000. The barriers to entry into the field are fairly low.

What happens if one of my cameras breaks? Well, I've still got the other one AND I've got backup equipment in the car.

It's part of the preparation that goes into properly covering an event: My gear is insured. I back up my digital files in several places. I carry liability insurance. My business is registered with the state. I pay taxes on income. I collect sales tax. Etc., etc.

The point is that there is a lot more to being a responsible business person than having a camera and a website.

To that end, I'm pleased to say that I've recently joined a couple of professional organizations.

The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers (ISPWP.com) is an exclusive directory of wedding photographers. They require references from other professional photographers and recommendations from brides before you're allowed in. ISPWP is only open to professionals who have shot at least 50 weddings as the primary photographer and they review your portfolio before approving membership.

There's also a code of conduct that members must abide by. It's really about the things I was talking about above - applying the industry's best practices to your business.

I'm also excited about being among the first to join the newly-formed Pittsburgh chapter of the International Special Events Society (ISES). ISES is all about raising the bar for all members through education, cooperation, and cultivating high standards of business practices.

This is great news for brides, and really anybody who is planning a special event with vendors who are ISES members. It means that your photographer and other vendors are operating according to professional standards and as a result are comfortable working with one another.

That's it for now. I've got a great wedding this Saturday with Kristin and Justin that I'm really excited about. I've got a new assistant, Caroline, who I'm very much looking forward to working with. The ceremony is at beautiful Heinz Chapel and the reception aboard the Gateway Clipper. Check back on Sunday by which time (hopefully) I'll have posted a couple of my favorites from the day.

Joe

BRUUUUCE!!!

2009 seems to be the year of the concert for me. First was AC/DC, then Fleetwood Mac, and last night I got to photograph The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen!

It was the usual first three songs shot from the soundboard area. We were treated to "Badlands," "Candy's Room," and "Outlaw Pete." The first two are among my favorite Springsteen songs and the last one was cool because of the moody lighting while Bruce sang.

Here are some photos of Bruce, Miami Steve, and the Big Man:









All photos were shot with a Nikon D3 at 2500 ISO and a 400/2.8 lens. The D3 is simply awesome in low light.
Joe

Failure to Yield and Other Musings

I enjoy a wide range of photography. I truly believe that the skills and methods I use while shooting news and feature photos has a positive effect on my abilities as a wedding photographer.

The great thing is that it works both ways. My news photography has improved over the years that I've been doing wedding photography as I've come to pay greater attention to details, and especially to light.

On Thursday there was a hearing about the proposed closure of the Fort Pitt museum in Pittsburgh's Point State Park. By no means was it an exciting visual event, but thankfully there were a couple of guys dressed in 18th century garb. I shot photos of James Scahill, dressed as Gen. John Forbes, who led the campaign to capture then-Fort Duquesne from the French, while he testified. I thought there must be a better picture than that, so I followed him as he returned to his seat in the audience. I shot photos of him as he reviewed his papers. It was kind of funny in an anachronistic way, all the while I was thinking "This is great light."



Next I was off to Liberty Ave. near Gateway Center in Pittsburgh where PennDOT and the Pittsburgh Police had set up a sting operation to catch motorists who failed to yield to pedestrians in the crosswalks there.



Sad to say, but its shocking just how oblivious many drivers are. I must admit, I had fun chatting with the motorcycle officers while they waited to pull over and cite violators. It was kind of fun watching them throw on the lights and race after the cars.



Every driver that I saw blow through the crosswalk had a cell phone to their ear - a pet peeve of mine.

Joe

Proud Father

Yesterday was my daughter Phoebe's first communion at St. Philip Parish in Crafton. What a joy it was to see her with her hair done and all dressed up in her gown.

She was so excited for the special occasion, and we had a wonderful time with friends and family at our home afterwards.

I'm posting a few photos so that people don't think that it's a case of the shoemaker's children going barefoot here at the Appel household in regards to photography.








Joe

New Church (for me)

I had a great time photographing Amy and Jeffry's wedding.

It was the first time I shot at St. Anne's in Mt. Lebanon and I liked the church very much. It was built in the early 1960's in a modern style that I usually find cold and unattractive. Not so, here. The area around the altar is very spacious, and the decor is bold and graphic.





The way the light entered from the high windows in the nave provided some nice illumination as Amy's dad walked her down the aisle.



For those keeping score at home, I added to the natural light by aiming my flash towards the wall to my right. The wall was of a neutral color so it didn't color the light as it reflected off of it. I think the results are much more attractive than direct flash.

Joe

Sunset

Here's another photo from Amy and Jeffry's wedding last weekend:



It's always sunny in the South Hills of Pittsburgh!


Joe

First Dance

One of my favorite things to photograph during a wedding reception is the first dance. All eyes are on the couple and it's three to four minutes of them alone. I'll work the different angles in relation to my lights and take some wide shots of the whole scene. Then I work my way in a little bit closer, and finally I try to get some very tight shots of their expressions.

I took this shot of Jeffry and Amy towards the end of their first dance last Saturday. I saw this in the viewfinder and was very happy when I checked it and it was in focus.



Please check back for more photos, I'll be posting them as I edit.

Joe

My New Toy

I shot my first wedding of the season yesterday and brought along my new toy. It's no toy really, but a Panasonic Lumix LX3.

This pocket-sized camera is amazing. At the heart of this little point-and-shoot is a Leica lens that is phenomenally sharp and capable of focusing at 2cm. I've been playing with it for a couple of weeks and decided to take it with me to Amy and Jeffry's wedding to try some detail shots.

Here's a shot of their rings:



I'll be posting more photos from the wedding over the next couple of days, so please check back.

Joe