Outstanding in Her Field

Wow! Two fantastic weddings this weekend.

I'm really lucky to be able to photograph the weddings of such great couples. It is truly inspiring. As the Reverend said at the wedding yesterday (I'll paraphrase): What the world needs more than ever is for people to come together, and what better way to accomplish that than the marriage of two people who love each other.

Armstrong Farms in Saxonburg provided the backdrop and as always owner Kathy Allen came through with a beautiful day.

Thanks Abbe and Dan, best wishes to you on your honeymoon!

I'll be posting photos from both of the weddings this weekend, so check back.

Joe

Jeanene and Joe

I had a great time photographing Jeanene and Joe's wedding at the Morning Glory Inn last evening. I'm leaving soon for another wedding, but wanted to post a quick preview of the fantastic photos from the wedding.

The cake topper that Joe picked out was a huge hit. Joe has red hair, so the Mark Zablow from Yes, We Cater modified it with a kumquat!

Here's the view from behind:

Funny!

Check back in a few days for more photos.

Thanks again, and congratulations Jeanene and Joe!

Joe

Kristin and Justin - Part 3

Here are a few more photos from Kristin and Justin's beautiful wedding:

If your wedding is at Heinz Chapel (click the link for a fascinating wikipedia entry), then you absolutely have got to walk over to the Mellon Institute for photos.

A couple of photos from the reception on the Gateway Clipper- things really got jumping!

GO PENS!!

Thanks again to Kristin and Justin for allowing me to photograph their wedding, and for being such gracious hosts.

Joe

Retouching

I've put together a web page to help clients understand the differences between an image straight out of the camera, a proof that has undergone brightness and color adjustment, and a finished image.

Here's the link: http://web.me.com/joeappel1/Site/Retouching.html

I plan on posting more examples in the future, so bookmark it and check back for some amazing transformations.

Joe

Kristin and Justin, Part 2 - Heinz Chapel

Here are some more photos from Kristin and Justin's wedding last Saturday. The ceremony was at Heinz Chapel, which is one of the most beautiful places in Pittsburgh to have a wedding.

Both the bride and groom went to Pitt, so the Chapel is a special place for them - Kristin even has her name engraved in one of the stones in the walkway between Heinz and the Cathedral of Learning.











Oakland offers lots of possibilities when you're thinking about where to take formal photos. I'm about half way through editing this wedding, and will post some photos from the formals session outside of the Mellon Institute. Be sure to check back for the photos in the next couple of days.

Joe

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